Off to a good start

The school year is getting off to a good start for the kids.

Jadyn is really enjoying 1st grade and is excited to finally have homework. Last week, she had the most points for good behavior out of anyone in the class and got 100% on her first spelling test. I have had the opportunity to volunteer in her classroom already and since Jadyn has the same teacher that Jake had for 1st grade, I was able to jump right in and help out.

Every Friday the kids attend a flag assembly with the whole school. Well it turns out that at the first one of school year, Jake earned an award for good citizenship and got to go up on stage. I love it when my kids do well in school academically but when they are recognized for character and behavior, I cannot help but be extra proud. And speaking of academics, we got the results back from Jake's first year of Star testing. He scored advanced in math and proficient in language arts (missing advanced by a mere 6 points). I know how hard he worked to prepare for the test and was excited to see his efforts paid off.

The one thing I can say is that I wish the kids had more free time during the school year. I hate that by the time they get off the bus, they have little downtime before I have to usher them through homework, dinner, soccer practice, showers, reading and bedtime. And that is with Jadyn dropping down to one soccer practice a week. The only other activity Jake is doing right now is Cub Scouts (did I forget to mention that?), which is mostly only twice a month. Jadyn will not be picking up any other activities until soccer is over. She needs time to adjust to being at school all day.

And to keep it real, even though I am happy with the kids teachers and the fact that the kids are doing well, I continue to find myself frustrated with the lack of school funding by the state and the decisions the district is making because of that. Sometimes, when I hear of all the programs and parent involvement that occurs at schools in other parts of the country, I get really discouraged. However, I do believe there are good people, good teachers and good administrators in our community and that no matter what challenges we are faced with, we can make the best out of the situation. Okay, I feel better having gotten that off my chest.

Here are my two Onaga Thunderbirds with their matching t-shirts on Spirit Day:

And here's to hoping the school year continues to go as well for the kids as it has so far!