School Snippets

I have so many wonderful school updates to share!  Both children are thriving at school this year, and Luke and Leah have received some exciting accolades.  In September, Leah was chosen as the Terrific Kid for her class.  Terrific Kids are recognized for modeling good citizenship, effort, respect, responsibility, and caring for others.  We are SO proud of our little peanut, who came such a long way from her tears and anxiety in the beginning of September to receiving this special honor for her very first month at elementary school.  Leah was also chosen as a Super Colt for the first academic quarter of the school year, received a ribbon, and was on the school's Morning Show.  Super Colts demonstrate strong academics, cooperation with peers, respect for teachers and friends, and embody the positive character traits at Oak Ridge Elementary.    

September Kindergarten Terrific Kids!

This smile says it all!

ORES principal giving Leah her Terrific Kid Award. 

A couple of weeks ago, we were notified that Leah was chosen as a Terrific Kid for the month October... I re-read the e-mail a couple of times, confused, until I realized that Leah was nominated by the Art Teacher.  When we went to the awards ceremony, the principal told everyone that the Art Teacher is allowed to pick ONE Terrific Kid out of the 750 students in the school, so Leah should be very proud.  We were speechless.  I know that I am biased about my darling little girl and the joy that she brings to everyone she meets, but it is affirming to know that her teachers feel the same way and are recognizing that she truly is extraordinary.    

Look how tall my baby is compared to the other kindergartners!

Luke receives letter grades for the first time this year, and was on the all "A" Honor Roll for the first quarter.  I loved seeing this self-portrait when I went to Luke's class last month for a parent-teacher conference.  Luke has a wonderful 3rd grade teacher, who had all positive things to say about our special little boy, and called him a "terrific role model" for his peers. 

Our self-proclaimed bookworm has his nose in a book for hours each day and is still so eager to learn new things.  This picture captures Luke's love of reading.  Even at soccer games, our little man reads every chance he can:

 Luke worked very hard this fall to prepare for his school Spelling Bee, and his efforts were rewarded as he was runner-up for his class last week.  Luke has always been a self-taught learner, and I was thrilled to see that he was motivated to participate in the Spelling Bee and that his hard work paid off.  Congratulations to our Spelling Bee k-i-d! 

Then there are the special days where you get to stay at home with Mommy since you are recovering from a virus and can't return to school until you are fever free for 24 hours...  I took this sweet guy to Firehouse Subs for lunch on his sick day (but he felt completely fine), and he declared that it was the "BEST RESTAURANT!".  Seriously, the cutest lunch date ever.

 I love this photo of the kids doing homework... One afternoon, they decided that it would be fun to sit in the front seat of the car and complete their assignments.  Too, too cute! 

I am at school several days each week too, as I volunteer weekly in Leah's classroom, help with PTO events, and serve as Kindergarten Room Mom.  Lest you wonder what a "Room Mom" does, here are some photos from the class Thanksgiving feast last week, which will show you: 

How lucky am I to be able to put my energy into these fun school events for my kiddos!  Sometimes my "job" even involves multiple photo texts to Mark while he is at work asking him if my school projects are "Pinterest Fails" or acceptable.   When I asked him if he knew what these were supposed to be, he wisely replied, "Yummy?"... and assured me that 5 year-olds don't care if my chocolate-pretzel turkey legs don't look exactly like the picture in the magazine.  

With all of this fun at school, it's no wonder we sleep well at night!

Sweet dreams, precious babies!