A New School Year

On the eve of a new school year with a new class, I find myself sitting quietly beside my husband who is reading and our dog, Milly, who is sleeping on the slippery, white floor without a care. No longer do we have to cajole her to come and venture on to the slippery tiles, she comes in order to be close to us. Today is Australia Day and it is also Andy's birthday. We have had a quiet day but we did have chocolate cake with freshly whipped cream to celebrate. We also had yummy lamb kebabs. 

Last Thursday, there was a school orientation and I had my classroom set up ready to meet my new students and their families. The majority of the parents told me their child was talkative so I seem to have a chatty class this year. That's OK - I can cope with that. Tomorrow will be a day of getting to know my new students and also setting boundaries with them. I am looking forward to the year ahead with this new class at this new school as a new teacher. The last week or so has been full on preparation for the new school year, including PDs, information sessions, classroom preparation, curriculum planning and reading the school policies and procedures. A lot of it all comes down to common sense, making sensible choices and ensuring the safety and care of students and staff as well.

We have almost finished unpacking but still have book boxes unopened. We need a couple of bookshelves. I still need to unpack and set up the double hammock that I received as a gift from the staff/school last year. We have not yet received our bond back from our last rental place which should have been here two weeks ago! We really would like to have that money back asap and I'm not sure what else we can do to hurry her up in getting it to us.  

I have talked with a few of my friends from last year and I do miss them. We had built up some strong friendships and had some fun times. At the same time, we are making new friends here and looking forward to settling down. The other night I was thinking, "I'm getting too old to start again/make new moves etc" and told one of the teachers that they are stuck with  me now.

We still haven't celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary as that was the day we were driving here but we hope to soon  - after I've gotten into the groove of teaching and working here. There's a lot of wonderful places to explore! Andy has taken Milly for walks but one of the things she loves the best, is splashing in her pool. A neighbour recently told Andy that when we are not here, she barks and one of my friends at school has loaned us a citronella collar that squirts citronella out each time a dog barks. We haven't used it yet as I still haven't got around to buying the battery. Andy told the neighbour that this has been a big move for Milly and she's gone from having half an acre to running around in to a smaller space. The neighbour wasn't upset and it was good to find out so that we can do something about it.

As for having fun.... Unfortunately, I've been focused on getting all my work done and this has included working on the weekends, days off and evenings. As our weekly lesson plans have to be submitted by the last Friday of each week, this should mean that we can do fun things on the weekend. The school has 'touch football' teams that play in the local community comp so Andy and I have signed up for that. Andy has also started training with the senior (over 45's) AFL team. Last Friday night at the staff and families dinner, a group of them played barefoot soccer so of course Andy joined in. A couple staff members were impressed with his fitness level.

On a sad note, Dave's dad passed away last weekend. I find it very hard sometimes, to deal with being so far away from my family over there, at times like this. I can not go and give them a hug, cry with them or even share some beautiful stories with them. I have such admiration for Dad and the godly man he is. He told me stories of his time in the war and he had a smile that warmed my heart. Last Friday, when I was trying to do some work, I found it hard to concentrate. I told the school principal and he was sympathetic. I am so thankful that our principal is warm and caring towards all his staff and students. He seems a humble man whose desire is to see his staff grow and be the people God created them to be.

Well,  I'd better go and get a good night's rest so that I can be my best for my class tomorrow. Thanks again for your prayers, friendship and support. We have so much to be thankful for. Please remember to hug your loved ones, call them, let them know you care because you don't know what tomorrow holds. We can make plans but they don't always happen the way we think they should. Trust me. I can give quite a few examples of plans not working out the way I had hoped. I can also counteract with blessings I was given when the road was tough. 

P.S. If you are new to this blog site and want to read more, click on "The Garden Trail" heading or see the archives to the right of this page.