a real treat

So, the retreat was going well on Friday and Saturday started off slow, but well . I hate getting up early on Saturdays, but I made it to breakfast on time. I was hoping to get out onto the beach for a walk before the sessions started, but I didn't make it. We met as a group in one of the ballrooms, which had a nice view of the ocean. We filled out posters that covered the walls and windows (blocking the view of course) in order to discuss what our plan is to help our students get ready for 9th grade when they will start taking college courses and Regents Prep (the state mandated test for graduation) courses as well. It'll be tough. We walked around (well I limped...still a bum hip) chatting with each other about our schools. It seems that our school is a little worse for wear.

THEN there was a break, and Rachel and I stepped outside into the lovely windy/rainy goodness of weather hitting the Jersey shore. Yay. Here are our escapades!

Later we reconvened just in the Bronz Early College Academy room (although the correct word is Bronx, don't worry, at the end we stole the sign) to talk about...well to talk about all the ways in which we can better our school. It basically means starting over with the student handbook. It's time to take back some control over there, so we needed to start from the ground up. We didn't nearly get everything done, which was sad, but it was productive for the most part. Thank goodness it went well.

I ducked out of the wrap up meeting in order to get the "stress buster massage", which was basically exactly what I needed after those meetings and the hip ordeal. It was expensive, but totally awesome. My hip felt a lot better when I got up. By the time I walked out of the spa, my friend Claudia was there looking for me. We car-tripped it back to NYC singing along with Michael Jackson, and eyeing the ever so popular "New Jersey Turnpike" sweatshirts at the rest stop. Mission complete.

Vegging out was on my mind, but I ended up going out to dinner with my friend Jeremy and gang. We had Blockheads again, and I don't regret it one bit!