Casserole

This week I am throwing together some odds and ends into what my mother used to loosely call a casserole. Not really leftovers – just not enough of any one thing to be considered a main dish.

Item: Albuquerque Journal; Wednesday, February 24, 2010 – “APS MAY CHANGE SCHOOL START TIMES”.
According to the Journal, APS is considering changing starting times for our schools next fall. According to the article, the
• Elementary school day would last from either 7:30 am to 1:55 pm or 8 am to 2:25 pm.
• Middle school day would start at 9:15 and end at 3:45
• High schools would start at 8:35 am and end at 3:10
The new schedule would replace the district’s “current hodgepodge” of 82 start times according to the Journal which went on to quote APS Superintendent Winston Brooks as saying, “We really want to have a discussion with the Board about this.” Parents and grandparents who want to weigh in on the matter should notify board member Lorenzo Garcia (Garcia_lore@aps.edu) or PTO president Tanya Lattin (bryah909@aol.com) . The matter will also be on the agenda at the next Board meeting on March 3.

Item: Taylor Students Experience Temporary Amnesia:
A growing number of students appear to have forgotten a few key points in the Student Handbook about IPods, cell phones, and dress code. So I want to take this opportunity to refresh everyone’s collective memory:
• Cell phones – allowed outside before and after school and at lunch only. Otherwise they must be powered off and stored away. (Agenda, page 6)
• IPods – not allowed on campus, period. The reasons: they are easy to steal, hard to trace, and a nuisance in class. Students who bring them do so at their own risk. (Agenda, page 10-11)
• Dress code – 95% of the kids are model citizens. It is the other 5% whose excuses make me chuckle:
o “What do you mean nylon gym shorts don’t count for Denim Wednesdays?”
o “I thought plaid was a kind of denim!”
o “What’s wrong with sagging? I still have boxers and gym shorts underneath them!”

Item: Taylor Athletic Teams Dominate:
• Basketball: Our very tall and athletic 6th and 7th grade boys’ basketball team is undefeated this year. Our girls’ team has played very hard and shown great sportsmanship in this rebuilding year.
• Soccer: Our newly resurrected soccer teams shut out the boys’ and girls’ teams from Garfield on Wednesday. Both teams are 1-0 in district play.

Finally, I hope you will support our Chorus as they appear at the Festival de Bellas Artes at the National Hispanic Cultural Center tonight (Friday, February 26) from 6 – 8 pm. Thanks!