School Update ...

Family Night at School - Focus on Movement

Samantha on the mini trampoline - Joey and Charlie playing twister - Charlie and Sam using the binoculars and Jay being Jay (chasing a ball!)

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The first term of the new year is over and I happy to report that the ladies are making us proud. What follows here will be praise for the ladies in school and proud parent moments - so feel free to skip this section if you are looking for anecdotes....I gotta brag on my ladies!

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Rachel (8th grade) is testing the academic waters by choosing the accelerated tract and has found, all on her own, that the harder classes are more work, but, are more rewarding. She commented to me the other day that she likes being in a class with kids who are eager to learn and want to succeed. Rachel is finding that the accelerated classes make her want to excel, and that makes Mom and Dad thrilled. Thrilled.

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Samantha (7th grade), meanwhile is on fire! Always the athlete, school was never her thing. No more. With the best report card of her seven years in school, Samantha has already decided on the accelerated tract for her eighth grade year and has her sights set high. Fantastic. On a side note, Samantha has two of the same teachers that Rae had last year - English and math. At parent teacher conferences, both of these women told me how amazingly different our daughters are. Since Rae excels in English and suffers through math, and Samantha suffers through English and excels at math, it is hard to believe they both came from the same gene pools.

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Charlotte (3rd grade) is right up there with the grades. She is above grade level on every test and loves every subject at school. Her teacher's only complaint was that Charlotte would rather be chatting with her friends or chasing them on the playground than reading her lesson. Her head is not in her book - it's out the window, watching the wind in the trees. Ahhhh, youth. There's a time and a place for everything. I was especially proud when Charlotte's teacher gave her high praise - Charlotte, says her teacher, has amazing manners. She consistently says yes ma'am and no thank you. It warms my heart. It probably goes something like this: teacher - Charlotte, please pay attention. Charlotte - Yes ma'am. And repeat; all day long.

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Josephine (1st grade) had not a single mark lower than a 3 - which is the best you can get. She scored so high on all her standardized tests that she doesn't have to do them again all year. She's already hit the scores they expect by the end of the year. Way to go, Joey! Her teacher had great comments, too; she's social, she's a leader and she thrives in the classroom.

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These pictures are from a family night at the elementary school - they have these each term to let the kids come play educational games and bring their families out to the school. Plus, they serve popcorn and hot dogs, which is a big draw when you are 7 and 8 years old.....