First Day of 1st Grade!

Today was Alex's first day of 1st grade.  He has Mrs. Weiden as his teacher and he was very excited for the first day.  He woke up at 6:30 and by 7:30 we were dressed, finished with breakfast and ready to head out the door.  We walked and he was able to find his classroom line and play on the playground for a bit before heading into class.  Happy 1st day, buddy!

First Day of Kindergarten!

 All ready to go to school!

 Walking up the hill with Daddy and Mei Mei

 Showing some Panther spirit

 Sporting the new big boy backpack

 A photo with Daddy and Mei Mei on the playground

 Doesn't look nervous at all!

 A photo with Mommy before the bell rings.

 Pickup on the first day.

He gives two thumbs up for the first day!

Alex started Kindergarten on Wednesday August 28th!  He goes to Los Perales Elementary School, which is less than a mile from our house.  All Kindergarteners go for 3 1/2 hours each morning.  We will find out this week whether he will be on the 8:30-12:00 schedule or the 9:30 to 1:00 schedule.  His teacher is Mrs. Rodriguez, who is very nice, young and energetic.  The classroom looks great and Alex shares a table with three other friends.  Alex seems to enjoy his time at school alot and is able to see some of his neighborhood friends on the playground at recess time, since all 60 Kindergarteners play at the same time.  Looks like it should be a fun year ahead!

Kindergarten Open House

On the day before school started, Alex's teacher had an Open House, so that everyone could come and explore the classroom and check out the new digs.  She had a "treasure hunt" set up so that everyone would learn about the location of a variety of things in the classroom, i.e. where the bathrooms are, where the job chart is located, where to put the backpacks, where to wash your hands etc.  Alex found his table where he sits with three other friends and met many of his classmates.  It is a nice classroom, all brightly and neatly put together and decorated for the new year.

Nurtury Preschool Graduation

 The graduate patiently waiting with his puppet.

 The whole class at the beginning of the program.

 Momma and Julia waiting for the program to start.

 Miss Natalie, Alex and Miss Debbie

 A family picture afterward

 Charlotte, Alex and Avery

 Alex and his best bud, Henry.  Boy will he miss Henry next year.

 Alex and Miss Natalie

Alex and Miss Debbie

It is hard to believe, but Alex had his preschool graduation on Friday!  The Nurtury has been such a wonderful preschool for Alex and the graduation ceremony was the perfect end to his time there.  They had a nice program with a bunch of songs and bible verses which the kiddos had learned over the year.  They displayed artwork, had balloons and gave each of them their own Bible storybook, along with a nice individualized photo album of the year, which Miss Debbie put together for each child in the class.  All of that was topped off by cupcakes and lemonade and then some time at the park.  A fun morning for a special group of kids.

Kindergarten Interview

Today was Alex's Kindergarten interview day.  He met with Ms Miller for 30 minutes and said that they played some games, wrote some words, drew some shapes and talked.  Did not get alot of detail as to what exactly they did, but Ms Miller did indicate that he was very willing to participate and did a good job.  So now, it looks like we are all set for Kindergarten next year.  Hard to believe, but it is true!

Nurtury Christmas Pageant Photos

The photos from Alex's Christmas pageant at school have been edited and are available for viewing by clicking on the link below.  When it asks for a password, just enter in Christmas and you should be able to view them.  The ones with he and his other Pre-K classmates are under the 5 year olds (categories listed on the left hand side).  They do not allow you to take photos at the Christmas program, as they want everyone to be able to just enjoy it and not be jockeying for photos, so I've been waiting to see these!

Nurtury Christmas Pageant Photos

Nurtury Christmas Program

Alex had his final Christmas program at Nurtury this morning.  I was helping the kiddos get into their angel robes and halos, so I snapped a few quick shots before the program.  Otherwise, cameras are not allowed during the program, as the school hires professional photographers to take the photos and then the parents have access to them as well as a video once they have processed everything.  The program was so cute, of course and I forgot my Kleenex at home this year...darn!  Of course, that didn't stop me from tearing up anyway!

Nurtury Halloween Parade

Alex's class had a little Halloween parade at the end of the day today in the courtyard at school.  They marched around and then sang a couple of songs for us.  Too cute!

Farm Day

It was Farm Day at preschool today, so Alex was all ready to go with his jeans, plaid shirt and cowboy hat.  He had a very fun time at Farm Day.  Sounds like they had piglets, a miniature horse, chickens, and ducks.  And for snack time they had apples, carrots and homemade granola bars.  These were obviously the high points of the day, because they have been recounted a few times now.  

First Day of School!

 Big boy in the front yard...excited to go to school!

Big boy "smiling" in his new classroom, the Praying Ponies

Today was Alex's first day at his new preschool in Moraga, The Nurtury.  He was excited to go to school and there were no tears.  What a difference a year makes, right?  I cannot wait to hear how things went.  Off to some Mimi and Mommy time.  Happy first day of school, Bro Bro!