Snow Day = Extended Christmas Break

Snow day? That phrase is one of which dreams are made.

When I got the text from my co-worker that school would be closed on Monday, I pretty much squealed with joy. (Think small child receiving amazing gift on Christmas morning.)

Can we say decreased stress level? Yes.
Are my lesson plans for the week finished? Yes.
Do I have the motivation to work ahead for next week? Ummm...I'm working on that.

But it was so nice to take a break last night and this morning - after Mass, my sister came over, and, with one of my roommates, we did some typical night-before-snow-day activities: board game, movie, and chocolate. And, before bringing my sister back to her apartment this morning, we caught up on Episode 1 of Season 4 Downton Abbey. (It's a good one!)

Yes, it's certainly cold outside. (If you don't believe me, check my car's digital temperature reading on the left below - I didn't think it could show negative numbers, but, apparently, it can.) I wonder what tomorrow's weather will bring...

Looks like it's time to get motivated - It shouldn't be that hard because it's too cold to venture outside and there's not much on TV...but these things are easier said than done...

Day off...So, what did I do...?

How did I spend my day off from school?

Well, I did get a lot done this morning...

- I went for a quick jog at the gym, where I was able to catch up on the news.
- I bought dish soap and cleaned a large pile of plates/bowls loaded up in our sink.
- I dropped 2 of my coats off at the cleaners.
- I baked a pumpkin dessert.
- I finished planning my second 8th grade unit.

And then I got to work on three performance assessments (& their rubrics) for my middle school religion classes.

Let's just say, that took awhile.

All feelings of being productive earlier in the day quickly vanished.

I am not sure if what I came up with even makes sense, but here is the gist of each of the projects:

6th grade - Compose a letter of faith to their future selves, explaining what they know about topics like the Trinity, the 4 Marks of the Church, etc. and also what they hope to know (through comments and questions) in the coming years

7th grade - Create (draw) & explain a set of 3 "Instagram" photos to catch people's faith in action, including the 4 Marks of the Church, prayer in life, and evangelization

8th grade - Design & explain a modern-day disciple action figure(s) equipped with materials/traits/accessories to help share the faith, deal with evil in the world, understand the Trinity, etc.

I hope my rubrics are more reflective of student performance/understanding of material this time - last time, I think some students ended up with better scores than they deserved/earned. However, I did listen to a webinar on Saturday night (yes, what a grand Saturday night I had) about the design and wording of rubrics, so I hope I did better!

My creative energy is drained. (Maybe it wasn't even really there in the first place.)

Good thing that tonight's creative energy involves painting rather than thinking...

Coming along...

Okay, the first two days of each of my prayer units for 6, 7, and 8th grades are done. I worked on one grade level per day, so I was able to spread out the work and still enjoy my weekend, which I filled with a long-ish run, Ministry of Care, grocery shopping, friend visits & karaoke, and an ACE Mass. (All in all, it was a packed yet restful weekend.)

Here's how they're shaping up so far - Remember, it's just the first 2 days (Wed & Thurs of this week)...

Click here for Grade 6
Click here for Grade 7
Click here for Grade 8

We only have a four day week coming up due to PD (professional development) on Friday, so I'm crossing my fingers and praying that we'll make it through.

And, if all else fails, I can think of this adorable picture I came across on Pinterest: