Carrying on...after church on Sunday we went shopping for school supplies. Very unlike me to wait until the day before, but we have been so busy. There just aren't enough hours in the day lately. There were only a few items that allowed for any personal choice. Gone are the days of cool folders and Trapper Keepers. Now, the lists consist of 12 glue sticks (they must eat them), construction paper, scissors, markers, etc. Miles did get to choose 4 single subject notebooks. There were all different kinds, including super heroes, video game themes, and cool colors. Miles decided on an animal theme. We laughed so hard at his selection. Oh the innocence of a kindergartner.
I did lead him away from the hot pink panda notebook, but we said it was best to let him enjoy his animals. All too soon someone will make fun of him and he'll opt for the boring colors. Mrs. Penney told Miles she really liked them. Such a sweet teacher.
Later in the day we went to the Class of 2028 party. Yes, the Class of 2028 already has a FB page. The party was at a nearby park. We had blue/orange cupcakes, gatorade, and snow cones in honor of the school colors. I think there are around 200 kindergartners this year. There was a good turnout for the party. I didn't realize I dressed him in the school colors until right now.
I was hoping it would be a good opportunity for all of us to meet people but that really wasn't the case. Miles wasn't into meeting anyone. He just ate the food and threw pine cones in the pond. It wasn't a great setting to meet adults. They all knew each other so they were busy with photo ops with their kids and friends. I don't blame them a bit. If we had been at such an event in Martin, I would have been totally consumed with taking pics of Miles and his friends, and talking with my friends. The reality was sad for me. Not starting school in Martin hit home a little. Nonetheless we are very excited about this school year & the years ahead in what appears to be a great school district.
On Monday, it was a come and go day for the kindergartners. The purpose was to drop off the bag fulls of supplies and get acquainted with the teacher & the school. He wanted his hair spiked a little in the front...
After we put his supplies in the right places, Miles wasn't ready to leave. He just wanted to sit in his seat for a while and soak it all in.
Yesterday was finally the first day of school for the boys. The boys go Tuesday/Thursday this week and the girls go Wednesday/Friday. Everyone starts full time next Monday.
He was so excited to walk in...
Mrs. Penney was telling the boys how they will wait in the hall until she gets to the classroom.
The first thing they have to do is sit on the carpet and take their planner out of their backpacks. Their planners are used everyday to communicate between teachers and parents. She sorts through them every day at nap time. We can write notes to her about dismissal, behavior, homework, etc. It seems like a very good system.
After they put their planner where it goes, they hang their backpacks in their cubbies. Miles was very eager to listen and follow directions. It was excellent to see his independence. He didn't look to us once for help or assurance. He was 100% ready for this day.
The most comforting thing to see was his confidence. Instilling confidence has always been high on my list of priorities. I read once that confidence in kids is what enables them to make good decisions later in life b/c they aren't afraid to stand alone. That totally made sense to me and I've always remembered it.
I think it's going to be a great year with Mrs. Penney. She seems like an excellent personality type for Miles. We actually have some mutual friends, which is comforting in a school where we don't know anyone.
The verdict for the first day was that it was "good". I thought he would talk nonstop about his day, but we ended up having to pull information out of him. Highlight of the day was getting to move his clip up to blue for good behavior and the fact that nap time was only 30 minutes. Low points of the day were the lunch I packed for him and the after school program. He decided he wants to buy his lunch (yuck!). We settled on him buying his lunch 2x a week and taking it 3x. I think the after school program was boring b/c he didn't know anyone. He said it was too long and all he did was watch TV. I think after he gets to know kids and has someone to play with he will actually be upset when I pick him up too early. He was disappointed that he didn't have homework, so I pretended to give him some out of a workbook that he has. He worked on it for a solid 30 minutes.
After anticipating this day for weeks, I am glad that it has come and gone. I got a little choked up but didn't shed any tears. He was so happy and ready for this step that I just couldn't be sad about it. It helped that we had the open house, picnic, and come & go day on Monday. I think by today I was just ready to get on with it. First day of school is officially in the books.
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