Seriously, BCPS?

Why in 2013 when most children have attended preschool or daycare before kindergarten do the schools feel it is necessary to do "gradual entry" for kindergarten???  In a day and age when a lot of people work this just seems like the most ridiculous thing to me.  Obviously we just got our schedule for Piper's first week of kindergarten and unfortunately they handle kindergarten entry almost exactly like our old school did.  School starts on Monday, August 26 here and here is her schedule:

Monday:  No school
Tuesday: Meeting with teacher and parents at 10:30-10:45
Wednesday: No school
Thursday: Partial day 9:30-2pm (normal day is 9:15-3:45)
Friday: Normal day - she can finally ride the bus

WTH?  UGH!  I am so over this.  I was talking to my neighbors about it because two of them are school teachers and they know that they won't be able to take off and they aren't sure what they'll do.  My brother and his wife, for example, they are BOTH teachers.  Teachers can't take off the first week of school.  Never mind the fact that it's the first week of classes for me and it's probably the worst time for me to have to take off.   My neighbor who is a third grade teacher believes it's more for the school than it is for the kids.  The kids will be fine.  Thank goodness that Piper is on the Tues/Thurs schedule because my mom is off on Mon/Wed and can watch her.  But that means I will be going in super late on that Tuesday (plus the fact that I have to work until 8pm the night before thanks to orientation that I have to attend) and then I have to go in late on that Thursday because the kindergartners start AFTER the other kids and are not allowed to ride the bus.  Jason is taking a half day to pick her up.  Again....WTH?  Every single other parent I've talked to (and there are 5 kindergartners in my new neighborhood this year) are all unhappy about it.  The first week of school is already chaos with adjusting to the schedule again and this makes it worse.

Aside from all that, I'm trying to decide which mornings I will let the older kids ride the bus in the morning and which days I will start them at the before-care program.  I want them to ride the bus in the morning so the bus driver knows that they will ride the bus in the morning only occasionally (the secretary at the school told me to do this) and always in the afternoons.  But I also want them to get acclimated to the before-care program/schedule too.  Grrrrr.

Oh and my days of attending two back to school nights has begun.  Our ES is so big that they split it over two nights with the primary grades on one night and the intermediate on the other. I will be like this until Bryce and Piper are in high school and Caroline is in college so I guess I need to get used to it.  When Piper is in 5th, Bryce in 7tth, and Caroline in 9th, I will get to go to three so I am counting down waiting for that!

Not that I'm not happy school is starting.  Quite honestly, this summer has been tough given the very rainy weather we've had.  I think the kids have swam less than they ever have.  And while I've been grateful for all the help we've had this summer between my mom, my FIL, my brother and Moira, I'm looking forward to a more constant schedule.  Not sure what we'll be doing next summer for childcare but I'm thinking we may be going the nanny route.  I'd love to do some periodic camps (not all summer...I cannot afford that!) but I'd need someone who could drive them and/or pick them up.   Or maybe I just need to put them in daycare.  (Insert evil laugh here)  I've threatened it on their bad behavior days and sometimes I think it might be better.  But I'm not going to worry myself with that right now.  There will be plenty of time when it's nice and cold outside.

All Set

After what feels like a bazillion visits and pieces of paperwork, my kids are officially registered and enrolled at our new elementary school.  This morning's last visit was a reading screening for Bryce and Caroline.  (Piper's kindergarten screening was last week.)  The bonus to all this is that we got to find out who their teachers will be!  (I guess all the other kids won't find out until they mail them out on August 2.)

Although I'm not sure if it really matters that we know since we don't know many people at the new school yet.  However, the reading specialist who screened them prefaced her assignments to these particular teachers as though Caroline and Bryce were "super lucky" to be getting such great teachers.  I'm sure she always says that.  She said Bryce's teacher has the best room in the whole school so we'll see what that means at the "Peek at your Seat" event the Friday before school starts.  Caroline's teacher will be her teacher for homeroom and reading/writing and then she'll have someone else for math and science/social studies.  This is new for us since at our old school Caroline mostly had the same teacher for all her subjects.

We came right home from the screening and went to the website to look up our new teachers on the website and found them.  Caroline was excited to see she didn't have an "old" teacher like she thinks Bryce's is.  (Bryce's teacher does not look that old to me!)  Thankfully, neither Caroline nor Piper's teachers look ridiculously young like Caroline's teacher was last year and since they were all pictured last year, none of them are first year teachers.  Whew.  That was a bit tough last year.  Even though it ended up okay, there were many moments when having a "been there, done that teacher" would have been helpful to both Caroline and to us.  Not that she wasn't a good teacher, I just think a few years experience will make her teaching even better.

So now the countdown is on....one month from Friday!  Eek!  I already downloaded the school supply lists and have toyed with the idea of getting started on them.  Three lists is a bit ridiculous.  I seriously am going to have to buy a pack of like 48 glue sticks.  I kid you not.  Thankfully the county changed policy a few years back and schools cannot require you to purchase things like tissues, hand sanitizer, wipes, or plastic bags and they can only add that they can be "donated."  I didn't like being told I had to bring in hand sanitizer as I don't believe in the stuff and rarely ever use it on my kids (if ever).  I'll do my typical donation of disinfectant wipes and plastic bags and probably some tissues if the teacher didn't get enough.  But I really need to find a big old package of glue sticks.  Holy heck!  Oh and I'll need to find somewhere to store them because, OMG, that's a LOT of school supplies, y'all.

PreK Graduation...Belated

These past 2 weeks have been SOOOO busy!  Add that to the fact that we've been continuing to try and get settled in the house and you have me completely frazzled.  One of the crazy evenings we had recently was Piper's PreK graduation on May 16.  This was kind of odd and made me a little sad because Caroline and Bryce didn't have PreK graduations.  Both of them were in daycare at the time which served perfectly as a preschool for the school type atmosphere, but didn't have the actual pomp and circumstance of more typical school events.  Both Caroline and Bryce commented on that fact but I told them that we didn't have any other options at the time and they were both very well prepared for kindergarten which was the most important part.  Quite honestly, I worry a little about Piper and starting kindergarten since her pre-k was NOT an "academic" pre-k and was definitely more about about learning rituals of school like sitting on a carpet for story time, raising your hand, lining up for the bathroom, and singing songs/saying the pledge.  All important kindergarten prep but they didn't really focus on letters/numbers.  We've been working with her ourselves and she's been working on an online curriculum that she likes very much too.  She's always been my scrappy, spunky kid that figures things out herself so I am hopeful she'll continue to be the little sponge that she always has been and will adjust quickly to kindergarten.  

Anyway, back to graduation....on a whim the night before I looked in her closet for what she should wear and spotted the dress Caroline wore in Kevin and Kelly's wedding almost 5 years ago!  I was so excited and when I showed Piper she quickly agreed to wear it.  (Strangely enough, she cannot wear the shoes because her feet are bigger than Caroline's were at the time!)  

Here's Caroline in the same dress in May 2008 (I was 33 weeks pregnant with Piper) although without the dramatic expression that Piper always seems to serve up.

Cute, right?  But hard to believe.  I hope she'll have another occasion to wear it.  I wish I had more photos of her in the dress but alas Piper did not allow that to happen.  Just after I took this photo, she decided she wanted to come out on the front porch but I had to "introduce" her first to Jason and her siblings.  Well, because we were running very late, without me realizing it,  Jason and the other kids had already gotten in the  car.  As I walked out on the porch, Caroline was coming back in to get something and saw Piper.  That did it.  Instant SCREAMS!!!   Cry, cry, cry!  She ran into the family room and buried her head.  She was so mad.  Ugh.  I kept calling her and finally she made her way out to the car and we hustled down the road.

We made it in time and thankfully Sandy was already there waiting for us.  It was kind of chaotic with all the pre-k kids and their families.  Quite honestly it seemed like a lot of hoopla for "just" preschool, but who am I to say?  (I was a little put off by the fact that the cap/gown/tassel and pre-k t-shirt was $28 but I didn't have much choice...again, this was new to me.  Why not just do those cute little paper hats since clearly Piper won't be wearing THIS again?)  But she looked really cute and was very excited, so that's all that matters, right?

She sang a bunch of songs, played in the "marching band" and really got into the singing this time.  She was quite proud of herself and we enjoyed it.  Hard to believe my baby is going to kindergarten in the fall.  I guess because Caroline and Bryce were the oldest kids in their classes, it seems like they got an extra year but I know Piper is ready and will do well.  She can't wait to be going to the same school as her big brother and sister.  She'll always be my baby though.

Jason's Daughter

I've said time and time again that Caroline is her father's daughter.  It always strikes at times when I'm not expecting it.  Like her father, Caroline is intelligent, less of a talker, introspective, and often wants to be left alone. What someone might mistake for aloofness is really just both of them not seeing the point in wasting their time with something they don't think has any merit.  And while Caroline has the female flare for dramatics and silliness, she truly is more like Jason then she is like me.

Case and point, yesterday at recess.  I got an email from her teacher that Caroline wasn't very willing to participate in a group activity.  Ms. B emailed me because we've been in close contact in regards to Caroline's issues interacting with other kids and her anxiety about feeling like she doesn't fit in.  The email wasn't clear exactly what the activity was so when I found out from Caroline that it was an indoor recess game, I was kind of surprised.  Since it was so chilly yesterday and the playground was muddy, they stayed inside and Ms. B decided they would play Four Corners.  I guess they've played this before and most of the kids like it.  Yup, most kids.  Not Caroline.  I'm still not 100% sure but based on what she told me it sounds like she played half-heartedly trying to get "out" so she could just sit down.  I asked her why and she said, "Ugh, it's just a total waste of time.  Everyone gets all silly and crazy and runs around and I'd rather just sit at my desk and play with my animal erasers or draw.   Why do I have to play a game that gets everyone so crazy?  Recess shouldn't be required!"

And the Jason genes strike AGAIN.

Jason wasn't there at the moment because I can only imagine if he was he would have laughed.  This is sooooo Jason.  If he doesn't see the point in doing something because it seems like a waste of time, energy or just not worth it, he doesn't want to do it.  And if he gets dragged into it, he's grumpy and no fun.

Sigh.

I told Caroline that while it might seem pointless the fact that she's excluding herself from the game might seem a little odd to the other kids.  And since she is so concerned about fitting in and other kids liking her, by doing something like this someone might think she's "weird." (Her word, not mine.)  Unfortunately, I don't think she gets it.  Or she's not willing to compromise to fit in.

My friend who is a guidance counselor said that she has the most "friend" issues starting in the third grade and based on talking to Caroline's GC, it sounds like some of this is par for the course but I think a lot of it is also just the way Caroline is wired.  I think a lot of it is developmental as the kids hit the 9/10 age mark and they are no longer little kids who get along with everyone.  But, I also know that when Caroline is at home and with other kids/families she is entirely comfortable around, we see a different kid.  She is super energetic, silly, funny, and talkative.  She can be that way in school but I think sometimes she TRIES to be a little different and odd.  Who knows if this is something she is doing because she knows she won't be at this school for much longer because when you ask her how she feels about moving she says she'll be happy to leave her school behind.  But then on the other hand she'll say that she'll miss certain kids and hopes no one "cheers when she leaves."

I know these are just growing pains and I'm glad she's got a teacher who is paying attention to this kind of stuff.  I've already told Jason he needs to just talk to her tonight about it. In the past, they'll talk and he'll share how he feels about things and it's funny to hear what a connection they have.  She'll light up and say, "Yeah, that's how I feel too!" and clearly it makes her feel more "normal."   I know that is always helpful because no one wants to feel like a weirdo.

Mr. Studious

Now that Bryce is in the first grade, he's experiencing a more academic workload.  Not that kindergarten wasn't heavy on learning, it just was a little less structured (purposely).  But now they sit at desks, have clear cut subjects and have homework based off of what they learned that day.  And with this new academic rigor, we are seeing another side to Bryce and how he's different than Caroline.  Both of them are smart kids but it's really interesting to me how differently they are wired.  

Here's an example of their differences.  Every night after they are done with their homework we check it over.  When we find mistakes/issues on Caroline's, she complains/whines/moans about fixing it and then will hastily make the correction and not care one iota about how neat it is.  She just wants it to be done.  But last night when I was checking Bryce's homework where they had to write different words to describe an orange via all the difference sense, he was proud to show it to me. (He had sounded out words like "sweet", "squishy", and "sour.")  None of them were spelled correctly but they were very close phonetically and I know that in the first grade they aren't worried about correct spelling for non-sight words as phonetics is more important at this stage.  But Bryce wanted to make sure they were 100% right.  He went over each word with me and painstakingly corrected his words.  He had written his lower case q backwards in the word "squishy" and was practically embarrassed when he realized he'd made the mistake as he was writing the word "quiet" on a different line.  I know that Bryce is a perfectionist so this shouldn't come as a surprise to me, but it really does make me smile to see how intent he is on getting it right.

And then at dinner when we talk about how are days are, Bryce is the one most likely to comment on the fact that there were times during the day when kids wouldn't be quiet so he could hear what the teacher was saying. "These kids keep talking when Ms. B is talking and if they don't stop no one can hear and we might miss that Ms. B said there is going to be a test and then we won't know about it and then we'll get all the answers WRONG!"  Somehow I doubt that first graders would only be told once about a test but I like his attitude - ha ha ha ha!  I had a hard time keeping a straight face as he went off on his rant.  Who knew Mr. Talkative was intent on hearing what someone else has to say?  (Although I know he's had some days where he gets in trouble for talking a little too much, but nothing really to worry about.)

It makes me curious what the future holds for Bryce.  I know that perfectionism can be overwhelming at time (Jason and I have our own issues with it) but I also know that it sets him up for excellence in the future too.  He reminds me a little bit of my sister in that way - the same sister who had straight A's from like third grade through all four years of college.  Smart as a whip but a lot of fun too.  I just love this kid to pieces and I'm loving watching him mature even if it does make me miss that little boy he once was.

Third Grade Blues

Up until this point school work has come very easily for Caroline.  She's had the occasional bump but for the most part it's been easily resolved.  Even last year when her teacher, Ms. A, was challenging them, she always "got it" even if it was hard at first.  I guess because of that, I wasn't worried about third grade even though I've heard that it's a big change from the earlier grades.  So here we are four weeks in and there is a definite change.  Caroline struggles with her homework, brings home some classwork assignments that she didn't finish in the allotted time, and has even started saying things like, "I hate math!"  I'd raised some concern on the unfinished classwork with her teacher, Ms. Bo, and was happy to receive a call from her one afternoon this week.  She said that sometimes Caroline has trouble focusing and starting her work right away.  Obviously, I'm concerned.  I talked to Caroline about it to find out what's changed from this year to last year.  The only thing I can come up with is this ridiculous way that the older kids are in "open" classrooms (4 classrooms in one big space with 3/4 walls).  Caroline's class even has another class walking through hers since they don't have a door.  Yeah, seriously!!  I'd really like to kick the person in the groin that designed schools like this in the 1970's.  (The nearest high school has some spaces like this too and it was built around the same time.)

Anyway, Ms. Bo, didn't sound overly concerned given that Caroline really hasn't had issues before and that she's going to keep working with her to help her along and get focused.  Caroline told us sometimes she gets bored but based on the fact that she's not completely mastering the school work, it's not boredom out of the fact that she's not being challenged.  I think perhaps, this new rigor in preparation for the state-wide standardized tests in March is getting to her.

I've been really concerned about it the past few days especially considering one of the things Caroline said in regards to our neighbor, Joey, who is in her class.  "Joey is so smart, he finishes all his work fast and knows everything."    Well, then last night I saw Joey and his mom and I asked him how he liked third grade.  Without pausing he said, "It's really hard, especially the math."  To which his mom piped in, "Yeah, his dad has to help him with it almost every single night."

I took a huge sigh of relief.  Joey and Caroline were both some of the brightest kids in their class last year and it made me feel good that Caroline's perception that Joey was having an easy time was untrue.  Clearly, the new rigor of third grade is hard for a LOT of kids.  Another kid in their class who Joey is friends with said the same thing to Joey's mom - more support that this is a really big change for them.

I'm going to be talking to Ms. Bo again and will talk more about the curriculum and if it seems to be challenging the entire class.  In this case, sort of unfortunately, Ms. Bo is a first year teacher so she doesn't have that historic "this is how it always is in the beginning" experience to draw from.  It would really help to hear that right now.

However, last night after hearing that from Joey, I made a point to tell Caroline that Joey does NOT know it all and that he's struggling too and that all she has to do is keep on being patient and trying her best.  I'm pretty good at being patient with Caroline as she's working through her homework (as long as she's not continually getting up and doing headstands) and I'm going to be confident it just is going to take some time to help her "get it" again.

On a positive note, Ms. Bo was very clear to tell me that she's amazed at Caroline's intellect and can't believe some of the connections she makes and questions she'll ask particularly when it comes to reading and writing.  (Her strongest suit.)   Caroline reads and writes constantly, so at least I'm not concerned with her in terms of that.  I don't want her to get into a "girls can't do math" mentality, so I will do my darnedest to prevent that.  I realize that math just comes easily to some people (as does reading and language) but based on the fact that Caroline is a bright kid, I think it's a matter of helping instill some confidence in her in that realm.

Pre-K Piper

Piper is officially a pre-k girl!  She'll be going three mornings a week to the rec council's pre-k program since she doesn't qualify for the public school pre-k program.  I'm glad though because I think pre-k three days a week is a little easier on her since she's never really been in daycare like her older siblings were.  Plus, she's my baby and it's hard enough that she's old enough to go to school.  I needed to get her into something since I don't think it would have gone very well if she'd skipped pre-k and went to kindergarten - she needs to learn classroom social norms and how to behave in a classroom setting and this exactly the kinds of things they focus on in her pre-k.  And crafts and fun stuff!  She was excited to have "homework."  

Of course Bryce is being difficult about it and keeps saying things like, "Finally, you're going to school!" Or, "You'll find out how BORING school is now.  Ha ha ha!"  And then when I told him her school didn't start until 9:30, he says, "That's ridiculous!!"  I gave him a good talking to and told him to lay off.  She's just turned four for Pete's sake!  

Anyway, she was so excited this morning (yay!).  She was ready an hour beforehand and kept "practicing" putting on her backpack and carrying her snack bag.  (She was the one who remembered to wear her jersey for the Ravens today - heavens knows it wasn't me!)  The backpack was Caroline's in kindergarten and first grade and since it's an LLBean, it is in great shape.  But without thinking I had it monogrammed not realizing Piper would use it.  Duh.  But a seam ripper (and a half hour of my time) got it all the way out - you can barely tell!  

Because Caroline held that silly penguin in her photos, Piper had to hold something too and she opted for Flora.

Then my mom made her mad by picking her up and trying to stand her by the flowers for a photo.  This was her reaction:  (pitiful)

But, I got her smiling again.

 And in her classroom right before I left:

In this pre-k they ask that parents help out twice a month - since I'm working my mom and MIL have agreed to each do a day a month.  My mom signed up for the first day so I was VERY grateful that I didn't have to leave Piper alone her first day although I hope she'll be okay when my MIL drops her off on Wednesday.  My mom said she did well and I think it's just a matter of time before she gets comfortable with the way things go. Although the teacher is laid back and isn't pushing any parent out the door in a set amount of time so hopefully Piper will follow the other kids' lead and be okay.  My mom said only one kid was truly upset this morning.

First Day of School

We made it!  Easily, actually.  Caroline is an official 3rd grader, Bryce is a 1st grader, and Piper is about to start Pre-K.  Caroline was up before 6:30 and before I made it downstairs, she was already dressed, packed, and READY TO GO!!  (She even made breakfast for Piper - she was clearly in a great mood.)  Bryce woke up at his normal time and I had to make him get dressed before I would feed him.  But that went off without a hitch and all three kids were ready to go well before I was so they went outside and blew bubbles for a bit.

My mom arrived around 8:15 which meant it was time for official first day of school photos!  Piper was in a posing mood, of course.

Caroline calls this dress her "Miss America" dress because it's red, white and blue.  And why she had to pose with that silly penguin again I'm not sure but I think it's because she posed with it last year too.  I had to laugh though because on Sunday night I went into her room and she had the same outfit she wore last year on the first day laying out.  I convinced her to change it to something different, you know, because mom wants different outfits in each photo.  (Yes, I know, I have OCD tendencies.)  And I also just realized, gasp, that I didn't blog Caroline's first day of school last year.  Probably because we had just gotten power back after Hurricane Irene after being without for four days.  At least I took photos.  Sigh.

She also went to great lengths to braid her own hair.  I must say, learning how to braid this summer was a big deal since now she can put her own hair into little braids at night for the crimpy look she loves so much.  She was just SOOOO excited about starting school and being one of the big kids.  To her, third grade means that you're one of the older kids and she wastes no time telling you that.

Mr. Nonchalant gave little thought to his first day attire although I know how much he loves his super hero t-shirts so I'm sure that factored into his choice.  Although now, looking at last year's photos, I realize he wore the SAME shirt.  Gah.  (Bryce's first day was different than Caroline's because of kindergarten staggered entry.)

I don't think his hair could be any more blond.  Such a handsome dude....counting the hours until his birthday.

And then there's Miss Piper.  Her first day won't be until Monday, September 10 but she is ready to go and wanted her photo taken too.  I told her I'd want to take it again on her official first day and she said that would be okay.  She was going to spend the day with my mom and so it was important that her baby, Flora, come along and be in the pictures.

And this is what you get when it's time for a pose:

Caroline and Bryce had a great first day of school although it sounds like Bryce's class may have been a little unruly.  Caroline couldn't say enough good things about her teacher and all the interesting things they did in class - I love how much she loves school.  The rest of the day went okay for Bryce but he had soccer practice in the evening and by bedtime he was COOKED.  Exhausted!  He had a major meltdown when it came to putting three items in a bag to tell the class about himself and he would not calm down for bed.  Thankfully, he was himself again this morning and know he just needs to get back into the routine.

Here's hoping this is the start of another great school year!

Back to School: Year of the B's

This year in school, all three kids will have a teacher whose name/last name starts with the letter "B."  Piper's teacher in her pre-k will be Ms. BJ, and both Caroline and Bryce's teacher's last names start with the letter B - Caroline's teacher's first name even starts with B!  So I guess I'll have to call Caroline's teacher Ms. Bo and Bryce's Ms. Be since I don't like to put last names on my blog.

Piper's pre-k will be three mornings a week through the local rec council at an elementary school nearby.  She won't start until September 10 and hasn't met her teacher yet but I was in last week to pick up her paperwork and meet her teacher.  Piper was so excited to hear all about her new school and her new teacher. I told her what her teacher's name was and later in the day she was asking me about her teacher, Ms. Bluejay.  I got a good giggle out of that one!  Her back to school night won't be until after Labor Day so she's still got some time before starting, but she will start her bi-monthly speech sessions with the wonderful Ms. Patty next week.  I'm so thankful that my mom and MIL will be able to help with Piper's pre-k this year.  Both Caroline and Bryce did daycare "pre-k" because I was working and didn't have another option for them but I think since Piper has been home since she was one between my mom and MIL, I think this will be a good transition for her.  She's such a friendly kid but could use some structure and something that feels like real school.  I didn't even know about it until recently when my neighbor told me about it and was so grateful when she helped get me in the "back door" by giving her spot to me instead of having to go through lottery like most people.  

As for the other two kids, last night was Meet your Teacher/Back to School Night.  I can not get over how excited the kids were to be there.  First we went to Bryce's class to see Ms. Be.  Caroline had Ms. Be for first grade too so this was a welcome back for us.  We were especially happy to hear that not only was Ms. Be going to have a smaller class (they transitioned to four first grades this year) but Bryce was in the highest achieving class.  He's even sitting next to Allie, one of our neighbors that we like so much.  It was a little difficult trying to listen to Ms. Be with Piper being a bit difficult.  She was tired and did not want to sit quietly and Jason ended up taking her out in the hallway toward the end.  She wasn't being truly bad, just disruptive to the other families trying to hear about first grade.  

Caroline was also being a little bit silly as you could tell she was feeling her third grade Cheerios.  She was quiet but kept dancing around and posing and saying things like, "I'm a third grader!"  Oh the drama.  She could not wait to get to her classroom as she was very excited about me meeting her teacher.  Finally, Ms. Be was done with her presentation and we headed down the hall to Caroline's class.  Caroline pranced and danced the entire way.

One of the weird things about their school is that it was built in the 1970's which was when there was a STUPID trend going on about building schools with semi-open floor plans.  Seriously, I want to meet the crackhead who thought this up and that it would aid student learning.  The high school nearby that was built around the same time actually has it somewhat too so you can see it was clearly some nouveau way to build school.  Anyway, at the elementary school, all the kids in grades Pre-K through second grade are in standard, four wall classrooms.  However, the library is kind of free form and open as are the 3rd through 5th grade classes.  Basically, there are 3 GIANT classrooms that are divided up into four smaller classrooms with 3/4 walls.  I will say they've done some things to make them quieter with carpeting and other noise absorbing materials and typically the older kids have the potential to be quieter, but still, it's not closed off.  Just weird!  

Anyway, aside from that it was really great meeting Ms. Bo.  Although I have to say, OMG, she's YOUNG.  She's got to be about 11-12 years younger than Jason and me.  I guess that's one of the things that starts making you feel old - your kid's teacher is younger than you.  Not that it's a problem - she seems to have it together and I'm hopeful Caroline will have another great year.  But it was interesting as she was going over her presentation about how different 3rd grade will be from 2nd grade because I truly believe that Caroline's teacher from last year, Ms. A, did an excellent job of preparing her class for the next grade.  While the grading scheme will be different this year (real grades of A,B,C instead of those weird CN, P, etc), the way Ms. Bo will be running the class will be very similar to Ms. A - very third grade.  We stopped by to see Ms. A on our way out and I told her what a great job she did preparing the kids for the rigor of third grade.  I absolutely adore Ms. A and can't thank her enough for her hard work last year. (And this is where I chastise myself for not getting a photo of Caroline in her classroom but Ms. Bo hadn't assigned desks yet so we just sat wherever we wanted.)

With all of our homeroom teachers met, we wandered around saying hi to everyone - it's nice having so many of the teachers and staff know you.  The kids love their specials teachers and they were all so happy to see them.  Our last stop before we left was to see Ms. R, Bryce and Caroline's kindergarten teacher.  She was so happy to see them and was so touched that Bryce gave her a hug on his own.  In fact, when he spotted her walking down the hall, he stopped and got the biggest smile on his face - it was the cutest thing.  She has such a special place in my heart after teaching both of the big kids - I just love her!

So a good back to school night and Caroline is PUMPED about school on Monday and being on of the "big kids."  Bryce is less enthused but I think that's part of his act as he doesn't like to show his excitement, much like his father.

Field Day Problems

Yesterday was the 3rd field day in a row that I've volunteered for.  And 3rd field day it's been VERY hot.  And I can tell you right now that I am DONE with field day.  Done done done done done done done!  Aside from the fact that it was a scorcher, the kids actually had a good day.  I give the credit to their teachers who were taking them in and out of the air conditioning and doing other things in between their events.  Some of the events were in the shade while other ones involved water to cool them off.  So all in all, if you asked them how it was, they loved it.

But me, not so much.

First off, I got there and found that the gym teacher had very few volunteers.  While I get that maybe you're not going to have as much help as you'd like, you'd think that maybe you'd tailor your day to not needing as many helpers.  I saw the schedule and figured it was doable.  I'd brought my lunch and figured I'd squeeze it in sometime.  I helped first with each of the classes doing their "fun run."  The kindergartners were first and Bryce got 5th place among almost 100 kids.  I couldn't believe how he ran the whole time!  It was hella hot!  But then they got to sit in the shade and eat popsicles so it was worth it.  Then we got through the first grades and second grades. It was steamy by the time the second graders had their turn and the gym teacher shortened it from 3 laps to 2 laps (1/4 mile laps) because she realized how hot it was.  So by this time it was almost 2 hours that I'd been out in the sun.

Then I went over to help with the "carnival."  This was on the hard court lot and there were 10 different carnival type games for the kids to play. OMG, it was hot.  Last year I don't think it was as bad because I was on the face painting station where I was under a canopy but someone else had already laid claim to that this year so I got stuck on the golf station....in the sun.  Ouch.  Thankfully I had a fifth grader helping me to chase balls.  I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours out there and when I heard after finishing each of the kindergartens, first grades and second grades that we still had the PM pre-k to do, I went inside to go to the bathroom.  I was hot, it was 1:45 and I hadn't been offered a chance to eat any lunch, I was starving, hot, and my water bottle was warm and almost empty.  Nice way to treat the few volunteers you have.

So, I left.  I grabbed my lunch out of Caroline's locker and left.  I felt guilty but not that bad.  And I will not help next year.  I like the gym teacher but this was ridiculous.  She needs a better plan that does not involve abusing your volunteers.

I have a nasty sunburn on my shoulders because when I put on sunscreen, I forgot to put it up on my shoulders.  I ended up rolling up my sleeves and I regret that now.  I also have a nice tan sock line but at least that doesn't hurt.  I didn't sleep great last night since I was so thirsty as a result of the sunburn (yes, I drank a LOT) and I'm a side sleeper and it hurt to sleep on my sides.

I'm glad that I helped and I liked seeing my kids having a great time but if I ever do it again, I will not volunteer to the gym teacher only to the actual teacher of my kids' class so I can travel from station to station with them and go in and out and actually eat lunch as opposed to what I experienced.  But next year with Caroline being in 3rd grade (eek!) and Bryce being in 1st grade, they will have field day on two different days and I think, to be fair, I just won't do either since I'm not taking 2 days off of work in a row to sweat my butt off.  I'd much rather take days off to attend field trips or do other things with the school.  Field day will not be one of them!

Field Trip Success

Bryce had a GREAT trip to the zoo....even without me.  Sniff.

He was in a group with his buddy Antonio's dad as their chaperone.  Antonio is a really nice kid (his older brother is the one that Caroline is in puppy love with - gag) and he and Bryce get along so I could tell Bryce was very happy about his group.  His buddy Isaac was in his group too.  I think Ms. R does a good job of grouping the kids to help the parent chaperones out.

I asked him if he saw a lot of animals and he said he saw them ALL!  Ha!  Apparently, when school groups visit, they don't drop them off at the main gate where you end up having to take the tram or walk a long way to get to the main part of the zoo.  Instead, the bus dropped them off right where all the animals are so there is no time lost waiting or just walking.  Brilliant!

I guess a little over 2 hours was more than enough for the kids because Bryce said they had a great time.  And the weather held out too.  Not hot and not too sunny.  Maybe I need to skip more field trips?

Field Trip Slacker

Today, Bryce's class is going to the Maryland Zoo and I am not going.  This is the first field trip any of the kids have taken that I haven't attended.  When the notice came home a few weeks ago, I knew as soon as I saw the date that I probably wouldn't go because just the day before I had committed to helping all day with field day the following week.  Not that I couldn't have taken today off, I just didn't want to take two Tuesdays off in a row.  Plus, when I saw the schedule for the trip - leave at 9:30am and return by 1pm, I had even less interest.  They tend to go on field trips during those hours because it makes the price of the bus more reasonable.  By doing this, they are using buses that are used for the regular morning/afternoon schedule - by going earlier and/or staying later the price goes up significantly.

So essentially, they wouldn't be arriving at the zoo until after 10am, have to assemble and get through the gates and then haul over to the main part of the zoo to even see any animals.  Then in addition to that, they were planning on eating their lunches there and then needing to leave by 12:30pm at the latest.  I don't know about you, but less than 2 hours at the zoo supervising a bunch of kindergartners doesn't sound like my cup of tea.  I know how stressful it is corralling a bunch of kids at the aquarium and the science center, so I decided to opt out of this trip.  I've been to that zoo many times and based on how spread out it is, I can't imagine the kids are going to see very much.  But the kids certainly don't care - it's a field trip for goodness sake!

Then in addition to not really wanting to go, it turned out I couldn't go because it was the day the school scheduled Piper's IEP meeting which can't be rescheduled. Thankfully, I was able to do that via phone from work.  (more on that later)

So right now I'm sitting here hoping that Bryce is having a good time and seeing a few sites.  Because he's been there a few times, I will be curious what they actually saw versus what he knows is there.  I'm not anxious about him getting lost or anything, just a little sad about missing spending the day with him.  He was sad initially when I told him I wouldn't go because he assumed I would, but as of this morning he didn't seem to even consider it, which I was glad about.

I realize with 3 kids and a full time job, I'm not going to be able to go on ALLLL the field trips but this is just the first one I've missed so I'm a little bummed about it even though I'm not sad to be actually missing the trip, if that makes sense.

Kindy Boy

We had Bryce's final kindergarten conference on Monday with Ms. R and all is great!  Bryce is totally ready for first grade and is reading first grade level words already.  The funny part was when Ms. R told us that recently Bryce and a few other kids were being pulled out of class during reading time to work with the Reading Specialist at a more advanced level.  Bryce hadn't mentioned this to us at all.  Ms. R laughed and asked us to ask Bryce how Ms. H was doing.  Of course we did and he spilled it all.  I guess he didn't even consider it being anything out of the ordinary.

I fully expected Bryce to do well in kindergarten.  He's the oldest kid in his class by our choice and he's really done well.  The year in kindergarten has really given him a lot of structure and taught him some self control that I don't think he had much of before (and still doesn't always at home!).  It seems that a lot of kids (especially girls) like him and he is completely his own person.  Ms. R commented on how intelligent he is and that he's also a bit of a perfectionist.  What's interesting is that I never actually considered that before, but she's totally right.  The things I've noticed about how angry Bryce gets about being blamed or things or taking responsibility for himself all come back to perfectionism and him NEVER wanting to be wrong.  Ever.  Never ever. Ms. R said that if he gets his clipped moved down to yellow he asks for opportunities to be moved back to green before the end of the day.  And on the (few) days he'll remain on yellow, of course, he can never remember why he was put on yellow to begin with or will push the responsibility onto someone else.

Academically, I hadn't considered this either until she gave us the example of one day in class he misread the words "space shuttle" as "spaceship."  Ms. R corrected him and then, well, that was it for Bryce.  He adamantly refused to read anymore saying he doesn't like to read.  He tells us that all the time too yet he spends so much of his time trying to figure out words and if he's alone he'll sit and read a book out loud.  It's almost as though he doesn't want us to see him make a mistake.

Who knew my little buddy would get the perfectionist gene?  Although we'll need to work with him on not reacting in certain ways if he makes a mistake in school.  I think at this point he hasn't made many academically and when he's really challenged that will change.

I will be curious to see how Bryce does in first grade.  I think the fact that there is a lot more structure once you get to the "grades" will be good for him.  He is hungry to try and catch up with Caroline even though we've told him it's not possible at this point.  I can already see the sibling academic competition amping up even though we do nothing to support it.  Caroline is in the early stages of learning multiplication and division and he cannot wait to get there too.  And while Caroline is now adamant she wants to be a "cat specialist" when she grows up, Bryce is now saying he wants to be a doctor.  That was kind of a surprise when he said that but you never know where your kids paths will lead them...as long as they're happy (and they visit a lot!).

School Photos 2011

I posted these on FB the other day so I'm finally getting around to posting them here too. Caroline's hair saga turned out great without any tears or argument and Bryce has that "I'm cool with kindergarten look" even if it's not his normal, photogenic grin that I'm used to seeing in photos.

Here are last year's and kindergarten of Caroline.

And here are last year's of Bryce.

Two Great Students

Even though we got Caroline's report card last week, yesterday was a day off for elementary school students so that parents would have the opportunity to meet with teachers to discuss the first quarter.  Bryce won't get report cards this year so this is an especially important conference for us to check in on how he's doing.  

End result:  Both kids are doing extremely well!  (Although based on the things they've told us and the work that they bring home, I was pretty sure that that was going to be what we heard.)  However, it was great meeting individually with each teacher to get some more insight to how they are doing along with some specifics.

Ms. A's meeting was jam packed!  She went through Caroline's report card (in grades 1 and 2, they don't have normal grades - A, B, C, etc - yet).  Because they don't have normal grades for subjects, they have many different skills that are assessed which takes a lot longer for the teacher I'm sure.  It was great hearing little specifics about how well Caroline is doing and how well Ms. A knows her.  Ms. A is just so organized and was able to give us a preview of the curriculum to come.  While they follow the standard Baltimore County 2nd grade curriculum, because she's a PACE (pre-GT) student, they have some extra units thrown in.  They just finished a unit on trees that Caroline just loved!  In January they will be reading Stuart Little which the other two 2nd grade classes won't be reading.

And then finally, I got to ask the question I've been meaning to ask for a while.  When do they start working on spelling?  (While I'm not overly concerned about the spelling since I believe all the reading and phonics work will help it along naturally, I also have other friends with 2nd graders in Balto County that have spelling homework and hate it.)  Ms. A explained that 2-3 years ago, Balto County handed down a directive that spelling should be phased out for grades 1 and 2 and replaced with a reading program.  They said they found that while kids could spell words at the end of the week they were given them, a few weeks later they had lost the ability to spell many of them.  Ms. A said at our school, the traditional spelling homework was replaced by the 15 minutes of reading and that she would rather have them read any time over giving them spelling.  I told her I knew some other BC schools still doing spelling and she was surprised because she thought that it was something they were supposed to have phased out, but clearly it's a school to school thing.

I also felt like my concerns about the quantitative nature of the reading program were addressed too - Ms. A said that while the 15 minutes of reading are important, it's not just about the reading - she also said the 15 minutes can include discussion of what was read.  After their schema lesson last week, I know exactly what would be helpful to Caroline now, so I think we'll try and take that route sometimes.

As for Bryce, he's doing great.  I was kind of surprised how high his initial math and reading benchmark scores were in September.  I knew he was doing well, but he is really poised to pounce on real reading and math when the time comes.  He's on the verge of teaching himself to read - he's always looking for sight words and constantly trying to sound things out - I'm just so proud of him.  And his continued interested in math and logic is showing too.

Days like these you feel like just maybe you're doing something right in terms of your parenting and it reminds you how important it is to stay the course.

AEW

This week is the annual American Education Week in our schools where parents are welcomed into the classrooms to get an idea on what their kids are doing all day.  I love having this opportunity and the kids seem to like it too.  As luck would have it, Wednesday was designated as kindergarten and 2nd grade visit day (although you can come another day if you check with the teacher) so Jason and I took the day off and spent the morning between Caroline and Bryce's classroom.

Getting settled eating her 2nd breakfast

We started the morning in 2nd grade and all I can say is how much I love, love love, Ms. A.  She is an excellent educator and I am so grateful that Caroline has her as her teacher this year (and yes, I made this very clear on my AEW survey that goes to the principal).  While she is friendly and caring, she is also firm and clear.  The children know what is expected of them and she barely has to say anything and the kids do it.  I couldn't believe how quiet they were and how quickly they followed directions.  When a kid or two wasn't completely on task, she'd just have to say their name and give them a little direction and they snapped to it.  Her manner is just so calm and patient.  In addition to that, she really mixed up the lesson so that it wasn't just her talking to the students - they did group work and then individual work too.  I also loved how she would randomly acknowledge a child doing something well when they weren't expecting it.  And while I realize Ms. A knew she was being watched, I also have been so impressed with all my other interactions with her this year that yesterday's visit can't be far from the normal day to day.  She clearly cares so much for her students and works to challenge them and bring out the best in them.  Caroline was on task most of the time and I noticed that the issue she'd had in class in kindergarten and first grade of not being able to keep her butt on the seat all the time has largely resolved.  She wiggles a lot but her butt stays planted.   Jason and I got a kick out of seeing her facial expressions in reaction to things they were discussing in class.  Yesterday's lesson was about schemas and how your background influences how you feel about a story.  I really enjoyed the things the kids had to say about the story they were reading about a wedding.

Then around 10am, we headed down to kindergarten to see what Bryce was up to.  Bryce's class was coming back from the bathroom and Ms. R had them all sit down on the carpet for a phonics lesson.  In true kindergarten fashion, they were wiggly and boisterous, but still fairly good.  Bryce sits right in front of Ms. R on the carpet and did a really good job of sitting still and raising his hand.  Ms. R has 23 kids in her class and almost no help!  I really feel for her - but I'm glad she's so patient and relaxed because I would certainly overload as a result.   (The helper she has is only in there part of the time.)

The gem of the morning though was yet to come! They were working on the letter "S" and when they had gone through writing it and the sound it makes, Ms. R gets out the giant Alphabet Book that has a poem in it about every single letter.  She puts it up on the ledge and asks the class, "How do I know where to find the poem for the letter "S?"

Bryce raised his hand and Ms. R called on him.

"Page 40."

"Well, Bryce, that's a page in the book, but how would I find where it was?"

"The table of contents."

"That's right!"  And she opened the book to the table of contents.  To all of our surprise, damned if that letter S poem wasn't on page 40!!!!!!!!  Ms. R laughed and paused and looked at Bryce and said, "Now wait, Bryce, I've got to hear this, how did you know that the S poem was on page 40 without the book being open?"

(At this point I am in tears I am laughing so hard.)

"Well, actually, I just remembered that yesterday the R poem was on 38 so I knew that the S poem would be on 40."

Ms. R just had the most surprised look on her face and could not get over that he knew the page number without looking.  Jason and I were trying hard to keep from laughing.  Ms. R looked back at us and was trying hard herself to not make a big deal out of it - none of the kids seemed too interested in what just happened.

Then she dismissed the kids to go back to their tables to work on the letter S and I got to sit down with Bryce and ask him about it.  He seemed totally unfazed by it because it just made sense to him.  All I could do was kiss him and tell him he was something else!  Ms. R came over to me while the kids were working and laughed again about his calculation.  She said that when she mistakenly will call a child by the wrong name, Bryce always keeps her in check.  She said she doesn't need a helper, she has Bryce!  Jason and I headed out when it was time for the kids to go to music class and then we headed home.

Later in the evening, there was a Math/Reading night at school where we got to visit the teachers and they gave us ideas of how to do fun activities with our kids to help them in their studies at school.  The 2nd grade teachers had some fun activities and then we went to the kindergarten teachers.  Bryce wasn't with us because he and Jason had gone to his end of soccer season party.  Ms. R gave us some activities for him and then told me how much Bryce amazes her and how she would love to just sit and talk to him if she had the time.  She then told me that during lunch earlier in the day, one of the students had signed up to get tuna salad decided while in line that she wanted grilled cheese instead.  Well, she came out of the lunch line and sat down and Bryce immediately called Ms. R over and said, "Ms. R, D. wasn't supposed to get grilled cheese!  She signed up for tuna!"  Ms. R assured him it was fine but she could not believe he had memorized who had signed up for which lunch.  I got a good laugh out of that one too although it didn't surprise me as much because Bryce regularly comes home and reports on everyone's behavior color that day. (We tell him EVERY time that we only care about him and and he needs to only worry about himself.)  It's no wonder that Bryce gives us such a hard time about things we forget - the kid was blessed with a pretty incredible memory.

So all in all, it was a great day!  As we were leaving school later last night, Caroline out of the blue exclaimed how much she loves her school.  It was really nice hearing that because while I have my doubts about the school sometimes (the area we live in and the general population that feeds into the school), I really like the teachers and am glad that Caroline feels so good about going there - that's what matters after all.

Natural Consequences Update

When I got home from work yesterday one of the first things Caroline said to me was, "You forgot to sign my reading log!"  And of course my response to her was, "Well, you didn't do your part of writing down the book or setting it out for me."

She said that she'd had to sit and read during recess. Clearly she didn't like it but she wasn't completely shamed either.  I simply told her that it was her responsibility to write down her book and to set it on the table for one of us to sign it.  She didn't seem too bothered by that either, but I'm thinking it might take a few more times of her having to read at recess for it really to sink in.

Natural Consequences

Since starting in first grade last year, C's school has a reading program that requires that they read at home for 15 minutes a day (1 step).  They can obviously read more than that, but they are required as part of their homework to ready 1 step at home and then they read 1 step in class.  Each marking period they should read about 100 steps.  We did this last year and we had some trouble with it.  Not the actual reading part, because Caroline loves to read, but the recording part.  Each step has to be recorded and then signed off by a parent.  The name of the book has to be written down as well.  In first grade, we did a lot of the recording for her since she was still getting the hang of the writing thing.  While her teacher did keep track of the kids' reading, she wasn't truly strict with it and encouraged the kids to do their reading by keeping a class chart with their progress for all to see.  (They get rewarded for each 100 steps by having their name read on the announcements and getting a medal.)  Often last year, we'd let Caroline do her reading at bedtime and this often caused problems so we'd try and set the precedent of having her do the reading when she did her other homework.  Sometimes this worked, other times it didn't because she was in a bad habit of not doing it.  We made it to the end of the year and she reached her 400 steps with time to spare.  Quite often she'd slug along doing her 2 steps a day and then she'd have a banner weekend reading 10 steps.  Other times we would know she'd read and we'd just never record it.

Seriously the quantitative measure of this program makes me a little crazy.  But I know the idea is to get kids reading because there's some statistic that says that the average kid who goes to college reads X amount of books while a kid who drops out reads Y amount of books.  Whether or not this reading program will actually try and right that statistic, I don't know, but it can't hurt to give kids the motivation to read.  My only issue with it is that we're on year 2 of it already and it's becoming a bit dry and redundant.  I think they need to explore other similar types of reading programs to mix it up a bit.

Anyway, back to today.  Caroline has been doing a much better job this school year of doing her reading at the same time as her other homework.  We set that rule early this year!  Her teacher, Ms. A, is much more strict with it too.  If a child doesn't have a record of their reading from the night before, s/he will have to do their reading at recess.  Even if they read, if they don't have a parent sign off, it's too bad.  For the most part, to date, we've continued to be the ones making sure her reading got signed off on.  I don't mind doing it for the additional reading she'll do at night after she gets in bed (she's my kid who needs some quiet reading time to go to sleep), but I'm tired of having to be the motivation to get it done for her required step.  The past couple of mornings I'd sign off on my part and leave it on the table for her by her seat to fill in the book name before breakfast.  We'd tell her that she needed to do this on her own, but she didn't.  Sooooo, today, I didn't do it.  She didn't bring it to me nor did she bring it up.  Me thinks she won't have recess today and here's hoping that it teaches her a lesson and she'll get better about filling the reading log herself and leaving it out for us to sign.  We already check her homework each evening so this would be helpful to just sign off on her reading right then and there.  If this doesn't work, it might just have to happen a few more times.

I'm not truly frustrated with her because I don't like the way the reading is recorded, but it's an assignment that she knows about and she needs to complete it.  I am contemplating talking to the teacher and possibly the principal/AP nearing the end of the school year and ask if they are considering any other reading programs for next year.  Even if they change up the way they record it/reward it, it would help.

Learning the Ropes

While Bryce continues to be fairly unfazed by kindergarten, he has had his share of the kindergarten behavior learning curve.  Much like Caroline did her first month or so, in September he would often come home with a yellow or "2nd" yellow on his behavior chart.  Yellow is a warning type whereas "2nd yellow" is more serious and they have to complete a reflection activity that the parents have to sign.  The next step down is red which Bryce hasn't been on (yet).  The 2 times he was on 2nd yellow were issues where he couldn't keep his hands to himself.  In both cases they were playful issues so nothing of true concern, but still not appropriate.  Both issues happened within a week of one another and I was getting a little worried.  And on top of that, all his yellow days tended to be a result of his talking.

Both the talking and keeping his hands to himself are issues we deal with at home, so no real surprises.  And Ms. R said that she has a rather chatty class this year and given that Bryce is MR. CHATTY, I knew this would be a hard one for him. 

But, here we are in October and he's only had one yellow so far.  (Watch him come home with a problem today now thanks to the blog curse.)  He's really seeming to make an effort and is quite proud to tell me that he stayed on green all day or perhaps he went down to yellow for a bit but earned himself back up to green again.  We went though this almost exactly with Caroline too.  Of course with Caroline I was considerably more freaked out than I was with Bryce.  I guess that's the nice thing about having been through it before - you realize they just need some time to adjust.

However, I know Bryce isn't perfect.  I know that he will not have green every day - we just expect that he tries his best every day and tries to learn from his mistakes.  He was so proud of himself last week because his good behavior earned him some reward tickets.  They have a school wide program for earning tickets by doing different good things around school and if you earn 5 you get to go shopping.  Bryce earned 5 and got to go shopping for the first time and was so excited to pick out a pencil sharpener that looks like a trash can for his new desk.  (Oh how I love pencil shavings all over a bedroom.....)  But he was proud of himself and that is what is most important.

As for Ms. R, she pulled me aside one day last week when I picked Bryce up to say what a kick she gets out of some of the stuff Bryce says.  She says she feels like she's talking to an adult sometimes with him (which we've heard from other people before too.)  Of course as she's standing there telling me this, the busy-body, loud mouthed teaching assistant comes over and says, "Does Bryce ever stop talking?"  I smiled and said, "No, he talks from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep at night."  To which she responded, "Well, we're ready to put in ear plugs." 

Before I could even say anything, Ms. R says (in her sweet, relaxed voice), "No, we wouldn't want to do that.  We might miss something."  And then rubbed Bryce's fuzzy head and smiled. 


And that's why I love her.  She clearly loves kindergartners no matter how squirrelly or rambunctious they can be.  Clearly she's suited well for her position.  I hope Piper will be lucky enough to have her.  (Who knows what kind of stuff Piper will be doing in kindergarten based on the fact that she never seems to do the same things her siblings did!)

Unaffected

Bryce has been in kindergarten now for almost 3 weeks.  Other than knowing it, you wouldn't even realize it.  He's just completely unaffected by it all.  I remember with Caroline noticing she seemed more tired and that she'd changed a little somehow.  Bryce, nope.  He's the same old kid that was before he started kindergarten.

With Caroline, the first few weeks were tough for drop offs.  Not terrible, but she'd get a little teary and would always want my mom or MIL to come in with her to put her stuff in her cubby.  Not Bryce - the kid just goes in and barely says good bye. 

We ask him about school every night and he's just so nonchalant about it.   He'll talk about kids in his class and things they did.  He'll tell us how his behavior was good (or not so good).  And while he'll get defensive about his behavior when he's been moved down to yellow, for the most part he just resorts to his old tricks of it always being another kid's fault or not really remembering why he got in trouble.  (We're working on this!) 

It's just funny how different kids can be.  Bryce was a little nervous on the first day but other than that it's been a breeze.  I'm thinking that waiting the extra year to send him to kindergarten was clearly the best thing we did.  He was completely ready and given a few of the minor-ish behavior issues we've had, it would have been way too much a year ago!