Our Little Lady the Ladybug

Mia attended summer school at her preschool in July, but we opted for her to continue in the Early Preschool (Caterpillar) class for the summer.  However, the time has come for her to move on up to the "big girl" (Ladybug) class.  It is a larger class in a larger room for 3 and 4 year olds, but still meets just three mornings per week.  She is excited about this new endeavor, but a bit tentative about leaving her beloved Miss Sharada behind in the Early Preschool.  Needless to say, Mia will have another amazing team of teachers this year in her new classroom, and will be placed in Miss Veronica's small group, which Michael and I feel is a great match for Mia.

Here she is on her first day!  

Happy first day, little Ladybug!

Welcome to 1st Grade!

Luke started first grade this morning.  FIRST grade!  How is that possible?!  I just can't believe how quickly the time has gone.  Here he is on his first day of school.  Clearly, I cannot choose a favorite photo, so here are a bunch.

His teacher invited parents into the classroom this morning as the kids found their desks and settled in.  I also snapped a photo with Luke and his new teacher, Miss Pardini.

Happy 1st day, my sweet boy!  I hope it is a wonderful year for you.

First Day of School

Luke was incredibly (I mean, really, he was over the moon) excited to start school today, which makes me ridiculously happy. I'm so, so glad that he really loves his school, his teachers, his friends ... all of it. In fact, he asked me about 3 weeks ago how many more days it would be until school would start again.

This year he is attending Mandala's afternoon Pre-K (Bumblebee) class with primarily other 4 year olds, most of who will be going off to Kindergarten next year (he is very proud of this "promotion" on the preschool spectrum!). He is going on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and we've signed him up for an extended day so he will be there from 12-4, an hour before the official school afternoon begins, to have lunch and do some extra activities.

"Big Boy" Preschool

Luke had his first day of "big boy" (3-4 year olds) preschool today. It was a modified first day as they only had half of the kids there today so that they got more individual attention. The other half of the class will come Friday, and then everyone starts regular days next week. Luke will be attending Mandala Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9-12.

We went to an orientation last week to meet his teachers and see his new classroom. I was (yet again) blown away by the number of things that are prepared for these kids to do each day. It is like a little oasis for children and I LOVE that we are sending him to such a wonderful place. So peaceful, yet full of adventure and play ... a place that supports academic and emotional growth ... a warm and caring environment full of wonderful, nurturing people. Seriously, it is like walking into a lovely bubble-world.

Here he is this morning on his way to his first day. In the 2nd picture he is showing off his "kissing hand" sticker. So cute ... and growing WAY too fast for his mommy.

First day of preschool

Luke started Early Preschool today at Mandala Children's House. The mandala is a universal symbol representing wholeness and harmony, and it was chosen as the name for this school because it symbolizes the commitment to the development of the whole child.

He will be going Tuesday and Thursday mornings this year. We are so excited for him and this opportunity, and were so happy to find such a wonderful, nurturing place right in our own neighborhood. He is in a class of about 15 two-year olds, and 4 teachers.

Luke's daily schedule will look like this:
9:00 - Story time
9:10 - Work time (children do individual, self-selected "jobs" with assistance from teachers)
10:05 - Clean up, wash hands, potty
10:15 - Snack time
10:30 - Small group time (children are in groups of 3-4 by age, working with a teacher on a common task)
10:50 - Music and movement
11:05 - Playground time
11:30 - Dismissal

Today Luke took this picture to school as his first "homework assignment," which was to bring in a picture of your family (we decided capturing Linus and Brooklyn would be a BIT too difficult, so the three of us is what they got!).


Today went pretty well. Luke cried when Mommy left, as we sort of anticipated. However, the staff was back and forth every few minutes to check on the children and give the parents updates, and Luke was just fine after about 5 minutes. He seemed to enjoy the rest of the day and even drew this fabulous picture, which he later described to me as being "For Mommy," "Orange circles," and "A blue dog saying 'woof, woof'" (as if it wasn't entirely clear already!).