PreK Magnet School

The state of CT is not organized like most states when it comes to local government.  We have 8 counties, but they are now relatively meaningless.  In 1960, the county government structure was abolished in favor of a town structure.  Rhode Island is the only other state that operates this way.  There are 169 towns in CT.  They vary in size, but most can take only a few minutes to cross by car.  Each one has its own government, police force, and in the more populated regions, school system.  Less-populated areas have regional schools that share amongst several towns.  The result of all of this is a town public school system which typically has a few elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

In the Hartford area, there are a multiple public magnet school systems which are established with specialized curriculums and expanded, multi-town attendance regions to promote voluntary desegregation.  Our interest in these schools was fueled by the (in some cases) better overall academic performance and also a funded pre-school system which literally saves thousands of dollars in daycare.  It also provides a system of choice that we wouldn't have unless we moved to a desired school system.  The magnet systems are free, essentially subsidized by the public school systems for the town in which we actually live.

In late spring 2013, we attended an Open House event nearby where all of the schools were present to showcase what they had to offer.  We talked to a few people and came up with a list of favorites based on proximity, open slots, and curriculum/academic approach.  We entered into a lottery with first, second, and third choices of schools.  Unfortunately, we did not get selected.  But after that, the Hartford Magnet system learned it was at risk of losing funding due to not fulfilling its requirement to provide a diverse (urban v. suburban) attendance.  It decided to open additional schools and have another lottery.  One such new school was a PreK facility, and Jenn entered into that new lottery.  And we got selected.

And so begins our journey into public schools, bureaucracy, etc.  There was no avoiding it unless we chose to home-school or select a private school, neither of which were options for us.  We just began this journey a year sooner than normal, but there were a few benefits.  First, Evan gets into the magnet system, and once in, he's in for good.  No more lotteries.  One thing that concerned us was what choices/control we would have over which school he attends.  We were told he would get "a" magnet school once he graduated PreK, but it would not necessarily be our first choice.  We did have our own town school system as a fallback if that aspect didn't work for us.

In addition to getting in for Evan's academic career, we end up saving literally thousands of dollars in daycare, and we were promised a brand-new school for the pre-K students.  All of these factors added up to, "What do we have to lose?"

This project, like so many others encounter in their public school systems (yes, I've read about the Baltimore Co. nightmares with Common Core adoption), was another instance of government taking on a project out of desperation and making-do with what they could.  In August 2013, Evan started his first day.  The new school was indeed a new building, but it wasn't purpose-built for pre-K children. It was a newly-constructed middle school that did not need all of the room.  Allegedly, there is a Pre-K school being constructed, but it was never going to be ready for the start of the school year.  The plan was to temporarily set up in the middle school and relocate once the Pre-K school was finished in the beginning of 2014.

There were some growing pains.  We visited the school just the day before school started, and there was so much that wasn't complete.  Phones were still being installed, SMART boards weren't there, the classrooms had only half of their furniture, and the fire alarms were still being tested.  They had not thought about basic issues like cubbies (the hallways had lockers with combination locks) and many other things.  We brought him in with some trepidation, but the people seemed nice and well-intentioned.  We were only worried he might get a better education at his daycare.

Just a few photos from his first day.  I'll include thoughts on the overall experience in a later post.

Monster Jam 2013

Netflix introduced Evan to monster trucks, and he became an instant fan, accumulating a few toys.  Expecting the indoor arena visits to be too loud and smoky, I searched for an outdoor monster truck event in CT.  Fortunately, we have a short racetrack about 30 minutes away.  Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT mostly has NASCAR SK modified car events on its 1/2 mile oval track, but it also hosts Monster trucks for one weekend in July each year.

Monster Truck events are more about spectacle than competition, or at least they should be.  Yes, there is an element of competition...who does the best wheelie, who has the most impressive tricks, etc.  The "strict scoring system" has a peculiar way putting the "favorites" on the medal stand, like Olympic figure skating.  I'd rather the scoring not get in the way of the drivers trying to do the most with their trucks.

I think I enjoyed the show as much as Evan did, maybe more.  Yes, the trucks are loud, but they don't compare to the numerous indoor Metallica concerts I've been to.  They are marvelous pieces of machinery.  Ever seen a 10,000-lb truck fly 60 feet off the ground?  We'll be back again.

Berger Cookies 2013

My great loves that cannot be purchased locally often spawn creative culinary missions to remedy their absence in my life.  For example, many of you know I developed and honed skills to make home made pizza, with a variety of yeast-leaven crusts and even my own sauce and cheese mixtures.  That was due to my relocation to a woefully undeveloped St. Mary's County for several years in the late '90's.  I digress...a news release in late 2012 threatening the very existence of one of those loves ignited yet another mission...

The infamous Baltimore delicacy known as the Berger Cookie has been a staple for generations of Baltimore residents.  There are few things I miss more since I moved away.  I have heard recently that they are re-branded and sold under a different name in other regions, but that's unconfirmed by me.  So, whenever I or a friend from CT visits Baltimore, it's imperative that some Berger cookies be purchased and brought home. 

With a nifty ice cream maker attachment to my KitchenAid mixer, I set out to make a specialty ice cream that I had heard existed but never could find: Berger Cookie Ice Cream.  The ice cream part is relatively simple, but I felt (and still do) that the ultimate Berger Cookie Ice Cream must be more than vanilla with chunks of chopped up cookies.  I wanted to be able to duplicate the cookie itself so I could experiment with rippling the Berger fudge throughout the mixture.

I scoured the internet (think about how futile and time-consuming a search like this would be with only a library as a resource) looking for copycat recipes.  Not surprisingly, because the Berger Cookie is regional, there are not many.  Nevertheless, I took one that purported to match the real deal.  The results of my initial attempt were not favorable overall.  The good news is I can reasonably reproduce the cookie portion...yay, fantastic, wonderful.  So now that I can duplicate the flavorless part, the work began on the essential part...the fudge.

My first attempt did not work out so well.  It was my first time making fudge, and there is apparently more art involved than I knew.  The fudge basically didn't set, so it ended up sugary and it didn't solidify.  I took some notes on how I would alter the recipe for flavor, plus studied more general fudge-making tips.  Now that Berger Cookies are back in "circulation," the motivation is down to continue this endeavor, but it will continue someday.

On the ice cream front, chopped Berger Cookies can make a decent mixture, and that will suffice for now.  My ice cream efforts are broadening to explore additional flavors.  More to come on that.

Memorial Week 2013

Time for our annual trip down south to the beach and Baltimore. He's not a fan of the water, but the beach is the best sandbox in the world. We sought to experiment with amusement rides in anticipation of a trip in the fall. And we took time out to visit our growing family.

PreK Soccer

This spring, Evan was old enough to participate in the youngest group for youth soccer in town.  For six weeks, the kids were taught basic ball-handling skills, using role-playing and games to keep their interest.  Most of the kids were a year older than Evan; it was evident.  He took interest in participating for several weeks, but by the last week or two, it was a struggle.  He was happier kicking the ball on a nearby slope, or dropping sticks down a storm drain.  We'll see if he has an interest next spring or fall.  He has skills, but not the interest or maturity for playing a sport yet.

Easter 2013

Another year, another Easter.  In 2013, Evan was old enough to help with egg-dyeing, and his egg-hunting skills were challenged a little more.

We had brunch next door, where Evan was showered with more attention and gifts.  This toy gave the adults some difficulty, too.

Blizzard of 2013

Every year brings a few minor and a few major snowstorms to Connecticut.  The minor ones leave a few inches of snow, usually overnight, while the ones to look out for are the nor'easters.  These counter-clockwise rotating storms are always the cause of 10"+ snowstorms, but usually less than 15".  There is at least one a season.  Shortly after the Superbowl this year, a unique storm hit the east coast.  It was a nor'easter, but one comprised of two low-pressure systems which had merged.  It dropped twice as much snow as the typical storms have.

The clean-up that followed was one I'll never forget.  I took measurements in several areas of my driveway, and settled on 30.5 inches.  The highest snowfall recording on the east coast from this storm (Winter Storm Nemo) was 40" in Hamden, CT (~15 mi southeast from me).  I'm still questioning whether I exerted more effort trying to maneuver my snowblower on top of the snow (because the snow was higher than it, I tried taking it off in layers) than if I had toughed it out with a shovel.  There was plenty of shoveling, mind you.  When I was finished with my house, I helped some of the neighbors...as much as I could.  I was out there for over 8 hours, and when I was finally done, I felt as if I'd been hit by a truck.  Total exhaustion.