Kindergarten

Leo is now a Kindergartner! Today was the first day of Kindergarten - yes, before Labor Day. What they do here in Lexington is get 3 half-days in before Labor Day to ease the kids back into school mode, then start full time after Labor Day.

I guess I was a little anxious this morning. Since Leo was with his mom, I got to school and waited for them to arrive. And when they did, Daniel wanted me to carry him, so I wasn't really able to talk to Leo and ask him how he felt. We were able to find his new classroom on our own, and Leo was very curious as he spent a good deal of time looking around the room. Other children started filing in, and eventually the teacher, Mrs. Barker. She immediately took control of the situation, getting all of the children to sit in a circle on the rug - then ordering the parents to quickly say our goodbyes so she could get to work. After we left the classroom, Daniel had a meltdown in the parking lot because he wanted to leave with me instead of his mother - and she was mad because the morning drop-off time at school will not allow her to get to work by 9:00. She said, "You had to pick a school that was the most inconvenient for me, didn't you." I'm sure she would have preferred I let her have her way - which means Leo would be attending a $30,000 a year private school where they teach in French!

I saw Leo later in the day as there was an open house at 5:00 at the school for the after-school program he is enrolled in. He told me his morning was "good". We then met the teachers that run the after-school program. Lexington's kindergarten is "full-day", which is 8:45-3:15. I was able to get Leo enrolled in Lextended Day, which takes the kids at 3:15 and has outdoor playtime when the weather is nice along with arts&crafts projects until parents can pick the kids up between 5 and 6. My neighbor across the street didn't get their child enrolled in time and he is on a waiting list (which the teacher there said he probably won't get into the program at all this year). So, I'm glad I was proactive in getting the house here and getting Leo enrolled.

And I can't wait until tomorrow when I get to pick Leo up from his 2nd day in Kindergarten!