Yesterday was the last day of school. The kids had a great year! They made so many friends, loved their teachers and learned so much. I was really quite concerned with the kids going to a Montessori school. Their style of teaching is so freestyle that I was worried that they wouldn't learn as much as they would at a regular school. I was wrong. Harris advanced so much more than Liv did when she was in kindergarten. He is reading on a 3rd grade level and was doing long division math and double digit multiplication by the end of the year! Liv was in a combined 4th 5th and 6th grade class and was reading on a High School level and finished all the math through 6th grade! I am glad that we chose this school and am looking forward to what they will learn next year!
Harris and his teachers Mr. Ian and Ms. Erica. Wonderful teachers!
A teary eyed Liv and her teachers Mr. Rob and Ms. Megan. She loved them!
Liv was having a really hard time saying goodbye. Especially to Ms. Megan. In Montessori, to help the kids have consistency in learning, they have the same teachers for 1st, 2nd and 3rd and then 4th, 5th and 6th grades. For next year they were able to hire a new teacher and so they had to move 5 kids from each class to the new teachers class. Liv was worried that she would be one of the ones moved but she got lucky and gets to stay in Mr. Robs class for the rest of her time there. But because they hired this new teacher the classes are small enough, 20 kids each, that the teacher no longer needs an aide. So Ms. Megan will not be her teacher next year, which is why she was having such a hard time saying goodbye. On a positive note, however, Ms. Megan will now be Mr. Matts aide who just so happens to be Harris new teacher for the next 3 years. I'm pretty sure Liv will spend a lot of time volunteering to help in that class. ;)
A couple weeks ago, Olivia let me know that her class had been studying government and had decided they wanted to form their own class government complete with Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. She further informed me that she wanted to be president of said government...President Olivia P. Robinson... I liked the sound of that.
As Olivia began to make plans for speeches and campaign advertisements I was immediately reminded of my various attempts at student government during my days at Mountain View High School...ah, youth...
Anyway, I was successful as a sophomore in getting elected Junior Class Secretary and had a great time doing things like... planning proms... and as a Senior I tried my darnedest to make a good showing for some sort of "President" job (student body or class) but was nowhere near cool or interesting enough to garner the votes required.
So, back to the present. When Olivia came to me about her desire to become class president I had a number of conflicting emotions; excitement mixed with trepidation, hope mixed with fear, a strong desire to see her succeed but an irrational desire to shield her from failure...you know, basic parent kind of stuff. In the end, it wasn't really all about me (what?!) and she entered the primary election, made a speech and won the primary! A runoff happened to choose her competitors but she took the primaries by a landslide.
As we discussed plans for the actual election she asked about what kind of campaigning she should do, I suggested a humorous video (know your audience, right?) and she agreed. She got the blessing of her teacher and we made plans. Now, back to the past for a minute. I remember one particular election video in High School that caught my attention and thought we could borrow the general theme and put our own spin on it. The video in high school was from a kid whose dad worked as a sheriff or something and it featured him running from the police at night with calls from the officers chasing him of "what are you running for?", when they finally caught him he informed the officers that he was running for some sort of class office (get it?).
Once again in the present, Olivia and I decided on a similar theme of running but more "marathon running" vs. "running from the authorities"...
Below, I present the final edit of said video. It took us a couple days and many, many laughs to complete but was overall a very fun project.
In the end, all our efforts paid off and our dear Olivia was elected class president! No small feat for a 4th grader in a mixed class of 4th, 5th and 6th graders. I am very proud of her for many things, not least of which is not being afraid to try while knowing that she could fail but doing everything in her power to succeed.
Yesterday was the beginning of the school year for us. I'm not going to lie and say I was glad that the kids were going back because I wasn't. I have never been like "I can't wait for school to start". Some people might feel that way by the end of the summer ;) but not me, I just like having my kids with me and not some stranger (just call me selfish).
However, I do know that school is good for them and it is necessary. So, with my sunglasses on and tears rolling down my cheeks, I sent them on their way (they grow up way too fast).
Headed Out
There was a lot of anxiety building up to school. Especially for Liv. Poor girl cried every day last week because she was so nervous about this new school. One of the reasons is because schools here are not at all like Utah schools. They are old and dirty and usually fenced in with barbed wire. Thursday was finally back to school night at their school, which is a charter Montessori school called The Montessori of the Rio Grande. Liv was really nervous and Harris just wanted to play on the playground. After a general meeting about the school and the program we got to go to their classrooms and meet their teachers and get a better look at the school. Liv has Mr. Rob and Miss Megan and Harris has Mr. Ian and Miss Erica. Each class has a teacher and an assistant teacher who is going through the Montessori training. I really like it that way. I think it will let them have more one-on-one time with the teacher. Liv has about 30 kids in her class which is made up of 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Harris only has 10 kids in his class! I also am glad it is a small school, only about 200 students. The teachers and the principal know all the kids by name! Liv and Harris also get to see each other at recess. I am truly grateful for that! Maybe I'm a little overprotective but I like knowing that they aren't alone and can keep an eye on each other. ;)
Out front and In front of their classrooms
The layout of the school is very unique. (as you can see behind Liv) It is like a strip mall shaped like a U. With all the doors opening to an outside common area and the playground. It is also located on part of a nature preserve right on the Rio Grande. They will be doing a lot of exploring and science by the river, something that Liv is very excited about. Almost all of their learning will be hands on there will be no worksheets or homework. Ever. I have mixed feelings about this because I am used to them having "busy work". The principal explained to us that she would rather have us doing things with our children like cooking, shopping, drawing, reading, etc. than helping them with various review worksheets. So I guess in a sense it is homework but not like I am used to. I am hoping that this new way of learning will teach them to how to learn better and to love to learn. It's going to be a good year, I hope...
So, Jaime and I have been slacking a little bit with the blogging. I have been asked to tackle "Christmastime" for the Robinson's.
I'm lucky enough that my work makes me take the last 2 weeks of the year off (mandatory shutdown). It can be a bit of a pain having to save vacation days but I have always enjoyed the extended time to be with the fam. This year our Christmastime was full of school programs, a trip to Disneyland followed by the actual Holiday itself. I'll cover the first and last items while Jaim will cover the D-Land trip.
OK, Christmas programs. Harris and Liv both had programs this year. Harris attends Learning Dynamics Preschool while Liv is in the 3rd grade at Saratoga Shores. Harris was so cute in his little holiday outfit and had a "speaking part" this year in his program.
Here is the vid of his big performance:
Toward the end he really started to do a good job and get into it:
So, it is interesting to note that both of my kids seem to rub the sides of their mouths when they get nervous. Liv didn't like being in front of the crowds at this age either but Harris seems slightly more at ease (only slightly though :))
This is a pic of his "nervous" face:
Olivia threatened us with our lives this year if we showed up at her program, so naturally we made sure to be there...
Olivia does better in front of crowds since starting karate but still gets nervous. She is especially wary of being "embarrassed". I can tell you as a father that I want nothing more than to constantly be at any and all her performances to embarrass the heck out of her!
Anyway, she did a great job as well. Here is the vid:
This is a pic (a little blurry but you get the idea) of me making sure to say hi to her and give her a big hug in front of her classmates.
So, that was the Programs. They happened on 12/18 (my last day of work for the year), on 12/19 we took a family trip to Disneyland. It was way cool, Disneyland during Christmas is neat. It is also waaaayy busy, but oh well. We also had the chance to spend a wonderful evening with my Papa Jay and Grandma Cheryl. They were such wonderful hosts and Cheryl is an amazing cook. We were lucky enough for my Aunts Leahna and Lauren to be there as well as my Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa, Lorraine and Henry. We had a great time. We returned late in the evening of 12/24 and that is where my blogging picks up.
Christmas Eve was a lot less crazy than is usually is (and more crazy in some ways). We flew home from LAX and arrived just after 8PM. After getting our luggage and driving home we got home around 9:30PM and the kids were asleep by 10. Not too bad. We made sure to finish most of our Christmas Eve preparations before we left on 12/19 so we didn't have a ton to do. Usually, Jaime and I spend 5 hours or so watching "A Christmas Story" with our good friend Ralphie but this year we only watched it for a couple and went to bed at a decent hour.
Christmas Day was neat as it usually is. Jaime was back on her game this year for gift giving and did an amazing job (I took a lot of heat last year for saying that she was having an off year, yikes!) She really did do a great job, for me as well as for everyone else.
We told Liv that she couldn't wake us up before 7AM. She came down at 7:03...
We told her she could be awake but that she couldn't wake Harris. Harris didn't wake up until 8 (and that was only after I opened his blinds and turned off the white noise :))
Anyway, here is the customary vid of the kids coming down the stairs to the toy wonderland:
After our morning festivities that also featured Jaime's yearly Breakfast Casserole (Yum!) we went over to my parents house and exchanged gifts with them and then went to dinner at the Wakefield's. Jann made an amazing Prime Rib and we also exchanged gifts. Here are a couple pics: Present opening, Liv is making a funny face.
Trevor, Cami and Liv make up the "Bigs" and Harris, Ryan and Aubry make up the "Littles". This is a pic of the Bigs.
So, Christmas is always awesome and this year was no exception. We were able to kick it off with a beautiful visit to Temple Square to set the spiritual tone of the season and have really been able to keep that tone and enjoy some meaningful time together as a family. I hope you all (who am I addressing here?) had a great Christmastime as well and enjoy a Happy New Year!
Yesterday was Olivia's first day of school. Not just a new grade but a whole new school and curriculum! (For the A.L.L program.) I have to say that I was way more nervous than she was. She was so excited that she got up at 6:45! (School doesn't start until 9:15) We got ready and headed out the door. When we got to her school we had to figure out what we were doing! It was crazy! There are over a thousand students there right now because the new elementary isn't done yet. After we got it figured out we said our goodbyes and left. I was so nervous for her! New school, no friends, new routine..... Finally 3:30 rolled around and I went to get her. She was beaming from ear to ear! I was so relieved. She loved her teacher and made two new friends and actually got to do school work. I hope that the rest of the year goes as well!
And today was Harris' first day of school. I was dreading today! Most of last year was spent with him whimpering in class until we came and got him. Today was 180 degrees different from that. He was actually excited! He said "Mommy, you don't have to walk me to class. Just open the big door for me." What?! When we got there, however, he had changed his mind. When we got to his classroom he took his name tag off the door and hung up his bag on its hook and sat in his seat and waved goodbye. Yep, waved! I didn't get a hug or a kiss or anything! I suppose that it was a good thing that he was excited and not sad, even though my heart was breaking a little. When I got to the car I had to suppress my tears. Not that he was in school but that my baby is so grown up! I am so glad that he had such an awesome teacher last year that he was excited for this year. Lets hope it continues!
Today was Harris' last day of preschool. It was a rough afternoon for him. He has become very attached to his teacher Mrs. Chamberlain. I remember one day getting him ready for school and he shyly said to me "I love Mrs. Chamberlain". It was very sweet. So today when he had to say "goodbye" once wasn't enough. We had to go back so he could say "goodbye" once more. As we were driving home he started to cry because he was "going to miss Mrs. Chamberlain". (It was so sad!) What a difference from the beginning of the year when he would cry because he didn't want to go! I am glad that after a rough start he ended up having a great first year!
Olivia has always loved to learn. She eats it up! When she started elementary school we worried that she would get bored with school because she had already had 2 full years of preschool at Challenger. We were given the option to have her skip kindergarten but we didn't feel that she was socially ready for that. So we just supplemented her at home with workbooks and things like that. She has done well and is always at the top of her class and so far hasn't gotten bored. In January, however, her teacher sent home a paper that said that Olivia should be tested for the advanced 3rd grade program called the Accelerated Learning Lab or A.L.L.. So we signed her up. She took her test back in February and Friday we got the results. SHE'S IN! This is a huge accomplishment because they only chose 27 kids from 3 cities! She will now go to a different elementary school (Saratoga Shores) in a different city (Saratoga Springs). I will have to drive back and forth 4 times a day! It's a small price to pay for her education though. We are so proud of her! Way to go Liv we love you!
Today Harris started preschool at Learning Dynamics. I don't know how I feel about this. You see he is my baby, my last one, and if he is going to school I must be getting old! What am I going to do?! He will be gone 3 days a week for two and a half hours! I guess it will be good. I'll be able to do something without being interrupted by Harris wanting me to play with him. ("but I like to play with him", I say to myself.) I know that it will be a good break for him. Despite my efforts, he is growing up, and needs to have some extracurricular activities. So I will suck it up and watch him go.
Harris, however, was fine. He was a little shy, but his teacher took his hand and shooed us out the door. You should have seen his face when we got there to pick him up! It was priceless! Total relief that we were back. He said to us "my school is a long time, huh mommy?". I hope that he loves school like Olivia does. Loving to learn now will help him all through out his school years.
By-the-way, there aren't any pictures because Chet said it was weird to take pictures because he started school in the middle of the year. So I posted one of my favorite baby pictures of him.
Today I went with Olivia on her field trip to the North County Equestrian Park. We had a great time. We got to go to different agricultural stations and hear from USU FFA students. I actually learned some things. We got to watch dogs herd ducks! "Why ducks?" you ask. I have no idea! It was so cute though, and the kids thought it was hysterical!
It was also great to be with Liv. It is fun to see her interact with all of her girlfriends. Boys, fortunately, are still "ehh". However, there are two boys (Kobe and DJ) in her class that won't leave her alone. It makes her crazy! For example, when we sat down to watch the herding demonstration one sat on each side of her! (pictured) Then during one of the stations, when I was standing with Kobe and his mom, Kobe said to me "I wish Olivia was in my group." It was funny.
UPDATE
Harris is fine, but looks like he got punched in the face now. There isn't a bump anymore, but the bruising spread from his forehead to his nose, eyes and cheek. Poor baby!
So, today was Livvy's day, really. First she got the "Principals 200 Club" award at school. (third year in a row!) It is a special award at her school that honors outstanding students for various reasons. She really is an amazing student and person.
Second, she received her yellow belt in karate. She was great! She had all of her forms perfect. She has worked very hard for this promotion. I am glad that she has found a hobby that she loves. She never really got into dance. Which is fine by me. I'm not a "dance" mom. ;)
