After last year's crazy school year, we are totally thrilled to have all of our children at the SAME SCHOOL. There was some question about whether or not Gunnar would make it into kindergarten at our local school (he was number 7 in line when we enrolled him in May), but enough other kids moved to other schools that he made it in!
I was sure it would happen. Last year was so difficult for me juggling two schools, and then everything with our move to Sunnyvale fell into place that I just knew the school situation had to work out. I chose to have faith that I would receive this blessing. I really do look on it as a blessing. I used to take it for granted that all my children would be able to attend our neighborhood school, but after our experience in Milpitas I know that isn't always the case. This summer I just believed Gunnar would get into our local school. I never even bothered to find out where the next closest school was. I knew I wouldn't have to know.
Now, enough of that. Onto the first day of school & the obligatory front porch pictures.
Here's Adah, off to fifth grade with Mr. Murphy.
Maggie is in third grade, but is in a class of 3rd and 4th graders with TWO teachers: Ms. Arcoleo and Mrs. Shumaker.
Gunnar is in kindergarten with Mrs. Riley. For his first 3 weeks of school he got out at 11:51, but now he stays until 2:10. It's considered all-day kindergarten. The girls stay until 2:50, so it's not quite as all-day as them.
And here's Holly, never one to miss out on a photo-op.
Here's the gang setting off from our driveway. Damon always joins us on the first day of school.
Down the street and around the corner from our house is a park. The school is just through those trees on the other side of the park. I like that half of our route to school is on paths with no automobile traffic. And it's nice and shady in the afternoon heat.
Here's Gunnar standing outside of his classroom, having found his name.
And here he is settled in at his table for coloring. His spot on the carpet behind him is in the orange row. Orange is his favorite color. How did Mrs. Riley know?
Adah and the other 5th graders got right down to business with instructions on the screen.
Maggie was the last one to get dropped off. We made it there just after the bell rang because none of the classrooms opened until the first bell rang at 8:20. The second bell rings at 8:30, and that's when school starts, so she got right in her desk and ready to go!
At this school they don't even want anyone on campus until 8:20. At Whitson in White Salmon the kids could play on the playground for up to 30 minutes before school started! We're getting used to it. I've just learned that there's really no benefit to getting ready early. If we leave early we just have to wait at the edge of campus anyway. We aim to arrive at 8:20, but I know we always have that 10-minute cushion if we're running late. It takes us about 10 minutes to walk, but we can do it in less time if we hustle (or ride scooters or bikes, which we just started doing last week).
Gunnar had a great morning--his first day was extra-short--but had a sad little moment right at the end. The teacher and her helper were handing out these "I just loved my first day of kindergarten" necklaces and they overlooked Gunnar. When I met him at the back of his classroom he crumpled into my lap and almost couldn't talk for nearly crying. He was sad and upset but had held it together until that moment. As soon as I figured out the problem we were able to get him his necklace and assure him that they hadn't meant to forget him.
Then he was all smiles and ready to show me his stuff on the monkey bars. The kindergarteners have their own playground, and fortunately we can play there after school while waiting for older siblings to get out.
Holly was clearly worn out by the first day of school. She actually was there as long as Gunnar was because there was a parent meeting with the principal in the cafeteria. I expected it to last 30 minutes, but she kept us there until just after 10:00 (90 minutes)! That's when the kindergarteners got out and she had promised the teachers to keep us occupied so we wouldn't be peering in the windows and distracting our kids. : )
At the end of the big kids' day we returned to the school to pick them up & I took a photo of the new students by the school sign. We hadn't passed by there in the morning since by entering through the park we come at the school from the side rather than the front entrance. These California schools are all open-air hallways, so there's no real front door anyway.
They are the Superstars at their school (and I'm not just talking about my kids, here). It's the mascot, which seems like kind of a silly mascot to me. Yet, it's been a pretty super year so far, so I guess I can't argue. The children all really like their teachers and are making friends in their classes. I'm making friends among the other moms in the schoolyard. It's such a difference from last year for me especially; it's pretty much impossible to meet anyone in the drop-off lane & so easy when you can walk your kids to school. I'm so grateful for these blessings.
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