Hi Patty and all other TTS13 parents!Our daughter, Greta, and my husband, Tom , and myself (Alice) just met all four teachers, Emily, Cara, Rhea, and Thia here in Bozeman where it is a balmy minus 20 below zero!! What an awesome, intelligent, brilliant, artisitic, talented group of teachers. Since we will not be in Houston and happen to live here Gennifre arranged for us to meet. They answered all our questions. Greta got to show them the journals, notebooks, supplies she is planning on taking and they were ok'd. The message is for academics: BE ORGANIZED! So use whatever system you want if it keeps you organized! Greta asked about not being able to understand fast speaking Spanish and the response was :"You won't be alone!" I asked about mosiquito netting and there is some but the key is wearing long pants and shirts in the evening and in the a.m. when mosquito activity is high. Tom asked about governmental issues and the military but so far things seem calm. They monitor that all times. The teachers are in contact with Jennifer all the time so if we have questions we get a hold of Jennifer and she with us! Yea Jennifer!It all sounds so great and we are so excited for the teachers and the kids. Plus Emily (a teacher) got to go to the inauguration and her stories were so moving!It has taken us months to get Greta ready to go and I talked with a Bozeman mom whose daughter was on the first group that TTS ever took out and they got her ready in two weeks!! How in the hell did she do that????? Well, I guess you do what you have to!Tom and I will be in Houston in spirit and you will get to meet my sister, Mari Bauman. Greta's first cousin, Robin, for NM is going to. Say hi to her when you see her. She is awesome! Good luck sending the kids off and write and tell us all about it.Lots of admiration to all of you. The girls are in excellent hands. Remember no news is good news! Love, Alice