Big Boy Kindergarten!

On Tuesday, March 27, Nitrauer Elementary School held its Kindergarten registration. I signed up for the 12:45 time with my sister and my nephew Daniel so that Mamaw could watch nephew John and Caleb and Ryan at the same time. Joshua wore a very nice sweater, but I forgot to take along my camera in the rush to get out the door after preschool and Bible study that morning. I had his folder of paperwork complete, but I found out once we arrived that I will need an additional form to be signed by the doctor along with an extra inhaler dropped off with the school nurse because of his asthma. I wish they would note that in advance on the website so I could have gotten all that done with his typical doctor paperwork/immunization form that I had already gotten from his physician, but such is life!

At the registration that day, the kids did a craft of making a little bunny mask, and he met a few kids that could be in his class. The children went with the teachers for a short time while parents went into a meeting and learned a little about the school. They also touched on the importance of reading to our children. We also very briefly met both teachers, but I didn't even get a chance to say more than hi as other parents were talking to them, which was a bit of a bummer to me.

I'm glad that Joshua is ready for kindergarten. He is doing really well with school, and his preschool teacher said he is indeed ready to go! He knows all the academics, does well with other children his age, and we are confident that he'll do well in school. We've been working with him on self-help items like being able to wipe himself after going potty, etc and he's doing great on all fronts. I couldn't be more proud as a parent of how much growth I've seen in him this past year. Shawn & I both said that we're glad we know that we're starting him on a successful path for school.

The other day, I was doing some Puzzle Buzz books with him (both my older boys LOVE them!). There's a section that's typically for the older kids, I would say (the age range is 4-7). The questions can be really difficult like "what word is this _______ translated from Spanish" or "name four Great Lakes." I usually ask the questions and allow him to guess and then we talk about the answers. The one that truly shocked me that day was naming different types of birds. When I asked him, I really thought he might try colors or sizes, but he said "would that be like a pigeon?" Why yes, I said, thinking to myself, how does he even know this stuff? Then he said "how about a falcon?" I think my eyes almost popped out of my head as he continued to list different types of birds. Sometimes they soak in more information than we even realize!

Please pray for my little Bean as he heads to school. My biggest concern is that he makes good friends that will last a life time. We're not a family that has a ton of money in a very rich school district. I truly don't want him grouped with "have nots," and I know the first few years can be key for first impressions and building friendships. Pray that he makes good choices in friends, ones who will help him mature and not hinder him as he continues to grow. How we want the best for our little man!

So, he's officially registered and ready to go. Hopefully we'll find out what class he's being assigned to as he heads to "big boy" school this coming fall. He is thrilled to go, and we're happy to see him beam at the idea of going to school. I pray that he continues to like school and can learn lots and also have fun.