Rounding Another Kinder

With her friend Sophia

For the second time in as many years, off we went to Kindergarten Round Up at Sun Path Elementary. Only this year, Miss Quinn was the one who got the special Mom and Dad date to school. And Auntie stayed home with the bookends. Or as she affectionately calls them, "the hippie child and the toddler." Auntie was quite concerned that Q would not be around to a) inform her that she was doing something wrong, b) explain to her the correct way to do it, and c) probably just do it for her. Babysitting is a lot more work without a Quinn!

When we got to Round Up, Quinn saw several of her friends from preschool - plus we know of a handful of friends who had been rounded up earlier in the week. She was very excited to see some familiar faces. We did the whole tour of the school - all the classrooms, gym, music room, art room, library. Even though she already knows where all those rooms are because we go to the school enough with Fiona. She listened intently as the principal gave the tour, but had a foundation of confidence because she is used to the building. It was a great combination for her!

The only thing she was terrified of was riding the bus. She asked to sit on my lap. I said no. She asked to hold my hand. I said sure. About 90 seconds into the ride, she let go. The bus turned out to be not quite as terrifying as she had expected! In fact, she told Auntie that the bus was her favorite part.

Often during Round Up, Mike and I stood and watched her venture off on her own or with her friends to explore. It was completely unexpected (usually we are peeling her off our legs at things like this) and fantastic. We can see how preschool has given her such confidence in the school environment. It was, without a doubt, the right move for her!

In less than a month, both girls will graduate and we will have a new Kindergartner and a 1st grader in the fall. And this time next year, I will be filling out preschool paperwork for the Dude. The Season of School-Agers has begun!