Busy Little Pengen on the Go...

Part of me, I think I got the hang of it in what to do for my work. I have been getting tired due to lack of sleep or cramming to do homework in odd hours of the night to catch up. On the weekends, I try to do more homework or community service events.

Today, I went to an event called, "CSUF Cancers Relay 4 Life," a lot of people had to walk or run 5k mile to promote people who survive any form of cancer.

 

We had little paper bag decorated by many people who survived the battle due to cancers and they were placed around the track field of my school. So, as the runners who woule run would see each bag along the way from beginning to finish.

 

The community service events that I have done for this semester is for my minor degree in Human Services.

Community Services Events
February 9th (Saturday): Pack-A-Box
February 23rd (Saturday): CSUF Jeans for Teen Drive
March 12th (Tuesday): Hands for Africa
March 16th (Saturday): Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen
April 20th (Saturday): Mary's Soup Kitchen
April 21st (Sunday): Long Beach Recuse Mission
April 27th (Saturday): CSUF Cancers Relay 4 Life
May 4th (Saturday): Pack-A-Box

 

It's my award for what I have been doing for my minor. The community service events are not require but I think it gives a little bit for others to see if I ever need to go get a job in the field of human relations.

 

Coming up, there will be a banquet and I have invite two of my friends to go to see me to get my cord. This cord will be on me during graduation. Sadly, I was invited to two banquets but I could only go to one. Who ever sets up two banquets on the same day and time? I wish I could have a clone so I can be at two different places at the same time. For the other banquet, I don't know if I am being called for an award.

 

Spring Break

Even though I wasn't able to work during Spring Break, I am glad that I wasn't able to. I love working the kids that I have...but sometimes taking break from the hectic schedule is a great way to regain sanity and energy.

I haven't been able to relax and hang out with old friends of mine. Recently, I found someone on fb that I knew from elementary school...4th grade to be exact. He left a comment on one of my other male friend's wall. I decided to leave a message in his inbox to see if he remembered me. "What on earth do I have to lose?" If he doesn't comment back, its not like its the end of the world. Within 5 minutes, I got a reply back. We decided to hang out on a Wednesday. On that day, my best friend, Agnes, Ethan, Kits, and I got to meet an old friend, Moses, of mine at a crawfish place.

Throughout the rest of the week, I did small bits of homework and a little bit of Spring cleaning in my closet. I donated 23 pairs of jeans, tons of shirts, and stuff animals...cuz I have too much of them. And lastly, my closest friends and I had fun planning another friend of mine, Tori, birthday. I recalled her telling me she has never been to Sea World. So, I decided to take the others and her there. I got the girls' each different flavors for the cupcakes.

 

Cupcake Flavors:

Piplup = strawberry shortcake w/ strawberry filling

Squirtle = oreo suprise w/ vanilla buttercream frosting

Bulbasaur = Durian w/ a slight green tea buttercream frosting

Articuno = frugaria "fresh strawberry w/strawberry buttercream frosting"

 

 

Pokeballs = "heart attack" dark chocolate w/ peanut butter frosting w/ bits of flavor bacon and honey

 

 

 

Sea World = "the land where my fellow friends live" ....lol



 

After hanging out with friends and the week of Spring Break was over, I got sick. My body just shut down and went to sleep on its own, X_x!

Having Fun...

Before the Easter fair started, the school had an award ceremony for student of the month from each class. A student from my class, Michelle Gonzalez, got an award from our principle and site coordinator. Last month we were suppose to have a ceremony, but we never had the time. Oddly, this month is coming to an end and we haven't be able to celebrate this month yet...lol! I am proud that one of my student get an award. Her parents were really happy at the end of the day since I spoke to them.

Yesterday was a really long and fun day for the Easter Fair that the staff members including myself held for all of the students. We had 9 different stations for the students to come and play. Each class rotated every 20 mins to each station rather than having everyone run freely. I thought it was really well organized. Each station, the students try to win raffle ticket in order to collect and trade in for prizes. So, the activities included bean bag toss, pin the tail on the bunny, ring toss (my station), bunny hop race, can toss, egg in a cup, egg in a spoon relay, egg hunt, and face paint/ art center.

At the end of the day, I had a suprise of my own for my students. For 24 large ziploc bag, I had put some Easter prize and treat for them. Happy Easter and Spring Break to them and myself, lol!

A happy note I forgot to post about in last week blog....my title as a substitute program leader has changed into permanent program leader. I'm happy. There is a position that I want to be....is an assistant site coordinator or a site coordinator...it's similar to a school principle. I need to work really hard for a year or two to be promote up there.

Reality Just Set In...

I think there comes a time when you realize, that the only life you have any control is your own.

You can't control what other people think.
What they feel, do or believe.
You can't change the way people are.
People are stubborn.
Set in their own ways.
People don't want to see their flaws.
They don't want to think that they need to change.

But the will to change, to save them, needs to come from within them.
Not from within other people.

I think people generally think that if they take a broken person.
And try really hard.
They can make it all better.
But I don't think it works like that.
At the end of the day, the only person who can save you, is you.

People like to rely on other people.
Think that other people can solve their problems for them.
That way they have someone to blame when it doesn't work.

Save yourself.
No one else can save you.

My family are mostly my close friends, my support system. I try to take one day at a time and remind myself I am not really by myself.

Amazing Week for Ms. Pengen...

This month, another program leader, Mr. Diaz, and I did yoga club for 3 Fridays' now which includes March 1st, 8th, and 15th. Last Friday, the school had a movie event for the kids and they got to watch Wreck-It Ralph. In order to transition into another month of new club, we tend to end it with a movie day, a relax day.

The students got to vote what movie they could watch in the MPR. We had Wreck-It Ralph, Rise of the Guardians, Diary of the Wimpy Kid, and Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit. Of course, most the kids at this school are really young and active, so they chose to watch Wreck-It Ralph. The other kids wanted to watch Diary of Wimpy Kids. The younger ones out scored the older kids.

Eleven students in my class got to go to the movie since they paid and had outstanding behavior for that week. Seven students from my class got send to the office for bad behavior. They had to pick up trash around the school for 2 hours. And 6 of my students went home early due to sickness or the parents wanted to pick them up.

Even though most of my students had their THINK bucks and were able to pay, I thought it would be best to judge them by behavior rather than having the money. I did charged them 25TB rather than what the other PLs' charge their students which was really high. During the week, I had 4 more new students enter my class which is the total in class is 24 students. Since I couldn't charge them, I based them off of behavior. It goes for the same with my other students who have no money.

This upcoming week is Easter and all of the program leaders including myself are ready to present the kids with an Easter Fair for the last day of the month, March.

Stations for Program Leaders
Ms. Viri for Group A = Can Toss (knocking down cans)
Ms. Moreno for Group B = Egg in a Spoon Relay
Mr. Diaz for Group C = Bean Bag Toss
Ms. Yesi for Group D = Bunny Hop Race
Ms. Stephanie for Group E = Ring Toss
Ms. A for Group F = Egg Hunt
Ms. Sammy for Group G = Pin Bunny in the Basket
Ms. Y for Group I = ?

Each station the kids will be there for 20 mins. Since there are 9 groups, it would take about 180 mins or 3 hours! Next week the kids have conference week meaning they tend to get out at 12:50 rather than 1:50. And the parents tend to pick their kid(s) around 5ish. I think everyone will manage the time.

For next month, April, I finally figure out what club I am presenting to the kids...healthy cooking club. I need another title for my club to make it sound interesting lol! Each Friday, I need to present a simple snack to make and tell them what kind of ingredients are in and why are they important. So, I came up with 3 recipes which includes...

Fudgy Fruit

Ingredients

1 small cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 large bananas, peeled and cut into quarters

large strawberries

 cup(s) chopped unsalted peanuts

 



Peachy Peanut Butter Pita Pockets

Ingredients

Wheat pita pockets

Chunky Peanut Butter

Green apple, thinly sliced

Banana, thinly sliced

Fresh peach, thinly sliced



 

 Berry Good Banana Split

Ingredients

Large banana, peeled and cut into quarter

low fat yogurt

lowfat grandola

fresh blueberries or strawberries

 

Hopefully, I get these snacks approve by my site coordinator by Monday, so I can write up the lesson that is due Marh 29th. 



Preparing for Easter...

It's almost Easter! It's in two weeks so I have to prepare for the activities for the kids at Heninger Elementary will be having. The other PL's, site coordinator, and me decided to hold a small fair for the kids. Each PL will be creativing a game or craft hold at a booth station. Each station should have 20 minutes to present itself. I haven't thought what I am doing for my booth yet since we just had a staff meeting yesterday. I am still meeting crafts for my class on a separate note. And, I have to come up with another club activity for next month but the lesson plan is due at the end of the month.

So far what my kids had done for Easter...

 

 

Since I had 3rd graders, I had to think of small craft projects for them to do which isn't easy. I try to make the crafts easy, simple, and fast making or else my kids tend to make a mess, get frustration, or mess around. The kids have short attention span... =/.

Community Outreach

 

I decided it was time to go back to doing community service work since it made me happy in the past. I used to volunteer at St. Callistus Church since I was 16 years old until I was 23. My job was being an assistant bible teacher for the grades 4th, 5th, and 8th. I did that for awhile until I switched to work in the office since I wanted to have some experience on working with the copy machine and organizing database and files. Towards the spring and summer, I would switch into being a Confirmation Leader for junior high and high school students. That chapter in my life has ended, I don't have the energy to go back doing that same position.

 

On March 9th, I went to volunteer at a food bank in the city of Garden Grove. The event was called Pack-A-Box and our goal was to pack 1600 boxes of food for the homeless. The event started at 10:30am to 1:00pm. The last group that was there didn't finished packing up grocery bags, so a few people including myself got to that for about 30 to 45 mins.

 

 

After packing up grocery bags, our mini group got moved over to assemble boxes. I don't remember how many boxes that I assembled. It is a very fast pace job. I had to assemble the boxes and double tape the bottom of the box. Then I had to throw the box aside. The next person takes the box to place it on rolling rack and fills it with two cereal boxes. Next, that same box rolls down to the next person for the next item to put into the box. In the end of the line of the rack, the last person double tapes the box and carries it to placed on another rack that enters into another building. I didn't have time to take pictures of each task that I got to do. The time went by so quick...but, I had fun! I made some new friends along the way. =]

 

Even though this event was for school credit, I would love to do it again. I found their website and it explains that volunteers are needed from Monday thru Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm. The Food Bank is also open to volunteers most Saturdays from 8:30am to 10:30am and 11:00am to 1:00pm. There are no walk-ins...so volunteers need to make RESERVATION. The average volunteer session is 2 hours, but volunteers may stay longer or shorter periods of time. In order to volunteer, please call Andre Gaithe 714.897.3493.

 

My next event is on March 16th in the city of Santa Ana and it is called, Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen. It is from 9:00am to 1:00pm. At this event, I will take pictues from my phone so I can show you what I have done...lol

The flyer below is another event on March 23rd that one of my friend gave me through email. I don't know if I am able to go to this one yet.