Thursday, June 6, 2013

Last Day of School

Friday, May 31st was our last day of school! We were so excited at our house! The kids were up bright and early and ready to go. It's amazing to me how much they have changed this year. Both in looks and in personality. :)
 
First day of school
 
Last day of school
                                                              
 Madeleine first and last day
 
 
 

They have both had such great years. I want to remember how far they came this year --
 
Harrison:
 
Harrison started kindergarten not even knowing all his letters. He has grown so much this year! He had such an amazing teacher. She sent me an email the weekend before school was out:
 
I am at school doing some final reports and I just had to let you know how proud I am of Harrison!    I am looking at his end of the year MAPS scores.  His reading RIT is 182 and that is at the 98%.  His math RIT is 174 and is at the 87%.  Isn't that fantastic!!!

Thanks so much for all you do!

Jackie Curington
 
See why I think she's the best?!
 
He moved up from the next to the lowest reading class to the highest by the end of the year. He is reading on a level 10/11 which is well into first grade reading level. His teacher told me on the last day that his reading skills are solid enough that even if we don't do anything this summer (which of course we will do something) he won't regress. He loves to read and write too! She told me that he always has ideas of what to write about and starts his writing assignment almost immediately and writes until the page is full. His spelling is well above average -- he had a 102% in spelling this year. And, he was doing the same spelling words/sentence that Madeleine was doing in 1st grade thanks to common core. :) He pretty much always got the bonus right and he teacher commented one day when I was up there that she was going to make the bonuses harder -- one week they were "lifespan" and "metamorphosis." Impressive, huh??  Mrs. C told me that Harrison was one smart kid to come so far in a year -- and he's come along way from crying every day at drop off that first month too. She commented on how confident he is around the classroom and in the school now too.
 
His math scores are fantastic too. He is in the highest math class -- he can add/subtract and has even learned greater than/less than. We knew he'd learned a lot when he came home and told us that his MAPS test had a bunch of questions that he didn't know. Matt says that MAPS tests are one of the best gauges of what they know because they don't have a ceiling -- if they get a question right, they get a harder one, if they get it wrong they get an easier one. So there is no limit to the questions they can have and no child get the same test, they are tailored to their knowledge. If Harrison got to questions he really had never seen, he must have been getting a lot right. :)
 
Madeleine:
 
Madeleine has had her best year yet! I am blown away by the changes we have seen this year. I need to do a completely separate post on how she has changed at home, but for now I'll stick to school. She ended the year will all A's on her report card. Woohoo! She has learned so much and been challenged in many ways. She has read some great books this year at school -- The Odyssey, Little House on the Prairie, The Odyssey Part 2 to name a few. She's learned cursive which she loves. :)
 
I cannot say enough wonderful things about her teachers. Mrs. Harter was her homeroom/reading teacher and Mrs. Bowman was her math/word study teacher. She was in the highest groups in reading, word study, and math (the classes that they ability group for). She has continued to be challenged and learned so much this year! She has worked hard and given 3rd grade her best!
 
This year she has really loved school. I think she's enjoyed it in the past, but this is the year that she has popped up and gotten dressed on her own without coaxing most days. She is excited to leave and get to school each day! At the beginning of the year, Mrs. Harter told us that Madeleine was one of her 2 quiet kids and her goal was to bring her out of her shell this year. By the time spring rolled around, Mrs. Harter told us that she often has to look over at Madeleine's group sternly and get them to quiet down -- she seemed thrilled to tell us that! She said Madeleine is quick to get quiet and a look is all that it takes, but she is so happy that Madeleine is talking and participating in class.
 
I am thankful for these 2 teachers that have created an environment where Madeleine felt secure and confident. They are both so sweet and gentle and I think she felt very at home in both of their classes. They cared about her so much and took a special interest in helping her grow her confidence. She has blossomed and changed so much socially.
 
So, I think while I was excited to see the school year come to an end because I love having all my littles home with me, I was a bit sad to leave behind our wonderful teachers. It's always a bit bittersweet because I'm always reminded just how fast they are growing up. Don't even get me started on the fact that Madeleine is now 1/2 way through the time that we will have her at home with us. sniff sniff 
 
I told them that I'd check them out early that day. I had to go up to the school to pick up Harrison's epipens and since he's not allowed to be at school without them, I just went ahead and checked both of them out. This little cutie was beyond excited to have her sissy and bubba home for the summer!

Harrison and his teacher, Mrs. Curington. This was her last day teaching as well since she is retiring. We will certainly miss her next year.
Madeleine & Mrs. Harter.
Madeleine & Mrs. Bowman
We left school and decided to do lunch at CFA to celebrate the last day of school. Harrison was so excited to walk in and see his one of his best buds, Jude, there! We stayed and played for a long time before heading home!
We came home and hung out until Daddy got home, then it was dinner and softball for Madeleine that night! Hooray for summer!

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