Samantha's first blog

pamelamyers | October 11, 2016

Sam’s school year has been going pretty well. There are definite upsides, like the fact that she loves riding the bus (even if it comes insanely early in the morning), she likes her teacher, she has actually been eating something at lunch, and our mornings have been smooth. Some of these things don’t surprise me (the bus) and some of them do (mornings and lunch). I am happy that she loves her school and seems to like first grade, although, she is not liking it as much as kindergarten. It is a big adjustment. It is a much longer day and a much more difficult curriculum. If you ask her if she likes school, you will get a loud yes! but there are signs of anxiety. She has some nervous habits that have resurfaced and she seems, well, on edge, sometimes. And there have been some sleep issues. Yeah, I know, she already has sleep issues (i.e. her inability to stay in her own bed), but she has been having trouble falling asleep.

A few times, I got her to open up to me and let me know what is going on that has her upset and we did find out a few things, and I tried to solve a few. The length of the day, not much I can do there. That is just something she will have to adjust to. But she was also worried about making friends for various reasons, and I tried to help her work through that. Part of her concern was who she sat with at lunch due to the peanut/no peanut arrangements at the tables, and we figured out a way to let her sit where she wants to. It’s a long story, but it has worked out. She also strangely was obsessed with her inability to reach the monkey bars in the playground. Mark and I wound up taking her to school one weekend to let her practice. There have been other random issues we have either worked through or no. But it’s been interesting to say the least.

Homework was going to get thrown into the mix at the beginning of October and I was a bit concerned about that. She is so exhausted after school, I didn’t know how she was going to cope with focusing on homework. Thankfully, it’s not a lot. 15 minutes of reading, sight word practice, and 15 minutes maximum of math. Thankfully, Sam has been having no trouble with her homework and we sail through it pretty easily. Yay! To give her something special, I had made her this lap desk at which she could do her homework if she wanted to, instead of at our kitchen table. Sam was so excited when I gave it to her! I decoupaged a bunch of stuff I knew she would like on it. The very first day, she had to use it. At the table (which makes no sense, but….I am glad she loved it). Here’s my little cutie, plugging away at her work.

Hopefully, as time goes on, school will get easier and she will adjust to the schedule. I was able to have her bus pick up time moved a bit later, she is making friends, and is figuring out her schedule with all her various teachers. I have every confidence my little girl will be a success. I just hope she believes it too.

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pamelamyers | October 10, 2016

Sam’s Cougar Challenge walk was a few days ago and Sam had fun, once again. She really liked the walk last year. Limbo poles, hula hoops, bubbles and a cheering section made walking the field fun. I volunteered last year but this year, I just wanted to watch my baby. The goal this year was to make $18,000 for the home and school and we just found out they CRUSHED their goal! The school, and the little kiddos, earned $36,000 for the school! We really love the SLC. It is an amazing school and now, it can get even better.

Here comes Sam’s class, M10!

My little girl, skipping happily by.

Here are Sam and her classmate, Lydia.

We are so proud of Sam! Great job, little Cougars!

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pamelamyers | September 30, 2016

Ok, so this happened.

Sam’s teacher emails the parents a pdf newsletter on Fridays about what they did that week, the books they read, important dates, etc. She always includes pictures of the class doing things, which I really appreciate. It is hard to not want to see everything that goes on during Samantha’s day.  So, Mark was asking Sam who everyone in the pictures was. When Sam got to one photo, she says to him, “That’s Aiden. He told me he likes me. Then he said, ‘You’re my girlfriend.'”

Um. What? We asked Sam if Aiden was nice and she said yes, but she looked sort of amused by the whole thing. I mean, of course, he would want my gorgeous daughter to be his girlfriend. Duh. But…maybe not so soon. I’ve got my eye on you, Aiden….

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pamelamyers | September 7, 2016

The day has finally arrived – Samantha’s first day of first grade. She’s hit the big time. Being in school ALL DAY. It is going to be a big adjustment for her (and for me). Mark and I decided that I would continue to stay at home two days a week. It will give me time to get the never ending list of things we want done around the house done, and also allow me to be here for Sam and to be present in her school as much as possible.

When we met her teacher last week, Mrs. Hall had given the kids a bag. It contained “Ready Confetti” for the kids to sprinkle under their pillows to get rid of the first day jitters.

That night, Sam was very happy to sprinkle it under her pillow, but she assured me she had no jitters. “Not one jitter!” Hmmm…I think she has more jitters than she realizes, but I am glad she was happy about starting school.

Here she is! Ready for day one! I love her backpack and lunch box combo. The cat faces are adorable and it is a switch from the character driven packs most of the kids carry these days. I mean, I liked her Elsa backpack, but we don’t need to advertise for Disney (or Barbie, or Shopkins, or, well, a million other things) every day of the week.

On the way to the bus! Thankfully, it’s not a long walk, only about a block and a half.

She wanted lots of hugs and kisses before the bus came and we were happy to oblige.

Best of luck, Samantha! You are going to do great!

When Sam got home, Mark and my mom met her at the bus. She looked a bit tired, but she was very happy. It was a short day for the first day, but she had lunch, got to meet all her new friends, and ride the bus!

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pamelamyers | September 3, 2016

It took forever, but we finally found out who Sam’s first grade teacher will be! Her name is Mrs. Hall. We were down the shore and I knew that the mailing with this info would come while we were away. My mom was taking care of Zach and Penelope so thankfully she was there to check our mail every day. All day I was getting text messages and emails from other moms asking who Sam has. It was so frustrating! While we were golfing, my mom called. After wading through what seems like a hundred pages, she found the name. Ok, so that is taken care of. Now to figure out who the heck she is. I had the yearbook from last year on my laptop so I went through each page with the intention of showing Sam her picture. No Mrs. Hall. What the heck! I went to her teacher page on the school district’s website and discovered she is Miss Cohen from last year who had a summer wedding to Mr. Hall. Mystery solved! I showed Sam her picture and her first reaction was, “She’s so pretty!” Let’s hope that her teaching skills are right up there with her attractiveness.

We were happy to discover that Ella, one of her kindergarten friends is in her same class! Yay! An instant buddy! Also, Ella’s mom and I got to be friendly, so now I have someone I can count on to be my go to person if I ever can’t figure out something about school. Sam was super excited to get to go to school to meet her teacher and to see her actual  classroom. Not just some random first grade class. Her Actual Classroom. You would have thought it was the first day of school. When we got there, Ella was already there and happily informed Sam that once again — they are sharing a locker!

We had a scavenger hunt to do to familiarize Sam with her room. The first task was to write her name on the Smart Board. Not sure what’s up with the grumpy face.

Mark discovered some of the craft making supplies and toys and a lot of them were things Sam likes, so we went to check them out.

This is Sam’s seat. She had a name tag to decorate. You can see Ella happily skipping along in the background and also Mrs. Hall (although, not skipping). 😉

Here is Sam’s locker – #4!

And her classroom – M10. I am glad she is on the main level but on a side hallway and not right across the aisle from the library. I would think it would get distracting with all the kids always coming and going and God knows Sam does not need any distractions. She is going to have a lot to learn this year and I need her to focus. Her classroom windows overlook the kindergarten playground, just like last year.

Before we left, Sam got a small bag from her teacher. It is was some “magical confetti” for her to sprinkle under her pillow the night before she starts first grade. Along with it was a poem explaining that the magic helps to take away the jitters. It was a rather long poem, and super sweet. Sam wanted to sprinkle it right away! We can’t wait for first grade! I don’t know who is more excited – Sam or me!

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