Red Elementary school

Starting at  a new school was very hard for the girls. The move itself was pretty fun and felt a lot like an extended vacation until the day came that they actually had to start school in a new place.  You know how people post all those cute pictures on the first day of school? Well, I didn't post because our pictures would have looked like this:

And this:

Actually Lexey is sweet enough that I got a smile out of her! Even the first day! Alexey is sweet!

So, we tried to take school pictures a few days later.  Still grouchy! YIKES!!

Finally a got a few pics a couple of weeks into the year, on the way HOME from school. Apparently Clare is not a morning person and Lexey is not an afternoon person! haha.  I can never win.

After almost a month, the girls are doing well. We are into a new routine and the girls are generally happy to go to school. The complaints about the school are down to a few times a week instead of a few times a day so that is good! I think Clare is learning a lot and thriving in her new class. Lexey is doing well too.

We've had some struggles with the school.
#1. The school day is longer here. The hours are 8am-3:15pm every day. In PUSD it was 9-3:15 plus we had an early release day, so all in all it is about 7 hours more per week.  I hate that!  I used to have Clare do piano in the morning but we're really struggling with it now. Clare actually is doing okay with piano after dinner but it slows down bedtime so it's not my favorite.
#2. Breakfast at school. They serve breakfast at school from 7:45-8:15 so the kids get there and often eat. I feed my girls at home so it just means that when they get to school they sit around and wait for others to eat. Waste of time. I'd rather have them home an extra 30 minutes in the morning doing chores or piano.
#3. Not enough recess. The kids can't play on the playground before school or after lunch. They get one twenty minute recess period. They are indoors, sitting upright all day.  Kids need to get their wiggles out. They need to have time for creative play, for playing with other kids. There is no time for that at this school. It kills me.  Also, the need outside time...even if it is hot and icky.
#4. Lexey gets 30+ pages of homework a week. Stupid.
#5. Drop off and pick up are way lame. The kids, if they get there early go to class or to the cafeteria and SIT quietly. (So I don't usually drop off the girls 'til just as the bell rings).  For pickup the kids SIT quietly inside the building and the teachers let them out one by one as the parents drive up. The drive up line is about 45 minutes. I don't do that. I walk up so the girls can come right out. I have to be there at 3 to give them a paper with the girls name on it and then they call the girls out before they sit with the others and let them walk out right at 315. It is better.


Good things:
#1. School is close. 5 min from my house
#2. We've mastered pickup and dropoff to be as painless as possible.
#3. Clare has good teachers, is working hard and into a good routine. She also seems to have friends enough to be happy at school and is doing well. She is a very responsibile student and makes sure to get all of her work done. She has one page of math a day plus she reads 45 min a night. She is quite a reader so she would be doing that anyway.
#4. I met with Lexeys teacher today and established a few new rules which we are both on agreement: lexey will do 10 minutes of homework a night, no more, and I will check out lexey one day a week early for mom time.  Lexey's teacher is great and I would say she agrees with all of my issues with school and tries her best to help the kids do well. Hopefully it goes well. Lexey is doing well, is well liked at school.
#5. There are 4 other mormon families at school who we are friends with. They are a great group of moms and kids and will probably be our best friends for the year. They are great. So glad they are there.