M. Academy Open House

Dear Logan,

So we went to check out two more schools yesterday. We first went to M. Academy, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not sure if it's because it's a Saturday, or it's a private, non-Christian school, but that place was packed! Balloons were given to little kids, the classrooms were all decorated, and snacks of fruits, cookies, and candies were readily available. I had to say, they presented themselves very well.

We were escorted in by a parent volunteer who has a little girl in the pre-K room. He took us to the Pre-K room, showed us where the KG room was, and then left. We had a chance to look around this huge classroom and chatted with one of the teachers. She was nice and friendly, and looked pretty young. Your brother was busy sucking on his candy and playing with the play kitchen at the Dramatic Play area. There were books, pictures, drawings done by students, posted on the wall. It was a very warm and welcoming room. We saw that each kid has an assigned seat with a sign stating their dietary restrictions.

After talking to the Pre-K teacher, we found out that the room is for 30 kids with 3 teachers. Though it is a big room, I am not sure how I feel about having 30 kids altogether. Sounds chaotic! There's another Pre-K room with two teachers and 24 kids. Each year, students get 2 assessments through observations. In the summer, they do 2 field trips a year, some close by and some far away. When they do go far away, there's a school bus to take the kids. The kids get to go out to the playground area 3x a day. At this point, I don't quite remember what that playground looks like. I think it's a decent-sized one, and average. If it's good or bad, it would have made an impression on me. Overall, I really like this room and the school, so far.

We then went over to the KG room and spoke with the teacher. There was another parent volunteer showing a couple other parents around. This room felt welcoming as well, nicely decorated with children's artwork and pictures. Daddy was keeping your brother happy while I spent time with the teacher, and asked some questions.

From speaking with the teacher and the notes I have taken, the KG class is definitely more structured than the Pre-K room. The ratio is 1:20, and no more naps. Instead of nap, the teacher said she did some meditation during the day (not quite exactly know what that entails). In the morning, they do language arts and math, and in the afternoon, they do reading, social science and science. There are extra-curricula classes that parents could pay extra for the kids. This particular teacher said she likes songs and likes to teach through music. By the end of the school year, kids are expected to write complete sentences, and read simple chapter books. The curriculum is about a year ahead of the public school system. The parent volunteer mentioned something called Project Cornerstone, where they teach kids about conflict resolution with parents involvement. Once a month, there's a newsletter for the parents. This particular teacher does some e-mail communication, but prefers written note. She said there will be a math assessment every 5 lessons. When I asked about the spelling tests that I found listed on the website, both the teacher and parent volunteer said not to worry. The kids see those words everyday from Mon-Th, and by Friday spelling test comes around, they all know the words even without intentionally studying for them.

Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time to really tour around the school, as we had to meet with Grandma, Yeh Yeh, Uncle John and Auntie Katie for lunch as Saturday was Uncle John's birthday. On our way out, we did check out the gym/cafeteria/theater stage area. I like that they have drama/theater classes for kids. We also went into the music room, where they have displayed different musical instruments (keyboards, guitar, drums). The teacher said that all students have music class once a week, and when they're older, they could be in a school band. I believe that's part of the extra-curricula activities.

The other extra-curricula activities listed in their packets are music, gymnastics, sports and Spanish. I saw that on their website Mandarin and Taekwondo are offered, but they're not listed. I need to ask them if Mandarin is offered. If it is, then this is definitely a big PLUS! Also, lunch and 2 snacks are included in the full-time tuition. You can pay extra for extended care until 6 p.m. for grades KG and up. The tuition is cheaper than C. School, and seems to be about average private school price.

Overall, I really like this school. It's academic enough, and the environment is welcoming. Teachers seemed nice, and the curriculum seemed to be more well-rounded than C. School.
Definitely on the top of my list now!


Love,
Mommy

C. School Open House

*taken from school website

Dear Logan,

Mommy has started touring new schools for your brother. We've already been to 3 open houses now and I wanted to write down my impression of the schools before I forget them. Even though Aidan won't be going to kindergarten until the school year 2011-2012, I want to know which school I like, so that I can transfer him to the Pre-K class first. Most of the time if you attend the Pre-K, the transition to the KG class in the same school is easier, gets priority, and don't have to go through extra testing.

We visited C. School on Jan 14 in the evening after work. Since it was already dark, I didn't really get a chance to take a look at the whole school. We visited the Pre-K room and the KG room briefly. The Pre-K room was pretty big. It had pictures and drawings done by students all over the place. Everything was nicely put away. Cubbies for students, log book for signing in and out, bathrooms inside the classrooms, and toys out for the kids (which your brother and a few other kids were playing). The only thing that I couldn't visibly see were books, which I was surprised, esp. since C. School is a very academically-focused school. These are the notes I wrote down for the 4 yr-old class:

1:12 ratio (which I think is kinda high for4 yr olds)
PT teachers in the beginning of the year
nap or quiet time required by licensing
3x/day outside play
summer school prep aka KG-prep -- give up nap / bathroom in the hallway (not in the classroom)
Open 7-6 p.m., year-round
visor cards - name of child and room - present when pick-up
sticker on child (which I think is weird and somewhat unnecessary)
progress reports - 4x/yr
snacks a.m. - crackers/juice
snacks p.m. - crackers/juice/fruits
paper newsletter - no e-mail communication
teacher interns assist students who have difficulties catching up
3 KG classes - 90 spots
96 spots for both Full-time and part-time 4 yr old pre-K
no testing from Pre-K class to KG class
bring own lunch for pre-K (no microwave)


I'm not sure where I put the notes for the KG class. I remember the Headmaster (who is very much like a salesman) emphasized that this school is very academically based. This is not a bad thing, but just not too well-rounded. They don't have any separate art or music class. They are all integrated with the academic portion of the curriculum. We saw the KG students wrote something about Martin Luther King Jr. and drew a picture of him. The picture drawn, was the art portion and how it's integrated. I didn't think that's enough, though Aidan didn't seem to be a very artistic person, but still! I did see a piano and a very nice Mac stereo system in both the Pre-K and KG rooms. When asked about teacher turnover, the headmaster said the turnover is very low, esp. compared to the new campuses. When asked about teacher credential, he said not all have, but they have their own training. He added that he didn't think teaching credential is that important. Now, I have to disagree here. Teaching credentials might not be the most important thing, but it's good to know that your teacher actually knows how to teach, and understands different methods/techniques of teaching. There are a lot of smart people out there, but not all knows how to teach and share the knowledge.

Students have to wear school uniform, which I like. I've worn school uniform from KG to high school, and it's just so much easier not needing to think about what to wear. Plus, kids don't have to compare clothes or name brands.

I believe this is the most expensive private school that we're checking out. I think Daddy really likes this school because it's very academically based. This is not my ideal school because I didn't think it's well-rounded enough.

And since we went to the evening open house, only the Director and Headmaster were giving out tours. I'd like to speak with the teachers or parents more than these higher-ups. By the time we finished with the two rooms, it was already 7 p.m. (closing time), so we didn't get a chance to really check out the facilities. They did encourage us to come back during the day when classes are in session, to really get a feel of it.

I think that's all I can think of to write down about this school. Many more open houses to go to! Wish me luck.


Love you,
Mommy

Recap: Aidan's 4th Birthday Party

Dear Logan,

It's been almost two weeks since your brother's birthday party. When I came to visit you last weekend, I kinda mentioned to you a little about it. I had your brother tell you what he did for his birthday. Do you remember what he said? He said bouncy house. That's right, we had his birthday party at BounceU in San Carlos, and had a LOT of fun. I think all the kids had a lot of fun. Well, *I* had a lot of fun playing with the kids.

We invited all of your brother's friends from school, and I was happy that half of them came, including his two best friends, Jia Jia and Kiana. I also invited my friends' children as well. All in all, I think we had about 17-20 kids there. We first went into a big noisy room with bouncy houses and slides, and play structures. Your brother went right in and disappeared in the midst of the play structure. His friends all slowly arrived, and in no time, all the kids were either sliding down or bouncing up and down. One thing great about this place is, adults could join in the fun. Well, I joined in the fun. I had a lot of fun sliding down the inflatable structure, did some crowd control to minimize the kids bumping into each other, and encouraged the kids to play. A few were shy in the beginning, but after that, they didn't want to leave. The younger toddlers were able to hang out in a safer bouncy structure with their parents, so the older ones couldn't bump into them.

After 40 mins, we were moved into another room with more play structure. This time, there were air hockey, baseball hitting and alley ball. Your brother LOVES balls. I think he spent most of his time in this room trying to throw the plastic ball into the baseball screen, and playing alley ball. Alley ball has got to be his favorite carnival game. Another 40 mins of fun passed, and now it's time for food.

Nothing fancy, just good ole American party food - pizzas and cake. I originally wanted to get your brother a cake with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters on a choo choo train. He actually requested it. However, they didn't have that design, and I had to settle with Lightning McQueen and Mater the Truck. He still liked the cake. I didn't think the kids, or the parents ate that much. We had 3 whole pizzas left and 1/4 of the cake. The kids were just thinking about going back into the rooms to play some more. I felt kinda bad that I had to tell Aidan's little friends that we couldn't go back in there anymore. I guess it also showed we had a successful party, and the kids had a lot of fun. In fact, the following week, parents kept on telling me their children had a lot of fun at the party. I am not sure if they're just pulling my leg or not, but I truly believe it was a fun party. I guess the LARGE amount of money that I spent on this party is worth it, right?

I haven't posted any pictures of the birthday party yet. I took some pictures but they weren't too good. I am waiting for Uncle John to give me the pictures that he took. I had asked him to help me out to be the photographer of the day, because I knew I wouldn't have time to do so. Once I got the pictures, I'll post them up for you to see, ok? Your brother also received a lot of presents. Everyone was so generous. Some of the presents will remain untouched for a while. I don't have to buy him any new toys for the rest of the year.

Speaking of your brother's birthday party, you were at his last birthday party. It was also the first time a lot of our friends met you. You were so little then, only 2 months old. But you were very alert, and very well-behaved during the whole time. I remember we bundled you up so much that you were all sweaty. Grandma, Ah Gung and Ah Po were keeping you company, while I was busy taking pictures that day. So much has changed in a year. Now you're only able to watch us from Heaven.


Miss you,
Mommy

Recap: Disney Live Rockin' Road Show

Dear Logan,

I am so sorry that I haven't written to you in two weeks. Life's been busy. There's so much I want to tell you, but now that I have slacked off writing to you, I really don't know where to start.

Let's start by talking about the Disney Live Rockin' Road Show. We went to see this Disney concert/show in your brother's birthday. We met up with Meli, Auntie Leonor and Uncle Kyle, and headed to the Event Center at San Jose State U. I was expecting a larger crowd than the one we had. The Event Center wasn't as big as HP Pavilion, but still a pretty good size venue. I read that this show is a pretty new Disney show, not as well-know as Disney On Ice. Maybe that's why we had such a small audience. Anyway, Auntie Leonor selected some really great seats. We were very close to the stage, and could see the characters and the host very clearly.

Aidan and Meli seemed to have a lot of fun. I was glad that Meli felt better after being sick for a week, and was able to join us. Right when we got into the Event Center, your brother already spotted the lit-spinner from far away, and demanded to have it. Of course, Mommy obliged since it was his birthday. Actually, even if it wasn't I would still have bought him the spinner. He got the Mickey Mouse one, while Meli got the Princess one.

The duration of the show was about 75 minutes, with a 15-min break. It was a little short for adults and the price of the tickets, but I think it was perfect to hold your brother's attention. He enjoyed the singing and dancing, and I was quite pleased to see both kids participated in the jumping and dancing. Your brother was familiar with the main characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy, and Tigger, too. He knows nothing about Cinderella, or Woody and Jesse from Toy Story. However, he did recognize Buzz Light Year from HK Disneyland.

It was a fantastic show for the kids, and I think the parents were happy, because the kids were happy.

I wish you could be there with us. Actually, you were there, in my heart.


Love you,
Mommy

CPR class hit close to my heart

Dear Logan,

Had my work CPR re-certification today. It was a pretty uncomfortable 2.5 hours, because it brought back too many sad memories of you. The talk about knowing someone who passed away, to the instructor repeatedly mentioning CPR is done on DEAD people, to revisiting my experience on calling 911 when you turned purple on me and I had to "wake" you back up - these were really gruesome hours and I could feel my eyes swelled up a little. The worst part was instructor's description of noticing the face of the person in need -- waxy-looking, meaning it was too late for CPR already.

Oh, how I clearly remember when you became my porcelain angel the day you left me. The whole class was like a flashback of the last month of your life, starting from the 30 mins before the 911 call.

I'm glad the class is over. If I were to stay with my agency again, I would have to do this again 3 yrs later. At least by then, the wound won't be as fresh as today's.

It's been 8.5 months, and it still hurts.


Miss you,
Mommy