12 Weeks Left

After two weeks up temperatures above 20 degrees (during the day) the forecast is showing that next week the temperature will start dropping again.  Still 8 above zero will still feel warm.  The warm temperatures brought in new snow that provides a nice blanket over the ice that formed when the temperature exceeded 32 degrees and the old, graying snow.
As we pass the mid-point in February, my mind keeps looking toward summer and even into the following school year.  On Wednesday I received my contract for next year.  Yes, I will be teaching in St. Michael again next year and will, in fact, be remaining in the village most of the summer.  In about a month we will pass the equinox and St. Michael will begin having days with more sunlight than darkness.  I am excited to have the sun up when I get up again.  I am ready to spend extended amounts of time outside again.

A Week Above

Last week the temperature climbed to 36 degrees during a storm.  The temperature has remained about 15 degrees for the last 10 days.  The day time temperatures stay around 25 degrees so outdoor activities are a possibility again.  Nathan has been running outside in the afternoons and Katie and I went for a ride on her honda to see new places (for me) around St. Michael.  The warm temperatures have also brought in new snow.  The last two days we have had some snow flurries--not a lot of snow, but enough to cover the old graying snow and the ice left by the 36 degree weather.  

Last week we only had 13 of 17 students come to school because of illness.  Yesterday we were back up to 15 kids out of 18 (one of our students re-enrolled).  There are 13 weeks left in school.

Kyra (her frostbitten cheeks are healing), Nadine and I .

Last week we learned how to jump rope.  They were very enthusiastic.  Here is Christine jumping rope.

Afternoon snack with Mary T. (the 3's class sub aide).  

Matilda reading in the library.  

Regina and Flora making a crown.  This is a common activity for many of the girls.  I tell them to cut it out  (sometimes I draw lines for them to cut) then they put it together.  Regina made this one all by herself.

Frostbite, a Lockdown, and more

February was ushered in by a windchill advisory: -65 degree windchill expected from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon.  Before leaving for school on Wednesday I turned all the faucets on to drip hot water and I turned up the thermostats in each of the rooms to between 80 and 85 degrees.  Then I went to school.  We now have 17 students enrolled in our fours class.  On Monday 15 were present.  On Tuesday 12 were present.  On Wednesday 11 were present.  On Thursday 10 were present.  The rest of the students were sick.  Some of them have been sick since last week or even the week before.  Others were sick last week, came in this week, and then were sent home sick again.  It was a quiet week and I feel like we were able to do some enjoyable and meaningful activities with the kids that were at school.
Back to Wednesday's windchill:  I came home from work and the temperature in the house was 66 degrees.  Remember the thermostats were set to 80 degrees and the heaters had been on this that morning and it was still only 66 degrees in the house.
Thursday began with my first personal look at frostbite.  One of my student's cheeks were frostbitten when she was walking home in the wind on Wednesday.  She did not have a face mask.
That afternoon we had more excitement.  We were just starting to get up after rest time when I heard what sounded like a snowball hitting the side of the building.  It was a muffled sound and I didn't pay much attention.  Mary L. ran in from the office and said, "Get the kids away from the windows!"  Flora and I began getting the kids to the back of the room (most of them were still on their cots).  Then Charlene and others from the city office came running in and said, "Get the kids out of the room!  Turn off the lights!"  We turned off the lights and Flora began taking the kids out of the room.  There were still three kids asleep (today of course they fall asleep), so I picked up one kid, handed him to Mary L. and went to get the others.  I noticed that one had woken up and I told her to go to Teacher Alma's room and I picked up the last sleeping child.  All through this transition I kept my voice calm and level and had a smile on my face.  The kids didn't need to know their was a guy with a gun outside.
We ended up taking the kids to the city office and had them sit on the floor.  Mary L. brought in some books from our library lab and we passed them out to the kids.  I told my students, "You could read to the 3 year olds.  They would really like that."  A few of my kids went over and sat with the 3s class and others stayed by me and listened to the book I was reading.  While we got the kids settled Charlene called the police.  Ten to fifteen minutes later we were told the police had taken care of it and we were able to continue with our afternoon routine.
Here's what had happened.  There was a man, who was drunk, shooting his gun out over the ice on the bay.  We found out about it because one of our head start staff saw him when she was coming back from her lunch break.  We were safe, we followed our procedures, we kept level heads, and the kids didn't really realize what was happening.  They weren't scared and they were able to continue the day with negative reactions.

Last week the kids had a great time rearranging the furniture in the dramatic play lab.  They were able to communicate and work together to move the large pieces of furniture and decide where to put things.

Chris and I watching our St. Michael Storm basketball game last Friday against the White Mountain Wolves.

Storm vs Wolves

Left: Logan, Matilda (back), Kyra, and Daiza enjoying the house made of waffle block.  Kyra and Matilda worked together to build it and then they shared it.

Frostbite:  The red patch on her cheek.  The other side also has a red patch.  

Christine and I in the classroom on her 5th birthday.

On Friday I had four students for Friday class.  We had a productive day practicing counting and story telling with a math mini-lesson and then played a color-matching game together.  After we had snack we went to gym and rode bikes.  The kids love riding bikes.  With the small classes we have had this week we were able to have all the kids on bikes at once.  Usually we have to divide the class in two groups and then switch half way through gym.  That afternoon (at -25 with -45 degree windchill) I walked with Chris to the big school where his dad was working and then met with Morgan (my Alaska state mentor). That evening Nathan and I watched the Storm vs Shaktoolik basketball game.  

On Saturday morning the storm hit.  Temperatures that have been between -25 and -40 since December 27 (with only four days around -10) rose 56 degrees from 28 below zero on Friday to 28 above zero on Saturday.  The wind blew continuously from 30mph-45mph with gusts around 55mph.  Again our house was shaking.  With the increase in temperature came new snow.  New snow from the sky mixed with old snow on the ground to create blizzard conditions that blocked our view of everything except the house 40 feet in front of us and the three buildings across the road from us.

10am on Saturday looking toward the IRA building and the AC store.  The light of the left is the IRA building. 

Saturday at 12pm: the red house about 40 feet from our house.

Looking toward the IRA and the AC.

The Catholic Church across the street.  On the left of the picture is the snow that has gathered on the window.

The snow storm cleared midday on Saturday so we were able to do our evening activities.  The wind continues to blow...so much that Jill's second story window pane came out of the frame, fell to the ground, and broke.  A tarp was brought over and taped over the window.  Fortunately, the increase in temperature kept her house from getting cold quickly.  We watched "Lost" for three hours and never got cold from a draft.  At -25 we would have been cold quickly.
Tomorrow we are having people over for a Super Waffle Brunch Superbowl Party.