The start of school is always bittersweet. I'm excited to get back into a routine and get stuff down without the boys underfoot, but I also miss having them around and the carefree summer days. Oh, and I HATE setting the alarm for so early.
First day of 2nd grade and excited!!
The bus gang waiting.
First day of 3rd grade with a new teacher!
The first day of 6th grade, middle school.
New school, new bus, new friends riding the bus.
While everyone had a great start to the school year, Jack's got off to the rockiest. He was supposed to be in all honors classes but at our meet and greet at the school we found out they messed up his schedule and didn't put him into any honors classes. It couldn't be fixed that evening so Jack broke down - he didn't know his teachers, what classroom's he'd be in or if any friends would be in his class. For a child like Jack, that was a huge problem.
They got it fixed by Friday night but he still stressed about not knowing where to go and who he'd know. But he went and found out he had a friend in each class. Yay!
My middle school issues were the structure of it all. I feel by middle school they should have more freedom, but they are still assigned to lunchroom tables with their 3rd period class! For a child of the 70s/80s, I simply don't understand this at all. I remember having two lunch periods and hoping to have at least a friend of two to sit with but at least being able to sit wherever we wanted and also to have the freedom to roam the halls to our lockers, the library, etc. Oh how times have changed.
But I digress....
Things were going great for all the boys. All settling in nicely and then two weeks into school they add a new teacher at the middle school and all of Jack's academic classes get changed. He now longer has a friend in any class. Sigh.
On one hand, REALLY? They already messed his schedule up once! Can't they give the kid a break? And how do you go into a school year without the correct number of teachers? Isn't that something you know prior to the first day of school? But on the other hand I think at least he's two weeks in and understands where to go, what's expected, etc. And it's a good way to force him to meet more new kids.
In between the start of school was still pool time, lacrosse practice and fun nights with friends.
And new for us this year is Jack in the band.
Playing the clarinet.
And how cute is this little one (please don't grow up - at least not too fast).
He tucked his animal friends in next to him on the floor. Carefully making sure they were all on the pillow with the blanket covering them all.
We also got to experience (kind of) the solar eclipse. I'm not too happy with how the school system dealt with it (they were keeping them all an hour late instead of releasing early or cancelling altogether) but in the end, with all the parent complaints and expected absences, they let us pick our kids up early in order to share the experience with them. They also provided all the kids glasses so they could watch safely.
This sweet boy and I watched together (I kept Ethan safely inside since he didn't fully understand or care what was going on).
And Jack went to the pool with all his buddies and their siblings.
We had the first PTA meeting (I'm on the board so we have to attend them) and Ethan LOVED our school mascot. He followed him all around the gym the whole night (and the mascot told me the next time I saw him how much he loved that and how it made his entire night).
We're off to a great school year!
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