I have a 1st Grader!!!

Here she is this morning before heading off to school. She was super excited to start the day. Last night we went to the Ice Cream Social at the school. She was a bit sad her best friend, Tess, wasn't in her class but accepted it pretty well when I reminded her she would see her at lunch and at recess.

Steve and I were VERY excited she was accepted into the SEEK room at school. You have to go through an application process and then be recommended for it by your kindergarten teacher. It is a combined 1st and 2nd grade class, there are 2 teachers - 1 for 1st grade, 1 for 2nd grade but they do some work as a whole group and some as individual grades (spelling and math). Reading is group on their reading level, spelling - they have tests on Thursdays and then on Fridays they have a "pre-test". If the 1st grader passes the pretest on Friday, then they are given TWENTY spelling words for the next week vs 10. They are buddied up with a 2nd grader on the 1st day - actually - the desks are arranged with 1st and 2nd graders grouped together in sets of 8 (so 4 1st graders and 4 2nd graders in a group). I highly doubt I will ever hear Isabella tell me she is bored this year! LOL Last year, she was very unchallanged and bored with the work they did and her teacher did give her advanced work to keep her interested. Now, I'm not saying she's the next Einstein by any measure! She was just in a great school in Cincy before we moved here and she learned tons there.

I'm sure it's going to get busy from here on out - well, in 2 weeks. 1st graders won't have much homeowork the first couple of weeks, but after that they will have homework every night except for Fridays - math, spelling and reading homework every night!! Oh, and writing.

Ava and I have had some fun time together today just us two. We went to the gym, then the grocery. I made us lunch and now she is down for the count in Isabella's room/bed.