Category: School

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Back at it

We are back in school, we are in person, we are masked, we are 5 days a week, and we are at 2 different schools now. Whew!

Della had her first day of school a week before the other two started.

As you’re well aware, it was heartbreaking for me when Della left our Cumberland gang. However, it’s actually working out pretty well. The middle school is awesome, I met all of her teachers at “Meet the Teachers” night last week and every single one is incredible, she gets to see at least some of her good friends from Cumberland every day, she’s continuing with band and has the same teacher as last year, and she still walks halfway to/from school with us. She even has her first cross country meet today! I’m so proud of how she’s handling this new independence, and I’m so relieved that I’m surviving, too. 😉

Lana’s “Roaring Start” day, where she went for about an hour and a half to meet her teacher and do some testing
Morrison’s Roaring Start

I could tell the first couple days without her were weird for the other 4, so I didn’t make a big deal about anything that was happening, but they’ve gotten into our new groove, too. Morrison has some of his very best friends in his class again this year, and his teacher seems wonderful. Lana has an amazing group of girls in her class that I’m so happy she’s become friends with; she was thrilled to get a mirror and pen caddy for her locker this year, too; and her teacher is absolutely fantastic. This month Della does have cross country practice right after school, so she walks home from that on her own. I can’t even tell you how weird it is seeing her just strolling in the door by herself at about 4:45! But she has most Fridays off of practice and it’s only a month-long season, so she’ll get to meet back up with us on the walks home soon.

I’m not sure if it’s the third-grade daily processes at school, being closer to 9 now than 8, her specific teacher, or just the stars and all the cosmic juju finally aligning, but Lana has shown a new level of maturity these past couple weeks that I have never seen from her. They got an assignment notebook from school on the first day, and they are tasked with writing down all of their nightly “to-do’s,” checking off everything as they finish it, then dog-earing the pages as they complete them. She puts her nightly reading in there, she puts her piano practice in there (the girls started those lessons a few weeks ago and they are going great, too!), she puts emptying all her lunch containers in there, she puts any extra assignments they get in there, she puts any school project needs in there…it’s great. I can also tell that she’s taking pride in this, which is another thing you don’t often see manifesting from her. I can’t possibly begin to describe how proud I am of her. I’m not outwardly making a big deal out of this either, because I don’t want to hype it up so much that she shys away from this great work and routine she’s gotten in, but I did very nonchalantly let her know the other evening how happy I was watching her do her notebook and enjoying being in charge of herself like this. She has started wanting to push the stroller to and from school, too, which I just love.

The twins are still turds on the daily, but even they get in some awesome bouts of calm play time together, too. So there may be hope yet! I just can’t believe those little squirts will be following Lana and Morrison through the Cumberland doors next year, even if only for half the day. Watch out!

So here we are. My days seem just as busy as when all 5 were home for some reason, but I’m loving every one. I’m so happy they’re all safely back at school, and I just hope everyone stays healthy. The social distancing aspect is obvioulsy decreased this year with no virtual option and a full week schedule, but masks are still mandatory, drinking fountains are still off (bottle fillers are definitely on, though, so kids just need to bring thier own water bottles), and hand washing and sanitizing is constant. So fingers crossed that we avoid any quarantines or shut downs this year.

Happy back-to-school, my loves! This feels like it’s going to be a great year, and I just can’t wait to see where it takes each of you. I love you all so, so much!

All 5 were in bed at 7 p.m. after that first full day for the big 3. Cheers to that!

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The first one bites the dust

I don’t know how many times I’ve said it, and I know I can’t stop saying it, but I STILL can’t believe that Della is finished with elementary school. Our school year ended in June, and the notion that she’ll never be walking back to that school with us again just keeps boggling my mind.

As you know, we went back to in-person school for the fourth and final quarter of this school year. It was, by far, the best decision for us. I was perfectly happy with all 3 staying virtual and at home for the first 3 quarters, but by the time that last spring quarter rolled around and the school week switched to 4 days in person with 1 asynchronous day and the COVID-19 cases didn’t skyrocket and the nice weather started to arrive and the cabin fever started to set in, I was ready to send them back. They were ready to go back, too. And we were SO fortunate that Della and Morrison got to keep their teachers, whom we all loved, because they both went back in person, too. Lana’s virtual teacher ended up not even having her own classroom for fourth quarter so Lana couldn’t have kept her anyway, but she did start helping out with reading groups in Morrison’s class! Plus Lana loved the new teacher she got for that quarter, so win-win-win.

Last time wearing her last-day-of-school dress
Last walk home from school all together 🙁
One last pass by the dinosaur and purple giraffe house with all of them

I absolutely love our elementary school. Della has had nothing but wonderful days and experiences there, and I’m so sad it’s over for her. Our middle school seems pretty amazing, though, and I know she’s looking forward to her days ahead there. I just can’t wrap my heart around the fact that we’re splitting up. We won’t all be together anymore. She’ll be going there while the rest of us still go the other way. It’s just a fact of life, I’m fully aware, but it still tugs at me. The first piece of my heart is growing up and walking right away from me before my eyes.

Last walk to school together…

Thankfully the school calendar for next year is going to allow us to take Della the first couple of days before Lana and Morrison start. I already promised I wouldn’t get too close if she doesn’t want me to, wheeling the stroller with the twins right up to the 6th-grade waiting area. 😀 Once I have just those first couple dropoffs with her under my belt, I think I’ll be ok. My heart will get those few little moments to keep it full. The start and end timing of the different school days is just close enough that I wouldn’t be able to drop her off first and get over to the elementary school in time walking with everyone. I think if we drove we’d make it, but the walks to/from school are important to me. Believe it or not, I learn a lot in those short times together with all my kids.

Through those doors for the last time…

I’m going to miss her terribly. I know she’s not actually going anywhere and will be home right after us each day, but still. She’s mine, and I miss her when she’s not with me. I think it’ll be weird for the other kids, too, not having their leader with us. I told Lana she has an important role now as the biggest Rau kid at the elementary school. She’ll be in charge of getting Morrison at his door on those winter days when I drive to pick them up and they have to come meet me at the car. And she’ll have to help him get to his door on those same mornings. I hope she’s up to the task!

Oh, my sweet little peanut. I canNOT believe you’re a big middle schooler now, and I hate the fact that our school-days gang is breaking up. But, being the amazingly beautiful person you are, I can’t wait to see where this life takes you. Dream big, my love – you’ll do incredible things. ❤

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April 8

Was a big day around here. The big 3 went back to in-person school for the first time in 174 school days, and it was mine and Ryan’s 15th anniversary.

Last virtual reading group
Last day of virtual school for this crew!
Last virtual P.E. class together
Last virtual day picture with her teacher.
She adored Miss Safer at Richards!
Thumbs up – all done!

The kids are so happy to be back in the classrooms with their teachers and friends, and so am I! We were elated that Della and Morrison’s teachers switched back to in person, too, so they got to stay with them. Lana’s virtual teacher actually didn’t keep her own classroom this quarter so Lana wouldn’t have been able to stay with her anyway, and Lana’s new teacher seems wonderful. Plus, her virtual teacher now helps out with reading groups in Morrison’s class and Lana gets to see her for an hour each Wednesday during asynchronous office hours, so that worked out great. As much as I miss not having them here all day anymore, I feel with every fiber of my being that sending them back for this final quarter of the school year was definitely the right choice for us. Even the walking to/from school routine feels good again. We’ve still had asynchronous Wednesdays, so I do get to keep them with me those days.

Gotta celebrate with a Fun Lunch!

They hopped right back into the school swing, too. They unload their backpacks right when we get home, wash their lunch boxes and water bottles, do any homework (usually only Della), give me any papers out of their folders (usually only Lana and Morrison), then make their lunches and snacks for the next day after dinner. I absolutely love the independence they’ve gained in these chores. They enjoy making their own lunches and I don’t, so it’s a win-win!

First morning walking to school in over a year!

We didn’t have a big celebration for #15. Ryan sent me a beautiful flower arrangement, I hung up the decorations Lana had made for Valentine’s Day that we were saving for this, and I opened a nice bottle of sparkling wine before dinner. I put on my wedding dress, too, which Avit absolutely loved helping to arrange.

Lana’s anniversary present for us. She made it immediately when we got home from school and had me send a picture of it to her teacher. 🙂 It says “Here comes the bride all dressed in white.”

I say it pretty much every spring, but I can’t believe we’re in May already and nearing the end of yet another school year. Della and I had her middle school tour last night (what the?!?!?!). I will be a total mess the last week of this school year with all the fun activities and celebrations they have planned for the 5th graders’ sendoff from elementary school. Even though the middle school looks incredible and I know she’ll love it, it’s breaking my heart that we’re not all going to be walking to and from the same school together each day anymore, and she won’t be at the same school with any of her siblings again until her senior year of high school. I know these are all just steps in life, but they’re scary for me. I know my kids little, and I love it this way. I obviously won’t love them any less as they grow up, but I’m having a really hard time letting go.

So there we go. April 8 – it was a good day.

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Q1 results

In August, our school district decided we would have 2 options to begin this school year:

  • A hybrid, in-person model, where students would go to school with half of their class 2 days a week; have virtual learning 2 days a week, where they’d see their teacher in the classroom while s/he teaches the other half of the class, too; then Wednesday is an asynchronous day with only online lessons, no live instruction. Students with last names A-L would be in person on Monday/Tuesday, virtual Thursday/Friday. Students with last names La-Z would be in person on Thursday/Friday, virtual Monday/Tuesday.
  • Fully virtual, where students would get real-time live instruction from their teacher, not prerecorded online lessons like last spring. Asynchronous Wednesdays just like the hybrid model.
  • And you only had to commit to whichever modality you chose for 1 quarter at a time.

We chose the real-time virtual learning for the first quarter, mainly because we had absolutely no idea what was going to happen and 1 quarter seemd like nothing. As soon as I heard you didn’t have to choose for the entire school year, my mind was made up. We knew there was better infrastructure in place than last spring when everything shut down, but I was convinced that schools would close within weeks because of spreading COVID-19 cases and everyone would be home anyway. We were wrong, and our district actually stayed open the entire first quarter. At the beginning of the school year I had said that if that happened we would send them back to the in-person option the following quarter, but we’ve decided to keep them home again for second quarter. I know, liar, liar.

Here’s the thing. Although the schools never closed, there have also never been zero active cases AND zero quarantine cases in all the schools. I’ve watched the COVID dashboard that’s released weekly, and there are either some active cases in some of the schools or some quarantine cases in some of the schools, but it has never been zeros across the board. The high school actually went fully virtual for the shortened school week this week because enough teachers/staff are out with it, but that’s the first time for any of the schools this quarter.

Here’s the other thing. We’re going into the usual annual flu season. Put the regular flu germs being passed around on top of the COVID germs? No thanks. I’ve been elated we haven’t had to worry about lice for months – I don’t want to have to start worrying about a nasty viral double decker now. I like having that tiny free space in my brain for other stuff. Like… I forget.

Here’s another thing. The kids are doing great. We had no problems last spring, so I honestly wasn’t worried going into this school year staying virtual. And man, have the teachers stepped up their game! Each grade level had enough students choose the fully virtual option so that there is a dedicated fully virtual teacher (no splitting attention between virtual students and those physically present in the classroom), and it makes ALL the difference. They log onto a live meeting every morning, stay live pretty much all morning, some have a break for lunch then back to a couple smaller live meetings in the afternoon, some are finished after the lunch break, and Morrison has a live closing meeting every day. Personally, I love it. The teachers have done an absolutely amazing job with this setup, whether the platform is Seesaw or Google Classroom, and they have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they deserve about 100,000x their current salaries forever and ever and ever. What they’ve done to make sure OUR kids are getting the education they need in this time of insanity is nothing short of incredible. Especially since we all know so many of them have their own children trying to navigate these systems, too. And it’s funny – when the school year started, almost every teacher I spoke to who has kids in elementary school was sending them back fully virtually as well.

And to continue on the another thing, to be perfectly honest, I’m being a little selfish, too. Not having the morning onslaught of getting 5 kids up, dressed, and fed; then making sure 3 of said kids are ready for school – lunches packed, snacks packed, water bottles packed, heads sprayed with the lice spray that actually works, runners/rain boots/snow boots/coats/snow pants/hats/mittens/none of the above on depending on the weather, teeth brushed, gone pee and/or poop; then out the door by either 7:20 or 7:35 depending on if we are walking or driving… You have no idea how much that saves my sanity. We get into that routine easily once a school year begins, but just knowing I don’t have to do all of it when I wake up every morning makes it that much easier. And I employ the easy button whenever I can in life. Try it, you’ll like it. I don’t even have to set an alarm clock! The big kids all get up, get dressed, make their beds, get their own breakfasts, brush teeth, and get their school stations set up for the day on their own. The twins? Oh, I’ll be changing their diapers and pouring their milk and raising them forever.

And some more about the another thing. They all love their teachers. Lana’s grade actually had enough students choose fully virtual that her class is half Cumberland and half Richards, her teacher is at Richards, and we pick all her supplies up at Richards on pickup days, so she thinks it’s great that she’s kind of going to another school. 😀 When I asked if they wanted to switch to in-person classes or stay virtual, as soon as they heard that they’d all have different teachers and classmates if they switched to in person, they all wanted to stay virtual. (Yay!) They haven’t missed out on any fun, either, all having had pajama parties, reward parties for good behavior, show and tell, our own fun lunch, costume day and parties for Halloween, etc.

And the last part about the another thing? I love having them here. I get to see and/or hear what they do in class all day, I get to help them if they need it (although I do constantly tell Morrison to sound out his own words when he asks how to spell everything because I wouldn’t be there in his classroom), I get to hear what questions they ask their teachers and how they ask them, I get to hear the silly things they say to their friends and classmates whether on their microphones or in the chats, and I LOVE that they always want to have their own Zoom meeting and chat with each other when the school day is over and all assignments are finished. After their school years they’re going to be gone from this house pretty much forever, so I will soak up these extra days with them for as long as I can. And I remind myself of that over and over again on those days when I want to send them all back to school RIGHT NOW. Trust me, I know how fortunate we are that I’m home with the kids full time and we are able to roll with fully virtual. It’s what works best for us, not everyone.

So. I totally lied about going back to in-person school after everything stayed open and healthy for a full quarter. I truly didn’t think it would happen. On one hand, I’m really happy that all the precautions and rules that are in place are working. But on the other hand, I don’t really trust the upcoming season. Milwaukee just reversed its coronavirus orders and put more restrictions on gatherings, bars, restaurants, sports, etc., since Wisconsin is apparently incapable of getting this shit in check, so I don’t need to have added worry with trying to send our children back to school buildings when virtual is working perfectly for us right now. Plus they’re happy and thriving and their teachers all had nothing but good things to say at their virtual confereces last night, which is the main goal of all this.

2020, you’ve really fucked things up. But I have to thank you, too. I’ve gotten almost an extra year of time at home with these little pieces of my heart, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

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#summervacation2020

Despite living during a pandemic, we managed to have a really great summer vacation. Screw you, COVID-19!

We started things off with a family trip over to Paw Paw, MI, for a nice 4-day weekend with my mom and stepdad. We’d never been to their cabin there before, and it was wonderful. (P.S. All of these trips will have their own gallery since we take millions of pictures, so please click on each pic to enlarge it if you’d like a better view.)

Two weeks later, my dad came up for the weekend to celebrate Morrison’s birthday, so it was fun having Grandpa in town for a few days. (Please see Morrison’s 5-year post for those pictures!) We were home for a few weeks after that, then I took the kids down to my mom’s for a week after the 4th of July. My sister and her kids drove back to spend that time, too, so we all had a great visit and got to celebrate my niece and stepdad’s birthdays. We hadn’t seem them for exactly a year, which is crazy!

A quick half week later, and we went on another family vacation. That never happens twice in a summer, so it was awesome. Our great friends found a last-minute rental opportunity about 3.5 hours north of here in Crandon, WI, so I said count us in! We definitely did not regret it. It was an incredible place with a perfect property and lake for the kids, and we all had so much fun.

A couple weeks after that, I took the kids back down to my mom’s for another week of Grandma and Grandpa days. We were the only visitors this time, and we celebrated Della’s birthday. Another round of relaxation and fun – just what we needed!

  • I’m in love with these clutch purses and mini pouches I’ve discovered how to make!

We also sprinkled in a couple treat days around here – Bookworm Gardens, hunting for sea glass, donuts and the playground at school, backyard fun (we finally have grass!), the zoo, and I transformed our front porch into a perfect little sitting spot that I love.

  • He pulled tooth #2 by himself already!
  • New glasses!
  • His first pair of glasses!
  • Glasses brigade
  • Can’t be left out!

So now we prepare for the start to our strangest school year ever. We’ve chosen to have the big 3 attend school fully virtually for the first quarter, because I can’t bring myself to make them the guinea pigs in all this. Our other option was a blended model where students go in person 2 days a week and virtual the other 3, but I’ll see how that works before sending ours in. If everyone stays healthy and school stays open the whole time, we’ll all be happy to send them back to the classrooms with their teachers and friends. But I’m just not convinced it will all work so smoothly right away. I want them back as much as they want to be back, but I also don’t need to take any unnecessary risks. Plus we don’t have an extra room for quarantining!

So, another summer break in the books. And an excellent one at that, even with masks, social distancing, and basically nothing operating like a usual summer. Who knows what these upcoming seasons will bring on all fronts, so I will cherish these last couple days like nobody’s business. Cheers!

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And they’re off!

The big 3 all started school after Labor Day, and I can’t even believe Morrison is there with the girls now!

Della and Lana were both excited to get to know their teachers after finding out who they had at registration and meeting them at Meet and Greet, and I am just elated that Morrison got Mrs. Koch, who both the girls had for K4 and who is now paired with Mrs. French as the paraprofessional in her room. Mrs. Koch is so wonderful, and Mrs. French is the absolute nicest person I’ve ever met. The two of them combined is going to be amazing.

The morning of the very first day ended up being stormy and rainy, so all grades except K4 were able to line up inside. Fortunately they were split up between areas so the entire school didn’t try to jam into one place, and double fortunately the girls lined up in the same area. So their lines ended up being closer together than they usually are, and I was able to wave them both off through their lines the entire way. I even got to watch Lana go all the way into her classroom before heading back out to get Morrison for his start.

Morrison has been beyond excited to start this school year, and I love seeing him come out so happy every day. It warms my heart to no end when I hear that they’ve all already seen each other in the hallways, and I know how ready he is to be part of the school community, just like his big sisters. The 3 of them will be at this school together for 2 years now, which will be great.

Have a fantastic year, my loves! I know you’ll all finish taller and wiser than you started – I’m right there with you every second, even when you can’t see me. I love you all so much and am so very, very proud!

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Back in the saddle again

School started for the girls right after Labor Day, so we’re fully back in the school days swing. K5 for Lana and 3rd grade for Della; Lana even wore the same dress for the first day of K5 that Della did. My loves! I must admit, the first week was a little mind numbing for me. It took me all 4 of those first days to figure out exactly when I needed to get up, when I needed to wake the big 3 up for breakfast/clothes on/teeth brushed, if I had time in the mornings to make lunches or if I should do them the night before, when the babies would wake up and if they’d need to nurse again before school, what time we needed to be out the door, etc., etc., etc. See? Orchestrating 6 bodies in the morning while preserving a modicum of my sanity takes talent.

But once we made it through that first week with all the first-day morning and afternoon pictures and a couple more days to smooth out our system and schedule, I felt much better. Last week was pretty easy and harmless, and now it’s fairly smooth sailing. The girls are loving their new classes and teachers, and so am I. I’ve already had great communication with both teachers, something that’s very important to me. I like having a good relationship with their teachers, since they’re in charge of huge pieces of my heart and soul all day long.

But before we started packing the backpacks and lunchboxes again, we had a lot of fun in those long, glorious summer days. We weren’t able to make it up to Canada for a vacation this summer, so I made sure the kids got to do plenty of fun things around here to make up for it. I inflated our backyard pool and kept it filled pretty much the whole summer for the first time. It was a really hot summer this year, so that worked out well.

We went to the zoo, Bookworm Gardens, the beach to hunt for sea glass, a pool/water slide park right near our house, did the library reading program again, and the big 3 played outside with neighbor friends as much as possible. One of the neighbor girls babysat them so I could run with the twins a couple times each week, which they loved. And I let the girls each pick a camp through our rec department, which we never usually do in the summers. Della picked a week-long gymnastics camp at the high school, and Lana picked a week-long NASA-sanctioned space camp at the other elementary school. They both had an absolute blast with their respective programs, and I know they liked getting to do some new and different things.

I took the kids to Peoria for a couple days in August to see family and give the big 3 some pool time, since they’re all little water bugs. That was a great trip. Much fun was had by all, and the twins got to meet a lot of new family members.

I think I hate to see summer vacation end just as much if not more than the kids do, but I have a really good feeling about this school year. Lana was totally ready for full-day kindergarten, and her teacher has already said how good of a listener she is and how well she follows the rules. And Della loves every single thing about her class so far, and her teacher totally understood all my over-emotional messages those first couple days. Plus I’ve figured out how to transport all 5 of them when we walk and where’s the best place to park when we drive. So we’re golden. Off we go!