First Day of School - 2012

The school year has officially started! 





Ava was so excited to start school this year, as a first-grader at Murdock Elementary.  Liam is in his Pre-Kindergarten year at Lighthouse Academy.  He is excited to be "Big Man On Campus," in the oldest class at Lighthouse, now that the older summer campers are back to school.





We went to Murdock's class list posting party on Friday, August 3rd, to see who Ava's first grade teacher would be.  Ava saw her buddies Issy Lacasella and Ella Wheeler.  They all had to find out what class the other was in; Ava and Issy are in class together.  :)  Ava is in Mrs. Lane's class with 23 other students:

Natalie Alexis Allphin

Mariana Alvarez

Gal Amir (was in kindergarten with Ava)

Caanan True Armour

Klara Blanka Stefania Babinska

Jaret Ian Beck

Janae Veronica Lanoiox Bermudez

Ava Elise Carey

Krista Mary Foley

William Logan Groover

Elizabeth Brooke Katz (is in Girl Scout Daisies with Ava)

Adarsh Krishna

Isabelle Makena Lacasella (was in kindergarten with Ava / is in Daisies, too.)

Nathaniel Martin Long

Taylor Kate McCook

Romil Hitendra Mehta

Alexis Haley Needle

Taylor Mackenzie Owen  (is in Girl Scout Daisies with Ava)

Brennan Arc Renna (the P.E. teacher's son)

Ava Michelle Rocco (who, from what I can tell, will be "Ava R.")

Dana Rose Shekastehband

Carter David Sirota

Samantha Elaine Tener (the computer teacher's son)

Liam Merric Tilden

At first, I was a little concerned, since Ava's class seemed to have the highest number of students enrolled (24).  After speaking with Ava's friend's Mom, I was told that a few first grade teachers don't have any EIP students in them, so they have more students.  (EIP- Early Intervention Program, for those students who might need more help during the school day).  Mrs. Lane also doesn't have a para-pro (student teacher), so I assume her students would need to function well independently, with little assistance.  I think Ava will do fine, but did remind her that she will definitely need to be sure to ask for help, if she needs it, given the number of kids in her class.

I think we probably lucked out, as someone else pointed out.  Mrs. Lane's class consists of the PTA president's daughter, the gym teacher's son (Mr. Renna) and the computer teacher's daughter (Mr. Tener).  Last year the children of Mr. Renna and Mr. Tener were also in the same kindergarten class.  Coincidence?  Probably not.  ;-)

I did think it was pretty funny that Ava is in a classroom with:
2 Ava's
2 Taylors
1 Liam

She is doing so well with reading!  We've read the first Ivy and Bean book, and a few of the Magic Tree House books.  "Ivy and Bean" books seem to be her speed, since they're about two best friends who are girls and the fun they have together.  We will definitely be focusing on comprehension and spelling this year.  She seems to have a knack for reading.

We then attended Murdock's "Meet-And-Greet" the Thursday before school started.  This allows students and teachers to sign-up for PTA, MESF, After-School Program, pay for lunch in advance, sign-up for any after-school extra curricular clubs, find their desk and meet their new teacher / classmates.  We ordered our school supplies through the PTA this year, which was nice.  We shopped for treasure box items at the dollar store.  Ava is signed-up for KidzArt, to take place on Thursday afternoons.  Her BFF Cosette will be attending, as well.  Olivia, our neighbor, will be going, too, so it should be fun!




I'm so excited to see what is in store for Ava this year at Murdock, with Mrs. Lane!  In my first grade journal, I ended every day's journal entry with the phrase "And I love Mrs. Panza."  I hope the same rings true for Ava. :)  Exciting times.

Liam is now in Miss Ebony's pre-k class at school.  I am so thankful!  She is a great teacher.  I'm hoping introducing him to the Abeka reading program is as helpful to him, as it was to Ava.  Pre-K will definitely be more learning and less free play.  I've mentioned to Liam that we need to be sure to learn lots, so he's ready for kindergarten next year.  He will be one of the youngest in kindergarten, since his birthday is in July.  The cut-off here is September 1st.  We've got our work cut-out for us this year!  I'm sure he will do great, though.  I love spending time with him in the morning, after Ava is on the bus, to read and work on motor skills / writing.  It is our special time together. :)

At Lighthouse, he is with the same motley crew, including Aiden, Marissa, Frankie, Kwame, Trey, Taylor.  Amazing how long these little ones have been together!  This has been the only school Liam has ever attended.  It will be nice to have no day care payment next year, and have Liam in "big kid" school.  He was a little sad when he figured out he wouldn't be riding the bus with Ava and Olivia.  Soon enough.  :)

Speaking of the bus, this year the neighborhood bus stop grew from three students to five (Olivia and Meilani are attending kindergarten this year).  You can see the busy-ness of our little neighborhood fairly early in the morning, now.  So we now have a 4th grader (Nicholas Argentis), 3rd grader (Matthew Quinn), 1st grader (Ava) and two kindergarteners (Olivia and Meilani).  Mr. Mike, the bus driver, won 1st in the state "Road-eo" competition, and then went on to win 2nd place in the NATION!  On the first day of school, I congratulated him.  I'm SO thankful we have him transporting our precious cargo to school. 





Peace, love and first-day-of-school excitement,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam

Ava's First Day of School: August 15, 2011

Wow, is our daughter really a kindergartener?  Where did the time go?  It's funny... I didn't start tearing up until Ava's day care principal, who has nine kids of her own, started talking to me about Ava's moving on to greener pastures... I also teared-up a little when walking home from the bus stop, after Ava got on the bus the first day of school.  Totally unexpected!

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

School Orientation: A Day in the Life

As of August 15, Ava will officially be a Murdock Mustang!  It's a great school, so I'm very excited for her. 

On May 3rd, we went to an orientation for all upcoming pre-K kids attending Murdock Elementary.  I was impressed, to say the least!

We were greeted by upper-classmen Student Council members at the entrance to the building.  They walked us to the cafeteria, where the Principal spoke, a Science Teacher, PTA board members, a School Board member and a few others.  We saw a kid-friendly video / cartoon about school and were then split into groups to go on a tour of the school. 

We were given folders that contained a "Bingo" type card.  Ava and all other upcoming Kindergarteners were to place a sticker in the square of the particular place in the school we visited.  We went to the computer lab, Art class, Music Class, Kindergarten Class, got on the bus, visted the school office, nurse's clinic, Media Center, Physical Fitness Class, P.E. Class, went through the lunch line and even got to pick out a snack.  :)  Ava tended to stick close to us, but then when all of the kids went to get on the bus to check it out, she did so by herself.  Doug and I kind of hung back to let her socialize a bit and check out the bus.  She seemed excited about it.

The Kindergarten teacher had checked-out the laptops for her class to use that day.  Boy, have things changed since I was in school.  I think we started using them in 5th grade, and IN the lab.  The Kindergarten class also sang a song to us, something about "We welcome you..."  So it was nice to see that, as well.

I asked Ava what she thought her favorite part might be.  She said everything looked so fun, she couldn't pick.  :)

August will be here before we know it.  It's hard to believe Ava, my sweet baby girl, will be with the big kids at the elementary.  I think I might have a harder time with it than she does!

Peace, love and it's "elementary, my dear Watson..."

Shelly, Doug, the newest kindergartener and Liam

On the way to orientation

Happiness is a bit tempered, here.  ;-)

Getting excited...

On the grand tour of the school...

Pretty excited about this school stuff!

Kindergarten Registration

Printed out forms today to register Ava for kindergarten. It actually made my stomach queasy. I am not this old. I am not this old. I am not this old...