Northern Attitude

 

If I get to close, 
And I'm not how you hoped, 
Forgive my Northern Attitude 
Oh, I was raised out in the cold. 

If the sun don't rise, 
'til the summertime, 
Forgive my Northern Attitude 
Oh, I was raised on little light. 

-from Northern Attitude Noah Kahan

Scenes from MCAS Alt Prep

In Massachusetts our state test is the MCAS. Students with significant disabilities participate in the MCAS through the Alternate Assessment which is a portfolio of work that correlates to our state standards and what the students are learning in their classrooms. When I taught in Hudson all eight of my students participated via the Alt and I even spent a few summers participating in the Summer Scoring Institute, which I loved and was seriously the best professional development ever for a SpEd teacher! 

Since NECC is a special education school that serves students with autism who need more support than a typical school district can provide all of our Massachusetts students in grades three through eight and ten participate in the Alt. As such, we had over 70 MCAS Alt porfoilios to prepare and ship. Last week was the final push, as all needed to be out the door on Friday. With that in mind, I spent four days in the building assisting in any way I could to help get everything wrapped up. Typically I am only in the school building twice a week. By Thursday, no one (here or at home) had any concept of what day of the week it was since I went in more than usual.  

On Tuesday, I spent eight and a half hours in this hallway scanning portfoios. We do this in case there are any discrepencies, questions or in theoff chance that oen (or more) get lost. After all those hours I then went home and worked for four more answering emails that I had ignored all day. By the end of my almost thirteen hour work day I took myself straight to bed. 

One of the SpEd teachers brought this up for us. Needless to say, it never came to the point that we needed to open it. That same amazing SpEd teacher bought Dominique, Kristen and me lunch as a thank you for all we do to support them with MCAS (and IEPs). 

This is a sticky note that was left in one of the student's portffoilios. It pretty much sums up this week but all of 2025, TBH. 

Competition Day #1 (Grace's Last First Comp of the Season)

 

7:20am on competition day. 

Emma's ready for large group hip hop. 

Elite team contemp. 

Elite team jazz. 

When you get wacked in the head during one of your dances those frozen water bottles that your mama packed come in very handy!

Grace accepts the 1st overall placement for the lyrical line team dance. 

After the team portion of the comp (for the older girls) it was time to move into high school solos. 

Emma was the first number of this portion of the comp. She was entry number 291 and we had to get all the way to entry 384 before the comp was over.
She totally ate and left no crumbs on that stage! 
In other words, she was amazing up there!

Emma and her choreogrpaher the incomprable Miss Deanna! 

Grace's lyrical solo this season is stunning (as is her costume)! 

Emma recived 1st place overall for her hip hop solo (Trendsetter).
So proud!

One last picture before we head home! 

It was a long day, but an amazing day and a fabulous start to the season! 

The girls will be back on the competative stage the first weekend of April. Can't wait to see them both (as well as all their teammates) shine on that stage again! xo 

Scenes From Grace’s Psychology Block

 

One of Grace's final blocks of her senior year was a psychology block. It was a fun one to put together and we both really enjoyed it! It was fun to remember when I took psychology my senior year in high school and to think back on that class, as well as all the psychology classes I took in college. 

One night Grace comes to me and shares that she had just learned that in some AP Psych classes the students make rice babies (similar to the flour sack babies or the even older school egg babies) to learn what it's like to be responsible for a child but also to put all they had learned about the likes of Kholberg, Piaget, and Erikson (among others) into "practice: So we decided to add that into her block as well. 

Honestly, the five pound bag of rice was brilliant and actually felt alot like a real baby, especially if you held it on your hip like you would a little one. Grace used a pair of no longer needed dance tights to create her body, went to Savers and purchased the jammies you see in these pictures and I dug out the baby hat that she came home in from the hospital when she was born and she chose to name her Juliet Carolina (Carolina for the brand of rice she is)! 

Juliet went to dance every time Grace went to dance, and sometimes we took turns haning out with her. It was a really fun addition to her block and I am so glad she discovered this and wanted to incorporate it into what we were doing! xo 

Happy Friday Day of Spring!

 

They're Back!

 

Egg production mode: engaged! xo 

On Saint Patrick's Day

 

May love and laughter light your days, 

and warm your heart and home. 
May good and faithful friends be yours, 

wherever you may roam. 

May peace and plenty bless your world 

with joy the long endures. 

May all life's passing seasons bring

the best to you and yours!