Right now, as I type this, there are pre-registration papers for middle school sitting on my kitchen counter. Ya, that's right. Middle School.
And suddenly we are there. Ready or not!
The other night Conner and I attended a Parents' Night at his future middle school. Just driving up to the place felt like a big step. And the place is big. I believe the enrollment is 1600 students.
A few clubs & sports had booths set up . . . . lacrosse, basketball, golf, Krypto Club, archery, national junior honors society, . . .
Then we filed into the gym for a program. As we sat there I watched the other parents & kids make their way in, the cheerleaders practiced a routine on the floor, girls & boys gathered with friends, some looked a little like deer in the headlights, most fighting through the awkward stage. Each one on the cusp of realizing this new world of growth & socialization & peers. I thought to myself, this is a whole new ball game.
We watched and occasionally I looked at Conner and smiled -- reminding him that this wasn't the best place to break out into an imaginary Star Wars battle.
The program included a speech by the student body president, performances by the choir, orchestra, band, cheerleaders, and dance team, and a welcome by the principal. Conner went back to the school today on a field trip with all the 5th graders from his school (and other elementary schools). Again, they had a tour of the school and another assembly with the same performances. This was their preview into the school's electives.
He gets to choose one elective for his schedule. There are 4 choices for 6th graders: Choir, Band, Orchestra, and Exploration (a rotation through 4 different subjects). After much consideration this week (I'll spare you the details -- but it involved a sudden, random desire to play the violin) he settled on a ranked list with men's choir in his number 1 spot. I think he will love it. I mean, they sang "Don't Stop Believin'" and the director is a cool young guy.
I was very pleased to see that all of his teachers recommended him for the advanced classes in every subject. I know he performs at that level, I just wasn't sure if his teachers would have taken notice after such a short time spent together.
One thing I'm really excited about is their Summer Institute. Incoming 6th graders can sign up for a 4-day "camp" of sorts during the month of August. They come to the school for 3 hours/day for an opportunity to become familiar with the campus, learn school procedures, organize their binders, meet their teachers, practice opening their lockers, walk their schedule, and meet new friends. So so happy about this. He is signed up and ready to go!
Oh and more crazy thing -- their 6th grade outdoor school is held on Catalina Island. Yep. Activities include snorkeling and kayaking. Oh my word.
In other news, we finished the science project. Hallelujah! And tonight he wrapped up his country research report on Denmark (a country of your heritage).
We are soooo happy that tomorrow is Friday!
