Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Pinata!
For Cinco de Mayo, Selina was kind enough to bring a pinata for us to use to celebrate. Unfortunately it rained that day, so we had to hold our celebration off for a few days and celebrate later, but when we finally got nice weather, we had a great time smashing the pinata to bits and eating the candy! Here are a few pictures.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Commencement Information
In case you missed it, we have just a couple of weeks left
until commencement! For all the details about the commencement ceremony,
keynote speaker, reception afterwards, rain plans, dress code, or anything else
you could possibly want to know, please look at this website.
In short, the ceremony starts at 10am, is held on Watts Lawn unless it
rains, and is mandatory for all student (juniors and seniors).
I have a couple suggestions that are not necessarily
included on that site.
1. Please remember that the students will begin getting
ready and lining up around 9am (earlier for some groups). If you want to
meet your student and get pictures before the ceremony, grab breakfast
together, or move some of their things out of their room, please make sure you
do so early enough that they can still get ready and show up on time. No
one wants to be late for graduation. And speaking of breakfast...
2. Let's take a minute to talk about meals. For a
while in the school's history, students thought it was a great idea to leave
campus REALLY early in the morning (think 4am), and walk somewhere for
breakfast. To be clear, that is very much against the rules (students
cannot leave their dorms until 6am) and, for juniors, can result in a level and
sanctions possibly including not being asked to return for senior year, or, for
seniors, will likely result in the student not being able to walk in the
graduation ceremony. Please, please, please discourage your daughter from
doing this. To help with this problem, the hall provides breakfast that
morning (usually catered from somewhere like Brugger's Bagels or Panera Bread).
The food is good, free, and just waiting for them to pick it up and eat
it.
If you do want to pick up your daughter (and perhaps 30 some
of her closest hallmates) and take her to breakfast, you are welcome to do so,
but please do keep in mind that breakfast places here will be CRAZY busy.
Plan extra time, expect long waits.
3. While we are still talking about food, always my favorite
topic, let's talk lunch! I know that many of you have family in for
graduation and are just dying to leave right after the ceremony and go have a
nice sit down lunch. However, you also have to move your daughter out of
her dorm room. To be clear, YOU MUST CHECK OUT OF THE RESIDENCE HALL
BEFORE YOU LEAVE CAMPUS AND GO TO LUNCH! Not joking. Check outs go
quickly, especially if you already have most everything out of the room before
graduation day, so please check out with me on 3rd Bryan before you leave
campus to go get lunch.
Let me know if you have other questions!
Everything You Need To Know About Move Out!
Hello 3rd Bryan Families,
Below is all the information you need to know about move out. This has also been sent out as an email with the attachments listed below. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about graduation or move out.
The end of the year is almost here and I wanted to give you some more detailed information about how move out and graduation will work, what you need to do to check out, and what things the school charges for. I have already gone over this information with the students on hall, but I want you to have it directly as well so that you will know what to expect and can ask any questions you may have in advance. I am sorry this message is so long, but the information is very important so take time to read it. OK, here goes, your guide to everything you need to know about move out:
1. The Week Before—Beginning Monday, May 20th, I will be doing room inspections every night to check that specific things have been done to help students clean their room, pack, and prepare for move out. The students have received a checklist of what needs to be done each night, and they know that if their room does not pass inspection they will not be allowed to attend the fun, end-of-year events like the lock-in or Airband. If you are interested in seeing this list, it is the attachment titled “Final Week Procedures”.
2. Room Condition Reports—At one of the room inspections mentioned above, I will go over the room condition reports with students. In case you don’t remember, the room condition reports were those forms you signed at the beginning of the year that detailed any pre-existing damage to the room. With the students I will note any additional damages that may have happened throughout the year, and we will write those on the form. On move out day, you and the student can look at the room condition report together and make sure you do not see anything we missed earlier in the week, and then you will both need to sign the form. Going over these forms before move out day will make it faster for me to check people out, instead of having to go over each category on the form on an already hectic day.
3. The BIG Day!—On move-out/graduation day, I will begin checking students out of the dorms half an hour after graduation ends, which should be about 12:30pm unless graduation runs long or gets moved because of rain. To “check-out” appropriately, students need to complete everything on the checklist attached to this email entitled “Check Out Procedures”. Most of these things should not take a long time since the students will have been packing and cleaning their room all week long. Once everything on the list is completed, students will sign up on a sheet posted by the lounge door saying that they are ready for me to check them out. I will go down that list to check people out. When it is their turn, I will come to the student’s room and double check that all the things on the checklist are completed. If an item is not completed satisfactorily, I will ask that the student redo it, and their name will be dropped to the bottom of the current list. When I am satisfied that everything is clean and empty, I will take the student’s key, access pass, and laundry card (for seniors), and collect the signed room condition report. At that point you will be checked out and ready to leave. You must check out with me before you leave campus to have lunch or go to a party. It is my goal to have everyone checked out and off campus by 3pm, but you absolutely MUST be checked out by 4pm.
4. Early Check Out—If you want to check-out before graduation begins, I have given students the option to request a time earlier that morning between 7:00 and 8:30am. If you choose to do this, there are several things you need to understand. First, I am NOT obligated to check students out before graduation and am offering to do so to try to accommodate you. If you are signing up to check out early, I expect that everything will be done on time and extremely well since I am giving up my personal time in the morning and volunteering to get up extra early to accommodate you. Second, if you have requested an early check out time and, upon inspecting the room at the end of the week, I feel like it will not be ready for check out on time, I will ask that you reconsider and check out after graduation. Third, if it rains and graduation is moved to our indoor location, I will likely be asked to drive a loop and will not be able to do early check outs. Last, but not least, once you have checked out of your room and turned in your keys, you WILL NOT be allowed to go back there to change before or after graduation or for any other reason. Please consider all of these factors carefully and talk to your daughter before requesting to check out early.
5. Cleanliness—Please note that I will be VERY strict about cleanliness because if the rooms are not clean, I personally have to go back through and clean them myself. I do not want to spend my Sunday after graduation cleaning 19 rooms so please make sure it is clean before asking me to come check you out.
6. Charges—I want to make sure that you are all aware that there is a $50 “institutional cleaning service charge” that is automatically taken out of EVERYONE'S security deposit that is used to make routine improvements to the residence halls. One more time, EVERYONE WILL BE CHARGED $50 for this charge, regardless of how clean your room is when you move out. In addition, there is a whole list of other charges that can be assessed for damages or cleaning. Note especially that improper check-out is a $40 charge and late check-out is a $25 charge for every hour.
Please remember that graduation and move out day is extremely exciting, hectic, emotional, and exhausting. Plan ahead and be reasonable about what you want to accomplish that day. Students will be trying to say goodbye to their friends and may not always move as fast as you expect them to in getting moved out. Talk with your daughter about what is important for her that day, like having time for pictures after graduation or getting moved out early so she doesn't have to worry about it after graduation. Please let me know if you have questions about anything or if there is anything I can help you with as the year draws to a close.
Below is all the information you need to know about move out. This has also been sent out as an email with the attachments listed below. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about graduation or move out.
The end of the year is almost here and I wanted to give you some more detailed information about how move out and graduation will work, what you need to do to check out, and what things the school charges for. I have already gone over this information with the students on hall, but I want you to have it directly as well so that you will know what to expect and can ask any questions you may have in advance. I am sorry this message is so long, but the information is very important so take time to read it. OK, here goes, your guide to everything you need to know about move out:
1. The Week Before—Beginning Monday, May 20th, I will be doing room inspections every night to check that specific things have been done to help students clean their room, pack, and prepare for move out. The students have received a checklist of what needs to be done each night, and they know that if their room does not pass inspection they will not be allowed to attend the fun, end-of-year events like the lock-in or Airband. If you are interested in seeing this list, it is the attachment titled “Final Week Procedures”.
2. Room Condition Reports—At one of the room inspections mentioned above, I will go over the room condition reports with students. In case you don’t remember, the room condition reports were those forms you signed at the beginning of the year that detailed any pre-existing damage to the room. With the students I will note any additional damages that may have happened throughout the year, and we will write those on the form. On move out day, you and the student can look at the room condition report together and make sure you do not see anything we missed earlier in the week, and then you will both need to sign the form. Going over these forms before move out day will make it faster for me to check people out, instead of having to go over each category on the form on an already hectic day.
3. The BIG Day!—On move-out/graduation day, I will begin checking students out of the dorms half an hour after graduation ends, which should be about 12:30pm unless graduation runs long or gets moved because of rain. To “check-out” appropriately, students need to complete everything on the checklist attached to this email entitled “Check Out Procedures”. Most of these things should not take a long time since the students will have been packing and cleaning their room all week long. Once everything on the list is completed, students will sign up on a sheet posted by the lounge door saying that they are ready for me to check them out. I will go down that list to check people out. When it is their turn, I will come to the student’s room and double check that all the things on the checklist are completed. If an item is not completed satisfactorily, I will ask that the student redo it, and their name will be dropped to the bottom of the current list. When I am satisfied that everything is clean and empty, I will take the student’s key, access pass, and laundry card (for seniors), and collect the signed room condition report. At that point you will be checked out and ready to leave. You must check out with me before you leave campus to have lunch or go to a party. It is my goal to have everyone checked out and off campus by 3pm, but you absolutely MUST be checked out by 4pm.
4. Early Check Out—If you want to check-out before graduation begins, I have given students the option to request a time earlier that morning between 7:00 and 8:30am. If you choose to do this, there are several things you need to understand. First, I am NOT obligated to check students out before graduation and am offering to do so to try to accommodate you. If you are signing up to check out early, I expect that everything will be done on time and extremely well since I am giving up my personal time in the morning and volunteering to get up extra early to accommodate you. Second, if you have requested an early check out time and, upon inspecting the room at the end of the week, I feel like it will not be ready for check out on time, I will ask that you reconsider and check out after graduation. Third, if it rains and graduation is moved to our indoor location, I will likely be asked to drive a loop and will not be able to do early check outs. Last, but not least, once you have checked out of your room and turned in your keys, you WILL NOT be allowed to go back there to change before or after graduation or for any other reason. Please consider all of these factors carefully and talk to your daughter before requesting to check out early.
5. Cleanliness—Please note that I will be VERY strict about cleanliness because if the rooms are not clean, I personally have to go back through and clean them myself. I do not want to spend my Sunday after graduation cleaning 19 rooms so please make sure it is clean before asking me to come check you out.
6. Charges—I want to make sure that you are all aware that there is a $50 “institutional cleaning service charge” that is automatically taken out of EVERYONE'S security deposit that is used to make routine improvements to the residence halls. One more time, EVERYONE WILL BE CHARGED $50 for this charge, regardless of how clean your room is when you move out. In addition, there is a whole list of other charges that can be assessed for damages or cleaning. Note especially that improper check-out is a $40 charge and late check-out is a $25 charge for every hour.
Please remember that graduation and move out day is extremely exciting, hectic, emotional, and exhausting. Plan ahead and be reasonable about what you want to accomplish that day. Students will be trying to say goodbye to their friends and may not always move as fast as you expect them to in getting moved out. Talk with your daughter about what is important for her that day, like having time for pictures after graduation or getting moved out early so she doesn't have to worry about it after graduation. Please let me know if you have questions about anything or if there is anything I can help you with as the year draws to a close.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Giant Orange Frisbee
One activity we try to do each spring when the weather begins to get nice again is to play a round of giant orange frisbee. These are a few pictures of us playing at the end of April on a beautiful sunny day.
Prom Breakfast
Before prom, I cooked pancakes, bacon, and eggs for anyone on hall who wanted to eat. The food was delicious, and I am glad so many of the girls came out to eat. Here are a few pictures I took while I was taking a break from cooking.
Mother's Day
Addie:
When my mother was little, her mom told her she could be anything she wanted. My mom was really excited, and told my grandma that she wanted to be a giraffe. My grandma kind of laughed at her and told her that she couldn't be a giraffe, which made my mom quite sad.
Even though it's a silly anecdote, my mom taught be to dare to dream and be myself, even when things seem
impossible. Sadly, my mother never became a giraffe.
Marlee:
Hi mom,
You're the best mother a person could ask for. You've always helped me, taught me many things, and made me an independent person. I appreciate everything you do and can't wait to be home this summer with you! I love you, Happy Mother's Day
Love,
your favorite daughter in the whole wide world :)
Alex:
My mom is pretty awesome, because she gives her family everything she has so they can have a better life
than she did.
Hannah:
We don't always see eye to eye, but not a day goes by that I'm not thankful to have someone like you who
for so many years put my needs before hers, supported me in everything I did, and believed in me when I
couldn't believe in myself. I know I don't take after you in many ways, but I am grateful that I have your
strength and the fearlessness to face the adversities and chase my dreams until I can live a life that makes me
feel complete. No matter where that life takes me, I couldn't stop loving you if I tried. Happy Mother's Day
Mimi!
Julia:
Dearest mother,
I would like to say that you have been the greatest inspiration and leader of my life. I would like to say that you are a constant source of happiness and support and love. I would like to say that overall, I know that you are the one person that I can count on to care for me, to see me through the desperate times. Yet, I feel what I would like to say is not enough. I cannot thank you enough for all the long hours nor the irrevocable love toward me despite my many problems and teenager angst. I love you so very much and I hope I never do anything enough to make you doubt that statement for a second.
Your loving daughter,
Julia
Jamie:
I love my mom so much because I can always talk to her about anything and she always supports me!
Dearest mother,
I would like to say that you have been the greatest inspiration and leader of my life. I would like to say that you are a constant source of happiness and support and love. I would like to say that overall, I know that you are the one person that I can count on to care for me, to see me through the desperate times. Yet, I feel what I would like to say is not enough. I cannot thank you enough for all the long hours nor the irrevocable love toward me despite my many problems and teenager angst. I love you so very much and I hope I never do anything enough to make you doubt that statement for a second.
Your loving daughter,
Julia
Jamie:
I love my mom so much because I can always talk to her about anything and she always supports me!
Ava:
I love my mom because she is always someone I can talk to about anything and I is always willing to help me
out.
I love my mom because she is always someone I can talk to about anything and I is always willing to help me
out.
Laura:
I love my mom because she has the one of the kindest hearts I've ever seen.
Mengmeng:
One thing that I love the most about my mom is that whenever I go home for an extended, she always asks
me what I want to eat when I get home. I tell her that I'm fine with anything, but she still ends up knowing
exactly what I wanted without me telling her.
Marlisha:
My mom is my motivator and my best friend. I love her with all my heart, and she is the greatest gift God
ever gave me.
I love my mom because she has the one of the kindest hearts I've ever seen.
Mengmeng:
One thing that I love the most about my mom is that whenever I go home for an extended, she always asks
me what I want to eat when I get home. I tell her that I'm fine with anything, but she still ends up knowing
exactly what I wanted without me telling her.
Marlisha:
My mom is my motivator and my best friend. I love her with all my heart, and she is the greatest gift God
ever gave me.
Scout:
My mom is an amazing cook!
Niraja:
My mom is so wonderful and supportive even though she is three hours away! She's happy when I am and
she can always make me smile when I'm not :)
Amy:
To my Mother: On top of being a fabulous cook, you’ve always been here for me and accepted me no
matter what. Thank you and I love you so very much.
Anne:
Thanks so much for all you do mom! You're the best - have a great Mother's Day!!
Marcy:
My mother is wonderful. I have so many great memories of my childhood growing, her reading picture
books to me as a child. Over the past few years she's been so supportive of me, even though it must have
been hard at times. She is so caring, I don't know what I'd do without her.
Sri:
She's a great listener!
Amber:
I’m so thankful for my mother. In the past few years our relationship has grown from mother and daughter
into a friendship as well. I know if I ever need her, she will always be there for me. She is my protector and
caretaker, as well as my friend and confidant. I love you mom.
Sincerely,
Amber
My mom is an amazing cook!
Niraja:
My mom is so wonderful and supportive even though she is three hours away! She's happy when I am and
she can always make me smile when I'm not :)
Amy:
To my Mother: On top of being a fabulous cook, you’ve always been here for me and accepted me no
matter what. Thank you and I love you so very much.
Anne:
Thanks so much for all you do mom! You're the best - have a great Mother's Day!!
Marcy:
My mother is wonderful. I have so many great memories of my childhood growing, her reading picture
books to me as a child. Over the past few years she's been so supportive of me, even though it must have
been hard at times. She is so caring, I don't know what I'd do without her.
Sri:
She's a great listener!
Amber:
I’m so thankful for my mother. In the past few years our relationship has grown from mother and daughter
into a friendship as well. I know if I ever need her, she will always be there for me. She is my protector and
caretaker, as well as my friend and confidant. I love you mom.
Sincerely,
Amber
Kaneka:
The thing I admire most about my mother is her determination. She's such a strong, wonderful person who has been through a lot, but continues to work hard for herself and for me. She's done so much for me and has taught me so much.
Selina:
My mom is my angel sent from God. She always supports me and encourages me to do my best. when I'm
sick she gives me all her attention and love. When I'm sad she is the funniest person in the world and makes
me laugh and smile. She gives me advice and yells at me occasionally but I know it's because she loves me
and wants the best for me ^_^ My mom is my inspiration and I love her so much!
The thing I admire most about my mother is her determination. She's such a strong, wonderful person who has been through a lot, but continues to work hard for herself and for me. She's done so much for me and has taught me so much.
Selina:
My mom is my angel sent from God. She always supports me and encourages me to do my best. when I'm
sick she gives me all her attention and love. When I'm sad she is the funniest person in the world and makes
me laugh and smile. She gives me advice and yells at me occasionally but I know it's because she loves me
and wants the best for me ^_^ My mom is my inspiration and I love her so much!
Claire:
My mom is the kindest most warm hearted woman in my life. I don't know what I would do without her
constant love and support.. And car..:)
Tatiana:
My mom is awesome because she can deal with me. Anyone who can do that for 18 years has some serious
talent and patience.
Emma:
My mom says I'm an angel when I eat bananas.
McKenna:
My mom is kind, caring, and considerate. She has always been the perfect "mommy" because she's always making sure I'm happy and my stomachs happy too. I can always trust that my mom will be there for me and help me do anything I could ever want to do. A big thanks to one of the most important woman in my life!
Anushri:
My mom is one of the strongest people I've known. The amount she sacrifices for me and my brother is incredible. Sometimes I am not thankful enough for her, but she honestly is one of the best people I know! :)
Maria:
I am thankful and privileged to have a beautiful, talented, and caring mother. I do not have words to express the love and appreciation I feel towards here. My mother is my best friend. I can always and will always count on her for anything and everything. She has always been there to support me, to give me advice,and to encourage me to do my best. I thank my mommy for all she has done for me, for never giving up on me, for loving me unconditionally. Sometimes I feel as if I don't deserve the love and compassion she gives to me because of my obnoxious attitude , but even still she is still there waiting for me and will love me no matter what happens.I love you mommy. Happy Mother's Day!
Annie:
My mom is really helpful and has more patience than anyone else. No matter how much I have to do, she's always there to help me. I love her so much and hope Mother's Day is great!
Julianna:
Dear Mama,
You da best! Keep being awesome! Happy Mother's Day!
Your favorite daughter,
Jules
p.s. I would like pasta when I get home, thanks!
Prom Pictures
Prom was so much fun, and all the girls on hall looked beautiful. I hope you enjoy the pictures everyone sent me to share with you. We even managed to get one with Chancellor Roberts!
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