The Village

For most teachers, summer vacation is drawing to a close. Over the last couple of weeks Clays Mill teachers have been busy unpacking boxes, moving furniture, and hanging things on the walls of their classrooms. 


Most teachers pretty much knew how to set up their classroom when we were in the building.  We had lots of storage and wall space for everything we needed.  The Village classrooms are not as large and definitely don't have the same storage capacity.  This has caused many teachers to turn into classroom designers.  Arranging and then re-arranging furniture to find how it will best fit their use has provided a workout for many teachers and anyone they could convince to come and help.  We have had spouses, children, moms, and even a few UK football players out to help. 


No two classrooms will look the same but here is a sample of how one has turned out. 




Furniture and boxes were brought from the building by movers. 



Before - an  empty room. 

After - a room almost ready for 5th graders.

The Village

After months of getting our village up and running, our fantastic custodial staff has been able to work on getting the classrooms in the village all spiffy.  They have cleaned windows and mopped floors and made it ready for the movers to take items to each room. 



The interior of a village classroom.  It is a blank canvas waiting for a teacher-artist to bring it to life. 




This view shows the doorway that leads into the attached classroom. 




We are very fortunate to have a great deal of storage inside the building.  Unfortunately, for the teachers using the village classrooms, this is the only closet.  But Clays Mill teachers are very creative and will find ways to store all of the items that our students use. 




The items from one classroom have been moved into a village classroom.  The movers knew how to stack everything so that there is a path all the way around the room so the teacher can begin the unpacking. 




Stacked furniture waiting to be arranged. 



CME Village

The village on our back lot is beginning to look more and more finished.  The skirting has been finished around the bottom portion of each portable.  Bathrooms are in the process of installation.  Decks and concrete pads are finished.  There is still a lot of mud but hopefully we will see green growing soon.

Below is a view of how our village is laid out.  Our leadership team is in the process of trying to decide on the best configuration of how to place classes in the portables.  This is the beginning of hundreds and hundreds of details and decisions that will have to be made. 

 The smaller portables are the bathrooms. 

 The girls' is on the left and the boys' is on the right. 

Fighting the Rain

In between the rain showers that are falling this morning, workers are busy pouring the concrete sidewalk and pads that will be used outside our portables. 

Portables Update

You will notice that the skirting is going up around each portable now, but one side has been left exposed.  The exposed side is so that state inspectors can gain access to do an inspection at the end of this week in order to inspect each of the THIRTY tie-downs that are anchoring EACH portable.  In the next three weeks (hopefully with good weather), the electric meters will be installed and the decks will be complete.  After additional inspections we'll be given clearance to clean each portable and get it ready to occupy by the last day of school. 

CME Village

Although there hasn't been any activity going on within the building in regards to the renovation, our track area is a different story.  Despite the rain and weather, the crews have been busy bringing the portables in, hooking them up, and building steps and decks. 


This is our intermediate playground and track area at the beginning of the creation of our CME Village.

 

Equipment begins to arrive.

Concrete is laid for our foundations.

The portables began to arrive during dismissal - crazy times.

The portables come in halves and have to be put together and balanced with concrete blocks.



Each portable has a front and back entrance so steps need to be built. 

 This job takes lots of hands and trekking through the mud.

Back entrances

Front decks in progress......