This is a picture that is painted on the wall in the foyer of the elementary school. They are the Hunter's Bend Hounddogs. So Grace is standing by the hound dog!
This is Grace's teacher, Mrs. Heim. She seems GREAT!
It finally came! The first day of kindergarten. It seemed to take forever because Williamson county actually started last Monday! Grace's school starts the kindergarten classes on a staggered starting schedule. So today was her first day and it was only a partial day. She'll go again on Thursday and Friday. Next Monday she starts a full day! She actually kept telling me that today wasn't the real kindergarten because it was only a half day and she wasn't riding the bus. She is dead set on riding the bus so she was dissappointed when I explained that I had to take her and pick her up during the first week. She didn't want to acknowledge that as the real kindergarten.
Anyway, she couldn't be more ready to start. She was so excited! I (along with Lyla and Reesi) took her in and they had everyone go to the cafeteria. Then they called us by classes to follow the teacher to the classroom. When we got to the classroom she checked us in and took lunch money from each parent. It actually took about 20 minutes for all of this to happen. During all of this, each time something would happen Grace would try to give me a hug and kiss goodbye. I kept having to tell her it wasn't time for me to go yet. She was ready for me to go and her "real kindergarten" to finally start! They also asked that all of the kindergarten kids buy their lunch in the cafeteria during this first week so they could learn the lunch line routine. She thought it was really neat to get to use the tray to eat on. She had a chicken patty sandwich and pears with chocolate milk. They asked for moms to come at lunchtime to help the kids figure out the lunch line too. I wanted to go really badly. I considered doing it for a while. But I would have had Lyla and Reesi with me. I finally decided that I would have brought more chaos than help so I missed my first opportunity to help with the class.
I'm actually really excited about helping in the classroom and at the school. I am going to be a co-room mom with two other moms. We all decided to take on the responsibility of room mom together so the work wouldn't all fall on one person. I'm excited. Tonight was parent orientation too. Something about all of this is so exciting to me. Ms. Heim, Grace's teacher, seems so great. She's so friendly and warm and seems to really know what she's doing. She talked about the reading curriculum and their routines and ways for the parents to help at home. She said she will send a book home with each child each day for us to read with them. It will go back and forth between home and school for a few days in a row. The parents will read it with the child each day and she will read it with each child, individually, each day as well. She said she sits them in her lap (if they want to sit in her lap) in her rocking chair, individually, each day to go through their specific reading book. I just thought that was so special, that she sits them in her lap.
Grace said she made two new friends in her class today, Hannah and Emma. Hannah's mom introduced herself to me at the meeting tonight and said Hannah talked about Grace all afternoon and wants to have a play date with her soon. Hannah and her family just moved here from Alabama. Hannah is the youngest of 5 kids!!! Emma will be on Grace's soccer team this fall too. Soccer practice starts next week!
So how did I make it through this first day of kindergarten? I was more excited for her than anything. I have been sad for the last few weeks though, even a little depressed about it. Today I felt a little emotional as we were walking into the school and a little as we were walking out, but no tears. As you know, I'm not much of a crier. The tears will come out later when I'm totally stressed about something totally unrelated and ridiculous and I have a big meltdown over nothing! I did feel emotional when we picked her up at the end of the day today too. She's just so big now! I'm sure having two other kids with me during all of this really keeps any emotions from really getting the best of me too!
I'm just so excited for Grace because she is so excited. She couldn't be more ready for this new chapter of her life. I more nervous and scared for her than she is. She was telling Reesi about her new teacher this morning before she had even met her. I showed Grace a picture of her on the internet and she was telling Reesi how nice and pretty and fun she was going to be.
One more little note...Grace NEVER wears jeans, but, she picked out these jeans in the store and that is what she wanted to wear on her first day of school! How funny! She hasn't worn jeans since she was 18 months old and didn't have an opinion. She seems to like these jeans though! I just thought that was really funny. She did say they were too hot on the playground though. We'll see how long the jeans-thing will last. :)
1 comments:
She is too big!
I do love the picture of her in front of the school with her hip stuck out, too cute.
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