Hello Parents!!!

      I am very excited about the upcoming year.  I hope all the students have had a great summer and are ready to come back and be ready to learn.  This year is going to quite different for the students in the beginning and here is why:

     On July 21st I had a seizure and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.  I ended up being admitted to spend the night.  In the ER they ran a CT scan and the next morning an MRI on my head.  They found a small lesion (tumor) on the frontal lobe of my brain.  Wednesday the 24th, I visited a Neural surgeon in Des Moines to discuss the lesion.  He has decided it is in my best interest to remove it.  It is very small, so they can not tell 100% what it is.  They are pretty certain due to calcification around the lesion that it will be benign but won't know until the tumor is removed.  Which is why it is important for it to be removed.  This has been a lot for me to process, but  I will be moving forward with surgery.  My surgery date is Friday, Aug. 23rd.  I will be present for the first three days of school for half days.  I am allowed 4 hours of work a day right now, because I have had a couple more minor seizures since the first one.  After the surgery, depending on how well I do, I will need 30 days of recovery time.  Unless I am doing very well, then it could be less. soooooo.....

     I will have a substitute teacher during the time that I am gone and that will be Mrs. Margy Gammell.  She has spent some time with me discussing the room and how I run the class.  You may need to be patient with her when it comes to this blog, we have looked at it and I have told her this is where the parent letters will need to be.  I also intend to update the blog on my progress maybe once a week to keep you informed about when my return will be.  Mrs. Gammell will be an excellent substitute for me, and will do an excellent job with your children. She is a very caring person who has a talent and love for educating youth and doing what is best for them. 

     Please discuss this with your child and tell them whatever you feel comfortable with.  Please feel free to ask any questions you have for me or for Mrs. Gammell.  She will be present at the open house also.  I understand this is quite a disruption to the classroom and believe me, wish it was not happening.  Timing is definitely not perfect but it never is.  Please pray with your children for a successful surgery and easy recovery for me.  I in turn will pray for Mrs. Gammell and all the students while I am away, anxiously awaiting my return.

God Bless,
Mrs. Sickels