Chez PLJ

Pal Alayne has been having fun teaching science and math…..

(This was written back in mid-January—it’s been awhile since we’ve blogged these! —L)

My favorite month of the year is January I like to put up the new calender I like to start the new year. I like the cold wether. I love to go for a walk. I am about to have January up It is a great month.

Jon

(A creative writing piece based on a photo of some backcountry skiers with poles and large duffel bags. With the teacher’s help and prompting Jon came up with this story. —L)

Suppose one day I look outside and the snow turned into candy. I would call my dad to see all the candy. I would ask dad to help me fill up the bags full of candy. I would take the candy home. I would eat some of it and put the rest away. I like to eat candy. It looks yummy. I wish this could be true.

Jon

Nephew Tamo (flying through the air with the greatest of ease in the photo below) was picked to be one of two BC snowboarders to compete in the halfpipe event at the Canada Winter Games, which started today in sunny Whitehorse.

Tamo was a last-minute addition to the Games, getting bumped up from first alternate when the top BC snowboarder qualified for a World Cup event just last Friday. A huge scramble getting ticket name and registration changed, get a uniform etc. ensued, but he’s now north of 60!

Halfpipe is a demonstration event at the Games, so it doesn’t count in his ranking, alas. Tamo will be competing against the other BC kid (who’s neck-and-neck with Tamo in the standings) and the Alberta team, all known quantities. But he’ll also be competing with kids from Ontario and Quebec for the first time, which will be a good experience for him. Though he seems to be doing his share of press as an up-and-coming world-class “rider”.

The boarders will be bunking in the athlete’s village with the biathletes, of all people. Fevered visions of Ross Rebagliati duking it out with Myriam Bédard flash through my brainpan…

The halfpipe competition happens next Wednesday. Goooo, Tamo!

This morning I had a dance class. I love going to dance along with the song Fallow The Leader. I like going home to see photon. Photon chewed the play station cord And then the screen went black. I am about to dance along with Fallow The Leader. Tonight I’m going to watch the Animaniacs tape again.

I saw The Lion King on DVD. In the movie The Lion King there was Rafiki. After Rafiki there was Simba. At the begining of the Lion King there was the song Circle of life. I like hearing the song Oh I just can’t wait to be king. I am about to see The Lion King. Tonight I’m going to see the same DVD again.

A moment to announce another milestone: Jon, currently in Grade 5 starts into the 480-page Grade 4 reader, having zoomed through his last 200+ page reader in under three months.

With each reader the text size grows smaller and denser, and Jon is still keeping up. His first-time sight reading is actually improving. He reads every day with his teacher, and has another session with me after school. I will admit I have photocopied the book up to 120%, simply because Jon’s eyes (read “visual cortex”) are tired by the end of the day.

We keep expecting that at some point he will have to start to use his CCTV—a high tech magnifier—to read. But somehow, this kid who has issues with processing visual edges continues to amaze us. I no longer bother to wonder how he can see the letters, and now the word chunks.

This evening while brushing his teeth he read the tiny 8pt type on the fan timer switch.

Go, Jon, go.

Thanks again to Tami, who believed us when we said we had started him on reading, and she got him on the program that has taken him to this point. And thanks also to Mrs. Gallo, who is keeping the ball rolling, maybe even accelerating now.