Back to school: 1st Grade for Evan, Preschool for Emma

Tuesday August 15, 2017

The school year started on this day for 1st-5th graders in our district.  Kindergarten and preschool start two days later, but Emma still started her all-day "wraparound care" at the school on this day (which they call Alpine Academy).  So in many ways, it was the first day of school for both kids.  

Evan was really excited for 1st grade, but one thing he didn't realize was that they had recently added a 3rd class for first grade, and that meant that some of the kids he thought were going to be in his class were no longer in there.  That made him a bit sad, but he still had a few friends in his class that he sat with his first morning. 

Emma did a great job at her drop off, although she unfortunately learned that a girl she'd befriended during summer camp at the school had moved to a different school.  So, she also was a little sad that morning, but her teachers asked her to help pass out morning snack and she snapped into motion as the helper. :)

Emma's excited and ready!

Look at this new 1st grader!

Before dropping them off at the school (with all their school supplies!)

Evan getting situated in his new classroom

Emma's all set in her Academy room

Wednesday August 16, 2017
The day before preschool started the teachers held an orientation.  It lasted an hour and was held in the preschool classroom.  We took Emma out of Academy to attend this with us.  She loved the play kitchen in this classroom and spent the entire hour playing independently in it, occasionally serving us up some of her food she'd made.  She often brought it over with the oven mitt and told us to be careful that the pan was hot.  The other parents and teachers there thought it was adorable...because it was!  She seemed very ready for preschool the next day.

Thursday August 17, 2017
Emma's first morning of preschool had arrived.  Instead of dropping her off in the Academy room, we had to line her up outside her preschool room doors for her to go inside with her class.  She was so excited the whole way to the school (exclaiming "I'm so exciting!"), but as soon as it was time to leave her with the teachers in the line, she got clingy.  She hugged onto John and then held tightly onto my hand. Eventually, I was able to walk her up to the door and her teacher helped take her into her classroom.  Luckily that did not end up being a fight and she didn't even cry.  We waved at her through the window as she walked to her classroom.  The look on her face showed me that she was nervous and yet she was so brave.  Just before she entered her classroom she stuck her arm out abruptly and forced a wave back at us, and then turned away and into her classroom.  She's going to do great in school, I just know it.  I was so proud of her being so brave that day!

Those eyes...broke my heart.  But she was so brave and didn't cry!

Now we have both kids in the same school!  They occasionally see each other out on the playgrounds at the same time (though Emma's playground is separate from the older kids' one).  Emma gets very excited about playing in the new kitchen in her preschool classroom, so drop offs are going pretty smoothly now.  She got right into the swing of things for sure!