The Last Day

The final day of school for S, the last day for me before a week's holidays. ahhhh.....

S really wanted to go to school today. The young man that had been doing a school co-op had indicated that he was going to be coming to say goodbye to all of the students, and S really didn't want to miss him. Considering how well they got along, I can understand that.

Apparently S had been a little grouchy yesterday because he didn't get to go on the mountain bike trip, and the A-man said S took it out on him, but it sounds like the A-man dealt with it in a very appropriate way.

I am going to call the school this afternoon to say my final farewell to the Principal. He is a very fair man, and even though I was upset the other day, I really did understand why they were hesitant in allowing S to go on the field trip. I want to express to him, once again, how much we have appreciated all that he has done on our family's behalf, and let him know how much it was appreciated.

I am planning on packing up the boys and heading out the cottage tonight after my fitness class. It will have us arriving quite late, but that will just mean that we will be able to just wake up and enjoy the full day there! Nothing like starting holidays by having a coffee sitting on the dock...

Should be back to the blogging world by Canada Day!

The Fall Out

S took the news better than I thought he might. I guess he had cried when the principal told him he wasn't able to go, but afterwards he was fine. Well, still sad, but not as upset as I thought he would have been.
The principal told S that Hubby and I were too busy to go with him - which annoyed me. I explained to S that I would have been happy to go with him if I had been given a little bit more notice, and I also told him why Hubby wasn't able to go. S knows we will do whatever we can for him, so I felt it a little unfair of the Principal to try and turn it back on us.
S and I also had a conversation about how is actions can cause certain reactions. Of course, he wasn't in an agitated state, so he could rationalize all of it. In an agitated state, not so much. But, maybe this will be another learning tool for him to put in his case. I hope so.

I went to Bear's son's "graduation" last night. I know how excited the A-man was to be finished Grade 8, and I was honoured to have been invited. Magiver won three awards! The sportsmanship award, the Principal award, and the Leadership award. Quite the prestigious awards, I thought. He is such a great kid. The A-man was happy to hear his friend did so well. It was nice to have a 'good' ending to an otherwise not-so-good day.

Today is another sunny, beautiful day. I hope it goes better than yesterday did. I have a number of interviews today with prospective assistants. The one we met with yesterday was quite impressive - I think he may even be a call back.

Not a good day

My heart is breaking today for my wee little man.

The teachers and EA at the school have decided they are not comfortable with the risk of taking him on the field trip tomorrow, and if neither Hubby nor I can attend with S, he is not allowed to go. I have a series of interviews set up for tomorrow that I can not simply cancel, and Hubby’s counterpart is away this week and there is not way he would be able to take the day off to join S on the trip either. Had we known a week ago we might have been able to do something about it. Today – not so much.
As I am writing this I have tears coming to my eyes. Again.

In my heart of hearts I can understand why the school has made this decision; truly I can. But that doesn’t make it any easier to accept. S has been looking forward to going mountain biking with the rest of his class so much.
I haven’t talked to him yet, but when I got the phone call from the Principal, I phoned my mother in law and asked her to pick S up from school. The Principal was going to talk to S and explain why he couldn’t go, but I don’t think he would have been in the best frame of mind to be taking the bus home. Best just to let him be with Gramma where he can be sad and upset without anyone else bugging him.
I had also asked the Principal to ensure that S had cleaned out his desk – he won’t be going back to school. There is no point – tomorrow is the field trip, and then Thursday will just remind him of the fun that he missed by not going. Why torture him any further? Poor wee bogger.

I realize that S’s action of late is the reason for not being able to go. However, I just don’t know if he will be able to put the two (ie. action/reaction) together to the point that it would be able to give him cause to think before acting. Given his ADHD and his Aspergers, I don’t think he will be able to use this cause and effect as a basis for future decisions. He is simply going to look at it as, “I didn’t get to go mountain biking.” Again, had they told me they had cause for concern last week, I might have been able to swing going, but being given the phone call late this morning, there was simply no way my schedule could have been adjusted to fit the request.
I’m not sure whom I am most upset with – the school, S, the fact that I can’t go, or that I can’t do anything to help my wee man.
This just stinks.

Then, to throw more in the mix, I made an error in judgment at the office – which caused my boss a bit of aggravation this morning. He and I have not had the chance to discuss. As I stewing about that, I got a “not good news” email from Cuz about her mother in law (my aunt) and her state of health. When I called my mom with the update, my mom didn’t take the news very well, and then I felt even guiltier.

I am going to have a meeting with boss before I head home for the night. I’m sure he won’t be half as upset about the turn of events as I have been - things will be fine, but I still tend to stew about things. I will have to try and figure out how I am going to get in to the city to see my Aunt in the hospital, but I am sure I will be able to figure that out once I sit down and look at things.

Coping with S, and his hurt wee feelings may be a little more difficult. Should be a fun night.

Past Weekend

The family headed up to the cottage again this past weekend. (Actually, that is where we are going to be for the next few weekends!)
The thing that was unique for us this weekend was that my parents weren't there. They had a wedding to attend, so it was just our family of 4. Hubby and I both had a nice time, and I know the boys always have fun when we are there.

The cottage is actually located on a native reserve. Saturday was Aboriginal Day. We didn't get over to the pow wow on Saturday, though. The boys had asked permission to go, but by the time they started out, the event was already done. The evening fireworks, however, was something the entire family was able to go to. Other than the mosquitoes being bad just prior to the start of the display, I would have to say it was an incredible night! For such a small reserve, they certainly did not spare any expense to celebrate. I was really glad we made it over there.

Today was the A-man's last exam. He is very happy that he is no longer "a dumb niner" and will soon be in the double digits of grades. I hadn't thought about that until he mentioned that at dinner, but I guess that is the case.
S didn't go to school today. Given the turn of events on Friday, and then knowing that today was going to be the Grade 8 graduation - at the choas that goes with that - I opted to have him stay home and simply take it easy. Again, I know they wouldn't be doing any actual work, so I didn't feel like I was a bad parent. Sometimes staying home and out of the excitement is just what he needs.
S is going to go to school tomorrow, though. He wants to show his EA that he can have a good day - a day without incidents - so that she won't be so nervous about him going on the mountain biking expedition on Wednesday. He is very excited about getting to do that. I'm not sure if he will go on the last day, so I will get him to make sure his desk is empty tomorrow - just in case.

I am off on holidays next week, so the boys and I are going to head up to the cottage on Thursday night. Hubby is working nights, so he won't be arriving until late Saturday morning. We will likely stay at the cottage until Canada Day (July 1st) but a lot of what we do will depend on my sister in law. She is visiting from England and I know the boys will not want to miss the chance to see their favourite aunt. We will likely head back on Thursday or Friday of the next weekend to finish off our holidays.
Can you tell we love it up there??

Crazy week

Have a crazy week looming...

Today will be full of strategic meetings with bosses, and new sales rep. Then tomorrow will be starting to implement new plans, and in the afternoon, first of interviews for new assistant.
Wednesday is three more interviews and Thursday another one. Boss is leaving the office on Thursday around noon, and I think I will call it done by around 4:30 that night. Then - off for a week's holiday. I am going to need that week off!

When will I learn?

When, exactly, am I going to learn to keep my trap shut?

I just had to go and jinx things this morning by posting my "good year" post. I didn't even make it to WORK this morning when I got a phone call from the school telling me that S had an incident on the bus, and had taken off from the school property.

Following his safe plan, S is not to be allowed to remain at school when he leaves the school property. Oh, I was so not impressed.

When I got to the school, the teacher in charge wasn't even 100% sure of where S had gone to. I asked if it was possible that he was in the special ed room, as that is where he is supposed to go when aggitated. We headed down that way and found S's EA there. She told us that he had locked himself in the bathroom.
I knocked and asked S to let me in. He refused. I asked a few times, actually. After a while, I finally gave up trying to actually get in to the washroom, and just asked him to tell me - through the door - what had happened to get him so upset. He started to tell me, but after a few minutes, another EA started talking with S's, and I could no longer hear him. I told him I could hear him, and he let me in the washroom.

We talked about the event of the morning, and what he did wrong, and the possible solutions we could come up with to ease things for him for the rest of the school year. (Which is only 4 days.)
After we reached an agreement, I encouraged him to take the 'meeting' outside so that we could fill the EA and the teacher in charge in on what had transpired.

The teacher in charge had gone to get the other child's story while I was trying to coax S out of the washroom. By the time she had returned, the majority of the story had been shared with the EA, and the EA had a chance to voice her concerns about S's behaviour of late, and the upcoming field trip. I think he understands the severity of her (and mine) concern. I'm hoping so, anyway.

When the teacher in charge heard S's version of what happened, she did indicate to S that she had obviously not heard the whole story - except for the parts where S had done some incorrect things (such as taking off his seat belt to move locations on the moving van.)

Anyway, by 9:35, I was leaving the school with S in tow. I took him to work with me, and had him work on his worksheets. He was very good to sit and do all of the homework that he had, and didn't start to run out of things to do until close to lunch time. I made him a quick sandwich in the kitchen, then finished up a few more things on my desk and then left for the day.
We picked up the A-man at my parents house, as he had called around 11:30 to let me know he was done his exam.
I am doing the last of the laundry, and I think we will be all packed and ready to go to the cottage by the time Hubby arrives home from work. I think he and I are going to have some serious conversation about the rest of the week, and S's attendance.

What a flipping day.

The end of another year...

Soon, another school year will be done.

The A-man is writing his English exam today - had his Math one yesterday. He is already finished his Phys-ed exam - for some reason they did it before the exam time was supposed to start. On Monday he has is Religion exam, and then my man is finished for the year.

S's school year is over next Thursday. Less than a week away. I guess Monday night is the Grade 8 'graduation' so there won't be much in the form of classes for him that day, I would imagine. Wednesday they are going on a "field trip." They are going mountain biking. (When he had his outburst, and I told him he wouldn't have to go to school for the rest of the year, that was the only exemption he had - he wanted to go and do that.)

We have survived it. This year was MUCH better than others, that is for sure. I am hoping it is the start of the upward trend for this family.