12.10.2017

Snow (Half) Day!

You know how the weather guys are always making a big deal about "potential" snow here in the South, and then it never amount to anything? They will claim a weather situation is on the way, the news hypes it up, everyone rushes out to buy their usual bread and milk, school closings start scrolling on the television, and then it all amounts to nothing and everyone on social media starts making fun of us for overreacting once again?

Well, when the murmurings of potential snow started cropping up earlier this week, no one really paid attention to it. Even the official email to school staff on Thursday was "you might want to consider being potentially prepared for possibly moving into our weather plan" but was followed with a "we're definitely not cancelling school though so don't get excited about anything" (paraphrasing entirely my own). However, not one to hedge my bets, I did suggest to the students that they put a spoon under their pillow and wear their PJs backwards. You know, just in case.

Friday morning, I checked outside and sure enough, it was just rain. Recess rolls around and still, just rain. Not ten minutes later, my phone blows up - look outside! Snow! I immediately called for silence in the room and then whispered to my little friends, "Get your jackets, it's snowing!" 

Bumped into Violet on the playground, enjoying the snow!
We got the official email from the county, saying "yes, there's snow but nothing is sticking and the roads aren't freezing so we're in this for the long haul and good luck trying to accomplish anything vital with your kiddos today." The kids enjoyed a snowy ten minutes before we headed to the cafeteria. My students have just all made it to the table and a new message comes blaring over the radio... The powers that be have changed their minds and we're having an Early Release. Whoo hoo!

Although there was a slight problem. Legally we have to feed all our students lunch. And during a regular early release schedule, everyone will already have their lunches picked up by 11. Now it was almost 11 and lunch was just starting! The cafeteria had basically one hour to feed over 1100 students. God bless those women. Then teachers started scrambling to call parents, figuring out transportation for all the kids scheduled for afterschool activities. God bless our admin. I must have had eight people stop by my room, making sure I had heard back from everyone, making sure we were good to go.

Since the day was a wash, I threw in the towel and went for broke, passing out the elf hats I'd bought for all my students to get us in the holiday spirit, as if they needed any help! We wrote letters to Santa, asking questions about life at the North Pole. We packed up and loaded buses in the quickest dismissal I've ever seen, then proceeded to hunker down and wait until buses reported back so we could leave as well.

Loading up and heading home in the snow!

Someone was excited for her snow day!

By the time we left the school, snow was starting to stick.

Talk about perfect timing. Friday is the perfect time to have snow - we had the rest of the day to enjoy it without a) having to deal with online learning and b) having to worry about going in the next day. Instead the girls got to run around outside, start building a snow wall (whatever that is!) and I got an extra three hours in my day. And let me tell you what a gift that is! In those three hours, I managed to get all my papers graded and school work done, I got to enjoy coffee with my husband, I felt relaxed enough to enjoy decorating the gingerbread house with the girls, I made a batch of cookies to share, I even started wrapping presents! We had dinner with the neighbors in a snowy repeat of our very first neighbor dinner together, now almost eight years ago. And the snow just kept falling! I've never seen snowflakes so huge and wet. And due to the fact that no one had really hyped this weather event, no one had really expected it to actually come through, made it feel all the more magical.

My snow bunnies!

Nice job, ladies!


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