School Update

It's been awhile since I've updated the blog. I don't have any new pics- so here's our news.

Ryan: He LOVES school, and I love this new pre-school he's going to. He's learning so much, and having so much fun. He gets a whole hour of outdoor play every day, which probably is why he's taking a nap every day. He still is getting about 10 hours of sleep at night too.

Rebecca: Rebecca likes school...I think. She's a hard nut to crack. I get feedback from her in bits and pieces, when she's in the mood the share. Her teacher sends home positive comments and reports that "she is a pleasure to have in her class." I can't say she's been "a pleasure to have at home" lately, so I'm guessing she must be pretty happy at school.

Good news: I really like her teacher a lot. I've volunteered to stuff the Friday folders, in part so I can spend a few minutes with the teacher and observe the class. I like what I see and hear and I'm very glad that Rebecca is in this class, and I expect that she will have a great year there. Interestingly, her class is really diverse. Really diverse. She is the only caucasian girl in her class actually. There are kids in her class from at least 6 different ethnic groups. Only one child doesn't speak English as a first language though. Rebecca has only made one comment about this - she is fascinated that some kids in her class know how to speak other languages, such as Korean, Spanish and Farsi. I signed her up for Spanish class after school on Wednesdays (our short day here) and she totally loved her first class.

Challenges: 1) Although we had a state mandate that K-2 classes were to be limited to 18 students beginning this year, the state also cut the school budget significantly, and didn't provide any funding for things like hiring more teachers or building more classrooms in order to accomodate the state mandate. So, the mandate got "relaxed." Rebecca's class had 24 students in it until last week. Another Kindergarten teacher had 26. All 6 teachers had at least 23. Another Kindergarten teacher was hired and a Kindergarten class was created in a mobile unit behind the school. Happily, 4 kids were transferred from Rebecca's class, including a little boy who repeatedly told Rebecca that he hated her, and picked fights with her on a regular basis. The class seems soooo much quieter and in control now that there are only 20 kids in the class.

2) Rebecca is having a tough time adjusting to the school schedule. Like me, she is not a morning person, and it takes her a long time to get going in the morning. We need to leave the house no later than 7:20 each morning, and have found that we need to start working on her to get up around 6:15 in order to make it out the door on time. Because school starts so early, her class eats "lunch" from 10:30-10:45. I have learned to pack more food in her lunch box than she will eat at one sitting, because she is so hungry when I pick her up at 1:45. This way, she can snack on her leftovers while waiting for me. She eats a big meal when we get home around 2:15 or so after picking up Ryan. As many of you know, Rebecca gets overstimulated more easily than other kids, and she is burned out after school. Often she cries or screams and has a temper tamtrum for about 30-45 minutes after school until she gets fed, and involved in a quiet, solitary activity to calm down and redirect herself. Tough adjustment for the whole family on that note...

We are really enjoying the cooler weather now- and October is always a busy busy month in Gainesville. Lots to see and do, so I'll probably be updating the blog more often in the next few weeks.