School Starts for Daniel

This past week Daniel started Kindergarten. This has been a highly anticipated event for quite some time now! We worried about Daniel's separation anxieties and his readiness until he attended a Kinder Camp program during the month of June. It was such a great experience for him. He did so well, had so much fun, and gained so much confidence. It was obvious that he was ready for school.

The first day of school was really fun for our family. Nathan went into work late so that he could walk with us. (I don't blame him. It's fun to be the mom and be around for all of the firsts.) We stopped to take pictures. GG (adopted Grandma across the street) came out to give him a love and send him off. He looks so ready. He loves his Darth Vader back pack (thanks Grandma Bohman) and Thomas the Train lunch pail (thanks Grandma Brady). When we arrived, Daniel's teacher took a picture of our whole family seeing him off. We took Daniel inside, found his cubby and name tag, and Daniel sat down with a book. When we peeked in from the window outside he was too into the book to even notice.

He has two very nice teachers Mrs. Suleiman and Mrs. Oxford. They teamteach so that they can be home with their own families for half the week. Daniel's teachers were very complimentary of him. They said he is a good listener and followed instructions well. After helping out in his classroom on Wednesday and seeing his classmates, I'd have to agree. I'm grateful that Daniel has had Primary at church and Joy School to get him used to sitting still and listening. After his first day of school I asked him what his favorite part was and he said lunch! I didn't expect that answer so soon, but boys will be boys.

Each Wednesday I drop off Liam and Caleb, with a friend, so I can help out in Daniel's classroom. I have looked forward to it ever since I had Daniel. It was fun to be back in the classroom (especially since I now have a bigger vested interest in the class). This week I got to help start assessing the kids' beginning levels. Mostly, I tested them on letter recognition, capital and lowercase, and letter sounds. I didn't give Daniel any added help but he scored the highest in the class by far. It was a proud Mommy

moment. Actually, I wish some of Daniel's Joy School or church friends were in his class (I'm sure they'd have scored similarly to him). It was nice to know he's on the right track.

Daniel's biggest complaints about school are that he wants to bring all of his projects home to show us (on the day he makes them) and that he wants to keep his Eagle tickets that he earned (the kids earn tickets by being on task, being respectful, etc.). On Friday all of the tickets were put into a drawing and Daniel won a popsicle from the principal. What a lucky boy. It's been a great start.