I wasn't even "with it" enough to create the annual "Back to School' post back in August. How lazy of me. So here I am on May 23, the last day of the school year, crafting a post to encompass both the first day... a bit of the middle... and the last day. Dang.
School started early last fall (er, summer!), on August 11. Swim ended at the end of July and we literally had two weeks off and bam, time for school. I remember several years ago when it would start at the end of August, like the 26. Those were the good ol' days. ha! This year, Max moved up to the 6th grade only building; a great transition for middle schoolers who are growing and changing and learning. They changed classes daily. They had lockers to keep tidy and combination locks to memorize. They had more independence AND more responsibility. They also had to start school an hour and 15 min earlier than they did in elementary! Woof... I hated that! In fact, since school started at 7:30, and Max was "first on" the bus in the morning, his bus came at 6:19 am!!! Please agree with me that that time is ridiculous. So the first day I allowed him to ride the bus so he could see how the bus transfer (yes, he had to change buses up at the high school to ride back down to the intermediate school) worked and all that. But after that, we slept till 6:45 and I drove him to school in the morning. I remember being so bent out of shape that first morning because my annual "back to school photos" were in the dark! BEFORE THE SUN CAME UP! (again, ridiculous) Thanks to photoshop I was able to salvage a few since I don't use a flash.... Here are some of Max from the first day, Aug 11, 2016.
Max grew a lot this year... 3" and 12 lb. to be exact. But in other ways, too... he made lots of new friends. He became skilled at time management, as 6th grade meant "no excuses". He became a lot more independent; I barely even knew what was going on at school! Parents are out of the loop in 6th grade. Fine by me, as long as he's doing well! :) Max ran for Student Council and got elected. he attended meetings, pushed fundraisers and drives, collaborated on school-sponsored events, raised the flag during the morning, read announcements over the loud speaker, gave building tours to upcoming 6th graders, and so on. He completed large, quarter-long projects in math class (ALL done at school, THANK YOU TEACHERS!). He read many books. He did almost all his work online using a chromebook like a big kid. He learned so much and had a great time doing it! He also got off the bus today, the last day, and wasn't crying for the first time EVER. Usually the last day brings lots of tears. Guess he's growing up? He did say a girl on the bus was sobbing and he couldn't look at her or he'd cry... that's the sentimental kid I know. ;)
We sold our home exactly 25 days ago, so for the last few weeks Max has been getting used to this rental home while we prepare to build. He likes it! (thank God!) I didn't know where my "spot" would be for end of the year photos this morning, but the driveway with the sun coming up behind seemed like a great place to snap a few pics to show how he's changed over the last year. I'm so thankful that our school district employs competent, caring teachers. Max has never had a bad one! This year was no exception. He had a wonderful year and I will cherish the memories just like he will.... Happy Summer!
(his class was "white" for field day today)
