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Last week, with both kids in tow thanks to Lorne being out of town for work, I headed down the street to our local elementary school. Now, why was I going to the elementary school with both children you might ask. Well, it was kindergarten registration day!
As it turns out each school in our district handles kindergarten registration a bit differently. After reading through all the details online and calling the kindergarten school board rep I determined that our particular school was not handing out registration packets ahead of time and parents had to show up at the school between 1:30pm and 6:00pm on March 6th to fill out the registration forms, hand over copies of all the necessary documentation and get their kiddos all signed up for kindergarten. I was not exactly impressed that I couldn’t fill out the paperwork ahead of time. I’m not a fan of last minute stuff, but what could I do.
With my pile of necessary documentation in hand I headed into the school, which by the way is awesome! The registration process was set up very well. There were packets right at the front door with all the registration forms. There were tables set up in the hallway covered in paper so that the kids could color away while their parents filled out what felt like endless amounts of paperwork. The school nurse was on hand to review immunization records and go over any immunizations the child may need to get before school starts (luckily for us we are all caught up). She was also available to go over the process for special medical situations, like Maya’s nut allergy. She was super sweet. After all the paperwork was filled out and we had talked with the school nurse it was onto the front office to hand over everything. The office staff was super helpful and super sweet. It didn’t take long to go over all the forms and we were on our way.
Our school district is not currently offering full day kindergarten at no charge to all students. Instead each student who is interested in full day kindergarten has to enter a lottery and if selected through the lottery to fill one of the slots there is a monthly tuition fee. We are hopeful that Maya will get a full time spot as I’ve heard it is rare in our district for them not to accommodate all the children who have requested the full day program, but I’m really fine with either. Next week we’ll find out.
I truly can’t believe we are already here, getting ready for kindergarten. She isn’t my baby anymore, not by a long shot. She is definitely our big, smart girl who is more than ready to face this new challenge. I’m really looking forward to what next year bring for her. I have a feeling she is going to grow and change immensely.
Maya is extremely shy and nervous, she has been since birth. Even as a baby she was painfully shy around people, even those she saw regularly, and she had a very nervous personality. I’m sure you all remember the debacle that was our first attempt at gymnastics a couple of years ago. So, when she started preschool last year I was understandably nervous about how it would go. But I ended up not having anything to worry about, she did great.
Thanks to an amazing preschool teacher that really did a great job of helping Maya come out of her shell I felt like we took two giant steps forward in tackling her shyness. She was open to playing with new kids at the playground. She took gymnastics and dance without any trouble. Her summer camps went really well (most of them anyway). I could still see glimpses of that super shy little girl that started the school year, but mostly she was gone. And then we moved…
We are in the second week of school and instead of things improving they seem to be getting worse. She was scared and nervous her first day but did really well at drop off, she didn’t even cry. On her second day she cried at drop off but still ended up having a great day. Yesterday at drop off she threw a fit and clung to me crying. Her teacher was able to calm her down and I was able to leave, but when I came to pick her up she said she didn’t play or do anything all morning she just stood with her teacher. It is definitely beginning to feel like we have taken two steps backwards. The strides we made last year are all but gone.
I know it is still early in the school year so there is still hope. I know a lot of what is going on with her stems from the move and leaving her friends, her school, her home, all that was comfortable to her. I hope that as time passes she’ll make a friend or two in class and things will get easier for her and she’ll gain back some of the confidence she worked so hard for last year. Her teachers at her new school are wonderful and are working hard to help Maya feel comfortable at school and I really appreciate that.
We’ll just keep talking to her, encouraging her and working on getting her to come out of her shell a bit. She loved school so much last year, I hope she gets to that point at this new school too. Looking forward to taking those two giant steps forward with her again, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Today was Maya’s first day of her Pre-K year of preschool. I can hardly believe she is almost 5 and already in her second year of preschool. Time flies.
Understandably she was incredibly nervous about starting school this year. There have been a lot of changes in her little world this summer and she is still very homesick for her friends back in St. Louis. We spent a lot of time talking about all the things she loved about school last year to keep her excited about the idea of going to school again this year.
She did an awesome job at drop off this morning. A lot of nerves but no tears.
When I picked her up she was full of stories of what she did at school and said she had a great time. I’m so glad she had a good first day.
Here’s to an awesome school year!
It is about that time of year again, back to school time. Maya starts her last year of preschool, her per-kindergarten year, in just under 2 weeks.
Way back in the early spring when it was registration time at her beloved preschool in St. Louis, before we knew our world was going to be turned upside down with a move to Seattle, I had signed her up for the 4 day a week pre-k program. She was going to have the same teacher as last year and many of the same classmates. We were both super excited about it. Then things got turned upside down and I had to hunt for a school here in Seattle that was a good match for us and had openings available. Luckily, I found what seems to be a good match.
The school I found here is a natured based preschool. They spending an hour outside everyday going for hikes, searching for bugs and butterflies in the meadow, playing on the playground, riding bikes, you name it. Their academic program is nature based as well. Maya will be attending 3 days a week. It sounds like a wonderful program and I hope Maya really enjoys it.
I had a parent orientation at the school today. The teachers are wonderful and the program for this year sounds great. The school is small and there seems to be a real sense of community among the parents. I’m excited for the school year to start. I hope Maya has a wonderful last year of preschool and makes some wonderful new friends this year.
Maya is in summer camp this week. It is her second summer camp and to say she loves going to camp is an understatement. The girl loves her some summer camp fun 
When summer camp sign up time rolled around early in the Spring I knew, even though this would be her very first summer camp experience, that she would enjoy herself no matter what I signed her up for. She adored going to school and I knew she would enjoy summer camp just as much. I didn’t want her whole summer to be spent in camp. I wanted her to have free time to just play and enjoy herself, spend time with friends and explore her favorite spots here in St. Louis. So, I signed her up for 3 week long summer camps.
Her first camp was 2 weeks ago. It was the camp I knew, with out a doubt, she would LOVE. It was at The Magic House and her best little friend from school was enrolled in the same camp. The first day of camp Maya and Lillian squealed with delight when they saw each other again for the first time since school let out and according to their camp instructors they were inseparable the entire week. The camp was a huge success. Each more she woke up with a huge smile on her face so excited at the prospect of having another fun morning at the Magic House. When the last day of camp rolled around she was so bummed and didn’t want the fun to end.
This week’s camp is at the park across the street from our house and run by our town’s recreation center. It was the camp I knew might cause a little discomfort for her since she didn’t know anyone else there. She was excited for the camp but clearly very nervous and even cried a little yesterday morning before we walked over. She was worried because none of her friends were going to be there. I reminded her that she didn’t know anyone in her preschool class when she first started and now has some wonderful new friends. That calmed her down and let the excitement take over. When we arrived she recognized one of the little girls from her swim class and the two made each other their “best camp friend” and had a great time. Today and day 2 of the camp and so far she is having a great time.
Her next, and final camp, is next month. It is an art camp at Laumeier Sculpture Park and her best little friend from preschool is enrolled in this one as well. This is the camp I’m most looking forward to for her. I can’t wait to see how it goes. She is going to love it, this I know for sure!
I already can’t wait to sit down with her next spring and figure out which camps she wants to go to next year.