Shining in School

Sarah loves school, and she is thriving academically and socially.  She seems to be bonding more with her fellow students this year and forming real friendships.  Of course, friction among friends is inevitable, and she's also learning about having disagreements and mending fences. She sticks up for her friends if she feels they're being mistreated and does what she can to fix the situation.  She doesn't hesitate to jump into any fray, whether it concerns her or not!

The school had an open house a couple of weeks ago, and Sarah was excited to show Don, my mom, and me around.  She was very proud to share the notes in her bucket, indicating how she had been helpful and kind to her friends.

Last week, Don and I heard a glowing report during our parent-teacher conference.  Sarah is reading above grade level and has good understanding of what she reads.  She enjoys writing in her journal each morning and has nice handwriting (not easy for a left-hander!).  She has a good understanding of math concepts and listens well.  She follows directions and is diligent in her work.  In fact, if the teacher calls her to her reading group before she's finished her other activities, she is noticeably anxious about getting back to finish her work, even though there's always time.  No surprise there -- Sarah does not like to leave a project until it's finished!

While I was thrilled to have such wonderful feedback on her academics, my favorite piece was hearing that Sarah is kind and cooperative.  As Forrest Gump's mama always said, "Pretty is as pretty does."

Her teacher took this photo of Sarah picking raspberries in the
school garden.

For the open house, each student made a mock version of
herself sitting at a table working.  (Because of the angle
of the photo, the wall molding behind "Sarah" makes her
look as though she has ears.)

The students are encouraged to
"fill each other's bucket" by
being kind and helpful.