A Night Of First Grade Highlights

10 or so years ago Mrs. Solares and her husband left Anchorage, AK to finish out their careers here in Saudi. They both will be retiring in September making Zach's 1st Grade year her last as a full time educator.

We were so blessed to have her as Zach's teacher. It is obvious that even after all these years she still loves teaching by her dedication, patience, and love for the children.

Highlights night was special not only for the children-they get toshow off their hard work and receive a special book from their teacher-but also as the closing and final chapter for Mrs. Solares career.

Zach read us several original stories including one about camping with Grandpa Slocombe. One of the illustrations shows a grizzly bear coming into camp and Zach running away. Grandpa on the other hand is not phased at all and while roasting a marshmallow says, "I'd rather stay." All and all I think the story sums up our camping experiences rather well.

Here is a scroll where Zach has been writing his numbers up to 1300's.

After a small potluck it got a little crazy for Mom and Dad trying to keep G and E entertained and out of all the school materials.

When Zach and his best friend M* showed up in their suits and ties for the event some of the kids thought they were just trying to be silly and dress up as George and Harold from Captain Underpants. Instead they were just following one of their teacher's final instructions to please dress nice for the evening.

These six are the last remaining children from the original class of 12. Some moved away during the year and others have already left for the summer.

We are thrilled with the progress Zach has made this year in school. His reading is on a 3rd to 4th grade level, his math is right on schedule, and his writing, though the spelling is often unique and sometimes difficult to read, is always entertaining.

Book Week

Book Week at school just had to fall the same time Zach has become obsessed with the Captain Underpants Series. It's all he and his little buddies can talk about. I've had to discourage the potty humor that came along after he began reading these books. I know it's just a phase that will pass but this is what he wanted to wear to school for "Dress up as your favorite book character day."

After a lot of convincing (people will laugh especially the older kids, you might get in trouble, you think its funny now but won't later). Or worse, in my mind, everyone will love it and he'll be hailed as the coolest kid ever for attempting it and it will cause him to continue down a path of attention seeking behavior. We already have one of those in our house and that's enough thank you very much. He chose instead to be the less offensively but not quite as funny dressed Harold.

Book week is the brain child of our good friend and school librarian Mr. Peterson.

During the week the kids are asked to bring in books their families no longer want.

In return they are given book bucks.

The night of the event families were separated into 5 groups and then assigned to a room.

In each room we were read an interesting and often exotic tale by some of the fathers from our community.

After rotating through each room we gathered in the gym.

Here all the donated books were laid out so the families could get new books (at least new to them) with their book bucks.

I love this idea! It's brilliant because in our small community of limited access to new books this was a great way to get rid of something we had enjoyed but no longer needed in exchange for new reading material for all 3 boys.

Zach is a voracious reader. I love books but I don't want to own as many as he wants to read. This boy needs his own library card and fast. That will be one of the first things we do once home. He's already hijacked my Kindle on more than one occasion.

Also Ethan has been surprising of late in that when I read to him he has started picking out words. I know we have another excellent reader in the making here. His teacher's comments about his letter & word recognition are similar to what I remember Zach's teachers saying in the past.

Wet and Wild

Some of you may question if sending a 5 year old to school with two full bags of water balloons is a good idea. Especially when it's this 5 year old.

But it was Teacher approved.

From now to the end of the school year Wed. afternoons are water play days at the splash fountain park adjacent to the school. Oh what fun it is to be in K4. Last week Ethan asked his teacher if he could provide some water balloons and low and behold she said YES! As if this kid needs any more encouragement.

So, I spent the morning filling about 50 balloons- getting doused along the way.

Ethan I hope you have a "Funderful" afternoon because I'm quite sure that this won't happen next year in Kindergarten.