tomorrow is the first day

Tomorrow is the first day of school and it is a FULL day.  We did our Mock School day on Monday.  All went well, I only made one wrong turn..and stayed pretty much on schedule.  But it will be very different with human children on the bus!

I have a early childhood midday.  Meaning I have children that are 3 and 4 years old and a monitor.  Yesterday I called all my parents to let them know the drop off times and pickup times.  The other 1/2 of their day will be filled in by a contracted service.  This service DID NOT call the parents yet.  I already had a screaming parent call the co-op.  I talked to the father and he's still mad but not a me.  I can see this will only be the beginning of the problems.  Because our school district has grown so fast we had to contract out some schools and some routes...which means we have little control over the situation.  I am hoping things get ironed out quickly.

At least I have a three day weekend to recover!

still bus #30

Hey all I am still bus number 30.  Yesterday was bidding day.  The bidding of routes was supposed to start at 9:30, but because of some late postings of routes which is against our contract we had to wait for our Union rep to come in.  Actually I was at work until about 2:30 in the afternoon.  I stayed with my neice who got a job as a monitor...moral support.   I got a very nice route package though.  Our district has changed all the start times of the schools.  And it worked out that I got two of my favorite schools again, a junior high, and a grade school, BUT NO HIGH SCHOOL!!  Don't get me wrong I love the high school kids, but the way this route works out I don't have to be at work until 7:00 so on the way to work I can drop Liz off at school and still make in time to pretrip my bus.  In the warm weather I don't mind my kid walking the mile or so to school, but Northern Illinois winters can be long and cold.  I will be done in the am at about 8:45 with no break in between routes which to me is awesome, because I won't have to waste time sitting around at Base.  Then I go back in the afternoon at 2:45 instead of 1:45 like last year.  I'll be done at 4:00, all this no matter how much the actually hours are adds up to 6 hours because we are guarenteed 6 hours.  I will be doing a midday kindergarten route though, which I will bid on tomorrow.  I am hoping to get another really close school to my house so I can go home during the lapse in time.  I am sure it will work out that way, because we have all 11 grade schools to bus.  That adds up to A LOT of routes.

Our district got so big so quickly that we had to sub contract out 4 schools, but we get to keep the kindergarten middays...so I'll still get 8 hours a day pay.

Gotta love that!

Good old 30 has some new seats and is all waxed and shiny inside.  I drove my routes today and they seem to be ok, with the exception of one of the stops there are no sidewalks, which the computer did not know this when the route was set up.  This poses a danger to the kids while they are waiting to get picked up.

Those darn computers, can't think for themselves!!

More on the midway tomorrow.

 

off

Today is the first day of my week off.  And I looked at next weeks schedule and if I play it right with my bidding/dry running my  new route and all I should have the Tuesday and Friday and most of Wednesday off.  HEE HAW!   

I did get up with my hubby at 5:00, and had a head full of 'too much fan blowing in my face' so I took a cold pill and laid down on the couch and slept until 8:00 that was even after drinking a cup of coffee.  So far today I've been to the store, and it's 11:00am. 

So my plans are to clean this house.  Too much dust, dirt and the usually stuff that gathers in the house in the summer when the windows are open all the time. Oh yeah of course the cat hair...never a day without cat hair.

But since I have so much time I am going to pace myself, why be in a hurry when I have such an awesomely quiet and peaceful week all to myself!

 

I AM DONE!!!

I AM DONE!!  I am now off for 1 whole wonderful week.  I cleaned out my bus, fueled it, turned in all my paperwork, including time card and now I am free.

Last night I had my refresher class...it lasted nearly 2 hours.  Every required state run class that I have had to go to beginning with the 8 hour one has has some sort of problem with it.  We are never to be late or we get locked out...so my 8 hour class the instructor shows up 45 minutes late wearing no shoes, last years refresher same teacher didn't show up at all!  This year, they called this guy in at the last minute and he starts the class 10 minutes early...at least I was early!!

Ok gang, next week they will have routes posted so I will let you know how it goes.

 

MEAN WHILE...I AM FINALLY OFF !!!!!

GROWTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oswego sees need for 37 new schools • Report: Nearly 13,000 new pupils could enroll in the next 15 to 20 years

By Justina Wang Staff Writer

OSWEGO — The Oswego School District may need to build 37 schools to accommodate nearly 13,000 new students in the next 15 to 20 years, according to a new report presented to the school board.

The report, based on residential development plans in the area, shows no relief in the next two decades for the booming district. Only about a quarter of the 68.6 square mile district has been developed, but up to 70 new single- and multi-family housing developments — bringing more than 16,000 homes — may be built in the area.

"Who's going to be able to afford to live in this School District?" said Board member Andrew Wood after hearing the numbers.  "How many tax increases are we talking about?"

Most of the growth in the district, which is fed by five cities and unincorporated areas of two counties, will take place within Oswego, although less than half of the student population currently lives in town.

In Oswego, 48 housing developments are planned, most concentrated around Wolf's Crossing and near the intersection of Grove and Plainfield roads.

These developments could bring as many as 6,834 school-age children and require 12 new elementary schools, four junior highs and two high school.

This is part of an article in the area's daily newspaper.  WOW is all I can say!  In 1997 I helped do a special census in our Village and we came up with 9000 people at that time.  But as the article states most of the growth isn't even in our little town.

I guess that's the nature of progress.... by the time this comes to pass I will be a senior citizen being taxed out of my own home, probably living with one of my kids or eating cat food....

summer's route winding down

I am doing some premature planning for next week.  Meaning I plan on kicking back with a big glass of iced tea and just rest.   My summer route ends this Friday and for a girl who is used to having summers off I am ready for some time to myself...well it won't be all rest, but I can at least putter around the house.

Last week at the school I was sitting in line with my student.  All the different schools, bus services and varies mode of transporting special needs kids are all waiting in line to drop the children off in the morning.  Some like to cut in line, or park across the street from the school in the business parking lot and walk their kids across.  Which is no problem for me...I am all about minding my own business.  My little guy likes to sit in back and sometimes because the wait is long he messes with the door handle.  It's a long red thin bar and when it's lifted it buzzes for the emergency door.  I tell him to stop and he does.  WELL, the driver behind me saw this and decided that since I was reading a magazine I must not be tending to my student properly.  So she walks to my bus and says, "that little boy in the back is messing with the door", I saw her coming in my mirror, knew what she was going to say and said, "oooooooooh ok thank you".  So this busy body decides to tell the administrator at the school.  UGH!  Which in turn he calls my supervisor.  My supervisor talks to me and  says "oh ... I figured you had it handled"

One thing that bugs the life out of me is people who can't mind their own business.  The very next day as we were waiting to pick up she gets out of her bus, which was behind me again...and promptly lights up...right in front of the SCHOOL!!!!

 I just ignored the woman, I am a professional bus driver, and if she thinks it's her job to police the other school's bus drivers, she got enough to do because there's a lot to police starting with her own bus.

AH days off....looking foward to the break....3more days, 3 more days....