The End of the 2013/2014 School Year

At the end of the 2012-2013 we jumped ship, abandoning the Catholic school the kids had attended since YaYa was in K-4 and signing up for the local public school. The reasons were many, and I can't say I was completely on board with the decision, which was largely Lisa's - but in retrospect, I was I had been. It's been a blessing for #TeamSlap.

Here's a pic of the kids on the first day of classes. You'll recognize this as a traditional shot for the family. Man, they were happy not to have to wear uniforms! LOL

We dropped them off because we needed to help them carry in the many supplies that were required. And because, me being me, I wanted some pics of the first day!

In this next shot you can (barely) see Lu , near the back in the white shirt and black vest. 

Lisa left the school that morning very upset. YaYa had sat in the corner and seemed very anti-social, and it seemed like she had squandered a perfect opportunity to start over. 

Boy were we wrong! She made friends instantly and has blossomed over the last nine months into a social - if occasionally grumpy - preteen. I don't think that would have happened at her old school. She even had her first boyfriend!

Smiley was blessed with a great teacher, Mr. Byrnes, who believed in and inspired my boy. 

LuLu, like all the kids, struggled slightly at first academically (so much for that high falutin' private school) but by the end of the year notched grades that were above her grade level in English! Socially, she never had a problem. Oh, and she loved having dyed hair at school.

Junie started off the year rough academically, and couldn't read a lick. By the end of the year, under the tutelage of a great teacher (Mrs. Eisemann) she was occasionally reading a 3rd grade level and had changed her allegiance to her new school, proudly announcing she liked it better because "I like learning and I learn there". 

Here we are picking them up after school. Looking back I can see they all lost a few pounds during their daily walks to and from school, yet another benefit of the change. 

Good decision Lisa!