First Day of School 2012-13

Today is the first day of school for Connor and Ian.  Connor is in third grade and Ian is in second grade.  They are both continuing the Chinese dual-immersion program at Draper Elementary.

Ian's First Day in First Grade

Ian started his first full day in first grade this morning. He is in the Chinese immersion program like Connor. He was so excited. He was ready 30 minutes early! It was also my first day home without either of them. ;-(

Back to School

Today was Connor's first day in second grade. He was so excited I think he finally fell asleep last night around 3 a.m. He loves school and was anxious to see his friends and get better acquainted with Miss Watts and Mrs. Engh. It was also Connor's first time riding the bus. He said it's much cooler than having me take him to school. Ian's first day is tomorrow.

Here's a quote I like that illustrates how Kim and I feel today: "Days are long but years are short in parenthood!"

Ian's First Year of School

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Ian's Zoo Program

Ian's kindergarten class has been studying animals and their habitats the past few months. They had a field trip to the zoo a few weeks ago and today was their zoo program. Ian was a rattlesnake in the dessert habitat. The kids sang a few songs about animals and then each went to their specific habitat. Each student had memorized three facts about their animal.

Walking Report Card

Kim and I attended Ian's "Walking Report Card" in kindergarten today. After the class performed songs, each student sat down with his parent(s) and went through a performance packet. It was fun to see how much Ian is learning and how much he loves school and his friends.

Principal's Pride Award

Connor was honored today at Draper Elementary with the Principal's Pride Award for "truthworthiness." He is very trustworthy in doing his homework, especially as he is learning Chinese this year. His teacher, Mrs. Smith, nominated him for his honesty in his classroom. We are very proud of Connor!

Unusual Pet Show

Today was Ian's "Unusual Pet Show." He has been learning about pets the past week in kindergarten. The students had a program and then parents got to walk around the room and learn more about each 'unusual' pet. Ian got the award for the "boldest pet." His bee is named Buzz and he eats bugs.

School Carnival

Tonight was Draper Elementary's annual School Carnival. They call it a "fun raiser" in an effort to build a sense of community for the kids and parents. Three hours later, we made it home. The boys had a great time seeing all their friends, playing the games and doing all the rides.

Kindergarten Volunteer

I spent my first morning volunteering in Ian's kindergarten class. I was in charge of one of the "centers." The kids rotate through each of the three workshops during the course of an hour. The students were learning about "before" and "after." It was so fun to be there with Ian and see first-hand the things Miss Ipson is teaching him. I will be there every Monday helping.

Dads & Donuts

Today is Ian's first official Dads & Donuts at Draper Elementary. He is so excited. I think Kim is too since he gets to take both boys. For those of you not familiar with Dads & Donuts, the PTA provides donuts (Krispy Kremes) and milk, and all the students bring their Dads and read together for 45 minutes before school starts. Our school has it once a month. It is such a great way to promote literacy!

First Day of First Grade

Connor started first grade this morning. He is in the dual Chinese immersion program at Draper Elementary. He will spend the morning learning the language, math and science in Chinese with Mrs. Smith. His afternoon will be spent with Mrs. Snow learning language arts in English. He loves learning and he loves school.

Preschool Graduation

This morning Ian graduated from the Newcastle School. We attended his end-of-year program and a short graduation ceremony. Ian has truly loved preschool, especially his teacher Miss Marci. She was Connor's teacher his first year at Newcastle as well, so we have a tremendous amount of respect and love for Miss Marci. Ian's last day of school is Friday and then he will attend two weeks of summer fun camp at Newcastle.

First Day of Kindergarten!

It was such an exciting day at the Colton home. Today was Connor's first official day of kindergarten. He was soooo excited, and so were we. We attended Draper Elementary's open house last night and we were able to meet Miss Ipson again and see where Connor would sit. He said it was the perfect first day. Recess is his favorite part of school, especially the monkey bars. He is so happy to be a Draper Dragon. We are so proud of Connor and hope he always loves to go to school.

Kindergarten Assessment

Connor has his assessment for kindergarten this morning at Draper Elementary. His teacher is Jennifer Ipson. His teacher was very impressed and said he's way ahead of the curve. We already knew that, but it's nice to have outside validation. Connor is so excited to start morning kindergarten and be a Draper Dragon. His first official day of school is Sept. 3.

Another School Year Begins

Ian started his second year of preschool at Newcastle on Monday. His teacher is Miss Marci. She was Connor's teacher his first year at Newcastle. We thought he might have a hard time adjusting to going to school without Connor but he's done great! Connor has his kindergarten assessment on Wednesday. He will be attending Draper Elementary School and his teacher is Miss Ipson. It's hard to believe another school year is already here.