School Wrap-up

Well, we finished out another year of school.  I can't believe I will have a 2nd and 3rd grader next year!  Time is flying.  The girls had some really great teachers this year.  I am SO thankful for that.  It made a new year at a new school go that much more happily and smoothly.  We'll miss this school.  

Natalie loved her kindergarten teacher that she started out the year with, Ms. Shirey, but she also loved Miss Bassi, her 1st grade teacher.  She expected a lot of her kids and did a great job keeping order in her classroom.  Natalie learned so much!  It was amazing to see the difference in her work over the year.  I think the transition was a success.  She was often a little behind some of her classmates in math after she made the switch, but by the end of year she had caught up completely.  I was proud of her for that.

Natalie wrote Miss Bassi some poems for her birthday and I thought it was so creative that I have to post it:

If you can't read it, here are the poems:
"A is for apple
B is for ball
M is for mule
and I like school!"

"balls like bouncing
adventurers like to blaze
gazelle like grassies
and I like Ms. Bassi!"

Elizabeth LOVED her teacher last year and I sure loved her too.  There will always be a special place in her heart for Ms. Lyman.  She even saved up her tickets that she earned in class to have a special lunch with her one day.  She could have spent them on little toys or getting out of homework but she picked that.  Ms. Lyman had a gift for making her students, including Elizabeth, feel loved and special.

Elizabeth gained a greater awareness of what it's like to have a disability this year, too.  Ms. Lyman is paralyzed from the waist down.  One cool thing that she does is have each child take a turn for a day in an extra wheelchair she has just to get a feel for what it's like.  Elizabeth definitely learned that.  She came home with food all down her shirt (even more than normal!) from trying to balance her lunch on her lap while she rolled around.  He arms were all tired out by the end of the day.

Here she is with a paper version of herself that she made for open house:

It was a great year but we're sure enjoying our summer off!