Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Is this really happening? Or in Collins's words, "Is this for real life?" I have dreaded Collins going to kindergarten for awhile now, but it looks like the time has finally come. We toured Lacy Elementary a few weeks ago, loved it, and officially turned in our paperwork a few days later. Come this Fall, it is happening!

Despite my dread, I have to say my anxiety magically lifted after touring the school. We have been playing at Lacy's playgrounds (they have 3) since Collins was tiny so we know the grounds of the school so well. But I had only been inside the school to vote a few times and was eager to see a classroom and the rest of the facility.

I was instantly comforted when I walked in and the first person I saw was sweet Lise Sherlin from church. Turns out she was giving a tour, and she is going to be the PTA president next year! Her husband, Dave (long-time friend of Brian) is the Lacy Foundation president next year. And they weren't the only familiar faces I saw. There were several families there from The Raleigh School there which was a nice surprise. We also got to go see a kindergarten classroom in action, and I was very impressed to see our neighbor and friend McKay recite the Pledge of Allegieance and count to 70. :)

Lacy gave me a strong sense of community which is exciting because that's something I have been missing at our preschool. I also got excited by the great resources of the school (teacher assistants, technology, facility) and all that she will learn next year (she's going to learn how to read!). I asked lots of questions and realized that Addie and I will be able to walk and pick her up from school. That was comforting. During the tour, there was also a spelling bee in progress in the gym which I thought was really cute and elementary school-ish. There will be a lot of those "cute" kindergarten moments to look forward to next year.

The other part that made me feel better about Kindergarten is realizing that Collins is totally ready. She has learned so much in preschool and will be ready for all the academic concepts. She loves books and hopefully reading will come easy to her. She is already used to having 17 kids in her class now, so next year having 21 (at the most) will not be a hard transition for her. The only thing I worry about is the long day. We got to see a sample schedule of a kindergartner's day and it is packed full from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. That will be hard for her, but I learned some tips to help her adjust.

Although it still makes me sad to think about Collins being gone all day long next year, I know she will flourish at Lacy. And that makes me really happy.