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The monkeys had their first day at their new school today. Meet Snowden's newest green dogs.
Last year we made the decision to take them out of Evergreen Montessori and move them into a traditional school. We absolutely loved our time at EMS and are still big fans of Montessori education, but they were ready for a change.
We spent the weekend running what seemed like hundreds of errands. Buying uniforms, school supplies, messenger bags, new shoes, and food for lunches was exhausting, but it also got the boys really excited.
We went to an orientation for new students on Saturday and learned all about their new school. We also learned about free breakfast, which Jiro couldn't wait to try.
Snowden starts at 7:30am, and the kids are expected to be in their seats at 7:25am. This is a big change from our usual 8:45am start time (which really ended up being like 9:00-9:15am for us slackers). Breakfast is from 7:00-7:20am. I think the early schedule is what worried me most, but when both monkeys were in bed and asleep by 9:00am last night, I thought I might like the change.
When the alarm went off at 6am, both monkeys jumped out of bed and eagerly did their chores and got dressed. Oh if only this enthusiasm would last!
We were out the door, with two giant bags of supplies and lunches, by 6:50am. When we got to Snowden we were happy to see lots of people we knew and everyone was in high spirits. The boys and I went into the cafeteria for breakfast, which was not nearly as exciting in reality as in Jiro's mind. Both he and Satchel chose cereal, which came with a graham cracker. The other choices were something that looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then maybe a sausage wrapped in a pancake? They could also have orange juice. I can't say that I saw where these are healthy options, but I have no yardstick.
The cafeteria lady quickly informed the boys that they needed to tuck their shirts in and that breakfast was silent, which meant no talking.
They complied and quietly ate their cereal. I won't be surprised if future breakfast requests are few and far between.
Next we took Satchel to his classroom and I introduced myself to his teacher, Mrs. Greene. She's been teaching over 30 years so I know he is in good hands. Satchel went in, sat down, and then gave me the "Uh, you can go now" look. (He told me on Sunday to please not kiss him goodbye!)
Then Jiro and I had to go back to the cafeteria to get his homeroom assignment. A district wide computer glitch had apparently caused several kids to be unassigned. The cafeteria was almost full of people in our situation and I wished I had drank my coffee before leaving the house. Thankfully, they got us out of there in about an hour. We had a chance to visit with more friends (we sure do know a lot of families at Snowden!) and Jiro even got to pick what class he wanted to be in! He chose Mrs. Weaver since his buddy Ray had told him that was the class he was in.
I walked him to Mrs. Weaver's class, introduced myself, filled out a form, and then said goodbye. Jiro seemed to blend right in.
About an hour later at work, I exhaled for the first time in days, and felt very emotional about my guys starting a new chapter.
Then before I knew it, it was time to pick them up. They get out at 2:15pm! Eventually they will walk home, but when Warren gets back in town, he will pick them up. I was happy to see them waiting for me.
Jiro's first words were, "I made three new friends."
They both happily told me about their days, their new friends, and their awesome teachers. Yay! The only negative I heard was that the 5th grade urinals were very low and everyone could see each other's privates. So a certain someone did not pee all day.
Otherwise, there is only one word to describe my guys: happy.
They both have homework assignments, but nothing major. Jiro showed me a goodie bag that his teacher gave him, which is precious.
We're all looking forward to a great year!
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