After getting home from a fantastic camping weekend (rain!, mud!, sunshine!, oh my!) and getting to bed after 11pm Sunday night (bad mom, bad dad), the first day of school was finally here.
The decision to send the boys off to middle school.....well, let's just call it a process. Back in March or April, the scales finally tipped in favor of homeschool not working for us anymore. My energy was low, the boys had gotten lazy, we weren't communicating much/participating much with the online school, and we weren't getting much accomplished.
Usually when neighborhood kids would come play, I would always ask them "How's school?" All the middle school kids LOVED their school, Wigwam Creek. They would tell me how fun it was, how much they liked it, etc.
I opened my mind and my heart up to the fact that I might have to send the boys back to school. And then the universe just started high-fiving me all over the place with lots of little signs that this was a good decision.
First, Jenna's 5th grade started talking about 'transitioning' to middle school and they began sending home info on Wigwam Creek. Hmmm....lots of communication, preparation beginning well in advance, very organized....
Then, they had an Open House at WC for the incoming 5th graders. We went and saw many of the boys' friends running around, met some of the teachers, and I ran into my old friend Cyndee Head, who I used to teach with at Desert Horizon. She is an academic advisor at the school. This led to a reunion of sorts and since she is totally into Cookie Lee, we made all sorts of plans about fundraising and me getting involved/volunteering with her pageant, which is a non profit for cancer stuff.
She introduced me to the principal and the other administrators. Each and everyone, super friendly, smiling, totally nice. VERY good sign of strong, effective leadership at a school = when everyone is smiling, happy, empowered, and there for the kids.
So I'm in Cyndee's office at least 2 or 3 times a week for this fundraising stuff, getting totally great vibes from this school, when in walks Heather, another teacher friend from DH. She is now the assistant superintendent of the district (can you say friends in high places? *smile*). We talk and I begin to tell her my story of Trevor, homeschooling, and now thinking about re-entry into public school. She is totally helpful, sets me up with the head of the special ed dept, who then gets all the balls rolling to get the boys evaluated (during the summer, no less) so they can start 7th grade off totally ready to go.
Then Cyndee set up a day and I brought the boys in to meet Mr. Mayer, the principal, and take of tour of the WC campus.
The first thing Jake sees on the tour, through a big glass window, is a LEGO SCULPTURE, which a student must have done for art or something, and Jake is immediately impressed that THEY PLAY WITH LEGOS IN THIS SCHOOL. Woohoo, HE IS IN! Trevor is just impressed with the 'mature' feel of the school (no playgrounds or little kid areas) and thinks it's all.....HIGH SCHOOL...and since he's too cool for that baby stuff, Woohoo, HE IS IN.
Then the principal, Mr. Mayer, see me in the office and lets me know that "tomorrow he was going to Rancho to talk to the 5th graders (Jenna included), and I should bring the boys so they could hear the expectations and stuff".....great idea.
We went...the boys are getting more and more open to the idea.
Of course this whole time, Jenna is super excited as well. It is easy to make this Can't-Wait-for-Middle-School mantra a family affair.
So, the summer goes by quickly, and here we are - all the kids standing by the front of the house getting their picture taken for the first day of school. Another chapter begins.
Jenna - mostly excited, a little worried, wondering who will be nice, which boy's phone number she'll get first...
Trevor - playing it cool, even though he was the first one up and ready, pacing the floor with his backpack on.
Jake - mostly worried, a little excited, wondering how he will know where to go, where he will put his stuff, does he have the right stuff, will the teachers be nice, and what time is it over????? :)
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Looking back at the first week, there was excitement (this is cool! new peeps! nice teachers!), happiness (look - friends! ) frustration (schedule? no idea, locker? no idea) and triumph (Yay! I 'get' my schedule - Yay! I opened my locker!).
This looks like it's going to be a great chapter.
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