Last Day of School 2014

So, the first 14 days of June:  wedding in California, buy a house, wedding in New York, and THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!  Elise finished third grade and Anja finished kindergarten.

A little comparison:

First Day of School 2013-2014

Last Day of School 2013-2014

Recognition
On the last day of school Elise received a certificate for her participation this year in her school's student chorus.

Kindergarten Graduation
These guys were so cute!

Anja is in the purple dress with the flowers on the skirt.

Hold on, Mom, let me fix my hat.

Anja, receiving her certificate from her teacher.

Look what I have!

After the ceremony, Anja's teacher had a reception in the classroom and gave out individual awards.  Anja was given the "Radical Reader" award.

Special days deserve flowers :)

Anja and her teacher

So long, kindergarten.
First grade, here we come!

Kindergarten Nature Walk With Anja

Going on a nature walk!

A couple weeks ago all the kindergarten classes at Anja's school went on a nature walk on a trail near their school.  Parents were invited to come along, and I was there!  Each student had a bag in which they could put things they collected along the way (with some ground rules:  must stay on trail, may not pick up rocks, sticks, or anything alive).  It was great fun to watch the kids be tuned in to what is around them and amazed at nature.

Ready for the nature walk!

Anja's greatest find of the day, a tuft of
animal fur.

All the kindergarten classes were tromping through the woods, pretty much single file.  At one point, the line stopped and I could see ahead a little bit that a group of kids and adults were bunched up on the side of the trail looking at something.  After they moved on, we came up and one of the teachers pointed out a toad in the leaves.  She told the kids to stand back and give it plenty of space.  The kids didn't listen and got too close, so the toad leapt away a bit.  I was looking on the ground to see where it had gone, with kids crowded around me, spotted it close to my foot right as a foot went STOMP! right on the toad.  I screeched "AAAH!  What did you DO?!"  I look over and it is a little boy from Anja's class.  He paused for half a second, then just kept on walking.  A teacher came over and scooped up the toad ( who was not dead, fortunately, the leaves and grass underneath it must have cushioned the blow).  She held the toad so the kids could take a look, then set it down back into the woods where it would be more safe.  We caught up to the rest of Anja's class and I told the teacher what had happened and she shook her head and said "boys."  What?  "BOYS"?  REALLY?????  I don't think all boys would have done that.

The nearly murdered toad

Imagine my surprise when that same boy turned up at Anja's birthday party a couple days later.  He was one of the kids Anja had invited to her party.  I know they are only six, I know they are still learning and I should be patient and understanding, but I kept my eye on that toad assassin during the whole party. 

Elise: Newsy Bits

Dentist Visit

Recently the girls had their fall dental check-up.  Happily, Anja had no cavities and no problems (though she is very frustrated that she has not yet lost any teeth).

 

Elise has been losing baby teeth and getting in permanent teeth steadily since the summer before Kindergarten.  Lately, the baby teeth are not falling out soon enough, and she came out of her dentist appointment with the information that she needed to have two baby teeth pulled to make way for the permanent teeth that were already coming in.  Because the baby teeth were still there, all the teeth were getting mashed up, causing the permanent teeth to come in at crazy angles.  

Before having teeth pulled.

Elise was very scared to have the teeth pulled, and I was just as scared as she was.  I have an deep, irrational fear of the dentist and the thought of having teeth pulled makes me nauseous.  Every day, Elise asked me if it would hurt, and I told her "I don't know, I've never had teeth pulled.  Probably it won't be too bad, because they are baby teeth."  Was I lying?  Yes.  I have had teeth taken out, though it was my wisdom teeth and I was knocked out with sedation for the procedure.  I knew Elise's procedure would hurt, both during and after.  But I couldn't bring myself to tell her because I knew it would scare her even more, and that would NOT help the situation.  Thinking about her having teeth pulled made me sick and want to cry, but I couldn't let her see that.

 

Up to this point, for all their fillings, I've gone into the dentist exam room with the girls.  Even simple procedures like fillings make me break out in a sweat and make me feel like throwing up.  I knew I wouldn't be able to take an extraction.  Likely, I would pass out.  Or throw up.  So I asked Jason if he would go in with her, and he said he would.  The day of the procedure I told Elise I was sick, that I felt like I was going to throw up and it would be a bad idea for me to go back with her. I stayed in the waiting room, nervous as can be, while Jason went back with Elise. 

 

By all accounts, Elise was a trooper for the procedure.  She said taking the last tooth out was tough, that it hurt and she could hear it cracking (just relating this  now makes me feel like I will throw up).  I thought she might be feeling kind of miserable the following day, but she was up and at 'em, ready to bring her teeth to school to show her classmates.

 

I am happy to report that pulling those two teeth has allowed her permanent teeth to come in and straighten out.  She will still need to see an orthodontist, though.  Fingers crossed that won't involve major procedures. 

 

Report Card

Last week grades 1 and up received interim report cards (I think in high school we called these mid-term grades).  After I picked the girls up from school that day I noticed Elise was very quiet.  I looked in the back seat and saw her examining a piece of paper.  I asked what she had and she said "here" and handed me a report card.  I asked what was wrong and figured out that she was TOTALLY bummed because a bunch of her grades were "S," which Elise informed me meant "sort-of."  When I told her an S meant "Satisfactory" and was a good thing, she perked up immediately.  

First Day of School!

After prepping last week with Kindergarten Orientation for Anja and Open House for Elise, I think we all felt ready for the first day of school today.  It relieves a lot of anxiety (including mine!) to find the classroom, meet teachers, visit the cafeteria, and wander around school in advance of the first day.

I didn't get a picture of it, but as Elise and Anja walked from the car into the school building, they held hands.  So sweet!

Elise's Third Grade Open House

Oh my, how is it that Elise is already a 3rd grader???  When I get my computer back I will post a picture of her going to preschool to see how she is grown.  Or, if you are on Facebook, I probably have pictures there in one of my albums.

Anyway...Today was the general Open House at Parkside Elementary.  We all went to support Elise (me, Jason, Anja, my mom and dad).  We met her teacher, Miss Fitzsimmons ("Miss Fitz") and several kids in her class (one of them we ran into later at the mall and chatted with her some more.  Fun!). 

 In her class there are two girls named Elise, so Elise has to learn to write her name as "Elise R."  Honestly, I thought we might avoid doubling up like that. Oh, well.

Elise put all her things away in her desk, got settled and ready for the first day of school!

Anja's Kindergarten Open House

I cannot believe Anja is going to be in Kindergarten!  Last night the whole crew (me, Elise, Jason, my mom and dad) all went with Anja to her Kindergarten open house. 

We were very excited to find out that Anja's friend from YMCA camp is in her class!

Anja found her desk and put away her things.

We are looking forward to an exciting year!

Anja and her teacher