Last Day of Kindergarten!!!

I cannot believe 180 school days (or less due to snow days they have chosen not to make up) have passed any Baylor is on his way to becoming a 1st Grader! 

 Here is is a few short months ago on his first day.

And now, a bit older, wiser, and a beginning student.  

On the way to COF, he was looking cool and collected for his last day.  It was a half day for most of the school but AM Kindergarten actually had to stay longer until the rest of the school was done.  

I was not able to take off in the afternoon but we did go out for ice cream after I picked him up from COF.  We went to Oak Grove for some fruit and veggies.  They have a wonderful ice cream case with some featured flavors from a local dairy. But this time he went with mint chocolate chip.  

We had to go for dessert first so we could waste some time before going to Toyko Diner for dinner with Gloria.  She is done with work at 6 and I pick him up at 4:45.  We were there early but I was able to order for her so they seated us at the table.  There were two other families there, both with boys.  One was a three year old going on four and was having a hard time.  Being me, I started to engage him with Baylor and with me and by the time dinner was over, he was our new best friend. We encouraged him to use the cheater chop sticks and was showing off his skills with his broccoli and chicken.  I don't know why I do that but I love helping out parents by distracting their kids for them.  

Mrs Murray gave all the kids stickers and Baylor's ended up on his pants.  Dinner was fun and delicious.  And with a table of little boys, the fire was the best part!  

We gave Mrs Murray nail polish as a gift with a gift tag like this. Baylor picked out the colors which are not like the colors below.  He was more into darker and brighter shades.  And I sent three pieces of clothes for her baby which is due in July.  

Kindergarten Field Day

I signed up to volunteer for Field Day as I did not want it to be cancelled due to lack of volunteers,  It turns out it was just me and Leigh Ann but apparently that was enough.  I thought we would be setting up games Mrs. Murray had planned but she showed us the cart of game parts and some ideas she had for them and then it was up to us to figure out the rest.  Well, I am good with games and had some ideas and Leigh Ann did as well. Between the two of us we made four game stations with room for another for Mrs. Murray.  The play ground was a bit wet in places but we used two four square sites to set up a water relay.  A bin with water on one end and an empty one on the other side of the site.  She had the kids divided up into two groups and we did the relay first.  They had to fill their cup and get the water into the empty bin.  Most of the kids thought speed was the key but I kept telling them slow and steady would win this race.  The faster they went, the less water in the cup and the more they splashed dumping the water into the other bin.  We did three relays and team One won twice.  

Landon loves camo and I tease him all the time that I cannot see him.  It eventually came off because it was pretty swampy.  

I love Kartikey's winning look while Baylor raced against him.  

Then we split the teams and I had team Two first.  We did a bean bag toss, without any real goal other than to get a bean bag in one of the circles we drew on the other two four square sites.  We made the circles smaller the further out they were and there was no point system.  And they had to retrieve their bean bags, I was not running willy nilly after them.  

I was at Kid Writing last Friday and worked with Lydia a lot (the girl in the purple) Her mom's name is Heidi and well and Lydia told me they are moving this summer so she won't be at Lower Allen next year.  I asked her where she was going to school and she said she did not know only that it had a scary eagle. 

The other game we had set up was to build the tallest cup tower in one minute.  Some kids went for big bases and others just stacked them up one on top of the other.  So many fell over in the last few seconds, mostly due to a breeze.  

Landon, sans camo hoodie.  

Mrs Murray did anchor word races on the concrete. 

And Leigh Ann held the hula hoop event on the US map. She sent me a video of him hooping because he always says he cannot do it.  

Lower Allen Open House

After I picked up Baylor from COF we headed to the elementary school for Open House.  We were the first parents there and I was able to talk to Mrs Murray for a bit. Baylor called a schoolmate a Ding Dong the week before and he came home with a note and frowny face on his homework sheet. I asked him why he said it, he said he thought it would be funny.  I had to send a note back to Mrs Murray telling her why he said he said that, that we talked about it not being funny, and that at home we do call each other silly names, but never to belittle.  On Wednesday I was leaving COF and heard one of the older boys call another boy a ding-dong while they were playing. I asked him if that is where he heard that word. He said maybe!  I told her about that at the Open House and that I had also told Baylor that even adults try to be funny at times and fail.  She had the kids writing books from October and from April so we can compare how far they kids have improved in the last six months.  For the kids it was like Old Home Week, they waited excitedly in the hall jumping up and down when they spied a classmate coming in.  You would never had guessed they were all there together a few hours ago.  

Molly is Baylor's new girlfriend, though I am not sure Molly knows that.  I told her parents about it and they were unaware of the situation.  See Max in the hallway on the lookout for more kids?  

Baylor showed me his strawberry which he had made into a ninja turtle, which Mrs Murray said was one of the more creative as most of the kids just glued on foam shapes and googly eyes.  

There was more work in the hallway as well.  The kids also walked us down to the music room but the music teacher was not in there, just the art teacher who shares the room with her.  

What he really wanted to do was play and thankfully some of the other kids did as well and the parents obliged.  I think I was out there almost as long as I was inside at the Open House.  Until the lightening started and then we left!  I cannot believe they have only six weeks left!  

Valentine's For Kindergarten

Friday was the Valentine's Party at Kindergarten.  We gave Mrs. Murray hand cream and sanitizer with penguins on them.  She loves them like we do.  

And we had Guardians of the Galaxy and My Little Pony cards with Valentine's pencils.  I also sent in decorate your one heart shaped cookies.  I had two cookies per child, with extras, a few containers of sprinkles and white, pink and chocolate frosting for each table.  The room teacher said they were a hit.   

Wee Mail

I will be the first to admit I am the worst at reading all the papers Baylor brings home and getting everything done on time or complete.  Apparently the first two weeks of the month was some Wee Mail event.  I read it on the second week and after Baylor had received a letter from Kartikey.  So we did our part and responded to him.  Baylor drew a picture of them together and then wrote him a nice letter.  We put it in an envelop and sent it to school in his folder.  

First Report Card

When I left work there was a bank of clouds blocking out the setting sun.  It was very dramatic and beautiful  

And still beautiful when we got home.   

Baylor brought home his first report card.  He is doing very well in everything, nothing needs improvement.  I found it funny that under his work habits he exceeds expectations in Accepts responsibility for behavior.  I often hear that and that he will apologize to a teacher later for how they or he was behaving. Awwwwww

Parent Teacher Conference

At 10 am Gloria and I met with Mrs Murray for our first parent teacher conference. We had to sit in the little chairs because that is apparently all they have in the room.  Baylor is doing well and is on track with his learning. She went over the testing they did with the kids and showed us what he struggled with (identifying the teen numbers by sight, but they have not learned them yet anyway).  She showed is their first writing book from October and the one from November and there was a noticeable difference in just the one month.  I talked to her about how I see he is a memorizer and I worry he is not really learning things, just remembering what we read the night before. She said that just be the way he learns but will watch for that now.  We had received his physical ed evaluation and he was struggling with skipping and galloping. Apparently he has my coordination, or lack there of!!  I snapped a few photos of his cubby and the projects in the hall.   All the kids have a kit with their crayons and pencils.  

I really think he meant he was thankful for his Meme but it says money.  I have never heard him say that but maybe another child put that on theirs so he did as well.  

We had homework to decorate a turkey.  He told me he wrote his turkey is stylish.