Shawna Rothgeb-Bird

That's what we do for Bordenball at Fisher Park! They run four games - three in the main gym, one in a smaller gym - to smash through both tournaments in a regular school day. Most of the participating schools walk to the school. It's cool because that's where they all later go to middle school!

It works well for sports where you can easily play around with the timing and play in smaller areas, e.g. Bordenball and Tripleball. Some years, we have three simultaneous games going in one gym at the Bordenball tournament.

The last couple years, we've already had to arrange some tournaments for ourselves in little neighbourhood pods just to even have something, since there hasn't been support for wider regional tournaments for some sports.

Between cross country and soccer, this year is shaping up to be completely dysfunctional when it comes to extracurriculars.

And I know we're all mad about how horrible it is to try and teach, I know, but we can be mad about that AND be mad about extracurriculars, which are important.

Obviously I'm not bringing 35 kids to a sports tournament where they don't have access to toilets.

We already bring toilet paper because none is provided, pay for our bus and supply teachers out of school budgets, and crowdsource equipment from families.

What "costs" can we even cut?

If you're wondering how it's going being an #onted board under Ministry of Education supervision, we were told that due to needing to "cut costs" for an already-bare-bones event where we bring our own TP, we can't guarantee that there will be toilets available for the regional soccer tournament.

This is happening in my board, too. One of my children had a very harmful experience with one of these unqualified/"emergency" staff. I am very concerned about something worse happening.

A forearm tattoo of a cecropia moth over a cherry blossom branch.

Tattoo update: colour was done three weeks ago and I'm still obsessed. Extremely hard to photograph, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it's stunning in person.

This was done by Byron Jónsson in Ottawa. They were SO lovely to work with.

It's been almost a week and I am still not over how harmful it was for a member to show up to my union's annual meeting in a Golani Brigade jacket.

Our union is supposed to stand for peace and non-violence.

How can we say that's what we stand for when we allow that to happen?

💀

I'll probably be back when the dystopia of the MoE takeover is a memory rather than a present-day reality.

Just seems too iffy to have boldly put myself out here using my real name and, as is my right as a citizen, criticizing the government when they are now so directly involved.

I'm doing an Intermediate ABQ right now and the last module I did was about the literary canon, and HOO BOY do I have UNPOPULAR opinions about it compared to everyone else in this course...

This is much better than a boycott bc there is no collateral damage.

The only book more challenging to describe in a brief sentence might be another of the author's novels, "Rakesfall" - it truly defies description or summary.

And yes, I got tattooed in a dinosaur dress. OBVIOUSLY.

A forearm tattoo showing a cherry blossom branch and a large moth.

Did a thing today. Going back for colour in July. I'm a wee bit obsessed, as all first-time tattoo owners are.

This is designed to cover my self-harm scars and is an homage to my friends who helped me through my mental health crisis, the hobby that led me to them, and my late sister.

Valedictorian told to stay home after making pro-Palestinian remarks in grad speech | CBC News Elizabeth Yao, the graduating valedictorian at Bell High School in west Ottawa, was told not to go to school on Monday after she made pro-Palestinian remarks during a speech at her commencement ceremo...

I just wrote my OCDSB trustee in support of Elizabeth Yao and you should too.

Schools should be encouraging the kind of leadership Miss Yao demonstrated.

I hope she goes on to do great things, we certainly need more of her bravery.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

This.

It is already clear that this is not a limited attack on core nuclear sites. The target set is broad and includes top military leadership in a way that Iran will see as regime threatening. The IRGC chief is dead. That is likely to drive more expansive Iranian retaliation.

Trump is convening the national security council tomorrow...

...at 11am.

No rush or anything, man! Had a good night sleep. Maybe squeeze in a round of golf beforehand.

Several fabric bookmarks are placed on a table, surrounded by a variety of sewing notions. Each pair of bookmarks is made of different fabric combinations. There is a post-it on each pair of bookmarks.

My teaching partner and I spent a very long time last weekend picking out specific fabric for each of our students. I kind of love them all.

A square fabric corner bookmark. The bookmark uses two fabrics: a honeycomb pattern with different shades of yellow, and a cream coloured fabric with a floral pattern and green cat silhouettes.

A square fabric corner bookmark is tucked onto the corner of a book. The bookmark uses two fabrics: a honeycomb pattern with different shades of yellow, and a cream coloured fabric with a floral pattern and green cat silhouettes.

1/50 bookmarks for end of year gifts made. Not my cleanest stitching or turning, but I panicked and needed this one finished after realizing that this student is leaving for vacation tomorrow, not in two weeks.

Successfully made it into Cairo, Egypt. There are volunteers and activists from all over the world who are organizing to March to Gaza - to see humanitarian aid enter Gaza for an end to the famine and forced starvation, and to see an end to the ongoing genocide. Free Palestine.

I think it really sucks that this isn’t even going to be a nanoscandal. The White House literally borrowing its hate-stirring propaganda from avowed white nationalists and antisemites seeking to ethnically cleanse this country. This should be on TV and in the papers. There should be hearings.

A screenshot of a Google Doc showing a list of tabs. They are organized into three terms, with each term broken down into individual subjects below.

The amount of work #onted staff put into report cards three times a year is wild.

At least my doc is super organized this year. Look at this beautiful list of tabs.

So, like... we all know this Ontario Day "celebration" being forced in #onted schools on June 1st is a way to undermine Pride Month, right? The date wasn't an accident.

A thermometer in a classroom reads 27.9 C and 59% humidity.

Just a regular day in an #onted classroom.

For OCDSB folks, reminder that there is a board meeting happening RIGHT NOW where the EPR is being voted on. The EPR has just been introduced.

There is now an amendment being brought forward by Trustee Presley, to allow the final cohort of students in the alternative program to begin in 2027.

But!! We now have 9 potato plants, 2 tomatoes, 1 brussel sprout stalk, 18 leeks, 4 zucchini, all enjoying a new life outside.

And I repotted the spider plants, ficus, weeping fig, mother of millions, parlor palm.

Still need to prune the monstera(s, there are so many in this house).

PLANTS. 🪴🌱🌵

What I should be doing today: marking these science projects from February (don't @ me, it's been a year)

What I am doing instead: planting or repotting everything in sight.