Tuesday, August 21, 2012

First Grade

Today, we put a first grader on the bus for the first time.  How is that possible?  Has it really been a year since we left her at her Kindergarten door? This year, she didn't need us to take her to school; she asked to ride the bus.  Insisted, actually.  So, on the bus she went, without even a glance backwards. 





It's PE day, so she's wearing her PE uniform.  Notice no cute bow; she complains that a bow just doesn't work under the mandatory sun hat she has to wear.  We compromised with a little braid.  She thinks she's growing her hair out; she has visions of having long pigtail braids by Halloween. I keep trying to gently inform her that it's unlikely, but she insists that her costume requires it. 

Sure, she's still the same kid she was last year, but she's a Real First Grader now, and it's official:  She's growing up, right before our very eyes.   She is a bike rider, a shoe tier, and a chapter book reader.  A joke teller, a glitter lover, a mac and cheese eater.  She is a narrator of stories acted out by paper dolls and her brother.  She is  a cook book reader and an aspiring baker. 
She uses words like "rarity" and "phenomenal", and she uses them properly.  In case you're wondering, an Oreo cookie whose printed side is towards the icing is her idea of a "rarity", and strawberry juice tastes "phenomenal". 

Her current favorite music is 70's, sung Veggie Tales style.  Here's a little sample:


She's looking forward to a great year in first grade, but she wasn't without a little tiny bit of apprehension.  She did ask me last week if she got to go back to Ms. Rachel's class (her Kindergarten teacher) for just a few days to get her 'ready'. Ready?  She's more than ready.

We toured her new campus on Saturday, and she has wondered several times if she'd be able to find her way around.  Since it's new to everyone (and a little bit amazing, I might add), there will be plenty of guides to help her find her way.  She announced at bedtime last night that she didn't know if she would sleep at all:  "There's too much first grade excitement in me!"  She also expressed concern that she might "burp too much out loud in class".  I sincerely hope that this is not an issue, but one never knows when six year olds are involved.

Speaking of her new school, this is her favorite feature:

She's really looking forward to swimming class during PE this year. 

I'm looking forward to this:

Air Con!  And lots of it.  This is the ceiling of the gym/auditorium area.  After way too many outdoor presentations at the old campus last year, I'm no longer dreading going to her school for events. No, these vents didn't make last Saturday's assembly cool, but it wasn't sweltering, either.  I'll take it!

As we prepared to go to her school on Saturday, I reminded her that she had chosen a cute, girly outfit to wear to see her school and meet her teacher and classmates.

"I've changed my mind, Mama.  I'm wearing this!", she announced.
Sigh.  Not what I had envisioned, but she really, really  does love recess. 


So, off she went this morning, with her lunch, summer reading journal, and an American Girl book (to read on the bus) in her backpack. She is, indeed, ready!  I just hope they're ready for her (and of course, that she can keep the burping under control).

I can't wait to hear about her day!

3 comments:

Chelle said...

I shed a little tear...weren't we just bringing them home from the hospital last week? I hope she had a wonderful day....mine is about to burst at the seams for her first day tomorrow!

Jean said...

A beautiful story and a beautiful girl!

Donna said...

How sweet, Kristin! You wrote tht so well. Isn't it crazy how quickly these girls are growing up? I love AK's vocabulary, too:)