Kindergarten

Henry started Kindergarten at St. Mary’s in Old Town Alexandria in August.  After several weeks of ordering uniforms, assembling school supplies and picking out the perfect backpack (dinosaurs!), the big day finally arrived.  Henry got to preview his new school on his birthday.  Elise reported that he was a little shy upon meeting his new teacher—Ms. Guidry—but warmed up when he spied some former classmates from St. Anthony’s.  On Monday morning, we all drove Henry to school together, and Elise escorted him inside.  Henry seemed apprehensive but readily joined his class when the school bell rang.  Below is a video of Elise and Henry walking into school together:

We weren’t sure what to expect (having had some rough transitions in the past—see Transitions), but Henry managed to do just fine—much better, in fact, than we anticipated.  When Bryant picked him up after the first day, he seemed happy and even a little excited about the start of school.  One difference we noticed right away: Henry really misses his afternoon nap and is exhausted at nighttime.  During the first few weeks, he was asking to go to bed right after dinner.  Of course, starting a new school has been an adjustment for all of us.  Unlike daycare, we can’t arrive late, which means a concerted effort from everyone to get out the door on time.  And then there is the uniform rotation to keep track of: PE uniform on PE days, dress uniform on Mass days, and summer uniform the rest of the time.  We packed Henry’s lunch for the first few weeks.  Recently, he has been buying his lunch from the cafeteria (we loaded some money on an account and they debit whatever he buys).  So far, Henry seems to be making relatively healthy choices (yogurt, fruit, cheese and the occasional hot meal).  Carpool pick up and drop off can only be described as madness, but we’re slowly getting used to the system.  Henry is a big fan of aftercare and seems to prefer those days when we don’t pick him up right at dismissal.  Apparently playing Legos with his friends is more fun that hanging out with mom and dad.  All in all, a relatively smooth transition.  And although we fully expect further adjustments in the weeks and months ahead, we couldn’t be more pleased and proud with how Henry has begun the school year.