Kindergarten Chronicles, Day 6

Day 6
Went well. After her dentist trip, she opted to draw teeth yesterday morning, and brought her artwork to class. The teacher put it up on the bulletin board in the classroom. This morning the teacher told me that after their last class period of the day they have about 10 minutes "down time" during which she ends up showing the kids what others brought in, like E's pictures. In winter, this 10 minutes will be used to get the kids suited up to go home, but, for now, she said it's the perfect opportunity to do a sort of show and tell, talk about the day, and regroup the kids. She said they talk about stuff, show what they brought, stuff like that. It was cute to hear that.

Last night was a parents' night where the principal spoke to the parents for about 30 minutes, then the parents went to their kids' classrooms and went over curriculum and classroom particulars for another 30. We got the school calendar, and other information about the school discipline and behaviour code, curricular goals, and expectations of the families. This is very interesting to me, to be honest. This new principal (not new to the district, just to the school) has an agenda and is on a mission to implement positive changes. We are an opt-out school and the overall test scores for the school are very low with the changes in the ISAT test a few years ago, as well as other factors. He has implemented an entire 1/2 day dedicated to literacy (reading/writing/etc) and a full hour of instruction in math - every single day, from K-5. This is just the minimum expectation for each, and more time is given as needed. He emphasized the importance of reading at home every day, and the importance of family involvement in the kids' education. Reading is a key factor in his goals, and he certainly has a positive vibe about himself. He's gently spoken, but not wussy, and is serious about raising not only the school's overall test scores, but, raising the bar in all categories in the school. This makes me very, very happy. In talking with E's teacher this AM, she said she likes him, and there's a good vibe. She said he's out to make good changes and she is pleased with the way things are going. I mentioned staff retention, and she thinks that won't be an issue. Good!! She is impressed, herself, with him and his plan, and his implementation. Yeah!!

This principal was at a different school in the district for the last 8 years, bringing them to blue ribbon status. He's been wanting to get to our school for quite some time, from what I've heard, and our school has had five principals just since Ethel was born. With the changes, many academic goals for the school were not set, were missed, or were just overlooked. This guy is in for the long haul and wants to make the school on par with others in the district, and that's something that excites me to no end. Makes me want to get really involved to help meet those goals. Some things that I wish we could change are the number of homeless (veiled undocumented), non-English speaking, and (very) low income students, but I know that is not something the school can change. This is my own personal bias, but it is a majority of what is keeping the school's performance at a level that is not quite in line with the rest of the district. I have never seen so much push and talk encouraging all families to apply for free/discounted lunches. There are soooo many kids who get the free/discounted lunches, it's mind boggling to me. The school boundaries include some seriously low income apartments, too, where a good percentage of the student population live. I think the principal recognizes the needs of the students and families and is rallying the staff to try to get the families more involved.

Anyway...

So we heard the principal's message and loved it. Daddy sat in with the teacher as I had to relieve the sitter, and she basically went over the classroom operations and such. We got a nice packet of stuff, including picture day info which will be Sept 14th. All in all, a great parent night.

Kaitlin had another good day yesterday.  Ethel claims to not have enough time to eat all her food, so the last two days has only asked for string cheese and a dessert. Um, whatever kid. Today I packed 1/2 a PB&Nutella sammie, string cheese, yogurt, and a 100 cal pack of Grasshoppers. Turns out her teachers gets them to the cafeteria, opens containers and milks, then leaves them to their lunches. At least I know she gets her milk opened for her, which is nice. I have to admit sometimes *I* can't open those damn things. I also told Ethel this morning that she needs to be quicker when she eats, to which I got a resounding, "But Mommy, there's still not enough time". Blah blah blah, kid - step it up and eat!!

Either way, her teacher is pleased with her responsibility, her attentiveness, and eagerness to learn, as well as her skill with drawing. I briefly met the art teacher last night who is now looking forward to meeting and instructing Ethel this year. Ethel also reminded me of her love for music last night, and how much she enjoyed music class yesterday. Yeah!!

I'm really excited about this school year. The principal said this isn't "another" school year, this is a *new* year, and we all have a renewed effort to make the school a better place to learn and thrive. I'm quite happy.