Finishing Up 1st Grade

The last few months were a whirlwind for us as Connor transferred to his new elementary school and finished up his 1st grade year there. It went by so fast because he was so busy! We couldn't believe all of the fun packed in to the end of the school year.

Towards the end of the year, each student in Connor's class was assigned a project on an inventor. They were required to research the inventor and create a PowerPoint presentation with their research. Yes, I said PowerPoint. In 1st Grade. After I read the instructions and picked my jaw up off the floor, I introduced Connor to PowerPoint and he did a great job with his research project on Alexander Graham Bell.

Another activity that Connor completed in May was his Star of the Week poster. He decorated a poster with pictures and stickers describing himself for his class.

When it was finally time for the end of the year, his school celebrated by hosting a Celebration of Learning. Each student stood in front of the classroom of kids and parents and read a paper describing their favorite things of 1st grade. Then we all watched a tearjerker of a slideshow with pictures throughout the school year. It was such a neat way to close out the year and get the kids excited to move on to 2nd Grade.

The 3 of us at Connor's Celebration of Learning.

Banner welcoming the parents.

Ms. Vaid presenting Connor with his end-of-the-year album.

Kaitlynn showing her big brother some affection.

Ms. Vaid and Connor with Kaitlynn refusing to let go, ha!

Connor showing one of his classroom activities.

When the last day of school arrived, the kids came downstairs and we all promptly began singing Alice Cooper's "School's Out for Summer!" It's our summer theme song and the kids love singing it everywhere we go, ha!

Connor on his last day of 1st grade.

Jeff and I are just so proud of Connor's progress this year. He had a rough start at his other school, constantly complaining of being bored and dealing with the behavior issues of his fellow classmates. When he transferred to his new school, he was exposed to many things academically that he had not seen before so he definitely had some catching up to do. But Connor adjusted so quickly and had such a steller end to his year. He finished the year with a 96 average, the Principal's Award for behavior and academic excellence, and the Bookworm and Rock Star awards from his teacher.

For the last day of school, the kids had early release and then we headed over to Julie's house for some afternoon swimming and fun. It was the perfect kickoff to our already hectic summer of fun!