Volunteering

Old Union held a staff luncheon today to show appreciation for our one of a kind awesome team.  Parents volunteered to lead the classrooms for one hour, so the staff could all eat together.  I volunteered for Reed's class with my friend, Kristi.  About 10 minutes in, we knew we were in over our heads.  These kids are crazy!  I immediately started counting down the minutes, and she blocked the door.  It seems like school is much more "fluid" than it was year ago.  Kids just get up and leave the class for water, bathroom, etc.  Without asking! 

After an hour, we were exhausted and begging Ms. Hill to magically reappear, as we stared down the hall.  Note to self, never again volunteer for a teacher's place.  Never again.

The students proudly displayed their turkey feathers on the classroom door.  Every parent made a feather that included what makes their child special.  This is a very heart felt homework assignment that John Chris and I enjoy working on.

Teacher Appreciation

We decided to continue a fun activity to celebrate our wonderful teachers. We picked out some beautiful flowers for Mrs. Evans.  I enjoyed "playing" with the fresh flowers, and I had great assistance.

Voila!  We are show offs!  

Flower for Mrs. Evans

Ryland's teacher, Mrs. Evans, was selected as the Old Union Elem Teacher of the Year.  Today, the students were asked to bring Mrs. Evans a flower to celebrate her.  Ryland picked white azaleas out of our flower bed that had one pink bloom.  It was a special gift for his special teacher.

Ryland's Teacher Conference

I always love to hear how wonderful my kids are doing in school.  Today, I met with Ryland's teacher for the annual conference.  We spoke about how Ryland is doing in the class and where he falls with the expectations of the district.  Of course, he is exceeding expectations academically, and he is a class favorite.  Mrs. Evans filled me in on how kind and sweet Ryland is to everyone in his class.  He is a genuine boy that cares about his classmates.  My heart is so full!

Teacher Appreciation

This is how we do a thank you.  

I wanted to do a little something for Ms. Hill to show her how much we adore her.  Needless to say, I was having fun and got a little carried away.  The large arrangement made Ms. Hill's day, and the office staff were amazed.  

Teacher Conference

I met with Reed's pre-school teacher for the individual annual conference.  It was a great opportunity to talk about Reed's strengths, weaknesses, and overall personality.  Ms. Debbie raved about how wonderful Reed is, and how much she adores him.  She covered each academic and social topic and told me how Reed excels at each one. Tears started to sneak up in my eyes while I was listening to hear speak of my precious son.  I am so proud of him, and I love his spunky personality.  

Reed's First Day

Today was Reed's first day back at Chapel Hill Preschool.  He was really excited about playing with his friends and carrying his own backpack to his class.  He has Ms. Debbie and Ms. Pam, and we all are thrilled. There are several kiddos in his class that he knows, but there is a great mix of new ones, too.  He walked right into class after a sweet hug for me, and his teacher had to pull him away from toys and friends for a quick picture.

Wow!

When I was going through Ryland's school folder, I saw this cute certificate.  I asked him what it was for, and he told me he was a sweet kid.  It warmed my heart to see that he was as sweet and kind as his teachers tell me.  I am so proud of him.

"Mint" to be

The boys and I were getting ready for the first day back to preschool, and we put together these little teacher gifts.  While we assembled the gifts, we talked about new teachers, new friends, and lots of new fun.  Mint soap and gum with a cute tag, "You are mint to be my teacher". 

 

Reed's Last Day of School

I always know the tears will flow when I see this binder on the last day of school.  Every year as I flip through the pages of that year's book, I am reminded at how fast the time is flying.  I waited until I picked Reed up and had him buckled in the truck before I just had to take a look.  I giggled and cried as I flipped the pages.  Reed is such a fun loving, silly, lovable boy, and I was overwhelmed with joy.  I look forward to seeing how he grows and learns through the years of school.  These are just a few snap shots of the binder pages.

 

 

 

 

I was already a little bit on the emotional side after our goodbyes at Stars Academy.  Both the boys will be attending Chapel Hill next year, so this felt like a little milestone.  It was especially hard to say goodbye to Ms. Nan.  She was the first baby teacher for both of my boys, and we will all miss her dearly.

 

Teacher gifts

I am wrapping up the final little things for our Christmas gift giving while the boys are at school today.  I finished the gifts for Reed's teachers and school directors this morning, so I am delivering the joy early!  I just loved the mercury glass holders with the poinsettias.  I should have picked up an extra for the house.  Merry Christmas!

 

Meet the teacher

The boys and I had an opportunity to meet their new teachers this morning at school. 

I dropped Reed at his classroom first, and it all went nuts.  There were two other kids crying when we reached the class, and it set him off too.  I walked in with him attached to my leg screaming "Mommy" at the top of his lungs.  I tried to calm him down by pointing out that his friends were there, but he wouldn't have it.  After about 3 minutes of an all out fit, I decided to just go.  It broke my heart to leave him so upset, but I knew he would be over it soon.

I headed upstairs to Ryland's new class, and he was acting very nervous.  By the time we reached the classroom, he was crying and refusing to go in.  I squatted down to talk to him about how much fun it was, and how I would be right down the hall at a meeting.  I explained that we would only be there for a little while and then we would head to lunch with the Wood girls.  He wasn't buying it either.  I had to pull him into the classroom while he was crying and chewing on the collar of his shirt.  I left him crying and unhappy too.

All the parents attended a meeting about all the policies and rules, and then we toured the school.  I am very familiar with the school, since Ryland is starting his 4th class there, but I was very impressed with what they had to offer since he has moved into the big kids department.  They have a great great library, playground, lunch room, and music class.  I quicky realized my boys are growing up.

I headed back to Ryland's class to find him happy and content playing in the floor with one of his friends.  He told me he had fun in his big class and pointed out his wet collar.  He told me he chewed it because he was nervous.  (hmm...OK)  We headed downstairs to pick up Reed, and he was happy as could be sitting at the table drawing. 

Oh, the boys and their dramatic morning. 

First day of school

The boys started school today at Stars Academy. It is a fabulous mother's day out program that Ryland has been attending the past two years, and now Reed is joining the fun. Reed actually has two of Ryland's previous teachers.

Ms. Nan and Ms. Margo hold, cuddle, and love on Reed in the monkey class while Ms. Holly and Ms. Amy teach Ryland colors and numbers in the owl class. We all are really excited about going to school and playing with friends.

Meet the teachers

Ryland has new teachers at school this year. It was a surprise to us, because we were expecting Ms. Nan to move with them to the next class like we were told. I am not sure what happened, but we have 2 new teachers this year. We met Ms. Debbie and Ms. Kerry and look forward to a fun year full of learning and playing.