Tonight we went to Kindergarten Orientation. We had to go for 2+ hours!! The first hour was just for the parents whose kids are in the TWI Program (Two Way Immersion). We got  more information on what to expect with the program, met a few parents whose kids have been in the program and a kid who is going into 10th grade that has been in the program all the way through.

The 2nd hour was for all Kinder parents and students. We met the principal, office staff, the schedule, breakfast and lunch. Finally we met the teachers, and the kids followed their teachers to their new classroom. There was a lot to see and explore there!! Avery found her cubby (she was annoyed that it was green, not red!), the computer center, the library, the kitchen, bathrooms… Since the teacher doesn’t speak English (well, that’s what the kids think!), there was another teacher there to translate for us English only speakers. She invited the kids to sit on the rug to listen to a story. It was about “Bono el Mono” (Bono the Monkey- I learned a new vocab word!). Avery didn’t get much out of the story, but she wasn’t mad or frustrated by it, which I was happy about. She did join in when the teacher led the kids in counting to 10.

There are 24 students in the class-12 speak English only and 12 have some Spanish background. She knows two of the kids in the class already. Avery’s favorite part of the classroom was the library and kitchen play area. She found the pegs outside for her backpack and claimed a red one.

On Saturday, she packed up her lunch box with a snack in it and got her backpack ready for school. She is excited… let’s just hope she keeps up the excitement!!