Back to School Week

This past Monday the girls finally went back to school.  After a great summer, they were very eager to see their friends and kick off a new school year so they woke up bright and early and got ready for 2nd and 4th grade!

I have a ton of expectations for this year and I'm sure they do as well.  Gaby landed in Mrs. J's classroom and is incredibly excited about this year being her Communion year; most of her friends ended up in the same class and she is ready for the challenge.  I am sure 2nd grade will be an amazing year for Gaby and I hope she reaches her full potential in all subjects but especially Math, which she claims it's her favorite. 

Olivia ended up in Mrs. M's class, which is her dream come true. Mrs. M (formerly known was Ms. F) was Olivia's (and Gaby's) first grade teacher and they really seem to like her and her teaching approach. As a parent, I particularly like her discipline style and her forward thinking. This year, she has implemented Class Dojo, which is an app that seeks to balance positive and negative behavior by using a point system; definitely more modern than the infamous color chart which many teachers still use!

The first week went on without a hitch, the girls were on time every day, didn't get much homework, woke up excited every day and seemed to fit right into their normal routine. Gaby enjoyed meeting the new kids and Olivia particularly enjoyed writing an application essay for "Safety Patrol", a job she hopes to get; she said her goal this year is to get more involved in school activities so this seems like a good start!

Here are a couple of pictures from the first day of school. I love our tradition of taking first day/last day pictures and I especially love the fact that the girls are as much into it as I am; I am sure these pictures will make great mementos in a few years. 

Congrats to all the children on their "Back to School" week and many blessings to all teachers who perform such a pivotal job in our children's lives. I hope this year is the most successful yet!

Happy Schooling! ;)