Back to School

Friday marked the end of the first week of school. So far, we are off to a good start. Jack is in first grade and Emilie is in the Lion class at preschool.

Jack has a set of team teachers this year. Mrs. Mai and Mrs. Sligar have been doing such for seven years now and it has been working well. One teaches Monday/Tuesday they other is Wednesday/Thursday and they switch off Friday. Jack says they are both alright. I’ve been peppering him with question about what First grade is like, what the routine is like in his class and things they do. So far most responses fall in the realm of, “yes,” “no,” “good,” or “alright.” Things I have learned so far.

• He has a new friend named Cody who also went to the Monster Truck show at the fair. Cody is a girl. He made a warm-fuzzy (a school project of some sort) for her or with her (I’m not clear on that). Her favorite color is blue.
• Luke, Alyx, and Alondra from his kindergarten class are also in his First Grade class. Wyitt & Cason are also in his class, but it’s not the same Wyatt and Cason from last year…
• He has his own desk with his extra pencils “and stuff” in it, and its pretty cool.
• There are THREE recesses
• You can have chocolate milk if you eat hot lunch (so far he’s had hot lunch once…yeah for Mom’s cooking being preferred )
• There was a snake on the playground last week (oh Joy…)

Emilie, is in her final year of preschool this year. An era is coming to a close. In a great moment of parenting, I managed to leave her in the wrong classroom on the first day….which she has not let me forget. It was an innocent mistake I assure you. When I’d talked to Miss Rosa (the director) a few weeks back she said Emilie would be in Miss Kolayna’s class this fall. What she didn’t tell me was that Miss Kolayna had moved from teaching the Tiger class (4 year olds) to the Lion class (kids in or headed into kindergarten in the next year) over the summer. So, first day back I took her in and dropped her off in the Tiger class. One of the floating aides was in charge of the room at the time and didn’t pick up on the error since there is an overlap in ages for Tigers and Lions. Thankfully, when Miss Rosa came through about half an hour later she spotted Emilie and got her right down to the Lion class where she belonged. Now every morning Emilie reminds me to put her in the Lion class and not the Tigers. Things I have learned about the Lion class.

• Last week’s special letter was “A.”
• They get to be princess ninjas
• They are ‘big kids’
• Her friends Corbin & Mendi are in her class. Bimini is not.
• They take their own lunches to school (not actually true as they serve lunch at preschool, but since I’ve been packing lunches for Jack, Emilie wants one too. Miss Kolayna’s youngest does the same thing and is understanding. She’s fine with Emilie bringing a sandwich to eat if she wants…as long as she finishes the main meal before eating dessert items)