Welcome Summer!

This week Elena and Vivian had their last day of Fourth grade and Kindergarten, respectively.  Both are ready for summer!

Welcome Home for Summer!

This year has been HUGE for both kids.  Vivian loves school, and was totally ready for full school days.  Halfway through the year, I let her join an after school activity (tap dancing). She is very bright, is a voracious reader, is a quick math study and loves to play with friends. She has grown leaps and bounds socially. My only concern for her is that first grade will not be challenging (we are pursing options about that).

Elena had a banner year. Fourth grade means real grades, not just a number system for effort and mastery. Elena struggled with math at the beginning of the year. She studied and practiced hard, and with the help of her Math Coach, she ended up finishing this year with straight As!  THAT IS HUGE. She worked through lots of knee pain. She auditioned for and won the lead in the school musical and was AMAZING. We had more playdates than ever. She passed all her SOL tests--for the first time EVER! She has grown more responsible, more mature, more accountable, and more social.

Both girls are healthy and happy, enjoyed school--but very ready for a well-deserved break!  Every year I make them a chalk welcome on our driveway. They enjoyed running all over it. We've made our Summer Bucket List, and we're ready to start checking them off!

Chalk Work under fire

Water Fight

Water Fight

Welcome to 4th grade AND Kindergarten!

Here are my girls on their first day of school!

Elena, Fourth Grade

Vivian, Kindergarten (Elena's 2nd day of 4th grade) 

And since the school year is already underway, we've had lots of great experiences.  Vivian is doing very well in Kindergarten, and loves every day of school.  Elena loves seeing familiar friends, and is doing well socially and academically--this is a big deal, b/c in third grade she seemed to struggle with the material (especially math).  Elena's educators (teachers, aide(s), PT, other support staff at school) are so wonderful and do everything they can to help E be involved, having fun, and moving her best.  Her classmates--and the student body in general--are fantastic.  

River hunting at her first field trip! 

Checking out river creatures to see if the water is healthy

Vivian's first field trip to the Apple Orchard!

 Overall we are doing well with the school schedule.  Both girls go to bed early on school nights.  We've structured the day after school as to stress playtime/downtime immediately after school, then homework (usually it doesn't take Elena too long!), dinner, optional more homework/playtime, then bedtime ritual (stretches) and reading. It's working well, but with extracurricular activities, time can be a struggle.

By extracurricular activities--I mean school-sponsored afterschool classes.  I normally give each kid a choice of one class--this year, both girls picked Cooking (the classes last 6 weeks and vary quite a bit; E's first class was Chess in 2nd grade).  Then, Elena decided to join Drama club.  That's another post.

bonus moi