Stephanie Busin

Board members and the Superintendent each have a microphone that clearly records audio of Board meetings.

Just over a million dollars. That’s the budget the Board has to address academic improvement in our D-rated district, and was the subject of an academic improvement workshop preceding the regular business meeting on 9/22.

The new audio system was in place for the workshop. The board members and superintendent were mic’ed up and the workshop was our first public meeting recorded on the new system.

The Board was presented with a list of previously discussed potential allocations totaling $153,005 during budget hearings. They are as follows:

Student Tutors (Formerly AVID) $10,000

Professional Development $3,885

Performance Pay (Estimated) $60,000

Heartland STEM Scholars Program $9,120

Virtual School (Estimated) $40,000

Science Labs $30,000

District administration brought these additional allocations totaling $402,016 before the Board for discussion:

IEP Substitutes $27,000

Data Systems Support $63,008

Professional Development for Science $15,000

Ed Options Academy $139,300

Academic Deans (2) $157,708

$555,021 is a lot of money. State funding has been more “generous” this year than in years past. We’re being told that funding should look favorable next year, but a lot can happen in a year. It’s of the utmost importance that the money we have in our hand is spent in the most effective ways possible. The objective is academic growth and achievement for close to 7,200 students through out the county. The Board’s job is the align the resources to achieve these goals.

The discussion among board members was vigorous and meaningful. Basquin expressed concern about spending trends and his desire to work on whittling down the deficit created from spending more than our revenues the past several years.

My concerns centered around the projected effectiveness of the presented strategies and if we, as a District, are investing our resources into managing the symptoms of low academic performance rather than directing resources to address the causes like truancy, virtually non-existent parental involvement, poverty and language barriers. (I’ll elaborate more on this concept in my next post.)

Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog. I appreciate your engagement and I’m humbled to serve Hendry County.

~ Stephanie

State Representative Matt Hudson paid a visit during the school board meeting to give everyone in attendance his legislative update.

The highlight of an otherwise typical business meeting during which the board voted unanimously to approve the 2015/16 Master Inservice Plan, 2015/16 Digital Classrooms Plan, and consent agenda, was a visit from District 80’s State Representative Matt Hudson.

Speaker Pro Tempore Hudson praised Superintendent Puletti’s engagement and persistence in Tallahassee in addressing the needs of Hendry County’s schools and students. Speaker Hudson also fielded questions from the Board and audience.

I had questions regarding what options Hendry/Glades Counties are left with after the sudden closure of the mental health facility that was serving approximately 425 students at the time it disbanded. No agency or provider bid on the $1 million contract to provide mental health services for our area, so we are still without accessible mental health care in one of the most impoverished areas of the State.

Though Speaker Hudson could not give me the answer I would have liked, I appreciate his honesty in telling me the status of progress on addressing this problem that is so intertwined with the generational poverty experienced within our county.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve this county and these best students in the world! The next board meeting is the day after Labor Day, September 8.  You can find the board packet and agenda online:  http://hcsb.schoolwires.net/Page/4936

~ Stephanie

Thanks to my readers for taking the time to catch up with me! I apologize for being so delinquent in delivering new posts lately. Between full-time motherhood and a host of projects I’m involved with, I’ve been moving and shaking, and unfortunately putting this blog on the back burner.  Today I was blessed with a chunk of time in which to write, so here it goes…

The 8/11 Hendry County School Board saw a large turnout from Clewiston residents for the 5:30 pm workshop to discuss district administration’s Academic Improvement Proposal that carrying an estimated total price tag of $519,716.

District administration recommended the following to the board:

ED OPTIONS ACADEMY – Seniors who have been unable to pass required state assessments but otherwise have completed all their necessary credits can be offered the opportunity to enroll in the Ed Options Academy. Upon successful completion of EOA credits, the student will qualify to meet the state requirements and receive a high school diploma from an accredited institution.  District administration projects approximately 30 students will enroll during the 2015/16 school year. Estimated cost: $159,300

ACADEMIC DEANS – Hire four individuals, each specialized in K-12 instruction of one of the following academic areas: English/Language Arts/Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Technology. The academic deans would report directly to the Director of Staff Development. The proposal states the team will function much like the State Differentiated Accountability Team and follow their protocol for visiting schools, observing instruction, helping with review of data, and assisting in formulating quality interventions to improve instruction and student achievement. Estimated cost per allocation (including benefits): $78,854 x 4 = $315,416

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – To combat the district’s falling Science scores, administration is proposing Science teachers in grades K-8 will benefit from receiving a professional needs assessment administered by the Director of Staff Development that will determine specific professional development to support effective instruction. Estimated cost: $15,000 Administration proposes to provide each elementary school and middle school in the county with $2,500 for basic lab materials to conduct project based learning opportunities as part of the science lessons. Estimated cost: $30,000  TOTAL Estimated Cost: $45,000

The workshop wrapped up early at approximately 6:00 pm. The regular business meeting was advertised to begin at 6:30 pm so Superintendent Puletti recommended to the Board that in order to keep business moving forward, we could go ahead and listen to a presentation regarding capital improvement revenue bonds presented by Ford & Associates, Inc.

After the presentation wrapped up, Superintendent Puletti invited the unusually large crowd of audience members to speak regarding something that was not on the agenda. The majority of the audience members were there to show their support for an on-campus exercise class. Numerous audience members shared how this class and instructor personally benefited them.

Superintendent Puletti clarified for the audience that the instructor had recently complied with federal and state laws regarding working with students, as well as board policy regarding liability insurance, and would be able to continue using the district’s facilities without obligation to pay rent. The instructor has begun and will continue to seek the certification over the next year to become an athletic coach for the district in an official capacity. Upon receiving the clarification the audience exited the board room and the business portion of the meeting began shortly afterwards, at the advertised time.

Superintendent Puletti began by acknowledging two Clewiston-area retirees for their dedicated service to the students of Hendry County:

Marilyn Brathwaite, CES Cook – 28 years

Elizabeth Kerr, CHS Cook – 34 years

The Board voted 4-1 to approve the consent agenda. (I voted nay for demonstration purposes for the AP American Government teacher in attendance.)

The Board voted unanimously to approve the Superintendent’s recommendation to appoint Ayman Kaki of K & M Drugs to serve as the Value Adjustment Board’s Business Representative.

I appreciate the opportunity to serve as YOUR school board member! Be on the look out for more posts coming soon!

~ Stephanie

Anyone who speaks to me for more than two minutes knows how passionate I am about Hendry County. Being a third generation native, my roots run deep and so does my sense of personal responsibility to influence the changes I feel are necessary to help our county be the place I know in my heart it can be. (Man! I get choked up just writing that last sentence.)

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m transparent. Painfully transparent at times. That’s why I write this blog. I feel like the District 4 seat isn’t just my seat…it’s OUR seat…and I write and post on social media to take you along with me on this journey I’m so blessed to be on as YOUR school board member.

I made a motion at the July 14 board meeting to spend $16,753.98 to further the goal of providing transparency and accessibility to local government more convenient to students, parents, employees, and tax payers. I moved to install an audio/visual system in each board room to record board meetings and make them accessible 24/7 to anyone with an internet connection. The vote was postponed to the July 28 meeting.

At the July 28 meeting, I made an impassioned plea to fellow board members to make this one time investment. I cited the benefit it would be to students studying civics and government. I cited the benefit it would be to our HCSB employees. I cited the responsibility we had to the public to make our meetings transparent and accessible. Despite support from the Hendry County teachers union (HCEA) my motion was voted down 1-4 (I was the aye vote) citing that it was the board’s consensus that it didn’t directly affect student achievement.

Immediately after my motion died, it was moved to spend $11,741.98 to install audio systems so people who physically attend meetings could hear us better, as well as provide an improved audio recording for those who choose to request a copy of these recordings from the district.  That motion was passed 4-1, with Basquin voting nay.

I offered to personally pay the $5,012 difference to upgrade to include video recordings. I offered to fund raise to cover the difference but ultimately had to walk away from my original goal of online video recordings because the original motion was voted down.

I am reminded of Winston Churchill’s famous quote, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm.”  You can count on me to never lose enthusiasm for this job and those I serve. That’s something I can guarantee.

I’m pleased to report that I was nominated by Vice-Chair Sally Berg to serve as an alternate representative for Hendry County on the Florida School Board Association Legislative Committee, and unanimously approved by my colleagues. Mrs. Berg is the current representative. I enthusiastically look forward to learning and growing from this opportunity!

There’s a meeting tonight (8/11/15) in Clewiston at the sub-office building. A workshop on academic improvement begins at 5:30 pm with the regular board meeting following at 6:30 pm. School Board meetings are open to the public and I’d like to personally extend an invitation for you to attend.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your school board member!

~ Stephanie

I genuinely believe people care about what’s happening in their communities and schools but long gone are the days of people having time to physically attend public meetings.  Work, family, social obligations, etc. demand more and more of people’s time than ever before.

This has contributed to the well-documented challenges our District has faced, and continues to face, with parent and community engagement. As elected officials, it’s our responsibility to identify and solve the challenges our communities face, as well as produce effective solutions.

I requested quotes for video/audio recording capabilities in both boardrooms of the Hendry County School Board as I believe it’s in the best interest of transparent service to the public to create video/audio recordings of every workshop and board meeting, and upload recordings to the district’s website for parents, employees, and taxpayers to view at their convenience. Assistant Superintendent Larry Worth reported back that the best bid we received to provide this service would be a one-time $17,000 investment.

Public education has become increasingly accountability-focused. Public school teachers receive VAM scores (which are public record) based on standardized tests scores each year for the purpose of enforcing accountability for student achievement. The collective standardized testing results of a school determines a school’s grade (also public record) for the purpose of holding school administration accountable. The collective standardized testing results of each school determine the district’s grade (also public record) for the purpose of holding district administration accountable for student achievement.

Well, what about accountability for the leadership of elected officials who also receive taxpayer-funded salaries? Hendry County School Board Members collectively receive $180,000 annually in salaries and benefits? (Each member is paid a $27,000 salary and receives an annual benefits package valued at $9,000.) Over a four year term, each School Board Member is compensated approximately $144,000 between salary and benefits.

If transparency and accountability is demanded of the teachers and administrators, then it should be demanded of the elected officials as well. The video/audio recordings will be a cost effective and convenient tool we can provide taxpayers in order to do that.

Can you imagine being able to watch board meetings from the comfort of home? You get firsthand information instead of having to rely on this blog or a local newspaper. I love writing this blog but, to be perfectly honest, it reflects my personal opinions and attitudes toward the topics I write about. All journalism does that to an extent…but not video/audio recordings. Video/audio recordings are unbiased and unflinching.

I’ll admit, the thought of being in front of that camera scares me because I know that by doing so that I’m abandoning the comfort of unattended board rooms for the criticism of unprecedented transparency. I just know that nothing great was ever achieved inside a comfort zone.  Our current comfort zone is a  D-rated school district by the Florida Department of Education. I think it’s time we get out of that zone.

Chairman Dwayne Brown tabled conversation and a potential vote on this topic for the July 14 meeting. I’m inviting anyone who would like to weigh-in on this topic to attend the meeting at 5:30 pm at the Clewiston Sub-Office, or if you can’t attend the meeting, reach out to me and my fellow board members via email before then.

Chairman Dwayne Brown: District1@hendry.k12.fl.us

Vice-Chairperson Sally Berg: District2@hendry.k12.fl.us

John Benkert: District3@hendry.k12.fl.us

Stephanie Busin: District4@hendry.k12.fl.us

Jon Basquin: Stephanie Busin: District5@hendry.k12.fl.us

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read my post. I appreciate your engagement and I’m honored to serve as YOUR District 4 Hendry County School Board Member. All opinions stated within this post or on this website are mine.

~ Stephanie

The Board participated in a workshop to review new allocations and briefly touched on the school food service transition prior to the regular business meeting.

In Superintendent Puletti’s absence, Deputy Superintendent Gordon Swaggerty reviewed the Superintendent’s recommendation to spend $710,694 in unrestricted funds on new allocations for the 2015/16 school year.  You can see details of the recommendations on pages 6-15 of the 6/9 board packet located here.

Figures quoted include salary and benefits. An overview of the allocations are as follows:

LaBelle Middle School: Guidance, $57,815; Teacher, $57,815

Clewiston Middle School: Guidance, $57,815; Teacher, $76,460; Paraprofessional 1, $23,452; Paraprofessional 2, $23,452; Paraprofessional 3, $23,452.

Eastside Elementary School: Change Assistant Principal title and compensation to Dean; -$11,620

District: Network Technician, $49,922; Director of Professional Development & Evaluation, $118,633; 1/2 salary for ESE Specialist, $28,908; Nurse, $36,032; 1/4 salary for Reading Specialist, $19,730. Change Administrator of Facilities, Maintenance, and Transportation title and compensation to Director of Facilities, Maintenance, and Transportation; $17,446 ($107,774 total). Change IT Trainee title and compensation to IT Specialist; $1,789 ($49,922 total).

Director of Finance Michael Yanosik told the Board to expect an increase in health insurance rates and explained why he budgeted an estimated 4.03% increase for a total of $129,233 included in the $710,694 total price tag for the new allocation recommendation.

Mr. Yanosik also took the opportunity to give the board an update on the food service management transition and introduce the board to the new General District Manager, Mark Turner. Mr. Turner reported a successful employee sign-up process for the current food service employees and advised the Board that job seekers outside of the District showed up to apply for positions with Sodexo too. Yanosik also advised the Board of the progress on the District’s Community Eligibility Program application. We should hear something back from the Dept of Agriculture relatively soon.

The regular business meeting began immediately following the workshop by recognizing the following Clewiston-area retirees for their dedicated service to the District:

Ana Marrero, CHS Teacher, 8 years

Beatriz Hechavarria, CHS Custodian, 14 years

Horace Mixon, Clewiston Transportation Master Mechanic, 32 years

Under Old Business: After tabling the allocations from last meeting after I expressed concerns regarding changes in job titles, and resulting increases/decreases in compensation, equitable applications of steps, and whether these were sustainable positions and salaries for the district to fund in the event of an economic downturn like there was in 2008, the board ultimately approved the superintendent’s recommended allocation requests.

Under New Business: The Board approved additional allocations to the tune of $235,940.20.  One position totaling $57,815 is funded through unrestricted general funds. The remainder are funded through restricted funding sources. You can see details of the recommendations on pages 27-32 of the 6/9 board packet located here.

Figures quoted include salary and benefits. An overview of the allocations are as follows:

LaBelle Middle School: Music Teacher, $57,815; ESE Teacher, $49,654.60

LaBelle High School: ESE Teacher, $49,654.60; ESE Self-Care Assistant, $22,959.40

District: Migrant Literacy Specialist, $78,816

The following changes in allocations were board approved:

LaBelle Middle School: Change Reading Teacher Allocation to Agriculture Teacher

Clewiston Middle: Change Migrant VPK Paraprofessional to Title 1/School-wide Paraprofessional and move position from Central Elementary to CMS.

Country Oaks Elementary School: Move Migrant Resource Teacher from Central Elementary to Country Oaks Elementary.

I’m extremely pleased to report that the Board approved a contract with Neola, Inc. and will begin the process of updating and revising District policies. This is a suggestion I brought to the Board several months ago.  Participation by the Board will be a great educational experience especially since three of us are new to our positions. Policy update/revision is our opportunity as board members to have an influence over the processes and guidelines the district operates under.

During discussion over the Consent Agenda, I requested from the District regarding the price tag for the Contract for Services for First Baptist Preschool and RCMA to provide daycare services for children of teen parents attending school in Hendry. The request piggy backs onto the request from the last board meeting for expenditures associated with the on-campus infant care centers provided at both high schools.

I want to disclose that the funding from these programs doesn’t come from the unrestricted funds the Board controls but is paid through federal and state monies. The subject of teen pregnancy/parenting is very complex one but one which can’t be ignored because of it’s complexity. According to 2014 data from the National Vital Statistics System, Hendry County’s teen birth rate is 75, the fifth highest in the State. That means that for every 1,000 female students ages 15-19 in Hendry County, 75 have given birth. It was my observation while reviewing this data that districts with high teen birth rates also had low academic performance. Considering the continuing challenges teen parents face after high school, finding ways to partner with health providers and be proactive in reducing these numbers through education should be a priority in my humble opinion.

The remainder of the agenda was approvals of agreements for ESE-based student services. Please feel free to consult the board packet if you’re interested in reviewing those agreements.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and for the privilege of serving as your board member.  I hope all our teachers are enjoying their summer break and I’d like to say thank you to our administrators who are working extra hard to compensate for the shorter-than-usual summer.

~ Stephanie

LaBelle Middle School students with the School Recognition Program check from the Florida Dept. of Education.

Governor Scott visited LaBelle Middle School on May 29 to present the Hendry County School District with a check for $132,183 with funds from the Florida Department of Education’s School Recognition Program. Westside Elementary and LaBelle Middle School earned this recognition money by improving their school grades based on standardized test performance.

My sons greeting Governor Scott when he arrived at LMS.

In the governor’s signature style, he greeted every person he met as he walked through the hallways toward the library. He visited classrooms and spoke with students and teachers. He made sure that every person who wanted their picture taken with him got the opportunity, students included. (A little side note: Clewiston native, Nathan Edwards, son of Chip and Mary Edwards, is the Governor’s staff photographer. I used his pictures in this blog. I’ll give you a link at the end of this post to see all the pictures he took during the Governor’s visit.)

Principal Tony Busin

While Governor Scott was here, he spoke to the press about his hopes for the senate and house to pass a budget that included “record allocations on K-12 education” during special session currently underway. The Governor also gave Superintendent Puletti, and Principals Ken Pickles and Tony Busin a chance to address the press regarding their school’s achievements. Both school administrators praised their students, teachers, and staff for the successes.

Superintendent Paul Puletti, Governor Scott, LMS Principal Ken Pickles, and WES Principal Tony Busin.

As a board member, to have the Governor visit your district and present school recognition funds to two schools is an amazing honor. I’m incredibly proud of these schools for their successful strategies, hard work, and resourcefulness that moved the student achievement needle. (I think it needs to be acknowledged that Clewiston High School has shown recognition-worthy growth and was within a few points of improving the school grade to a B.)

Governor Rick Scott and The Busin Family

I don’t know if you caught the last name of one of the principals I mentioned earlier. The principal of Westside Elementary, Tony Busin, is my husband so the honor was not only professional, but personal as well. It was such an exciting moment for our family to celebrate together.

The Governor’s visit brought additional exciting news to the district with the announced appointment of John Benkert to the District 3 seat vacated by Pat Langford. I’ve had the privilege of working with John on various education-focus initiatives through the Hendry County Education Improvement Task Force in the past and look forward to working with him as a colleague on the school board. You can read his professional bio on his Facebook page: District 3 John Benkert

As promised, you can see all the pictures from the Governor’s visit here. Thank you again for reading my blog and for the privilege of serving Hendry County.

~ Stephanie

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. I’ve had quite a few people tell me they’ve enjoyed reading it and appreciated the transparency I’m attempting to provide. That makes me very happy! Thank you again.

The Board began the meeting by observing a moment of silence in memory of Louella Howard, a teacher’s aide at Country Oak Elementary for 21 years. Friends and families of LaBelle area retirees packed the board room  to see their loved ones being recognized for their faithful service to the Hendry County School District.

Mary Jo Higginbotham, 21 years, LMS typist

Ginger Kisela, 33 years, LES teacher

Linda O’Ferrell, 31 years, LES clerk/typist

Ester Betancur, 16 years, LMS food service employee

Virginia White, 34 years, UES food service worker and bus driver

The Board was fortunate to get to meet UES student, Isiah Asbed, who could easily be considered an academic prodigy, during the meeting as he was recognized by his teachers for his excellence in character and academics.  We also had the opportunity to meet and recognize members of the LHS AP Government Class for their impressive academic accomplishments as well.

The Board voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Puletti’s personnel and administrative reappointment recommendations. (You can find that list in the meeting packet at  http://hcsb.schoolwires.net/cms/lib8/FL01903259/Centricity/domain/35/packets/5.26.15.pdf ) If you have any questions regarding the Board’s role in regards to personnel appointments, please refer back to an earlier post titled, “The 36K Question.”

The Board got hung up on approving approving new allocations and personnel allocation changes. (You can reference these on pages 16-26 of the board packet.) Superintendent Puletti recommended removing the request for new allocations from the agenda so they he may meet with the Board individually to explain how these new allocations and change in allocations are anticipated to affect student achievement.  As a Board Member, I have no problem spending money if I’m confident that it’s going to have a direct positive impact on student achievement but, as a Board Member, it is my job to intensively question whether every dollar we spend lines up with the goal.

As I’ve mentioned many times before, the most important role of the Board is to manage and control the budget. Our district is entering into a third year of operating in a deficit. While we have a committed fund balance that can currently finance that deficit, my concern is continuing to operate in this manner is fiscally irresponsible and will lead the Board down a road that’s inevitably going to require us to have to make tough decisions to eventually reduce the District’s workforce.

During discussion in regards to the consent agenda, I presented questions regarding the District’s cooperative agreements with daycare providers on our two high school campuses. While I understand that by law these are services our district is obligated to provide, I questioned how much they were costing the district, how many students/children are participating, and what they graduation rates of the student participants have been the past few years. These questions were highlighting the possibly of achieving greater success in reducing the county’s teen pregnancy rate and dependency on this seemingly expensive program by taking a proactive approach and considering addressing risky behaviors.

Under the Board Member Business section of the agenda, I brought to light concerns about parents’ immodest dress (that’s an understatement) and inappropriate behavior (another understatement) while on school campus and during school field trips. Frankly, I’ve been taken aback by the lack of discernment in both areas by a handful of parents who find it acceptable to attend and/or chaperone school-related events in attire that not only creates a distraction, but is frankly more suitable for either sleeping, going to the beach, or going to a nightclub. Personally, I’d like to see District guidelines to address expectations for dress and behavior but wasn’t met with a lot of support as the Board’s attorney cited concerns with trying to legislate an opinion of tastefulness. I’d be willing to compromise tastefulness in an attempt to legislate decency.

While we’re on the subject of legislation, I’m happy to report that the president of NEOLA came to speak to the Board about a draft of a contract to provide professional services to assist the Board in addressing our district policies and bringing them up to date. Updating and keeping policies current has the affect of reducing the District’s liabilities. This would be a time-intensive process but one that strengthens the Board’s policy knowledge, and that’s powerful seeing that the Board has had three new members of the course of the past year.

During the capital outlay report, Asst. Superintendent Larry Worth updated me on my request for bids to install video and audio equipment in both board rooms. The Board should expect quotes within the month. While I’m confident that cameras will “add ten pounds” and I’d like to avoid that, I’m also confident they will provide an unparalleled level of transparency during meetings and a more convenient method for taxpayers and parents to engage in the work of the Board…and that’s incredibly important to me.

I’d like to remind my readers that all opinions expressed within this post are my own and I’d like to invite everyone to attend the next Hendry County School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 9, in Clewiston at the sub-office located at 475 E. Osceola Avenue.  The meeting will begin at 5:30 pm. All School Board meeting are open to the public. Hope to see you there!!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as YOUR school board member.

~ Stephanie

It was a fun week as your District 4 School Board Member!

I kicked off the week at Central Elementary’s school-wide Tropicana Speech Contest! I was honored to serve as a judge alongside Hendry County education legends Cathy Metz and Paul Samerdyke. We heard a lot of interesting topics and witnessed great public speaking skills from the students.

I was lucky to get to help out the Westside Elementary PTO on Wednesday during the first day of Westside Water Days!  Kindergarten, first, and second grade students enjoyed the water day provided to them through PTO fundraising efforts. A very heartfelt THANK YOU to parents who engage in organizations like PTO and support their schools and students. I’m thankful for the PTO officers at my children’s school who support the students and staff.

I joined the Clewiston High School senior class on their last day at school. City Commissioner Mali Gardner and I attended the last class meeting to talk to them about the importance of completing the FAFSA before walking across Cane Field May 29. I also used to opportunity to share a few words with them that, as an adult, I wish someone had said to me when I sat in their seat in that same auditorium 19 years ago. I told them than in the span of their lifetime, there is no time like the ages between 17-27 to invest in yourself.  If they’ll resist the temptation to “turn up” and justify making poor decisions with “YOLO,” and instead make the investments in pursuing and completing their education in that time frame, they will have a much higher quality of life as an adult.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog! Be on the lookout for a recap of the 5/26 board meeting as well as a recap of a very busy and very eventful week that’s currently underway.

~ Stephanie