The time has finally arrived for Helen Grace to start “school.” We decided on a two day a week (Tues-Thurs) program at Maples Memorial Methodist Church in Olive Branch from 9:00-2:00. The church is close to home and Grandma’s, and I know the director of the program from childhood.
Tuesday was a come and go Open House, and I was under the weather and couldn’t go. Grandma and Peggy took her, and I just sat in bed and cried and cried. Helen Grace, on the other hand, had a grand time and loved it. Her teacher, Mrs. Maureen, is from Long Island and hit it off tremendously with Peggy and Jeanne, and most importantly, she really seems to love her kiddos. HG was impressed with the toys in the room and the playground. She is one of only three girls in the class I believe (eek!), but she bonded instantly with a little girl named Rylie who also is in love with princesses. HG also noticed that there was a girl who was shy at the Open House and talked about wanting to be her friend on Thursday.
On Thursday, the first real day of school, John was out of town, so I was able to take HG to Grandma’s that morning. She was surprisingly willing to wear the clothes I picked out for her and let me take some pictures of her, so the day got off to a great start! She was so excited about going to school, and it took me forever to convince her that she couldn’t fit in her car seat with her backpack on. She wore it proudly into Grandma’s and pranced around the house and even across the yard to show Nini and Teddy.
On the way to school, she asked Grandma and Peggy if they were going to stay with her that day, but she seemed ok when they responded that they had to go to the dentist. She happily walked into school and was the first one there. She got to catch up with Mrs. Maureen (which comes out Mrs. Reen) and then was the welcoming committee to the other kids. By the time class was ready to start, Grandma and Peg tried to get their hug and kiss, but she basically shooed them out of the room.
I was DYING at work to get a call from Grandma after 2:00, and after the minutes and hours crawled by, it was finally time for a report on the day! She did GREAT and loved it. Her daily report card gave her smiley faces for all but one thing- a straight face for participating in all group activities. I can completely understand that after watching her take weeks to warm up in dance class this summer. I was pleased that she helped clean up, followed directions, was nice to others, and used her table manners. Can you believe that she actually SAT ON THE POTTY??? AND told the teacher that she did that all the time at home??? As Jeanne said, it’ll be worth the price of tuition JUST for help with potty training! She laid down and was quiet during naptime, but she didn’t fall asleep until ten minutes before the end of class. She was OUT by the time Grandma arrived, and Jeanne had to sling her over her shoulder to carry her to the car. She ended up waking up in the heat and sunshine and slept no more the rest of the day.
I’m thankful for the info that Jeanne got from Mrs. Maureen about her day because all we can get from HG is that she played on the slide and seesaws and chased some boys (or they chased her- I’m not sure how that played out). She made a handprint with a poem for me too (which of course I cried when I read), and I’m starting to sense that I’m going to have a hard time not keeping every single piece of artwork that she brings home. I have a serious attachment problem (which is going to create a storage problem too)!! Here’s to a great *first* school year!
No comments:
Post a Comment