First Day of Kindergarten

Matthew only had one concern about starting Kindergarten and that was that the buses do not have seat belts. “It must be because there is not enough material to make them,” he decided after giving it some thought.

He is in the afternoon class this year. We drove him to school on his first day because there was a parent/child orientation. Two of his best friends are in his class this year and the three boys were inseparable from the moment they saw one another. 

In the classroom there was a list of things for the children to do with their parents. He had to find his name (written on a Popsicle stick), place it in a cup, and then ring a bell. The parents verified the bus route information (phew!) and he traced and cut out his hand.

Checking out the Berenstain Bear books in the classroom

 Lastly we helped him find his assigned coat hook and cubby and then took pictures of him holding up a frame that said 1^st day of Kindergarten. Eventually the parents were ushered out so the learning could continue without our hovering presence.  

At the end of the school day he took the bus home.

Hiding from the Mama-Paparazzi

This is what he told us about his day:

The kids held hands and passed a squeeze around the room. Their record speed was 9 seconds.

There is NO walking under the monkey bars at recess

The gym teacher is old but nice

The bus driver is a girl and nice

It seems like Kindergarten is off to a great start!

The (Preschool) Graduate

I’m so proud of my little graduate. Matthew will be officially starting Kindergarten in the fall now that preschool graduation is behind him. I’m also proud of Sammy who clapped for every single kid receiving their diploma. I became a little teary during the graduation but not for the reason one might think. Each graduate received one of the helium balloons used for decorations as the party was ending. Matthew promptly let go of his by accident resulting in a loud crying tantrum. One of his best friends Tyler then let go of his balloon and told Matthew it was so they could be fair in square. At the age of five he already has the best friends that he could ask for. 

Preschool Graduation

On Monday Matthew had a preschool graduation. The friends and family sat in chairs outside where there was a table set up with diplomas. One by one the kids were called out of the school. The majority of the children were overcome with shyness in front of the crowd. When it was his turn Matthew ran to the table soliciting a chuckle from the crowd.

1st Day Of Preschool

Approximately twenty minutes after we put him to bed, Matthew came strolling back to our bedroom. “I’m really excited for school!”

“That is great,” I enthuse and moved over to make room for him in the bed. “Is there anything that you are not looking forward to at school tomorrow?”

“I’m not looking forward to the other kids hitting me,” he replied after thinking about it for a moment.

“No one is allowed to hit you,” I tell him sternly. “If they do I want you to look them in the eye and to tell them not to hit you again. If they hit you again than you should tell the teacher.”

“And then what will happen?”

“The teacher will give them a time out because hitting is not allowed at school.” This seems to soothe his first day jitters and he goes off to bed without another visit to our room.

The next day when I dropped him off he had a big smile on his face and waved to me before walking into the classroom without an extra nudge from me.

He had these two things to say when asked about his first day of school, "No kids hit me this year." and “It was good. The teacher said that I could come back tomorrow!”

The school year is off to a good start.