It was so wonderful getting to spend time with kids in smaller groups this week--and by "spend time", I mean virtually, of course! I actually got to virtually see some kids THREE times this week, which was a nice treat. That's because, in addition to the small group meetings, we had an optional whole grade call on Friday morning right before Mrs. O'Keefe's Quizizz (which I participated in...and probably shouldn't have actually tried in a competition amongst 4th graders...sorry guys!). I was especially excited for Friday's call because I couldn't wait to "premiere" the staff video to our students. I really enjoy making slideshows, so when the idea of doing one for the students at the Kennedy was brought up to staff, I didn't mind taking on the project. But I made sure to let folks know that the video wouldn't be ready until Friday morning, which allowed me to send the finished product out to everyone at exactly 9:57am, just three minutes before our 4th grade meeting, making these guys among its initial viewers. Mwhahaha...

Another exciting virtual call this week went down on Thursday, when we had a reunion of sorts. Who was involved in this reunion, you ask? The Kennedy's former third grade teacher Ms. Labaire and her former students! It was so cute to see them get so animated talking about all their favorite memories from third grade. Perhaps the best part was when Ms. Labaire shared some important "life" news: she's engaged to be married! The kids' elated squeals, giant grins, and supportive words of congratulations made it a really precious moment, and I was grateful to be a part of it. 

Our Bucket Fillers this week were Aliyah and Jack. Just seeing Aliyah on my computer screen brings a smile to my face--even though half the time I need to remind her to adjust her screen because I can only see her eyes! I love hearing her talk about the reading she's been doing at home and all the quality bonding time she's been having with her sister. She worked really hard on the assignments this week, and I'm so proud of her. Speaking of quality bonding time, Jack and I had some of our own this week. On Monday I started "office hours", which means between 11-12 each weekday I'm available for students through a Google Meet link. I told them they can click on that link at any time during that hour--if they're having trouble with something, have a question, or just want to say hi--and there I'll be. Well, Jack briefly popped in almost every day to simply chat, and it was awesome. He is just so darn funny. I miss interacting with kids on a more personal level, so it was really nice getting to "spend time" with Jack on a few different occasions this week!