I'm not going to lie. Realizing that I will have one child left in elementary school is giving me a little pause.
Disclaimer: You should know that I tend to get more sentimental at the end of the school year. The beginning of the school year has never been an issue for me. Not once has the first day of kindergarten brought a tear to my eye. Have fun! Learn! Make friends! I'm more than happy to strap on a backpack, snap some photos, and tote them off to school to start a new adventure. But at the end of the school year when I realize the quick passage of time . . . . that's when I start to wonder where has the time gone?! For the most part I really enjoy the kids' growth and seeing them learn & change & become a person. It's awesome! But just for a moment at the end of the school year I take pause and my heart hurts just a little for the time that cannot be repeated.
Okay, moving on.
Payton has finished elementary school! I have loved getting to watch him make his way through 5th grade. I love the way the way the 5th grade is organized here! The kids are divided into 5 packs and rotate through each of the 6 teachers/subjects, changing classrooms each time, every single day (math, science, reading, writing, social studies, & rotating specials). It's a great primer for middle school and he ends up with not just 1, but 5 teachers who know him well and love & support him. It really is a phenomenal group of teachers and at all times I have felt like Payton has been challenged and well taken care of.
They held a 5th grade promotion after the last day of school and I felt it was a great culmination of the school year.
The kids were all so cute. And super well behaved (I can't say the same about some of their parents). They had practiced and practiced and were so respectful and poised and excited for each other.
Payton got a couple awards. One for reaching his AR (Accelerated Reader goals) each trimester. Oh man, he loves his AR points and read lots of books this year to rack them up. I think he was 9th overall in the 5th grade. He also got an award for the Great American Challenge. From memory he had to recite the Star Spangled Banner, write the Pledge of Allegiance (correct capitalization & punctuation), recite the Preamble, locate on a map & write the names of all 50 states & capitals with correct spelling, and recite the Gettysburg Address. For this he got a certificate, a pin, and a medal.
The students who memorized the Gettysburg Address also stood together and recited it as a group. They sounded great. Again, such focus and maturity. These teachers have done such a great job training these kids! My favorite was at the end when they all gave Mrs. Meuir a big group hug! She is retiring this year after 23 yrs of teaching.
The entire class also stood and sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (the Hawaiian version) which I'm sure was a directed attempt to make all the moms weepy. They succeeded.
A fun little ceremony! Although, I think Payton would have enjoyed it more if he wasn't getting over being sick. He had a pretty miserable weekend of fever/cough & resting/sleeping and I kept him home from school on Monday. Today (Friday) his energy levels are just starting to return to normal.
Having him sick made me realize just how much our family needs his energy, spirit, and perfectly timed random comments in our lives. We love him!
