First Day of School

First Day of Kindergarten

Andrew's first day of Kindergarten was a little chaotic. Back in June, we tried to get Andrew into the local charter school, but his name did not get drawn in the lottery. We made the decision to try for the charter school because our neighborhood school is a Title One school that has really struggled over the last few years. Most of the families in our ward had already pulled their kids out, so we were a bit sad, but had no other options. 

On the Thursday before our local school started, we got an email saying that Andrew had been accepted to the charter school. By that point, the charter school had already been in session for over a week, so we were confused and torn about what we should do. We worried about starting him late, trying to figure out a new carpool, and having to spend so much extra money for uniforms etc. Then we found out that Andrew's teacher at our local school was really awesome. We pretty much decided that we would just keep him at the neighborhood school. That night was back to school night, so we decided to check it out before we made our final decision. The teacher was great, but the classes were huge... 30 kids in his afternoon class! That should be illegal for Kindergarten. It was also sad to find out that all of Andrew's church and preschool friends were in the morning class. We came away from that night feeling even more confused. 

I went through both options so many times that night. The next morning I decided to call the charter school and just see what their class size was. When the secretary told me his class had 12 students, I immediately made the decision to send him to the charter school. Even the best teacher can not compete with a class size of 12! Since school had already started, I didn't want him to miss any more, so we started him that afternoon. I borrowed some uniform clothes from my friend, and took him to school two hours after we decided. It was hectic and a bit overwhelming, but Andrew handled it okay. Luckily, he didn't have much time to get too nervous. 

When we arrived at the school, a nice lady in the office greeted him kindly and showed us around. She assured us that there were several other students starting late, so it would not be a problem for Andrew. She also said that, while they might get a few more students, they were limiting the class size to a maximum of 20. Awesome! She took us to meet his new teacher and showed us the library and classroom. Toward the end of the tour, we found out that she was actually the Principal. Haha.. I had no idea. She is so friendly and great! Andrew's teacher's name is Mrs. Moss, and one of his best friends is in his class. Everything worked out fine after all of the stress. Yay for Kindergarten!

First Day of 3rd Grade

Christian is an old pro at the school thing now. He goes to a special school that houses the advanced learners program. We have LOVED the program thus far, so we knew that even if we got accepted into the charter school, we would leave Christian at his school. This is his third year in the program and with his same group of friends, so he didn't seem nervous at all. 

Christian's school does a Red Carpet Event every year to welcome the students back. The principal and vice-principal dress up in formal wear and shake the students hands as they walk the red carpet. There is also fun music playing and an overall exciting atmosphere. It is one of my favorite school traditions. We go early every year so that we can take pictures and enjoy the festivities. 

We quickly found Christian's classroom and said hi to all of his classmates. They are much closer than any class I have ever seen because they have been together so long. It is fun to know all of the kids and parents and feel that camaraderie. He met his teacher and found his seat. His teacher, Mrs. Rostal, seems fantastic! She runs a very organized classroom that uses the principles of Love and Logic. There are consequences (good or bad) for every decision that the students make. She is also specially trained in gifted education and seems so ready to get them excited about learning. Already I have seen such great things from him.

I was anxiously awaiting the start of school and the return of a regular schedule, but now it seems like they are gone an awful long time during the day. They are doing so well, and are working really hard. It has been a pretty big adjustment for me to figure out the schedule for two different carpools. Since the charter school is on a different schedule than the regular schools, it is pretty complicated to get everyone where they need to be at the right time. Luckily, I have lots of friends to carpool with, so everything is working out great. I hope they will both have an awesome year at school.