This story on the news mainly caught my attention because of the school and Vince's connection to it...

Today was the final day at Grassland Elementary School in Franklin, TN (it's the elementary school Jenny went to)....a 4th grader there couldn't attend class because he's battling cancer, so in order to celebrate the last day of school, all the boys in the class shaved their heads to honor their friends/classmate.

Bless that little boy...what a hard thing to go through. I am sure it was very touching to see all the boys with their shaved heads...such great support for the little boy fighting for his life.

Nice to see those young classmates learning lessons like that!

That is cool when classmates do that. There was a little girl in town going thru treatment, so most of her classmates, boys and girls shaved their heads too. We took before and after pictures (when I worked at the photography studio). It was really nice to see parents supporting the kids, especially their daughters who were willing to shave their heads.

That is so sweet that the classmates are showing support for their friend...I pray the little boy does well with his treatments...

Val, was this just the last day of school or are they closing the school for good???

It was just the last day of school, Becky. Schools were out here yesterday, too. Not sure when they're out in FL these days, but it used to be the middle of June when they got out...I think it's actually been a little earlier these past few years, and I think they're planning on starting school earlier, too.

Valerie

This past week was the last week of school around here in AL too...for some reason, the kids were supposed to go, Monday thru Wednesday, then have a teacher's workday on Thursday, then the kids could come to school and go home at noon on Friday...but we sent Maegan to school only Monday and Tuesday this week...they took up all their books last week and Tuesday they moved all of the desks out of the classroom so that they could have the cleaning crew in to clean the floors...so, had we sent Maegan back on Wednesday, she wouldn't have had a place to sit anyway!!! Most kids didn't go all week and they didn't even take attendance...

Wow, that's wierd Becky!! I'm still giving tests this coming week. I have stopped taking grades in spelling and English as of Friday, and we are finishing Chocolate Fever this week. Then we'll only have a few days left for field day, a pizza and ice cream party, and some serious scouring of those grungy desks! WHERE do kids find dirt?? Gotta love em!!

Very touching stories about the kids shaving their heads. It's such a good "life lesson" to learn at such a young age--how to be compassionate. Prayers for the boy and his family....

Well Mary...I guess school doesn't start back up there until after Labor Day...I think Maegan goes back to school on August 10th...they are forever changing the school calendar around here...they have moved spring break from March to April for next year..but I'm not unhappy about that...it's too cold to go do anything during spring break unless you go to the beach or on a cruise somewhere...so, having spring break in April will make it much more pleasurable...this year, we froze at the Huntsville Space & Rocket Center when it was 55 degrees outside and we were walking around to look at all of the huge rockets and the space shuttle...they have some rides out there too..Bruce & Maegan went on the rides and I wrapped up in my heavy jacket with my hood on and froze out there waiting on them...

The kids already had their 'field day' and everything around here was pretty much downhill after they finished their SAT tests in April...they just did alot of reviewing and had about a month's worth of regular classes and then started to wind down...Maegan's teacher said she was going to teach as long as she had kids in the room..but on Monday of the last week there were only 5 kids there, including Maegan...they did some worksheets, but that was about it...

In FL they've been moving the school start and end dates for a couple years now...they want to get the school year in-line with the rest of the south's school schedule, where they start before Labor Day in early - mid August and end before Memorial Day. One of the reasons they want to do that is because of the timing of the FCAT and midterms for highschool students. They want to make sure the teachers have enough time to make sure the kids can learn the material for the FCAT before it's given, and they want highschoolers to be able to take midterms before Winter Break. The way it's been, even when I was in school, midterms were given in January, after we came back from Winter Break...they finally came to the realization that students shouldn't have to worry about studying while trying to celebrate the holidays. Of course you have the parents who are for and those who are against moving the school year...the ones against it argue that they won't be able to send their kids to camp in the northeast because those camps don't finish until late August.

A few years back they changed all the school dates here too. It really makes more sense now, the kids do their mid terms/finals before Christmas break instead of right after Christmas. Our kids start around the 1st week of August and get out of school this week. Our schools also eliminated all those teacher days off (in-service days) and now the kids get out early every Wednesday and that is when in-service days are held.

Pam, when the kids get out early every Wednesday, doesn't that make it hard on the parents that work from 9 to 5??? I know alot of people around here have to find after school care for their kids and summer care as well...and there are some that just let their kids go home and stay alone for 3 or 4 hours after school....YIKES!!! I am SO glad that we are in a position that I can be here at home when Maegan gets home from school every afternoon...

Becky, most of our schools have an afterschool 'daycare' program. Also there is a community center that my kids went to that is awesome. They also have a school bus that takes them to the community center, so there are quite a few options for parents. When my kids got old enough I let them stay home alone, but that is still scarey and my daughter is almost 16. Sometimes it is worse the older they get!

Well, that works, Pam!!! I know there are a few afterschool care places that pick up kids from Maegan's school. One of the little boys that lives down the road is in afterschool care...since he lives with his Mom, who is divorced and works fullt-time...we are fortunate that I can work from home and be here for Maegan and that she can go to work with her Dad just about whenever she wants during the summertime...sometimes it pays to own your own business!!!

Val-
My cousins in FL alway started back to school the third or fourth week of August and got out in late May/early June- I know because we'd go down for vacation in August and they'd be grumbling about having to go back to school.
Here we start school the Tuesday after Labor Day(public schools start usually the Wed. or Thurs.). This year we finish up JUne 16th(again the public schools finish up the following week). The marking period ends next Friday- the last week of school is for collecting books, doing fun activities, and our year end party. We have two full days, two half days, and the last day the kids come for Mass and to get their report cards. Our school has a Carinival that starts on the 13th and ends ont he 17th- because the back parking lot is full of rides and game booths, we have to dismiss through the front. The front parking lot is where the busses come for the kids, so in order to have the lot clear for the busses, dismissal is a half hour earlier for the non-bus kids.

When I was in school, we started back the end of August and got out the middle of June, but like I said earlier, they're changing the school year around because of the FCAT and the fact that midterms fall after Christmas break. I don't know when they start this year, but I think it's earlier than it was last year.