H.A.W.S.

A key element at the kids' school is teaching/training the kids to "own their own learning". It's a catch phrase you hear more and more in education, but I'm really seeing it happen here...

One of the PE teachers for the elementary grades had a really crazy idea:
Let's take some of the biggest health & wellness issues we face in the world today and let's let the kids tackle them. We'll have a health and wellness summit.

The summit was yesterday....
It was a huge success!

The idea behind H.A.W.S (Heath and Wellness Summit) was to get the kids researching the facts about big health issues (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.), present these issues in a "conference-like" setting, and then corroborate with their peers to make action plans on things THEY can do to solve these issues.  The older elementary grade (5th) would present to the younger grades (3rd & 4th).

Wow!

Over 2 weeks ago, the PE teacher came to GAAPA (the parent association) to ask for help and support. He needed guest speakers, parent volunteers for "Extreme PE", healthy snacks, and free goodie bags for all 3 grades. The event would be a full day that started with an opening program, then move into a rotation of "conference talks/presentations" given by the 5th grade groups, and followed by a closing ceremony where the actions were revealed.

Game on!

Even the art teacher got involved. She held a contest for the kids to create the HAWS signature artwork that would be used on all the HAWS advertising posters. Olivia came home fired up to win... She drew up an initial design and asked Madeline help her perfect it.

She submitted it, and... lo and behold.. it was chosen!
Her poster became the artwork for the summit! It was featured on all the advertising and she was presented with a poster-sized foam-board printout of her work during the closing ceremony.

The event would be a full day that started with an opening program (about an hour) of 3 key speakers about health and fitness:

There was a dietitian

... a yoga instructor

and a body builder.

Then the kids were released to their preassigned "conference rooms" (classrooms) to move into a rotation of "conference talks/presentations" given by the 5th grade groups.

Let me pause to explain how this worked.
The 3rd & 4th graders were the conference "attendees"; the 5th graders were the conference "experts". The experts (groups of 3-4 kids) chose topics of interest to them that they researched for their presentation. Each expert group was assigned a presentation time (Session 1, 2, or 3) and conference room (classroom in the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade halls).

The conference attendees were then allowed to choose which talks they would attend for each of the sessions on a first come/first served sign-up basis. The "experts" not presenting during a given Session time, would also choose a talk to attend. This ensured that each room would have a balanced number of attendees in any given room during the allotted times.  To break up the sessions, there would be "Extreme PE"/snack between Session 1 & 2... and lunch between Session 2 & 3.

Now, let's talk about the session presentations:
The 5th graders had chosen topics of interest to them, then created a 45 minute presentation. They ran the talk just like what you'd expect at a working conference. There was an ice-breaker/mixer so that the 3rd-4th-5th graders in the room could get to know each other a bit.

(Doesn't this little guy look just like Kid President??)

Then the kids filled out a K-W-L chart (What do you KNOW? What you WANT to know? What did you LEARN?) to focus the group on their topic.

There was usually a power point presentation that contained a video or website link with facts about the issue, why it's important to study it, some problems that are still unanswered, and what's currently being done to solve the issue.

At this point, all the groups had the attendees break into small groups and brainstorm how THEY could help to solve/tackle the issue (there was a large poster for each group to record their thoughts).

The talk ended by completing the "L" section of the K-W-L chart and the presenters thanking the attendees for all their hard work.

Olivia's group presented during Session 2 which is when I took the above photos. Her group's topic was diabetes. They did really well and I was so proud of her. I even let Madeline take an absent mark in her history class so she could attend her sister's talk.

I worked the Extreme PE time between the 1st and 2nd Sessions.

We had the entire gym (it was a black flag day: too hot to be outside) where there was an obstacle course with hula-hoops, jump rope tricks, toss the (rubber) chicken, hurtles, funny walk, and soccer skills sections. We also had 2 Zumba instructors who led a "dance class" and a yoga instructor who challenged the kids to some poses.

After the final session, the kids all came back to the auditorium where they were congratulated for all their hard work and shown (just a few) of the outcomes generated as hanging scrolls of their working papers.

It was a loud and proud moment.

The PE teacher then challenged every kid to continue to follow through on the actions they decided. Each kid went home feeling like they (a little 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader) had made a huge difference in the world today. It was pretty awesome to witness.

Bon Jovi... Rocking it even at 50!

So, Bon Jovi came to Abu Dhabi last week.

I knew he was coming before we came home to Texas over the summer. The ladies in my coffee group had discussed his concert set for October one morning in April (or was it May?) .... and long, long ago... back in my teens... he was a pretty big deal in my every day life. So when a group of ladies said... "We should go!" I agreed.

Lindsey, apparently, did not have the same fondness for Jon. He didn't want to be my date.
Strangely, neither did a lot of the husbands... so we girls took ourselves!

Now, it's a been a few years since I was in my teens...
Okay... more than a few... A lot!

But that means a lot of years have passed for Jon too... and there was much speculation amongst us ladies as to how the years have been treating him. He's over 50. What would he wear? Can you pull off leather pants at 50? Would it even be wise in the UAE heat?

... I'm no spring chicken either.  To be honest, I wasn't sure I'd make a late night outdoor concert... old foggie that I am.  But, alas.... you gotta "live before you die" & "take a chance"!

So, with the careem (chauffeur service) car ordered, we were all set to rock-n-roll!

Did I mention du Arena is an outdoor venue.. in Abu Dhabi? We arrived near 7:30 pm. It was probably in the upper nineties with 60% humidity, but the sun was already down AND we had a slight breeze. So, we all immediately commented on how we'd lucked out and gotten such pleasant weather! Our tickets were for the general admission standing area somewhere in the middle of the venue's viewing area. After a stop at the beer stand, we headed toward our ticket area.

Side note: I don't really like beer.. but they had wine... snobby? Maybe.. but I'm over 40 and I know what I do and don't like these days. I wanted wine; not beer... even if we are at a Bon Jovi concert. I decided to get a glass of "red grape" and a bottle of water (for later). Little did I know, but they won't let you have the lid to your water bottle. I paid and then received a small clear plastic cup of red wine and an open bottle of water.
How am I supposed to manage two open containers at once? I asked for the lid to the water bottle and was told "no". Wait.. what? I'm still not sure why no one was allowed their lids, but I've got an idea. Remember this for later.....

After the concession stand, we managed to worm/thread/elbow our way close to the stage... well, closER to the stage. We finally claimed a small patch of breathable air on the left side a little in front of the spotlighting structure. It wasn't great.. but it wan't bad either. We had an unobstructed view of the big screen and you could see the stage if you stood on tip-toe. Of course, I'm vertically challenged, tip-toe wasn't going to cut it... it would pretty much be the big screens for me!

The night started with a (local) cover band I've never heard of. They were quite international with a singer from India, a guitar player from Australia (I think), and a drummer from South Africa (who liked to wear a rat head mask). It was quite weird, and yet, entertaining. After an hour or so of these guys, there was a half hour (45 minutes.. but who's counting?) break while the stage was reset for Bon Jovi.

Finally, the stage started to glow, the lights started to flash, & the opening chords of That's What the Water Made Me started to play... Bon Jovi was making it's way on stage. I took this picture not to show the band.. but to show all the smart phones that came out. EVERYONE was trying to get a picture/movie of the band as they arrived. I was laughing so hard.. it's a sea of screens! You can't even SEE the stage!!!

I'd like to say that I sang along to each & every song, but it would be a lie. The group has a lot of new songs out that I just don't know. They played a good mix of the newer stuff and the old classics I remember. I sang the ones I knew until I was almost hoarse. I looked up the playlist after the concert:

Jon is looking good, by the way.

He didn't try to pull of leather (smart man)... but he did keep his long sleeves until the Encore section. Bless him.

I honestly don't know how he (or the band) managed. It was sweltering standing in the audience... It must have been an oven on stage under all those lights. AND, the humidity was well up near 60% all night. He was "glistening" midway through the first song and visible dripping by the second.  The guitars must have been slick... I can't even imagine how slippery the keyboard keys must have been. I thought for sure that at least 3 sets of sticks would go flying during the performance.

But the band put on a great concert, singing for well into 3 hours. It was a really fun, if not sweaty, night. We were all very happy.

Okay... see the open water bottles in this picture?
Let's return to that now....

When the final encore was played, the crowd literally did an about-face and started moving towards the exit. I really don't think there is a better way to describe it.. we were quite literally "part of a herd" that bounced/jostled/shuffled towards the exit... the ONE exit. Seriously.

People bought a lot of beer/wine/water/etc.  Most people just tossed their empty containers on the ground, and, in a crowd this size, that amounts to a lot of trash... at your feet.  Feet you can no longer see because you are packed shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, front to back with your nearest fellow concert goers.

Ahhh... now I think I know why there were no lids allowed. An open water bottle will crush when you stand on it; a sealed one won't. Perhaps, in anticipation of this mass exodus, the organizers had the forethought to realize that a sealed water bottle is MORE of a tripping hazard than an open one?
Who knows.. but I can definitely say that I stepped on A LOT of unseen trash on my way to the exit gate.

In any event, I survived the night in one sweaty piece.
I'm not sure that I'll attempt another outdoor October concert venue in Abu Dhabi soon, but Bon Jovi still rocks, in my book!

Catching up is hard to do....

I'm behind.... sorta. I've let life get the better of me as we've returned to Abu Dhabi and I've fallen woefully behind in posting...

Many of you have messaged me asking if we are all "okay"... and we are. So here's an attempt to bring you up to speed since my last post... oh so long ago....

School is well and truly underway. First projects are in the books, first tests have been recorded, and after school activities are in full swing.

Within the first 2 weeks of school, Devin's biology class was making edible models of the cell.

I baked the cake, but he did everything else. I promise. He picked the flavor, the icing, and all the candies to represent the various organelles. It was one project his sisters were keen to help him put together... with the hope of getting to eat the leftover bits & pieces.

The "new & improved" uniform is proving to be a disappointment.
One week in and this is the tie.

I had to hand stitch the thing back together and tell the kids to be extra careful. We shall see how this goes... I'm glad I only bought one new full uniform per kid this year and I'm extremely glad we are allowed to use last year's as long as they fit properly.  Never have I been so happy that my kids don't quite grow as the expression says....

We bought another car.

We now have his and hers older model Porsches.  I'm driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo... that has seen much better days. You can tell this car was used for a fair amount of dune bashing before it was "retired to expat", so to speak. We've ordered a new driver's seat for as all the gears controlling the height adjustments are completely stripped. I pretty much have to sit on a pillow to see over the dash at the moment, but the new seat should be in any day now. That said, it drives great & is a lot of fun. I just wish the AC was a lot colder. Even after the freon (or whatever is being used these days) was recharged, it still can't quite get cold enough for my tastes. To be fair, however, it's still pretty hot and the car is an oven when left in the sun any length of time....

The big Abu Dhabi Falcon & Heritage EXPO was in late September. This time, Lindsey got to come with us. The kids were kind of "ho-hum" about everything (since it was pretty similar to last year) with two exceptions: the Japanese lollipop artist & the food stalls.  We missed the Texas State Fair and they were really jones-ing for anything on a stick.

We did get the requisite falcon and Saluki dog pictures.

Devin is liking his tennis lessons with Coach Kenny. They meet at the school for an hour around 5:30 PM on Wednesdays. It's finally cooling off a bit, so it's almost a pleasant evening. Lindsey has been managing to take off work at a somewhat reasonable time and can usually meet him there by 6-ish. It's nice because I'll put Devin in a taxi from our house (boy, I never thought I'd utter THOSE words!) to the school around 5, and Lindsey can bring him home.

Madeline & Olivia decided it's just too hot for golf these days, so they took up ballet again instead. It's been a bit of a challenge finding a studio in our area. In addition, the girls studied a Russian curriculum in the States and everything here is RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) out of London.  We finally decided on Turning Pointe. Olivia is in Level 3 and Madeline is in Level 4. (I have no idea what that means other than they meet on separate days....)

Olivia's class meets at the Al Ghazal Golf Clubhouse (upper room) which is... get this... a sand golf course. I had no idea such a thing even existed. There is NO grass; no "greens"; no water.  It's one giant sand trap as far as I can tell...

Crazy!

Madeline's class meets in the dance room at Al Yasmina School. It's a class of 16 girls. Madeline is the only one from the States (most of the girls are British or Australian) and she tells me they all "adore" her accent. LOL! She thinks it's hilarious.

Of course, "down days" are still our favorite activities and the kids have been doing everything from RC cars/planes (which need a lot of repairs)...

... to practicing their magic tricks on each other, me, Lindsey, the neighbors, building security, the cleaners... you get the idea.

I'm still filling my time with book clubs (I'm in 3), coffee mornings, ladies groups, and subbing at the school... when they let me. So far I've been allowed to cover Kinder, some of the elementary grades, Biology, Chemistry, & Environmental Issues. I did 3 days in biology & chemistry; I was extraordinarily happy. We covered on microscope & sketching skills in biology....

Kids these days are clever, too. Here's a couple of girls using their smart phones to take a picture through the ocular. THEN, they sketch the image from their phones onto the paper. It negates all that squinting & back and forth from the eyepiece to the paper.  Plus, no worries that someone will "bump" your image out of focus/placement.
Yup, working smarter, not harder!!!

I've also been an Algebra teacher and a History teacher, briefly. Next week I get to do an extended (over a week) stay in Algebra teaching inequalities.... I shouldn't be so excited, but I am. LOL!

I still find shopping an adventure every single day. At least I can honestly say that grocery shopping is never boring. In fact, it's almost like a game of Where's Waldo... only with things like relish & applesauce.

"Well lookie there! The sweet relish is with the picante sauce ... and the applesauce is with the mustard! Very cheeky, stock boys... very cheeky, indeed!"

It's been a busy few weeks...

There's more, of course. But I'll post about my Bon Jovi concert and Olivia's HAWS day later. Right now, I've got to switch the laundry...

Some things NEVER change....