My SK Grad

My amazing little girl graduated from Senior Kindergarten on Wednesday!! 

Processing in to their graduation. 

Graduation Poem (And to help with the words….’I am a graduate, yes it’s true!  I am a graduate ooo-ooo-ooo!  A tiny little paper is what I’ll get.  So you ought to be proud, cause I’m a graduate!!)

It seems like just yesterday that this sweet baby was placed in my arms in China and now she’s a SK grad!!  When Mrs. Creighton called her name she positively beamed as she walked across to collect her diploma.

In Hannah’s school all of the kindergarten classes are made up of 50% Junior Kindergarten children and 50% Senior Kindergarten children and they go to school full days, 5 days a week.  Hannah’s school also keeps the children with the same teachers for 2 years so Hannah was blessed to be with Mrs. Creighton (l – teacher) and Ms. Hails (r - TA) for both years.  I cannot express how much I appreciate and love these ladies who have played such a huge part of Hannah’s life for the past 2 years!  I helped in her class 1 morning every 3 weeks so we got to know one another well too and it was great to see Hannah in the environment she spent so much time in.  She went in able to count to about 20 (skipping a few ) and knew how to write her name and some letters but that was about it.  She now knows how to count to 100 (can’t write all the numbers…yet), do math in a variety of ways (10 square, tallies, number lines, etc.), print with confidence her upper and lower case alphabet, read small books and more!  She has even started experimenting with writing by sounding out words and does very well!  (Yes, proud Mamma here!!)

They sang and signed this beautiful song too.  Love it!

And, like any good grad, a celebratory dance broke out!  (LOL!  It’s easy to see why I put shorts on Hannah under her dresses.) 

Hannah had a number of good friends in her class but these 3 were inseparable!

and knew how to have a silly time together!

Hannah was excited to have Grandma and Grandpa attend her graduation.

Sharon and Toni, Thank you for all you taught Hannah!  Things like reading and writing yet also about things that cannot be measured.  She is a more confident, caring, aware little girl who has learned so much from you about how to be a productive, involved little girl in her class.  What you’ve taught her are things that she will take with her forever and I cannot express my appreciation to you enough!

Hannah, Mommy could not be more proud or pleased with you!  You are the light of my life and I have enjoyed walking through kindergarten with you and all the new things you have learned and taught me!  I’m excited to see what you will learn next year and the new adventures that God has for you!

It was a big decision but I truly believe the right one for us as I have chosen to move Hannah to a new school in September.  She has loved her time in her current school but I have decided to open up a new world to her and send her to a French Immersion school in our area.  Not only will she have the opportunity to learn a new language but I believe it will be a good decision in many ways.  Thankfully it is still in our district so she will continue to go to Ange’s after school, she will just continue her education in French.  In Canada, having a second language will be helpful later in life and I feel now it will be a good challenge and she will flourish in her new school just as she did at this one!

Congratulations my little SK Grad!  Mommy is so proud and loves you SOOO much!!!!!

Precious Preschool Graduate!

My ‘baby’ is a preschool graduate!  Wednesday evening Grandma, Grandpa and Papa joined us at the church to celebrate Hannah’s graduation from Preschool.  Nana was away for the week but we know she was there in her heart.

The grandparents were on the ball and staked out the front row for our family.  Way to go!!

Entering to Pomp and Circumstance

The sweetest little Mama Pig ever!  Oh how I love her smile that lights up her entire face!

Bible Songs

Unfortunately it’s blurry but this is my little sweetie receiving her diploma

Celebrating with her friend Mya.

Hannah and Ella.  They met day 1 of preschool and were friends from that moment on.

Group hug for the ladies.

Errr…maybe not so much!  Isn’t 4 a hoot?!!

More sweet silliness.

Hannah with her amazing teachers Mrs. Hebert and Mrs. Devitt

We’re so proud of you Hannah XiaoFen!  Way to go!!!

Hannah, I know you are more than ready to begin Junior Kindergarten in September!  I’m glad your first year at school was such a wonderful success and am so thankful for all that your teachers taught you.  More than that I am thankful that they helped you fall deeper in love with Jesus!  You are a blessing sweetie and Mommy loves you more than she can express!  xoxo

Final Day of Preschool

All too quickly Hannah’s year at preschool has drawn to a close.  *sigh!*

She started as a little girl who knew how to sing her A, B, C’s ~ kinda.  What child really knows how to sing the ‘elemeno’ part?  She could only print a few letters and those were all upper case.  She did not know any lower case letters nor could she print any of her numbers.  She now recognizes all of her letters (upper and lower case) and can write almost all of them from memory. 

One funny thing though is that she still does not write her name correctly consistently.  It’s not unusual for her N’s to be backwards and the final H is often left off, or mixed up with extra A’s.   And, when she says her letters out loud when writing her name she calls the H and the A both ‘A’.   Heh…precious memories to capture!

Hannah can count to 29 but then says 20-10 and 20-‘eleben’.  Hee!  I change it up to 30 and she’s off…until she gets to 30-10 and 30-eleben!

There was one thing that surprised (and if I were honest, saddened) me that I noticed at preschool.   She was normally one of the last kids dropped off each day.  There were 16 kiddos in her class so when we arrived many of the activity stations would already have children at them.  For the first number of months (probably until sometime in late April or early May) I would watch her glance around the room and then purposely choose a station where nobody else was.  That surprised me as she is a social little girl with many friends.  As she walked into the class it was not unusual for 2 or 3 of her classmates to run up and say ‘Hi Hannah.’  She’d sometimes respond (something else we’re working on) but then find a place to play alone.  It was hard to watch. 

I distinctly remember the day I dropped her off and she ran into a tent where a few other kids were playing.  I was shocked and it immediately warmed my heart!   I mentioned it to her teachers who were standing nearby and they both said they’d noticed her interacting with her classmates a lot more lately.  I was so thankful!  I noticed the same thing a couple of weeks ago at family day and have also noticed it when I drop her off at Sunday School.  I’m so glad she is feeling more comfortable playing with her peers.  Another way that preschool was a wonderful opportunity for her.

Before school this morning we took a few photos (surprise, surprise!) of her holding a picture taken last September on her first day of school.

My baby is growing up!

Final drop off and yes, Hannah was fine and Mommy was a MESS!

I have dreamed of Hannah attending this preschool at our church since before she was born.  It’s hard to believe this wonderful time has come and gone.  She learned so much but even more her amazing teachers helped her fall deeper in love with Jesus!  They gave her a wonderful first experience at school and taught her so, so much!  Thank you Mrs. Devitt

and Mrs. Hebert! We cannot express our gratitude to you!

I was able to slip away from work in the morning and surprise Hannah at pick up time.  I love her reaction!!!

I was holding it together okay until I saw this!  Yup…the tears started again.  SO precious!!!

Hannah and her little friend Mya.  First day of preschool

and then today.  Sweet little friends!

Hannah!  Mommy is so proud of you!  You have flourished at preschool and learned so much.  Your education has just begun but it’s begun in such a wonderful way! 

Tomorrow night is your graduation and sweetie I just need to warn you  - Mommy will try to keep it together but I’m not making any promises!