Last Day of School: 2013

The Last Day of 2013 is upon us and the Christmas Holiday Break is here! The students are so excited!! Ok, they are a bit wild and chattery. We are taking them on a field trip to see a movie and then out to lunch. Who would not be excited? I was excited, too, by all the Christmas cheer in the air.
I wore one of my special outfits for the holiday. I am a diva and a princess who loves pink, so my accessory of the day was pink of course. I think it looks great against my fur. What do you think?

Miss Stephanie took this beautiful picture and then she gave me my very own Christmas present. I was so thankful!!!

Mom received a special present, too. Mrs. Ames searched for a nifty cookbook to help Mom keep her upcoming New Year’s resolution.

Then it was time for hugs.

We wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We will see our students in 2014! What a great ending to a super year! We love our Noe Middle staff and students!

Woofs and wags,
Bella

Field Trip!

Yesterday we volunteered as chaperones on a field trip for our Noe Middle School Titans Team. We rode the school bus with Ms. Ames and about sixty students to the Louisville Water Company. There we learned all about the history of water and various aspects of the Ohio river. People also learned about me. There were LOTS of SD questions and Newfie questions. We were proud of the kids because they were able to answer many of them.
Then the bus took us to Main Street and we walked to Fourth Street Live food court. Our students did a good job with being polite and following directions. They were so kind to one another and helped each other out. I went to my usual down/under and stayed there while Mom and Mrs. Ames ate. When we got up to leave, the people at the next table were shocked to find out a dog was next to them. One of the students calmly replied, “That’s Bella. She’s a service dog. She has public access to help her person”. It was a very proud moment for Mom and me. What a great field trip – in so many ways!

Woofs and wags,
Bella

Busy Day!

Today was a typical busy day volunteering at Noe Middle School as a Therapy Dog. We arrive at 7:00 AM and check in. Mom has some papers to run off and so we visit the copy machine. Of course, we make stops along the way since teachers and some students want to pat me. The stress is already high for some people – or perhaps I am just irresistible! Then we went to Mrs. Arnold’s class for math. I love math. Sometimes I do tricks to help students select the right answer. Today I stuck close to my buddy, J, to help him with paying attention. Then we went to Mrs. Ames’ class. Guess what happened there? The PA system came on and a voice said, “Earthquake, Earthquake”. I did a perfect under. The class was following directions too!

I watched them like a mother hen making sure that they stayed under the table until the PA system came on and a voice said, “The drill is over”.

They did a great job on the drill. Our day was a good one even if it was very busy!

Woofs and wags,
Bella

“Noe” Way! Lights Out!?!?!?!

We were ready and even early as we prepared to volunteer at Noe Middle School. It was a very stormy day and we left just a little early to pick up our snack and a reward for one student. So far, despite getting wet, Mom and I were having a great morning. We arrived at school and there weren’t any outward signals of the excitement (or managed chaos) within! Who knew that we would spend nearly two and a half hours with “Noe” electricity and no backup generator?
We went to the door to be buzzed in and immediately noticed all lights were off and flashlights were in use. We knocked loudly and were greeted. A transformer had blown which powers a block of the city. Students were already in classes having been moved early. Mom grabbed my collar and asked me to take her to Ms. Singleton’s class. I walked calmly to the first door and paused. Mom felt for the door and opened it. “Thank you, Bella. Guys, we have this. I am safer with Bella than a flashlight”. I felt very proud that Mom trusted me so much. We took a right and I paused again. Mom opened another door and I lead her to the stairs and paused. Up two fights of stairs, two doors, two right turns and we are at Ms. Singleton’s door!
I was proud that Mom trusted me to do this but she knows I can. I do it all the time at home. Dad uses a flashlight at night and Mom walks with me. We opened the door and the kids were very excited to see us! It took a couple minutes to answer the questions about how we got upstairs. Even Ms. Singleton was amazed!
The students, teachers, and staff did an outstanding job of following directions and cooperating during an emergency! Our classroom did more than that! We went on with our curriculum- thanks to our fabulous Ms. Singleton and our fantastic students… And Mom and me helping! Since we are reading about the Harlem renaissance, Ms. Singleton pulled a book by Walter Dean Tyler ( a writer from that era) and read aloud.

And she stopped regularly to check comprehension and focused on summarizing which was the students’ weak skill from the last unit test. Our students love our “relaxed” day and even stretched out the futon and bean bag on while the lights were out.

. The electricity was fixed just after 9 AM. We were relieved! But in our room, learning continues with flashlights and iPhone lights! It’s the “Noe” way!
Woofs and wags,
Bella

Howl-0-ween Treat!

Sometimes Halloween can be scary or dangerous for dogs. Raisins, chocolate, and artificial sweeteners can be toxic to dogs! Many dogs have not been exposed to a variety of people, sights, sounds and clothing so costumes and silly behavior can be very frightening. Taking care of you dog is very important and Mom took time to introduce me to costumes and to learn the command “leave it” so I don ‘t touch or eat yucky things!
On the other hand, Halloween is Mom and Aunt Krista’s anniversary for the beginning of their friendship. I was not sure what to think of a human wearing this thing ( a witch’s hat) on her head as Aunt Krista was when we first met her. But mom’s calm reaction showed me that it was fine to approach even though I quite certain I did not want to greet that waving black thing with netting and spiders. This year I had no problems with people in costumes. In fact, I did not notice that they were dressed up – LOL. Here is a picture of Aunt Krista in her hat!

This year I went as “Bella Bear”. I did not have to dress up. It would have been a little difficult for two reasons. We were spending the entire day at school ( witch wears us out) and we were attending a field trip so I needed to wear my public access gear for service dog work to accompany mom.
I did sport my new Therapy Bandana for CARE class so everyone could see it and then got dressed in my gear for the field trip.

We had a full day planned! We met with our CARE ( advisory) class and compared costumes.

Then we focused on health with a Zombie walk at the track, learning a “thrilling” dance for 20 minutes for our hearts, and finally doing a health quiz in the library.

First we learned the steps with our teachers.

Suddenly, it was time to head for the field trip buses. First we went to the Kentucky Center for the Arts. We saw “the Kentucky Show”. It is all about Kentucky. Mom was tapping her feet because she liked the music by Bill Munroe, Sam Bush, and Nappy Roots. (She has met all of them in person!). We ate our lunch there.
Then we went to the water tower to learn about our water company and its history in Louisville. (Bet you did not know Mom worked on a water treatment facility in Texas for three straight summers! ). Here I am watching the speaker while Mom is watching you. There were some awesome questions from our group!

It was a long day and we were glad to be on the bus home again. Oh, this was my first ride on a school bus. Everyone was very proud of me. I wondered what the fuss was about…I am Bella -of course, I have good manners and “Noe” what to do! But I was a little surprised we all fit three to a seat! Tee Hee

Aren’t we just adorable in that second picture?
At the end of the day, I was one tired Newfy!

Woofs n wags,

Bella