Courtright Family: 2nd Grade Wrap-up

(Disclaimer: most of this post was written back in May!)

I have said for years that May is a Mom's busiest time in the Spring. Lately I have been spending my days back and forth between Connor's and Kaitlynn's schools as they wrap up the school year hosting lots of activities for the kids and parents. We are counting down the days of school, and I can honestly say I probably look forward to it more than my kids! I used to be terrified of summertime and trying to keep 2 kids happy and entertained. Now I just need a break from the overwhelming daily schedule and activities that we are committed to.

Connor's 2nd grade year is quickly coming to an end, so that means lots of fun activities to wrap up the school year. One of the events Connor recently participated in was the 2nd Grade Authorama. Each 2nd grader was asked to choose an author, conduct research about that author and their background, and then decorate an author "doll" in the likeness of the chosen author. Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT crafty and therefore cringe at the thought of most crafty projects. When this assignment was brought home, I had to fight off the panic, ha! I am of the mindset that kids need to do their own projects, so I don't usually offer much help to Connor with these types of things. But I also didn't want Connor to just draw and color the thing and turn it in; I wanted him to spend a little more time and make his author look nice.

That's where Dear Old Dad stepped in. He's the creative one in the family, just so you know. Jeff and Connor got to work one Sunday afternoon while I was at the gym and when I came home, Connor's author was completed. Jeff had taken one of his old shirts, cut it up, and fashioned it on the paper doll. Then Connor colored in the rest of the author's face and clothes. It turned out great! Hmmm, I may have to leave Jeff in charge of the school projects from now on!

Connor and his author doll, Jeff Kinney.

Connor's chosen author was Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series for kids. I thought it was a good selection for Connor, because that book series is what Connor started reading in Kindergarten and really sparked his love for reading and especially for book series. (He is like his Mom, I LOVE a good book series!). If you look closely at Connor's author doll, you'll see that Connor drew in some chest hair under the shirt. Mrs. Sartor got a big kick out of that, ha!

On the day that the author dolls were due, the 2nd graders hosted an Authorama for the parents. All of the kids stood in a circle in the room and the parents were able to go from kid to kid, learning all about their selected authors. It was a cute event and taught the kids a lot about research as well as some of their favorite authors.

Mrs. Sartor gave instructions at the Authorama while the kids stood with their author dolls. They did a great job!

Earlier this month, Connor's school also hosted their end of year Book Fair. We always love attending and supporting the school, but it's such a hard choice when trying to narrow down our book lists! This time, Connor chose the first books in the Percy Jackson and Harry Potter series to see if he would enjoy them. About a week later, he was done with both of those books AND the 2nd book in the series. This kid is a READER, ha!

At the book fair. So much to choose from!

Also in May, I was honored to be the recipient of the WoodCreek Elementary volunteer of the month award along with a few other deserving Moms. I have definitely been spending a lot of time up at the school and was recently named the PTA's vice president of programs for the upcoming school year. It is always nice to be recognized for your contributions, and I shared some nice moments with the kids as they held a breakfast in our honor, and we even got to participate in the morning announcements at school. :-)

Enjoying donuts at the volunteer breakfast.

Volunteer of the Month photo that was hung in the hallway at school.

Photo from the morning announcements.

Jeff and the kids made me feel so special with these surprise flowers and sweet notes congratulating me on my volunteer achievements. He must've known that I needed some encouragement!

At the end of the school year, Connor's classroom held the annual Celebration of Learning. These celebrations at WoodCreek are held in lieu of classroom parties, and they allow the kids to make a presentation in front of the class.

Connor's class all sat at the front of the room and then gave their individual presentations at their Celebration of Learning.

For their presentations, the kids all talked about what they wanted to be/do when they grow up and how they were going to achieve that goal. For years now, Connor has said he wants to be a football player in the NFL. We keep trying to encourage him to come up with a good backup plan, ha!

After the classroom presentations, all of the kids were able to show off some of their projects around the classroom. And then we said our formal goodbyes to Mrs. Sartor and to 2nd grade!

One of Connor's end of school projects, his Connor doll with a timeline of his life (that he had to put bunny ears on).

Kaitlynn always has to be a part of Connor's classroom activities, too.

Connor with his 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Sartor. He had such a great year with her!

Finally, the last day of school arrived. (Is it just me or is school getting later each year?) Connor was SO excited to be done with 2nd grade and get started on his summer fun.

Thumbs up for his very last day of school as a 2nd grader!

Before we could kick off summer, Jeff and I really wanted to reward the kids for their accomplishments this past school year. Connor ended up with a 98 average for the entire school year! He has done an incredible job with his schoolwork and we wanted to make sure that he continues to feel excited and incented to work hard in school. He received his very own tablet -- a Kindle reader -- as a reward for such a great year. And of course, Kaitlynn couldn't be left out. She got a new Disney Frozen nightgown as a reward for graduating pre-K and moving up to Kindergarten.