End of School Happenings

Last week marked Dane's last days of kindergarten. The end of our first year in public school. Overall, it was a good year. Dane had a great year, I think the biggest adjustments were for Brandon and me. Getting used to a school schedule, driving Dane to school on time in the mornings, being home to meet the bus in the afternoons, and keeping up with nightly homework were more of a challenge for the parents than it was for the student. There were nights when homework got missed, when I got home from work at 8pm and Brandon had the kids and had to be up at the church for something until bedtime. Nights when Brandon and Dane stayed up till 10 finishing a project for the next morning. I am SO GLAD that I have a husband who lives and breathes for creative school projects. Because I am so not that mom. I am the mom who forgets to send anything for teacher appreciation week, and instead it becomes a "Last Day of School" gift.

I am so proud of how much Dane has learned this year. Over the last several days of school, Dane came home with all kinds of projects and activities that he has been working on over the last few months. One of which was a journal that he has been writing in and drawing pictures. A few of my favorite entries:

"I like my litle sister. She is kyuwt. I help her."

"I love basckitball. It is fun. I alwase loos but I de a good sport. I love wen I get a gole."

"every time I go to my Granpol's house. And chek my hite. I love going to my Granpol's."

And my personal favorite:

"I like my dad he is cool. He is as cool as my mom. They are The best."

We also got a reading assessment from his teacher. In January, Dane was reading on a 1st grade level, according to their assessment tool. In May, Dane was reading on a 4th grade level. Good grief. Wednesday he had Show and Tell, and took Baby Puppy. I love that he's not yet too cool to bring a ratty little stuffed puppy to Show and Tell for all his friends to see. He finished the school year without glasses, only because they have broken twice during the school year, and he seems to have no trouble reading or doing schoolwork without them. He will go to the eye doctor in June to see if he still needs to wear them.

On Thursday, the last day of school, one of the things he brought home was a yellow piece of paper with a shiny yellow glass marble glued to it, the kind that sometimes people put in the bottom of clear vases and use as centerpieces. Written on the paper was this poem, which I read aloud to Dane when he got off the bus for the last time as a kindergartner:

This is your Super Kid Stone,

To keep close to your heart.

So all your Kindergarten memories,

Will never be apart.

If you hold it to the sunshine,

You can see Ms. G's smile.

If you hold it to your heart,

You'll feel her warm hug for a while.

Place it beneath your pillow,

To dream of all your friends.

If you keep your stone forever,

You'll know Kindergarten never ends.

So if you're ever lonely,

Just hold your Super Kid Stone.

Remember all the fun we had,

And know you're not alone!

I looked at my big boy after I had finished reading it, and he said to me in a breaking voice, "If I hold it to the sun I'll see Ms. G's smile." And then he buried his little face in my shoulder and cried and cried, tears rolling down his little cheeks. Then he jumped up and ran to get his swimsuit on, because swim team practice stops for no one.

Not even little boys who I think will miss kindergarten very much this summer.