The Adventures of the Ashley Bryan School!: Better late than never!

Wow, is it January already? Well, Audrey and I hit the ground running as two new teachers to the Ashley Bryan School in September. There was much to intimidate us as we began the school year: the outgoing legacy of two fabulous teachers, Donna & Lindsay, ongoing construction on the building that limited our access to our classrooms, and a student body in continual flux. Nevertheless, we were buoyed by an incredible show of support from the previous teachers (who provided us with a homemade handbook and who donated hours of their time where we peppered them with questions) and the community. We felt like celebrities, attending a welcome party thrown by our kids' parents, walking home with a basket of treats to begin the year as well as a binder full of names and numbers of those willing to help us any way they could and share their various talents.
The first day was magical. Melissa and Jim Amuso worked until the eleventh hour building bookshelves, removing construction debris and dust, and shining up the school until all of a sudden, there was a crowd waiting outside ready to sing and cheer our children into the building for their very first day! What a tradition!
And here we are. It's the middle of January and our kids are working away. Each day continues to be a lesson in island teaching--like no other kind of teaching. We have much to catch you up on, so a few photos will have to do instead of words.

Miss. Lauren