Impressionism

When I picked R up from school yesterday the following display had been added to the large art room in the center of the school. They've been looking at Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting as well as numerous paintings of his and other sources of inspiration, and went forth and made their own creations. Here's a closer-up view of R's.

Self-Portrait

Done by R during her first couple weeks at school.

She LOVES kindergarten!

We got an email from her teacher today in which all the kids said their favorite thing about the week. Here's what they all had to say:

Dear Parents,

It has been a wonderful first week! The children are making lots of new friends and adjusting well. We have been very busy. Thank you to all who attended our home room meeting. It was a great turn out. If you have any additional questions don’t hesitate to contact us. Have a great weekend!

K and T

 "News from the Kids."
R
- I liked Art class this week. I traced things on a folder with stencils and crayons. I also liked playing in the doll house.

Other kids
- I liked singing and meeting new friends. I liked our new Music class. We played with musical eggs and we also sang. I really liked the choo choo song!

- I liked Quiet reading time because I like reading.

- I enjoyed music and art this week. At activity time I enjoyed making pattern pieces, birthday cakes and attendance pencils!

- This week in Spanish we drew a picture of what we did on vacation. I liked it because it was good to be in Spanish class again. I’m glad to be back at school!

-I liked the riddle writing game. I had a buddy that I helped. I helped them write a little bit. I liked guessing who wrote the riddle! 


- I liked training my buddy how to do afternoon jobs. I taught him how we stack chairs.

- I liked writing because it’s my favorite time of the day! I wrote a story about when I went to Ocean City! I got a hermit crab.

-I liked riding in the wagons. My new friend Sofia was pulling me in the wagon. We were pretending. I also liked digging with the trucks in the sand box. We were using the big one to make a big pile!

- I liked going in Art class and making a folder. I also liked playing with the basketballs at recess.

- I liked playing in dramatic play and Art. I also liked playing in the doll house.

- The best things about my week were being with friends and making a beaded bracelet.

- I liked playing in dramatic play because I got to play with baby dolls. I liked making new friends and playing games.

-I liked playing the Get on the Boat game. K or T asked a yes or no question and then the kids got on the boat if the answer was yes. I also liked making my folder in Art.

- I liked making my name bracelet out of beads during Activity time. I also liked Art and All School Meeting.

-I liked Activity time because I liked making Pattern pieces and playing with the doll house. I also liked playing outside.

- I liked when I got to play with my brother outside.

- I liked playing with the big trucks. I made it roll down the slide

- This week I liked making folders in Art class. I liked writing my book that was when we were going to the Baltimore Aquarium. I’m going to share it in Author’s Chair.

- I liked playing outside with new friends, pogo sticks and helping (friend) making basketball episodes.

- I really liked Art and All school meeting this week. I got to sing Puff the Magic Dragon with everyone at the meeting.

Twisty Buns

This is what R's hair looks like when we put it in twisty buns while still wet and let her sleep on it for the night. Of course the curls flatten out over the day and end up being more wavy than curly but it's still a glorious tangle of curls in the morning. She specifically requested this hair do for her first day of school, although you can't see the curls well in the first day of school pictures, so I thought I'd add these photos so you can get a better sense of what her hair is like this morning.

First Day of School

I'm so proud! Here's R all decked out for her first day of school, in a brand-new outfit from Grandma that she absolutely adores.

School Orientation

This past Thursday R had an orientation for her new class. She's going to be in a multi-age class, ranging from 5-year-olds just starting kindergarten to 7-year-olds in second grade. We could not be more excited about the school and her two teachers.

She officially starts on Tuesday, the day after Labor day, but the teachers had the kids come in for an hour to decorate their school tote bags (what R is doing in the first picture) and decorate their mailboxes (what R is doing in the second picture, along with RUS).

Her school offers an alternative curriculum that doesn't include any standardized testing or grades. Instead, students get individualized written reports about their progress and learning. And the two teachers work together as a team for all the instruction. The school fits almost exactly with J's and my educational philosophies, and we're just really excited for her to have this opportunity.

We'll keep you all updated. Today (Saturday) Grammie and I took R shoe shopping so she could get new tennis shoes for the school year. She chose--surprise surprise--glittery pink shoes decorated with butterflies and flowers that light up when she walks.