Good Times at School

Do you pick up your kids from school or sit at the dinner table and ask how their day was?  How they did at school or if anything noteworthy happened at school that day?  Sometimes they may have a story to tell or if you have kids like mine they usually respond with "I can't remember, we didn't do anything today, nothing happened at all, or I just don't want to talk about it." 

This week they had a different story to tell.  It helps that the school is so welcoming to let parents come on campus any old time to check out their kids, see how they are doing and join in any and all assemblies and events.  So hearing that there was going to be an awards ceremony (Abby tipped me off because she said she was getting one) I thought I'd show up.  I'm glad I did because Walker got an award for Math and Abby got three for Reading.

Three days later the kids participate in a class swim meet/swim demonstration.  My kids in a swim meet?  These are the same kids who just last summer were taking swim lessons learning how to hold their breath underwater and use arms and legs at the same time. 

Abby did pretty well.  She swam the freestyle and the backstroke.  Walker did the class demonstration for the younger classes and also swam the freestyle.  The best part was that while they were swimming the rest of the kids chanted their names to cheer them on.  I was surprised by that but happy to see that they have been accepted by all the other kids in school.  Being an American in a prominently Maori school, I had my worries.

Talmage also started his first week at their school.  They have an early start program for 4 1/2 yr olds to get them ready for school.  It's one day a week for 1 hr.  Hey, if it's free and it gives him something to do then why not?  He likes being at the same school as the other two and they all get out at the same time so the older ones think it's pretty cool to have him there as well.  They are nice enough to even let Maddox join them.  What a great school and people they are!

See, here's proof that good things happen at school even if the answer your child gives to the every day question of "Tell me about your day at school" is usually "huh?"  You just have to sneak around school and spy on them and see what they are up to.