Not sure where all the time went but today we reached a milestone: first day of kindergarten. SPL is more than ready, and John and I were hopeful that we were ready too :-). Nan outfitted SPL with a new Clone Wars lunch/snack bag and he picked out a Lego Star Wars backpack online so was all ready to go (plus Yoda/Clone Wars shirt -- perfecto!). He tolerated my need for morning photos and I even got one
He wasn't much for eating but did manage to take a few bites of eggs and cheese before hitting the door. We packed a snack of nori (salty crunchy seaweed snack that is the new fave), cheese sticks, bunny fruit snack (the addiction!), watermelon, and juice. Of course, none but the fruit snack was actually eaten @ snack time (and surprise, surprise SPL was Mr. Crankypants when I picked him up @ 11:55 am).
The morning started with John and me taking some
and then driving him to school (we decided to enter the lottery for a "choice" school instead of going to the school that is literally right across the street. I'm super happy about the decision overall but it does increase our commute time by 10X). As we
, SPL did mention that he felt sick to his stomach, but it went away thankfully.
and SPL put his
, placed his snackbag in his cubby and found his name tag on the table. Teacher Judy was there to greet us despite the great loss of her mom over the weekend (passed away after a long illness :-(). She took SPL's photo and then he found his spot
. I have to admit, this process brought both joy and tears to my eyes. He looked so grown up!
Then Teacher Judy
as it was time to take roll and get ready for the opening ceremony @ the farm (they have a farm in the back part of the school including goats, sheep, chickens, a large garden and fruit trees -- amazing!). The entire community is invited to the farm for the opening ceremony so John and I found some of our parent friends and waited for our turn (it turned out that all the students ended up
- it was so fun to watch).
We had a great location and John quickly spotted SPL in the front row right in front of the principal (who was on stage). Principal Bill (yes, everyone goes by their first name @ the school :-), greeted everyone and introduced all the teachers, staff, and other guests. We all joined in saying not only the Pledge of Allegiance but also the Pledge to the Earth :-). Bill also charged all the students with 4 goals for the year: be on time, eat breakfast, get a good night's sleep, and do their best every day. The end of the ceremony included all of us joining together with a teacher (who is also an opera singer an puts on an opera with is class every year!) in singing America the Beautiful, This Land is Your Land, and Make New Friends.
This was my favorite photo: Principal Bill had recognized the workers who had been tireless in their efforts to finish the construction projects before school opened and since SPL loves all "workers",
Love his expression!
After the ceremony was over, the
and went back to their classrooms (SPL's observation: we were the first ones in but that meant we were the last ones out).
School day was short today so I picked him up @ 11:55 am. He reported that he had a good day and liked recess the best. We went out for a celebratory Subway lunch and also Chipotle dinner. All in all a successful day and we are thrilled to be part of this school community.
To be continued......