Hallway Happenings PHJH Edition
10/16/23-10/20/23
Choose Kindness Even When Tea Cups Choose Otherwise
Good Afternoon Patriots,
I hope you are have all enjoyed your weekend, and are starting to shake the dust off of your jackets, fuzzy socks (in my case Green Bay Packers beanies) as there is no question that our old friend Walter Winter is showing up with all of its boxes to get settled back in. Which leaves Anna Mae Autumn looking for short term leases in Phoenix while she waits out Winter's timeshare stay in the Utah House.
This week I have been thinking pretty much on a daily basis, what is realistically both in and completely out of our control. If you pause and think about it, the hilarity around the amount of each day that is filled with the unknown and unexpected, it really is a miracle that we all agree to keep getting on this ever changing roller coaster of a ride each day. I should note I have also been thinking about bunt cakes, highland mini cows, and where I can sell copious chocolate bars, but that is just the gift that is my brain. #ADHD
Thinking about the unexpected, reminded me of the day I was body shamed by a wooden dining chair, then aggressive attacked by an antique doily, cobalt blue glass candy dish, four brass candle sticks, a stack of floral print tea cups and saucers, and one petite lamp with a stained glass shade. Let me rewind things back a bit to the events that lead up to the unprovoked attack. It was a beautiful Saturday, and Mr. Summers had invited me to go on an emergency service call with him out to Roosevelt to fix a piece of equipment for a dentist. We grabbed his tools, hopped in the van, and set off for the three hour drive to Roosevelt.
As we pulled into town I noticed one of my absolute favorite types of places in a entire world. A place where hundreds of life stories line the isles and despite my best rationalization attempts, there isn't one item that is an actual need, yet somehow there is almost always something that has to come home with me because it would look absolutely perfect on the shelf in the living room next to the antique glass milk bottles, and vintage tea kettles. If you haven’t guessed it yet, I asked Mr. Summers to drop me off at the Antique store while he went to the dentist office to do his service call.
I walked into the adorable little shop and was greeted with the familiar antique store musty smell along with rows and rows of vintage items in all shapes, sizes, and unlimited useless possibilities. I wandered around like a kid in a candy store, picking up and examining all of the things that caught my eye. I was particularly smitten with a Big Foot and Yeti salt & pepper shaker, several hand embroidered handkerchiefs, and set of tin canisters that would be perfect for our sugar, flour, coffee, and hot chocolate.
Satisfied with my purchases and feeling like I had hit the antiques jackpot, I decided I would just hang out in the store and wait for Mr. Summers as he finished up his call. At the front of the store there was a large wooden kitchen dining table and chairs for sale. It was placed directly next to a beautiful antique buffet that was meticulously decorated with additional items that were available for purchase. Knowing I still had a little while to wait before it would be time to go, I decided to take a seat at the table and just enjoy the sunlight that was coming in from the window directly behind the buffet.
This was where the first mistake was made.
I hadn't been sitting for more than five minutes when that chair decided to silently but swiftly inform me, that I was far over the allowable weight limit. With a loud crack, the chair collapsed and all four legs sprawled out like a baby dear trying to make its way across a frozen pond, which sent me crashing towards the floor.
I would like to say my next decision could have had a 50/50 chance of being helpful in this situation, but I can tell you the only thing the next decision did was confirm that sometimes human instinct isn’t as great as some of the so called experts preach it to be. So there I was, listening to instinct in an attempt to save my imminent, but certain meeting with the floor. In that moment, reaching out and grabbing the doily covering the buffet felt like the correct survival tactic. I mean what logical person would not grab delicate table covering painstakingly constructed with thin string to slow a fall??
What followed next can only be described as a Garth Brooks level "The Thunder Rolls" of crashing glass and metal objects as every item on that buffet loyally followed the doily and then promptly made a beeline straight for my head. Laying defenseless on the floor my head took on two candle sticks, a full place setting of tea cups and saucers, and as a finale, a surprisingly stout tea kettle and stained glass lamp.
As I laid on the floor questioning my life’s choices, along with trying to determine where exactly the blood was coming from, and which retirement account I was about to dip into in order to pay for this mess, I looked up to see a the store owner with an expression of both concern and utter confusion.
Through panicked tears I looked up at her an said, “I am so sorry. I was just waiting for my husband to come back and get me, so I sat on this chair, which apparently had a very strict weight limit that I did not meet. Then when I was falling, I saw the doily and in the moment, it looked like a pretty safety net so I grabbed it trying to stop my fall. Now looking back it doesn’t look anything like a safety net, so that was my bad, so sorry. Then when I grabbed the doily, all of the pretty items on the buffet, clearly angry about what I had done to their chair friend, (even though it was totally an accident) attacked me by air which is how I got here on your floor." Now sobbing, I stood up to start picking up the mosaic of glass that was all around me and through sniffles and tears said, "I will pay for all of it!"
The sweet lady, giggled helped me and then asked if I was okay, to which I answered I was, and went back to cleaning up. She lovingly stopped me, and said, “Hun these are just things. They can be replaced. I am glad you are okay. You go find your husband, and let me take care of this.” With that, I offered one more time to pay her, and she once again refused, so I gave her a hug, thanked her, and made my way back to my husband’s van where I began explaining what had happened, and not too far in to the story, I starting laughing uncontrollably as I realized how ridiculously hilarious the situation actually was.
See my friends, everyday is just a series of unknown events, and as much as we would like to think that we have control over anything, the truth is that most of the time, the only thing we can control is how we react to this crazy up and down, never ending roller coaster we call life. When you have the choice Patriots, and the choice is between reacting with kindness or reacting with anger…
Choose kindness…
You will never regret being too kind.
As Always Patriots
Remember...
You are L❤️VED!
Mrs. Summers
Mrs. Turley
Mr. Joyce
This ENTIRE Week Is Your Dress Down Week For Crushing Book Fair Goals
Remember you still have to follow dress down rules... No mid drifts, holes above the knees, or short shorts.
🥰 Thank you for supporting the PHJH Book Fair this year 🥰
Providence Hall PTO WORLD"S GREATEST CHOCOLATE Fundraiser Has Started Let's GO!
We have a goal of selling 300 boxes, but I KNOW we can sell more.
Let's get that Permanent Nine Square for our blacktop and
lJust ONCE could we pull off a miracle and raise more money at the Junior High than the Elementary?!
They have the cuteness card, which is super powerful, almost wizard level, but we are cunning and crafty and that is equally as effective.
Check out what you can earn...The last one is HUGE!
Fundraising Goals:
Fundraising Details
DEAR PARENTS!!
The big day has come and boxes of the WORLD'S GREATEST CHOCOLATE are starting to be handed out!!!
A few things -
Thursday, Oct 12: permission slips will be coming home
**NO BOX OF CHOCOLATE CAN BE CHECKED OUT WITHOUT A PERMISSION SLIP**
Friday, Oct 13: the first box of chocolate can be checked out
Monday, Oct 23: the last day to turn in money and receive prizes
See our PTO website for more details or if you just want to use the online link to donate because you are not into the whole selling chocolate thing.
Check out the information below for what the students can earn from the company just for selling! (Scroll in to be able to read the print.)
Speaking on behalf of the Parent Teacher Organization, we love our school and are so excited for a successful fundraiser!!!
Mindy Fotheringham, PTO President
Brittany Wainscott, Elementary PTO President
Robyn Kotter, JH PTO President
Lindsay Adsit, HS PTO President
What is This Nine Square Thing You Are Talking About We Are Trying To Earn?
📸 PHJH Picture Retake Day October 18, 2023 📸
Thanks To StuCrew For Making Spirit Week An Absolute Blast At PHJH
Check Out Just a Small Snippet Of Some Of The Fun That Was Had During Spirit Week
No matter if you are young, or approaching vintage, we all joined in the fun!
🎷 Performing Arts Events 🎺
Mrs. Hansen's Classes Making Musical Community Connections
On Focus Friday, October 6th, the PHJH Choir department invited the choirs of St. John the Baptist Middle School to our choir room! The two programs merged for the day, singing warmups together, performing songs for each other, and getting singing advice and tips from both conductors. We love seeing music bringing people together, and we’re excited to try some of the new ideas we learned from working alongside Mrs. Keoppel and the JB Choir!!” - Mrs. Hansen and the PHJH Choirs
The PHJH Band Rocked Their First Fall Concert Of The Year
PHJH Sports Central
🏀 Basketball Tryouts 🏀
Thank YOU to Everyone That Made OUR FIRST QUARTER Patriot Games A Total BLAST
PHJH Band Rocked The Patriot Games With Some Spooky Jams
A Reminder About Our Children In Wheelchairs And The Parking Lot At PHJH
We currently have multiple students in wheelchairs here at PHJH, and in order for our kiddos to be able to get in and out of their cars, into the building on time, and make it to medical appointments, they need to have access to get into and out of the handicap spaces during drop off and pick up. When in line, if you see cars trying to get into our out of those spots, PLEASE make sure to pause and let them out, and also PLEASE do not block access for them to get into the spots.
Thank you Patriots!
October 11th and 19th Vision Screenings for all 7th graders will be conducted during school hours. Students that wear glasses or contacts should be sure to bring/wear them on the screening days. Parents/guardians that do not want their student to be screened at school must complete and turn in this opt-out form. Vision Opt-Out Form