Last Day of Preschool

Sarah has had the best preschool experience these past few months at Hola Kids. She was always excited to go to school each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. And the situation couldn't have been better for me. We brought cupcakes for her last day. Sadly, the 45 minute/2 hour commute there and back (rush hour) prevents Sarah from continuing with her school.

When I walked in to pick her up I found her putting a puzzle together. After they completed it, Miss Adela pointed to the various insects and flowers. She pronounced the names of each one in Spanish and then have Sarah and a couple of other students repeat the Spanish name and then would move on to the next. A couple of times when Miss Adela pointed to an insect that they had already seen, Sarah would pipe up with the correct Spanish name. It was super sweet to watch and hear. She has just loved this school experience.


She loved her teachers. They will truly be missed as we move on to suburbia.

Miss Adela


Miss Dilcia



and Miss Nery. Oh How I adore Miss Nery. She was perfect for our Sarah. She was so welcoming and was full of compliments of our little girl. She channeled Sarah's enthusiasm and first-child determination (read: stubborn behavior) so Sarah could really learn.


Miss Nery greeted us each time and I felt completely happy with how Sarah was spending her afternoon twice a week. I dropped her off at 1 pm and went home to put William down for his nap. William always wanted to stay and play with the choo-choo trains or play at the adjacent park, but home we returned so he could sleep. He would usually sleep until I woke him up at 4:10 to go back for Sarah, who finished at 4:30. These 3 1/2 hours were such a blessing for me as I was able to work, pack, clean the house, take a nap, etc. Sarah made some precious friends and I heard all about her adventures with Kathryn, Mia, Joshua, Luke and Caitlin. Oh how we will miss you!

Hola Venezuela!

Sarah had her first preschool performance today. Her class has been learning about Venezuela because a mother of one of the students is from there and volunteered to make Venezuelan food and teach the kids some simple dances. This cultural celebration was a HIT.



Sarah had a blast dancing in front of everyone. No inhibitions with this girl. She especially liked doing the choc-o-la-te dance. It was a hoot!





Preschool has been so great for Sarah. I'm so glad we decided to enroll her this semester. She's blossomed socially and loves learning. We love our sweet Sarah!

Preschool Halloween

Sarah LOVES preschool and today she was super excited to dress up as a fairy for her class. I would have sent her in her Cinderella costume, but I was worried it would get in her way of sitting as well as playing. So the shorter, super cute fairy costume was a good alternative. Not all of the kids dressed up, but she felt like a little fairy princess. All of her teachers oohhed and awed to make her feel special. They asked if she was de hadas (fairy) or de mariposa (butterfly). Definitely de hadas.

They decorated masks and made construction paper pumpkins in class. So, so fun. Here's Sarah with her classmate friend Mia. Oh how Sarah loves her preschool friends.

Hola Sarah!

Sarah has been asking to go to school for months and months now. She was so ready to go today. She couldn't wait for school to start. She was so cooperative and helpful this morning!

We enrolled Sarah in Hola Kids - a Spanish-immersion preschool. Her class is pretty small - I think they said 8 kids and most of them are girls. I love that they are planning to have "Tea Time" every day. It's really snack time, but the kids each get to take a turn folding napkins and serving their friends. Love it!

Even though I thought I was more than ready for her to have this experience, I found myself a little teary-eyed and apprehensive of sending her away for 3 hours in the afternoon twice a week. But we made it on time with a fully-packed backpack that has extra clothes, snacks and a sippy cup. Sarah picked out goldfish, a cheese stick and apples for her snack. She was so excited to choose her treats and fill her backpack. She even told me that she wasn't going to be "shy" today. I know, Sarah's not usually shy, but when everyone starts speaking Spanish to her she gets all nervous and yes, shy. I'm so glad she's going to be brave!

And without further ado, here are more first-day pictures. Here she is in front of her classroom.



Sarah put her backpack on the hook and marched right in to class.


After looking around and playing with a few toys she decided to sit with a few other kids who were working on an art project with the teacher. She LOVED that she got to use scissors and a glue stick. She looks so serious!


William had fun playing with the toys on the shelf. He could've stayed there all day I'm sure. But lucky for him it was nap time so he got to go with me.


Sarah wasn't excited for me to leave, but she was excited to be with new friends at school. After saying "Bye Bye," William and I headed out the door. We made a quick stop at the playground on the way out. William couldn't resist.


OK. I'll survive the next two hours. I can't wait to hear about Sarah's first day!

...

SUCCESS! Sarah LOVED school. She said she was brave not shy. She loved playing in the playground, singing songs and having snack time. She wanted to stay longer! She is excited to go back in two days.

I have to admit it was a little weird not having her around during nap time, but I think I can get used to it :)

Are we ready?

Sarah's preschool had a "soft-opening" on Friday so the kids could get used to the classroom with their parents around. We had a blast getting to know Sarah's teacher and classmates.

Sarah LOVED playing in the kitchen.


And dressing up.


There were also tons of crafts and PAINTINGS! Sarah was in heaven.

William found the toy train set and it was so so so fun to hear him say "chugga chugga choo-choo" over and over again as he made himself dizzy going around and around in a circle with the train on the tracks.


We are excited for Tuesday. Hooray for school!