ACS Here We Come!

Exhausting! This one word to describe my week. Monday we enjoyed the day at Millenium Park with friends. The kids had a great time in the splash pad. The cool refreshing water felt so good on such a HOT day. We concluded our day with Lydia's open house at ACS. There was a nice little letter from her teacher addressing the new K students on big chart paper that all the kids had to sign. Then we picked up a packet with the first page being a little scavenger hunt around the classroom. One of the stations that I thought was very cute was Lydia had to predict whether her weight would be less than, more than, or the same as a watermelon. Then she had to step on the scale and weigh herself to confirm/contradict her prediction. Finally she had to write her name on a sticky note with her weight and put it on a chart with the labels, "less, same, more." It was very cute! I was very impressed with the teacher and classroom. I love that she has a small class size of 16 students.

On Tuesday Lydia and I attended chapel in the morning. The principal had a great analogy (about seeds and the things that they need to grow) pertaining to the theme for the year: growing in Christ (1 Peter 3:18). Then she showed the students and parents what they were going to make as a physical reminder. It was a sun shaped plastic container on a key chain filled with different kinds of seeds (representing all the children of God, the different gifts that we have, and how we need to be nourished by God's word). It was very heartwarming to see all of the staff, students, and parents singing praise songs together.

Wednesday was Lydia's first day of school. Because the public school buses don't run until next week, I had to bring her. I met another new parent and her daughter, Paige. I had heard about this family from another friend (Thank you, Erica:) Lydia really connected with Paige, and it sounded like they hung out most of the day. Lydia couldn't stop talking about school and all that she did. She could tell me everyone's name in her class and even said that she got chocolate milk from her teacher at lunch, so she didn't even need to drink her water. I asked her, "Did all of your friends get chocolate milk? Like did your teacher bring in a gallon of chocolate milk and give everyone a cup? (knowing that the milk was ONLY for the kids that ORDERED chocolate milk, which we didn't:) Lydia's response, "No not everyone did, but my teacher didn't tell me to put it back." :)
I honestly think she spent most of the day soaking everything in. She is such an observant little girl which is evident in her detailed explanation about her first day. I am so used to knowing EVERYTHING that goes on in the classroom...it's very different walking in a parent's shoes:)

We have had a few communication issues with ACS. Although, after talking with many of my friends, it seems our school is not the only school that needs to work on this. Also, I think that I naturally walked into this with higher expectations because I am seeing things from both a parent and teacher perspective. However, I really do feel that I can use my teaching experience to give suggestions to improve communication between ACS and future new families. I am asking for prayers because this is out of my comfort zone. I am not one to usually speak up about issues for fear that I won't word things correctly and offend people. We are attending the welcome coffee meeting next Friday for new families. I am trusting that God will let me know if this is the right time.

I am ready for school to start next week to get into a routine. I am trying to figure out the best way to get myself organized with the papers/notes Lydia will be bringing home from school. I hate this chaotic, disorganized feeling. Right now, I am looking forward to a weekend full of rest and relaxation.