Ready for Kindergarten

Yesterday I took Anna to her kindergarten orientation at her new school.  I've been having lots of school induced stress this summer and going to her orientation helped me feel better.  Anna was fine. 

We picked where we will live here based mostly on what school the kids would be able to go to.  Out in town the last people to register (us) would likely be randomly bussed to some other school in the district of which we have no say...and they are some pretty scary schools.  Plus the entire district had lost all their funding for extracurriculars.  The school the kids on base go to has money for music and PE still and won't bus our kids somewhere else AND is highly rated according to all those school ratings websites.  So that's what we picked.

When I went to find out who their teachers would be, I found out there were so many kindergarteners this year that they were going to have to hire a new kindergarten teacher, and Anna would have the "new teacher."  This started my school anxiety up again. 

We went to the kindergarten orientation and met the new teacher, who was perfectly lovely and has 10 years experience teaching kindergarten and 1st grade, so I felt much better.

I'm still a little anxious about Matthew and Anna riding the bus alone to and from school (I never rode the bus as a kid) but I'm dealing with it.  They'll be fine...right?  Right?

The kids are super excited that they get to ride the bus to school.  And they both told me they are not nervous at all about going to a new school.  Anna already met two new friends at the orientation, so she'll do fine I'm sure.

 Here is Anna with her bags of school supplies...getting ready to go to orientation

 And here we are in Anna's class at Anna's cubby (mailbox)

 Anna's seat

And Anna's locker!  She has a locker inside her classroom for her gym shoes and big towel (for quiet time).  Her classroom is much bigger than Matthew's kindergarten class, but its also full day vs. 3 hours and has 20+ students vs 14 in Matthew's class.

So maybe I'm crazy for having anxiety about my little guys going to a new school...or maybe that just makes me a normal mom.

Anyway, the orientation helped me feel better about the whole thing.  And, as always, Anna is fine with it and ready to go.  Kindergarten here we come!!