Wednesday, August 19, 2009

My Baby Starts Kindergarten!

I've changed her dirty diapers, tolerated her temper tantrums, and showed her how to dress herself.  Now, another milestone is upon us:  tomorrow, my baby will embark on her first day of kindergarten. We're nervous, excited, and we have no clue of what to expect.

I'm very anxious about preparing her for this new phase of life. Since registering her in June, not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about ways to ease the stress of first day jitters. There has been pre-packing of backpacks, triple checking her big debut ensemble, pencil sharpening and re-sharpening.   And that's just what I've been busying myself with.  

So, what is my baby worried about on the eve of her big day?


If you're playing along at home, and you guessed the absence of a nap-time routine, then you get the gold star for the day. Ironically, neither does Sadia take naps at home, nor does her new school endorse a nap-time policy, so this will be the least of her worries.

We were excited to learn that Sadia's new school arranged a "Meet and Greet" for today. Parents and students were encouraged to attend the event as a way to minimize some first-day stress .


Here is a picture of the family anxiously awaiting Principal Roach's (real name) address incoming Kindergartners and their families.



Sadia introduced herself to Mrs. Smith, her teacher. Meeting her teacher in advance helped to take away some of the mystery of the unexpected.


Sadia was tasked with finding the desk housing a packet, that displayed her name.

After carefully inspecting the names on a few of the packets,
she excitedly found her desk.

This activity helped relax her fears about inclusion, calmed her nerves about 
knowing where to sit, and gave her some independence 
in finding her way around the classroom.


There is something about seeing your name proudly displayed throughout 
the room that gives you the sense of ownership and of belonging.  
Here is Sadia's section of the writing wall.

Immediately, I began to see the calming effect that this function had on Sadia
as she bravely explored other parts of the classroom.


Indeed, she is growing right before our eyes, and the growth is significant.

Dad even helped her read the subtly displayed "Rules Chart".  
Knowing how Mrs. Smith governs her class, helped set behavioral expectations.  My baby found no surprises here, since the experience reinforced the qualities she learns at home.

Even though tomorrow will be filled with lots of excitement and new adventures for my baby, I am confident that she will be ready, because we've done a lot to help her enjoy her first day.

Now....

 .... if only there were some type of orientation to help THIS  big baby accept Sadia's new milestone.


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8 comments:

Deidra Hampton said...

Hey Dionne...just finished watching the Video of your daughter, with my little one....she asked if "that was going to be her soon"....LOL! To Cute!!! The things I will look fwd to doing soon!!

Thanks for sharing!
Deidra

Tee-Tee said...

Ohhh my goodness, I am over here crying my eyes out...Sadia is growing up so far. I want you to know that I really appreciate your blogs as they allow me to be and feel a part of the girls milestones in life even though I am not always there. I love you and I know that you and Teddy have provided Sadia with all the tools she will need to succeed in life. She will always be my little Sadia. Maybe we can Skype tomorrow night so she can tell me about her first day. I am so proud of her and excited to see the beautiful and talented person she becomes!!!

Unknown said...

Oy, poor papa! :-)

I hope she will have a lovely day!

Mike and Katie said...

your hubby is so great! i hope everybody is comfortable on that first day. do you teach at the same school?

Brazenlilly said...

Yeah! I seriously got kinda giddy reading this. It's obvious that your teaching experience is helping you ease this transition for Sadia. She seems to have such a fun personality that I'm sure she'll love it. (Despite the lack of naptime!) Carson saw the pic of Sadia & Teddy, & asked if that was her daddy & what his name was. I said his name is Teddy. He kind of giggled and said "That's a fun name! Maybe Aunt Becky can name her baby that!" (He's always on the lookout for good names.) But I digress. I hope Sadia AND Mommy & Daddy have a very fulfilling first day and entire year! Keep us posted. :)

Unknown said...

poppy says good job, Mom, Dad & girls. You make me very happy and proud! LUV FROM THE BIG D

Dionne Sincire said...

thank you everyone for the comments.

jen, funny thing is i've never ran into anyone with the name "teddy" until meeting my husband. now, it's as if i am always running into someone who shares the name. weird. carson's got good taste in boy's names. :0)

katie,
i teach at a different school, so i can't stop in during the day to check on her. so nerve racking. :0(

Anonymous said...

Dionne & Teddy;
I'm so proud of both of you, you're great parents. I was so happy to share with Sadia on her special day.
Love you too Simone.

Loved watching Simones first day at preschool, once again proving my first statement above.
Love you all,
Karen

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