Can you believe that summer is coming to an end? It seems like just yesterday I was lamenting over sending my soon-to-be-first-grader to summer camp and here we are at the start of the new school season.
Where has this summer gone!?!
sigh.
School starts officially tomorrow for us and not only is it First Grade but for my sweet boy - it is a new school. A new school you ask? Yes, it is a new school.. It seems that our move this summer put us just shy for the cut off for the school he went to for kindergarten. Like, a dozen or less houses shy of the border. I'm upset; he is excited. I love that about him.
How are we getting ready? Besides the normal trip to the store for school supplies and new underwear we are taking field-trips to the new school. Checking out the school before going there for the first day has him even more excited. Since, I found out a week ago that he would be attending this other school I took advantage of a weekday off (which I took to be with him on his actual birthday) and took him to the new school to play at the playground.
Yes, this seems like such a simple thing but it was nice to be there to get a feel of the new grounds. They happen to have a day camp there
so while he got to play for a little while without other kids and it
was just us it was an added bonus to see the playground filled with
kids. All of the kids where older and none wanted to play with him
because they had their cliques it was not long for him to team up with
another boy who was not part of this group. Turns out... he will be a
first grader at this school, too.The best part, so far about this new school? The swing set. His "old" school did not have one. Odd seeing as the school itself is new but... The school he will be going to I use to walk by every single day on my way to school and I wanted more then anything to swing on those swings. Our school did not have a playground. We had a parking lot and two basketball hoops, minus the nets, of course. I went to Catholic school and playground equipment was never in the budget. I swung on the swings with him while we were there that day.
A great tip that I learned... pack an extra sweet treat to share with a new friend. Oddly enough, he won't eat that little extra treat if he does not give it away and I only do this the first week back to school and the first day back from winter break. Something to break the ice and never anything with nuts.
Another tip that I will share that I had to do was to soak my dried looking baby carrots in water for a few hours. I noticed that the carrots that I just bought where looking dry (white and shriveled could be another way to say it) and I knew they where good. Well, baby carrots are just carrots that are shaved to shape them into bite size goodness and they just need a little re-hydration to make them looking tasty again.
Lunch box notes seem to be a given so I make a few up a head of time and can't help but chuckle every so often at the preschool teacher that told me that my boy got made fun of because I use to draw on his baggies that I used to pack his carrots and sandwich. Yes, you read that right. Prior to using reusable containers I packed his lunch using baggies - oh and my son's preschool teacher said that the other kids teased him because I doodled on the baggies. I think she was just jealous that she did not think to write a note telling her children that she loved them but I digress...
I still can't get over that it is all ready school time but it is and all though I am a little sad that it is a new school... this is also a fresh start for me and another chance to more involved. All though I was pretty active in my son's room and I am pretty proud of my little "Volunteer Parent" award now I will try to broaden my reach. I will get out of my comfort zone, do more for the school as a whole and maybe, just maybe actually attend a PTA meeting and not just pay my dues.
How do you or did you get ready for school?
