Snip-its of School

Last year I was able to share so many wonderful photos and little details of Kip's Kindergarten year because his teachers were so great about sharing photos with the parents. Unfortunately, this year is very different and I do not receive any photos from Kip's first grade teacher. Now, I know, I shouldn't expect any and I'm learning to be okay with that but it is still a little disappointing for my memory-making heart.

Anyways, since I've had no photos, I haven't even thought about sharing how First Grade is going for Kip! This week he was "Student of the Week" which meant he got to prepare a poster of things about himself to present to his class so I figured I'd take this opportunity to give you an update. 

This year started a little rough for Kip. His classroom has a lot of students with behavioral issues which has made for a pretty stressful classroom environment and although his teacher is super experienced with over 30 years teaching, she too has expressed difficulties with managing this class. Evidently the the student body in first grade as a whole is quite rough around the edges. Who knows why? 

Kip was being bullied for the first month and often came home immediately bursting into tears. One particular boy was being very aggressive and ultimately Dan and I had to meet with the principal to express our concerns. Fortunately, once we spoke with the administration, the situation was taken care of and the boy is no longer bothering Kip. After that, Kip's spirits lifted and he is enjoying first grade (minus gym class where he reports they do far too many burpees). 

I took this photo of Dan sitting in Kip's seat during Back to School night - this is the only photo I have from Kip's classroom.

Kip is doing exceedingly well academically. He is in the highest reading group and reading J/K level which is something like mid-second grade. He LOVES math and has picked-up on addition and subtraction concepts very quickly. His teacher had great things to say about him at our recent parent-teacher conferences and all his specials teachers agree that he is kind and friendly with everyone and very helpful. This is what I love to hear, more than how well he is doing academically. 

Kip has some good friends in his class and he still gets to see his best bud at recess. They have a sweet little first-grade crush. 

I found this little note in his lunchbox last week. It's a keeper.

Kip is such a sweet tenderhearted little guy so sometimes he gets his feelings hurt or misunderstands a social situation and gets a little crushed, but I look forward to my little nightly "chats" with him where he will open up and share about his day and the little world he lives in while at school.

And to top it with a cherry, Kip earned the Hero of the Week award today at school which is given to one student per grade every week. He has been desperate to get this award since Pre-K and it finally happened! SO proud of him and all his hard work.