family , JPGHS , Library , poncho/cape
This week: lots of learning … not so much teaching (or librarian-ing)!
This is the first week since school began where I spent more time OUTSIDE the Library than in. Weird, huh?
Monday was a “normal” day in the Library … lots of students and faculty/staff in and out and then the day ended with a volleyball game against St. Gertrude’s (an all-girl Catholic school from Richmond) where both JV and Varsity lost their games thru silly errors and generally not playing their best.
Tuesday I spent about 30 minutes in the Library … after hearing about 30 minutes of dd Catie and colleagues speaking to our faculty about depression. I then headed up to the Library where some 130 9th graders and 10 other adults were waiting for buses to take us up to the Saint John Paul 2 Shrine in Washington, D.C. Chaperoning my share (10 lovely students) we rode four school buses up into the heart of the District and got a great tour of the shrine and it’s gorgeous (and symbol-laden) Chapel and Luminous Mysteries Side-chapel as well as the special exhibit on St. Thomas More. We had a gorgeous Mass and then lunch and ran out of time (so my group didn’t get to do the JP part … but we’ll just have to go again to see it all).
Here are some pix of what we saw:
The Annunciation Mural .. with Mary holding two balls of yarn … showing she knit the humanity into Jesus!
The Altar Mural
The Epiphany Mural (with JPtheGreat included … to show the message going out to all the nations throughout time!)
The altar in the Luminous Mysteries side-chapel … including a reliquary holding a vial of JPtheGreat’s blood)
Wednesday was PSAT day at school so Seniors (who are the only students who DON’T take the PSAT) came to the Library to work on college applications … with Guidance available for assistance (and me there to help with technical stuff like Google Docs … Chrome Book issues … reading essays and cheering for the students). It was a blast. We then played Bishop Ireton for volleyball … did well but came up short in both games. But the girls played to their best and that’s all we care about (especially after Monday’s fiasco).
Thursday thru Saturday mid-day: I spent down in Norfolk at a Virginia Association of School Librarians (VaASL) annual conference. I spent Thursday and Friday, 8-5, in courses all day (it was exhausting but exhilarating at the same time!) that gave me such great info and I learned to very much. On top of that, I was able to get some amazing knitting done while I kept notes on my ChromeBook in each session; I knit so I can focus and it’s amazing how much I can get done … learning and knitting … what a great combo!
I missed the family, but the time away, with what I learned and was able to do, was so worth it!
Got back in time to pick up Thoams from work … bring him home to change so he could head out to KingsDominion with his buddies … while Rick took Maggie to a sweet 16 party and I picked up JP from his Confirmation Retreat. The youngest will be receiving his Confirmation on Nov 19th and had a great experience at the retreat; the same retreat Thomas went to 4 years ago and also had a meaningful experience! How cool is that!
Spent today, after Mass, with dh looking at possible townhouses to purchase so we can get closer to school. A VERY productive day!
Hope your week was spent learning all kinds of cool things …
Enjoy!
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