Our trip to Louisville, Kentucky is quickly approaching! Maria & I are very much looking forward to this vacation! We're excited to finally put the vacation itinerary into action, see the Kentucky Derby, Mega Caverns, and the animals at the Zoo.
I just read an article on Dave Ramsey's website that really made me think of our vacation project. Some groups were initially struggling with the idea of going on a week's vacation for a frugal $500. This article has some great advice for anyone going on vacation...who are looking to go broke! :)
Maria & I will be posting pics throughout our trip, so keep watching! In the mean time, enjoy the article below!
6 Ways to Go Broke on Vacation
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Sunday, June 7, 2015
School's out...but our vacation project is not over!
We've finally reached the end of the school year! I say "finally", but it has really flown by...faster than previous years.
Our vacation to Louisville, Kentucky is still on. We have hotels booked and the tickets for the Mega Caverns purchased. We will be working on getting the remainder of the items booked in the next week or two.
I can't say "thank you" enough to our winning group, since everything is so well-planned! We simply go to the websites of the places they've recommended, buy tickets/book hotels online as necessary. Although, I spoke with my uncle about this trip yesterday and he suggested that the final grades for this group not be given until we see how the trip works out! :)
The last day of school was a blast, thanks to Mrs. Montanez and the Spirit club planning the pep session! The dance was great too, although most of you could tell from the end of school video that I'm not a dancer! The last day of school is always my favorite and least favorite day. It's something we've been anticipating all year, and we all need a break from each other. However, the idea that I won't see a lot of these students on a daily basis makes it tough.
My wish is that this vacation project is one that students will remember throughout high school and hopefully throughout their lives. For Mrs. Sellers and I, this has been a fabulous and fun project. I know for students it was stressful, but hopefully you also found the fun in it. I wish we could've picked all 8 trips because they all were good ideas. However, remember that just because your trip didn't get picked as the winner doesn't mean we may not take your idea and use it over Fall break, Christmas break, or Spring break in the next couple of years! Who knows...maybe Mrs. Sellers and I will call in sick an entire week and go on one of these vacations! Mrs. Harris may not approve that! :)
Wishing each of you a great Summer, and if you see me around Clinton this Summer, please stop me and say 'hi'. That is truly one of the best parts of being a teacher in a small community! KEEP WATCHING....we're only about 5 weeks away from departing!
Our vacation to Louisville, Kentucky is still on. We have hotels booked and the tickets for the Mega Caverns purchased. We will be working on getting the remainder of the items booked in the next week or two.
I can't say "thank you" enough to our winning group, since everything is so well-planned! We simply go to the websites of the places they've recommended, buy tickets/book hotels online as necessary. Although, I spoke with my uncle about this trip yesterday and he suggested that the final grades for this group not be given until we see how the trip works out! :)
The last day of school was a blast, thanks to Mrs. Montanez and the Spirit club planning the pep session! The dance was great too, although most of you could tell from the end of school video that I'm not a dancer! The last day of school is always my favorite and least favorite day. It's something we've been anticipating all year, and we all need a break from each other. However, the idea that I won't see a lot of these students on a daily basis makes it tough.
My wish is that this vacation project is one that students will remember throughout high school and hopefully throughout their lives. For Mrs. Sellers and I, this has been a fabulous and fun project. I know for students it was stressful, but hopefully you also found the fun in it. I wish we could've picked all 8 trips because they all were good ideas. However, remember that just because your trip didn't get picked as the winner doesn't mean we may not take your idea and use it over Fall break, Christmas break, or Spring break in the next couple of years! Who knows...maybe Mrs. Sellers and I will call in sick an entire week and go on one of these vacations! Mrs. Harris may not approve that! :)
Wishing each of you a great Summer, and if you see me around Clinton this Summer, please stop me and say 'hi'. That is truly one of the best parts of being a teacher in a small community! KEEP WATCHING....we're only about 5 weeks away from departing!
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Monday, June 1, 2015
It's Time Sales Time!
It's been a hectic 4 week project, but we've almost arrived to our vacation sales pitch time! Some students today were finishing up the details for their vacations, while others were cool, calm, and collected, claiming they were ready to go (we'll see tomorrow).
We're fortunate to have a great community that supports our activities. We have several community members willing to give up part of their day to help judge the winner. Thanks so much to all of our judges! We love all the support we get at SVMS!
Secondly, I'm proud of the students' perseverance throughout this project. Two weeks ago, most of them were moved to another class to prepare for a standardized test. Initially, I was frustrated about the situation, which none of us had control over, and had considered scrapping the project. However, taking a step back from the situation, it may have been the best thing to happen. The situation threw these students into "the real world". They were no longer able to meet face to face in my classroom. They were forced to collaborate with each other through email, Google Docs, texting, and outside of class time. If this wasn't a little "real world experience", I don't know what is.
Tomorrow eight groups of students will bring all of their work together to present a real vacation for people they didn't know nine months ago. When I started at SVMS seven years ago, I never would've imagined trusting a group of 8th grade students with $500 to plan our actual Summer vacation! It's been a blast and I'm thinking that this may be a regular event!
Anyone else need a vacation planner? :)
We're fortunate to have a great community that supports our activities. We have several community members willing to give up part of their day to help judge the winner. Thanks so much to all of our judges! We love all the support we get at SVMS!
Secondly, I'm proud of the students' perseverance throughout this project. Two weeks ago, most of them were moved to another class to prepare for a standardized test. Initially, I was frustrated about the situation, which none of us had control over, and had considered scrapping the project. However, taking a step back from the situation, it may have been the best thing to happen. The situation threw these students into "the real world". They were no longer able to meet face to face in my classroom. They were forced to collaborate with each other through email, Google Docs, texting, and outside of class time. If this wasn't a little "real world experience", I don't know what is.
Tomorrow eight groups of students will bring all of their work together to present a real vacation for people they didn't know nine months ago. When I started at SVMS seven years ago, I never would've imagined trusting a group of 8th grade students with $500 to plan our actual Summer vacation! It's been a blast and I'm thinking that this may be a regular event!
Anyone else need a vacation planner? :)
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