This is a picture of Ava on her first day attending day care, June 26, 2006.
Fast forward five years. This is Ava's first day of school:
August 15, 2011.
I thought it very brave of her to want to take the bus to school. Such a big kid thing to do! I originally thought I would drive her for the first few weeks, so she could get used to one thing at a time. After talking it over with a few people, including my Mom, as well as going on a "trial run" (they offered the Friday before school started) on the bus with Ava myself, I decided I was okay with it... (I was most concerned with her learning things from older kids that might not be kindergarten-age appropriate). There were probably six kids that took the "trial run" bus ride, along with their parents. On the bus, they separate out the kids by grade on the bus (phew!), have assigned seating with the kindergarteners sitting up front, closest to the bus driver. Ava opted to sit right behind the bus driver when I rode with her. She says that's where she sits everyday, now. That first day, Ava hopped on the bus without hesitation. No tears, no frowns, no hesitation at all. I think I was the one with separation anxiety!
Doug and I watched her as she jumped on the bus for the first time, heading to "big kid school." Her bus driver, Mr. Mike, is actually the #1 Bus Driver in Cobb County. He has this huge 3 foot trophy at the front of the bus to prove it. He was #2 for four years running and finally became the #1 driver. I'm not sure if the bus drivers have a competition to decide this, or what? He says he hasn't ever had any kind of accident driving. (And obviously he knew exactly what to say to make this Momma feel better about the bus scenario....) Mr. Mike runs a tight ship / bus, so I felt better about Ava being under his watch.
Waiting at the bus stop with our neighbor, Matthew Quinn.
With confidence, I can say that Ava's day care attendance played a major role in her preparedness for this big day. The bus arrives at our bus stop at 7:20. So, we officially have earlier wake-up calls AND lights-out. I dreaded this at first, but am finding I get more done during the day with a few extra hours of useful time.
The first two days of school, Ava went to "ASP" (After School Program). I thought she would enjoy this, rather than coming home to relax. She decided she wanted to take the bus home on days that I don't go into the office (every other Monday and every other Thursday). So, on those days when I am in the office, she will go to ASP. She has been taking the bus home on all other days. I really enjoy being there when she gets off the bus and walking the short walk home with her, asking her about her day. She holds my hand and tells me all about her school day. She LOVES it. She is thriving.
When I picked her up after school the first day, she walked into the cafeteria to meet me at the After School Program desk / pick-up area. She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face as she walked toward me. It was too incredibly sweet. I leaned down and gave her the biggest of hugs.
She came home with the following letter from her teacher, which I loved. I appreciated that the teacher let parents know exactly what they did that day. :)
She took her lunch the first few days, as well as the required healthy afternoon snack. They eat lunch at 10:40 in the morning, so she is normally starving when she comes home from school. She couldn't find her lunch one day (LOL, her backpack isn't that huge!), so she decided to get the school lunch (for which I had pre-paid). I was so proud of her... if I were her, I think I would've been intimidated / too shy to go with a different lunch / process. Not Ava! She seems so confident and is comfortably embracing everything that comes her way, so far.
There is a system of behavior reward and correction in Mrs. McKenzie's kindergarten class. (Who, by the way, is TEACHER OF THE YEAR!) Everyone has an apple on a tree on the wall. Throughout the day, if you have exceptionally great behavior, the teacher will let you move your apple into the "sunshine" (at the top of the tree). If you had poor behavior, your apple can move down to the trunk, then (with more poor behavior) the apple can move down to the grass, from the grass to the dirt, from the dirt to the bucket (with each occurrence one movement down). The apple starts out in the tree (good area) at the start of every school day. Ava's apple has been in the SUNSHINE TWO DAYS during the first 7 days of school! (Other days her apple has been in the tree). Yesterday she mentioned she was the only one whose apple has been in the sunshine more than once. Go Ava!
She has a friend she enjoys sitting with on the bus. It's hilarious...she CAN'T remember her friend's name, but it sounds like her friend is Indian and has a very long name. A funny story... Whenever Ava gets on the bus, I notice a little Chinese girl looking at me through the window, as the bus drives away. I wondered if this little girl was Ava's friend / seatmate, of whom she talks daily. I asked Ava if her friend looks like "Kai-Lan" (from the t.v. cartoon "Ni-Hao Kai Lan"), knowing Ava might not be able to answer if she was Chinese. She said her friend didn't look like Kai Lan. The next day, Ava came home from school, telling me her bus friend is Indian. I asked how she knew her friend was Indian. She said she asked her "Are you Indian?" No beating around the bush there! Ha ha. Not that her ethnicity mattered a bit to me, I was just curious if the little Chinese girl who waves at me from the bus was the friend Ava often talks about. I did explain that to Ava, so she would understand I wasn't trying to be judgemental, just trying to see if her friend was the person looking out the window! :)
I am THAT Mom when Ava comes home. You know, the one with a million questions! What did you eat for lunch...Did you eat all of your lunch... Did you read any books in class... What book did you read... Did you make any new friends today...What are their names... Did you have any special classes today...Where was your apple today on the tree...Did you nap... Did your snack work out well...Did you find the Jolly Rancher I put in your lunch as a special treat for you...Do you have any homework...How was your bus friend's weekend...The list goes on. I want to know as much as possible about everything she experienced! :) Especially when I'm used to talking to her teachers directly at day care. Now I'm getting word from Ava. I'm also hyper-conscious now about how hydrated she is, how much rest she is getting, if she is eating food that will help her in school vs. hinder her, if she is wearing comfortable clothes. Nothing that she is shying away from, but I'm definitely more tuned-in to these things now. I hadn't planned on being that way, but I just want to be sure she is primed and receptive to learning as much as she can every day, without the distractions with which I can help / remove.
We switched up Ava's "dismissal" so she can ride the bus home (instead of going to ASP). It's adorable...she rides the bus home, gets off at the bus stop, and isn't too cool to hold her good old Mom's hand during the entire walk home. How I love holding her hand the entire way. :)
Another outgoing interaction Ava had with her schoolmates... I asked Ava if anyone had been called on to read out loud, or if she knew whether any of her classmates could read. She said yes, that she and two other friends are the only ones that can read in class. :) She is sounding out very simple books at this point, but has read a few books completely with a little help from Mom. I asked how she knew that her friends could read. She said, "I asked them." I was curious, so I said "How did you ask them?" She said "Hi, my name is Ava. Can you read?" It was too funny to hear her tell the story. She said "Most kids said 'No, no, no, no." That they couldn't read. She mentioned that her friend Riley (a boy) and Hannah (girl) could read.
I am so excited to see what this year has in store for Ava. She seems to have adapted beautifully to this exciting new change. The teacher sent home a nice picture of the class, all kids standing on the playground smiling.
The Murdock Elementary
2011 Kindergarten class of Mrs. Mckenzie:
Mckenzie McIntoshes (aka the apple orchard!)
Click on the link below to see a slide show of first week pictures, taken by the teachers:
http://murdock10.typepad.com/mckenzie/2011/08/our-first-week-of-school-1.html
Liam goes to the bus stop with Ava and me every school morning. He enjoys getting to see Matthew, our 7 year-old neighbor. I am excited that I get to now spend one-on-one time with Liam, after we see Ava off on the bus. Since Ava takes the bus so early, I've been able to do flash cards and read more books with Liam. I am hoping that he will learn to read earlier because I am able to work more with him. It made me realize how little one-on-one time I have had with Liam, because Ava has always been around. At first I think it took some getting used to for him (like he was missing out on something), but now I think he enjoys the time. He runs home from the bus stop every morning. :)
We just got a note from the school mentioning our bus will be arriving at 7:07 a.m. starting Friday. Boo. The bus comes at 7:20 now. :( We haven't missed the bus yet. I'm hoping we can keep up this winning streak! (Our neighbor Carine says the car pool lane is a NIGHTMARE at Murdock. :(.)
Here is a fun picture Ava drew before she started school. A self-portrait, complete with her backpack. :) She looks happy!
Peace, love and Mckenzie McIntoshes,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam
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