Surestart

Tucker got the opportunity this year to be part of the Surestart program.  This is quite an opportunity for him.  RES is kindergarten thru second grade and there are right at 1,000 students.  That means roughly 15 classes for each grade.  Intermediate school is third thru fifth with the same amount of students.  Surestart is pretty much the same as Pre-k and there are only 2 classes, 18 kids per class.  We have a good friend that works in the office and she said with the number of applicants that apply for Surestart they could fill 20 class rooms.  WOW!  We feel pretty blessed that Tucker got in.  His teachers are Mrs. Vowell and her aid Mrs. Legg.  So far he loves it.

 First day of school for Tucker and week 3 for Luke.

 Walking to school with my two big boys. 

Tucker's class room is quite amazing.  The room is set up like a living room/kitchen.  There is a bathroom and sink area with three sinks.  The kids keep toothbrushes at school for after lunch.  The room has a full kitchen so the kids can participate in making healthy snacks.  Lunch is brought to the kids room every day so they don't have to leave the room.  There is a section in the room with kid sized couches and chairs for reading books.  There are computers for the kids to play educational games on and even a smart board.  The teacher even has a glider to sit in for story time.  It's an awesome room!  The kids even have their own personal play ground they don't have to share with the rest of the school.  It's the perfect space for kids their age to learn in and feel safe.  

 The hall way has cubbies for the kids to hang their backpacks and jackets.  Above their cubbies is a picture of each kid and their name so they will know which one is theirs.  The teachers did a home visit before school started and took a picture of each kid to use.  Tuck's is great.  Crazy smile, bed head and a crazy cowlick.  This picture of Tuck is on everything.  He has a small cubbie in the classroom for all of his works of art he creates and his picture is on that cubbie as well.  He also has to sign in every day to class, he has a name tag with his picture on it when he signs in.  Such a great picture of him.  (Are you picking up the sarcasm?) 

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to leave him at school.  Tuck and I have been inseparable since we arrived in Germany.  No family here for him to stay the night with or babysit him so Micah and I can have a date night.  Micah works long hours so while Luke is at school it's just me and Tuck all day long.  He's my baby and him growing up is hard on me, but he loves school so much.  All parents are required to put in 30 hours of classroom help during the year so I do get to spend a little extra time during the day with him.  I am learning to enjoy my days without kids, although I don't get nearly as much done as I thought I would.