There wasn't any time to relax before school started. We got home late Saturday night and school started on Wednesday (and Nathan had to go in on Tuesday). We ran around on Monday morning to doctors appointments (Jared and Savannah both required immunizations and physicals) and then to the schools to turn in address verification and complete enrollment. Nathan went and talked to a counselor and picked out classes on Monday.
The best part about the first day of school for the kids was probably wearing t-shirts, shorts, and tennis shoes! They didn't miss their school uniforms in England. We have kids at 3 different school this year. Nathan is a freshman at the High School, which is within walking distance. Jared is a 7th grader at the Junior High, to which he rides a city bus (they don't have public school buses, but the city buses are just for the school kids in the morning and afternoon.) I didn't even drive him over on the first day, because I knew how crazy it would be at the school. Jared didn't have any trouble taking the bus, even on the first day.
Owen (4th), Weston (2nd), and Savannah (K) are at the elementary school, which is also within walking distance. It wasn't a big deal for Savannah to go to Kindergarten since she did school in England last year. She actually is ahead, being able to fulfill the K requirements already. She knows all her colors and letters and can count to at least 100. She writes her name and several other words. She is already starting to read. I think this year is going to be a fun one for her, mostly a social year. She is so smart! She loves her new friends.
We decided to let Weston do a remedial year, supposedly much of the same things he was learning last year in England. He was in the equivalent of 2nd grade there, with peers his same age. Coming back to the same school he was at in Kindergarten and having struggled last year, we decided not to put him in 3rd grade. We kept him with his same peer group from Kindergarten. He seems to be doing well this year, and he has some of the prettiest writing. He learned cursive in England, so he has some neat bubbly letters.
Owen was a little disappointed to not get in the same class with his best buddies, but he has quickly made new buddies (and still keeps up with his other friends at lunch and recess). He got put in a 3rd/4th combo class, which I don't like as much, but it seems to work okay. He has already charmed his teacher. He is great at math and has the reputation for being the math whiz. His classmates like to call him the human calculator.
I started volunteering in the classes this year, since I don't have any kids at home during the day now. I'm the co-room parent for Savannah's class and help in her class every Tuesday morning. I also do the Friday folders for her class. I help in Weston's class for a little bit on Wednesday morning (editing the kids' writing - I do follow the rules better there than I do here on my blog. I know I get a little sloppy and less formal with my writing sometimes!) I help with Owen's class on Friday morning, leading a reading group.
Savannah gets out 1 hour and 20 minutes before the other grades, so I have to pick her up. But she walks to school with Owen and Weston every day. It's so cute to see them walking together, especially when Owen is holding Savannah's hand. He's very protective of her. Despite our goal to arrive early and have a little play time before school starts, they often are running out the door 5 minutes before school starts. One day I know I will miss their little bobbing heads disappearing around the corner.
Managed to get some festive pancakes made the first day of school...
Nathan had to change his school schedule a few times the first week, due to basketball. We had tried to send a couple of e-mails inquiring about how to participate in sports, but got no response. Apparently it was too late to join the soccer team, so then he wanted to do basketball. Nathan had to hunt down the basketball coach that first week. When he was able to start practicing with the team, that took the place of PE. But then the revised schedule was stacked with all the toughest classes for the year in one semester. He had Physics AP, Honors Math, Spanish, and English the next semester, with only Health, Woodworking, Computer Science, and Basketball the first semester. He switched Health and Physics around to get a better balance.
Nathan started training with the basketball team the first week of school, but official try-outs for the team weren't until October. He worked really hard, knowing that there were at least 20 boys wanting to make the team (with only about 12 spots). One afternoon he came home filthy, with dirt all over his face and elbows. Apparently they did planks on the track and all kinds of conditioning in the grass!
After the first couple weeks of afternoon practices, they moved the practices to the early morning (due to lack of gym space) so he had to be at practice from 6:00-7:30am every morning. It was unfortunate because Nathan started going to early morning scripture study (seminary) at 6:30am at the church this year. He wasn't able to go to that anymore. Since basketball is his 4th period class, he started getting home about 1:45, so Nathan and I did home study for seminary together for about a month or so (from 2:00-2:50pm). He still has some early morning practices, but not every day, so he still goes to seminary whenever he can.
It was exciting when Nathan did make the team! He even had an obstacle along the way, which I somewhat created for him. Early on, there was a night for the parents to meet the coaches and ask any questions. The only question I had was what the kids would do about their 4th period class if they didn't make the team. The coach said they would have to find another class (which seemed odd to me that they would start another class mid-semester, but whatever). Anyway, I think the coach took my question as somewhat of my doubting that he was good enough to play on the team or maybe not completely committed. I'm not sure, but shortly after, the coach pulled him aside and asked Nathan if he wanted to continue until the try-outs or if he wanted to find another class. Nathan said he wanted to keep playing of course! I was annoyed that the coach asked him that - maybe he was looking for an easy out since some kids would have to be cut from the team. Regardless of the seeming lack of confidence from the coach, Nathan stuck with it and worked hard to make the team. Seeing his name on the roster was a pretty exciting moment, because we weren't sure what Nathan's status was after that earlier incident. Nathan was already at a disadvantage too, because practices had started in the summer. He missed all the summer practices and was having to start from scratch on the conditioning and such.
Weston caught up with his best buddy Brandon from Kindergarten. They had a big hug for each other, but I missed getting a video of it. Unfortunately, Weston and Brandon didn't get in the same class this year, but they have a "gang" at lunch and recess.
Savannah became good friends with our neighbor, William, this year. I snapped this picture of her waiting for him one day. She sat out there for over an hour waiting for him to come home. I told her he probably had something else after school that day, but she was content to sit and wait for him!
