Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Sept. - BR Air Traffic Control



Contributor: Sabrina W. (from one of our 3 days of tours)

In September, 18 of our older (13+) students toured the Air Traffic Control Center of the FAA here in Baton Rouge.  We toured the 3 main areas of the facility: administration, tower room, and radar room. The radar room is where the air traffic controller is talking live with the pilot while monitoring the air space via monitors for anything to warn that pilot of.  That room still operates as a dark room because of the old equipment used, but they did tell us they are scheduled for upgrades this year.  In the tower room, we watched incoming and outgoing planes through the windows that surrounded us in a 360 degree view. Wind and radar monitors were used, but we were all interested at how much of what they do is done visually by watching the actual planes come and go before handing them off to other air space controllers.  Our guide mentioned how important it was to spot the plane and judge distance as a smaller plane can literally be flipped in the turbulence behind a larger plane. Part of their job is also knowing traits of individual airlines and how swift or slow their departures may be.  They used a specific airline example and told how they would never allow a small plane to take off/ come in if that airline was on or approaching the runway because they are always the slowest to take off or land.  It was really amazing how much information the controllers are monitoring at any given time.  They are checking radars for incoming planes, visually spotting those planes in the sky, checking flight plans, communicating with the other controllers, watching weather maps, calculating how far apart planes are and if that is problematic depending on plane size and altitude, and more.  They take breaks and rotate every hour and a half to make sure they're staying alert.  An interesting fact is that the mandatory retirement age for an air traffic controller is 56-years-old, because of the high stress of the job before it became a bit more automated.  They have a high number of people about to reach that age across the nation, so they are hiring and training at a high capacity right now to try to fill the holes before the other certified controllers are forced to retire.  We were told certification takes anywhere from a year and a half to two.






August ~ Moms Back to School Dinner

On August 30, 2016, the moms of Bayou Cajun Homeschoolers got together for a night of good food and great fun at the annual Back to School Mom's Night.  We met at City Cafe for dinner, and instantly saw lots of friends, and got lots of hugs!  Mom's Night Out is guaranteed to be a great night every time, and of course, this night was lots of fun.  The only problem is that you can't sit by all your friends, because there are just too many!  

Amy had goodie bags sitting at the tables for each of us as we sat down.  

We all received a Faithful Mom Planner, which we were all really excited about.  She also had us sign up for door prizes.  Lots of really fun door prizes were given away later that evening.  The best part of the night, of course, was the conversation, and catching up with all our friends.  Let's just say, we get a bit loud when we all get together!  The food, I thought, was really good.  Definitely a place to return to with my family.  Towards the end of the meal, Amy unveiled all these amazing desserts that two very talented moms in the group made.  Oh, they were so good!  It was such a great way to spend the evening and celebrate Back to School!
(Post by Debbie H.)



 


August ~ Back to School Bash

In August, we had our annual Back to School Bash for our families.  This year we rented a large pavilion at one of the local BREC parks.  The kids enjoyed popsicles, fun at the play area and spray pad, and lunch along with field day events.   


    









  





May - Frazier's Homestead (catch-up - part 2)

Contributor: Emily G.

Had a very peaceful day on the Frazier's horse ranch. The weather was perfect!  Mr. Fraizer taught the kiddo's how to lasso a "bull", and the importance of horse safety. He took us on a hay ride, and a guide walked us through a few trails in the forest. There are some beautiful trees everyone ate a picnic lunch under. The kids were able to play and run around, swing and have fun. All who wanted to, were able to make a few laps in the arena on horseback. Overall, it was a great day!










Thursday, September 29, 2016

Catch - Up - March & April (Part 1)

March- Baton Rouge Music Studios

In March, we went to the Baton Rouge Music Studios for a tour of their facilities.  Plus, we learned the process of recording a CD track.  They took us on a tour of each of their practice rooms along with their recording studio area.  They also have a large room with a stage where they host many events.  During the recording process, different students were selected to help in the different process along with the group who sang in part of the song.  







April - Audubon Historic Site Nature School Day
In April, our group attended the Nature School Day at the Audubon Historic Site in St. Francisville.  They had different stations set-up talking about different things in nature the were more specific to Louisiana.