Layla's Public School Update

Things that are not so great things:

• Public school feeds Layla an impossible amount of sweets. She drinks non organic milk everyday, she likes to eat school lunch. (I told her next year no more non organic milk and we need to pack lunch sometimes, she said o.k..)
• A teacher said she was fat in front of a classroom of children (I growl at that --she's a pretty lady and normal sized woman. I teach my kids that I'm NOT normal size. The obsession with super skinny is so heartbreaking.)
• Standardized testing came and went. Layla had no trouble, which is great. My heart went out to those kids that did though.
• Public school demands a lot of my kid's time, I miss her. She missed homeschool art today.
• Speaking of art; I don't know for sure yet, but it seems like art class is not very good at her school.
• Layla was scratched by a boy. Accounts of what actually happened are varried. I'm satisfied enough to know it wasn't a bully situation and Layla decided to let it go. I was mad as a wet hen though! (I've seen hens wet, they actually never look mad to me.)
• Layla wants to go to summer school. Most parents dream come true, right? Well I have other plans. It's a little tough because Layla seems to like school more than us, I take it with a grain of salt though. Layla's outwardly feelings are not always her real feelings.
• The look on Charlotte's face when she hears how great Layla's school is... she's really at a loss as to why it couldn't have been that way for her. Charlotte had a more negative time at a public school far away. Of course Charlotte's so glad it's good for Layla and we joke about it and laugh about the differences.
• It's the last seven days of school and for one day this week the younger grades watched the 5th graders field day. I think that's stupid. Layla said it was boring and she fell asleep on the grass. She could have gone to homeschool art with us!
• Movies/TV during school is not ever why I send my kid to school. I have to bite my tongue and refrain from writing a letter to the school every time this happens.

I delight in:

• Layla's school had school garden day. Bring tools, gloves and plants to help work and beautify the school with landscaping. What an absolutely lovely and soulful idea.
• The school has meaningful fundraisers for it's own parents/students. One was for a family where the mom has a debilitating disease. Another was for a family who lost everything in a fire. For one if you brought a dollar to donate you got to wear your hair crazy, another time if you donated a dollar you could wear a hat to school.
• Layla was invited and went to her first birthday party of a classmate. I met the mom and talked about setting up playdates for summer.
• Layla's school has field trips, movie nights, class parties, and lots of fun treats and mini birthday parties. Lots of parental involvement.
• Layla is the most observant and quirky-funny kid I know. She tells us wild tales and informative bios about kids, their families, their siblings, their parents, full names (including middle names). She knows everyone: older kids, younger kids, teachers, kids in other 1st grade classes. And she tells us tons of wacky funny stories about them.
• At the parent-teacher conference her teacher said Layla will be above grade level by the end of the year. Layla told me two teachers expressed that they want her in their class for second grade.
• Layla gets 100% on her spelling tests, is very proactive about studying, and remembers everything she needs for school always. Makes our job EASY. She doesn't like to practice her spelling words on paper. She does them orally! @#$! She is her dad's child for sure. School was always easy for him.
• The Principal of the school is a young, really nice, kind, father of young kids. Everyone seems to love him. I like him tons.
• Layla was in a good ol' fashioned school play.
• The school had a bring your pet to school day for teachers and kids 3rd grade and older. (Charlotte's like, 'you HAVE GOT to be kidding me what kind of school IS THIS!!!??') Layla's siblings and I laughed so hard when she told us her teacher's tiny dog pooped on her. (on Layla)
• Layla ALWAYS has some crazy story to tell about something or someone. It sounds like the most interesting school experience ever. She's always telling us why some kid is absent, cute things kids at school say. She tells us about the cranky-mean lunch lady and how her dog doesn't like kids either. LOL! Layla said the lunch lady's dog was going to bite her so Layla pushed it away and the lunch lady got mad. Layla thought it was funny.
• Layla tels me everything that goes down at school and talks so much it drives me bananas. It gives us time to bond though. I know all the dirt on what kids do, who gets in trouble, what the teachers say. It's hilarious.
• Field day was fabulous fun for her, she brought home 4 ribbons. (one first place, two second place, one fourth place)
• Today was test celebration day --celebrating standardized tests being over. They had ice cream, games, an entire day of fun, and even a bounce house. The Principal was dressed up as the St. L. Rams mascot and handed out the mascot photo and signed autographs. -Charlotte was speechless. lol.

No wonder this kid likes public school!!!!