Happy Leap Day!

 

Today my students were writing letters to their future selves that they will open on February 29, 2028. They will be a freshman in high school. They were enjoying thinking of all the possibilities four years could provide them. As young people, a lot can change in that time. But what about at our adult age? How much can really change for me in four years? In 2028, the next Leap Year, I will potentially have an empty nest. My Boyen Bunch will be grown: Bailey will be 28, Savannah will be 25, Jonas will be 22 and my baby, Lorelei will be 20. I could be a mother-in-law, or even a grandma by then! I may have another two or even three more college graduates. Perhaps, that novel of mine will actually be written and published. Who knows...a lot can happen in just four years!

Although I didn't quite follow through on last month's goal of getting started on my novel, I did do some major writing. I wrote three grants! One for myself, one with my ELA bestie for a Literacy Lounge, and one for/with my teammate for Science. I'll keep you posted on whether we win any of those grants. Fingers crossed!

We had a few school events too. Lorelei has been getting NHS hours and helping out with me. 

She is not only rewarded with volunteer hours but also her favorite quick dinner out, Panda Express!

Savannah came home for a weekend and was excited to actually get her college diploma!

She also helped Lorelei finish a ton of hard math! 

Then she went and surprised us by getting a tattoo on Valentine's Day with Jandro. It's so simple and pretty. It represents Parkinson's Disease. Something she's been passionate about for a long time. It's why she went into Neuroscience. 

Lorelei has been practicing driving. It's comical to see such a tiny girl behind the wheel of a car. She drove to school this week with John. He said she did great. 

This month also marked big news for Jonas. He got good news and bad news. He did not get into the University of Chicago as he had hoped. But he did get into UT's Liberal Arts Scholar/Honors program. Looks like we have another Longhorn on our hands! Getting into their Honors program is a huge accomplishment. In my eyes, these elite schools like the University of Chicago, don't know who they are turning down. Jonas plans to major in Anthropology and possibly Rhetoric too. He hopes to go to Law School and wants to be a lawyer, but may just see where Anthropology takes him. He plans to study abroad with the Liberal Arts Scholars program. He's got some amazing choices with UT. He actually already has a semester's worth of classes finished at UT thanks to the UT On Ramps program through his high school. Between those classes and all his AP classes, he will most likely be done in three years. 

He's been reluctant to take the official acceptance picture. Check out his smirk as he gives me a hard time. 

We are very proud to have another Longhorn. Congratulations Jonas! Getting into UT is a huge accomplishment, especially in their Honors program. Next step...signing up for the dorms!

Not that we are counting down, but it's just 6 school days till Spring Break! We are super excited for the week off. We don't have any major plans, but I'm sure we will make a trip to Austin. 

I hope you all enjoyed your extra day this year! 

Happy Leap Day!