Friday, June 15, 2007

Growing and Changing







It's finally summer, and all of the people who are important to me are growing and changing in such different ways.


First, my wonderful AVID seniors have graduated. They were such a delightful group of students and I will miss them VERY MUCH. I first had them when they were sophomores, and then again this year as seniors. We had an amazing year. Every day with them was a blessing, and we learned a lot together. Tonight at their high school graduation, our principal announced that at our school, 31% of students are going on to a four-year college next year. 100% of my AVID seniors were accepted into four-year colleges, and all but two are going to attend a four-year university in the Fall. Some are staying close to home, while some are going to be as far away as Humboldt, Arizona, and even Boston! I'm proud of their accomplishments and I can't wait to hear about their college adventures. AVID is a rewarding program to teach and coordinate because these students are the first in their family to attend college. For some, they are the first in their family to graduate from high school. WOW!

The other people in my life who are growing and changing are my sweetie pies, Emma and Grace. Today was their last day of Kindergarten. Since it was share day, Emma brought our puppy Olivia (don't ask...that's a whole new blog!) to share. Emma shared all about her dog while Olivia sat stoically on Emma's lap with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. I think Olivia wishes she could be in Kindergarten too!
Three students in the class received awards for reading the most books on their reading logs this year, and two were Emma and Grace. (Hee hee... I wonder why!?!) Also, the entire class received awards at the end, and Emma got the "Condoleeza Rice Award for Academic Achievement" and Grace got the "Vincent Van Gogh Award for Thinking Outside the Box." Obviously their teacher has them pegged! Jeff got the "Fred Rogers Dad of the Year" award for being the most involved and consistent parent this year. :) I'm telling you, the man should have been a Kindergarten teacher. He loves nothing more than his days volunteering at the girls school, and since I'm in school too, I'm so grateful that one of us gets to do it!
So Kindergarten ended without much fanfare- just puppies and progress reports and a hug at the door. My little ladies, with their knobby knees, tennis shoes, braids, and Hello Kitty backpacks left their safe little Kindergarten room for the last time as Kindergarteners. Next year, they'll return to visit, as BIG first graders, ready to share their vast knowledge about the world outside the Kindergarten play yard. But right now, it's summer...time for reading, sleeping in, riding our pony, eating watermelon, building couch forts, and just being six.

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