Schools out!
We had a big year, and we are all a bit older
and a bit wiser as a result!
Claire was in 4th grade, the first grade I can really remember
as a kid, which scared me just a bit!
Ella started a new school, a totally different kind
of private school.
Avery started school full-time.
I started work full-time.
Dave started AM parent position full-time.
Lots of changes, lots of challenges, lots of great opportunities!
All in all, I'd say we weathered it all fairly well.
Claire excelled in 4th grade! Her test scores continued
to climb throughout the year. She is at about the highest
level you can be in reading and math.
She is an active member of ELP and we just found out this
week that she tested into Pre-Algebra next year! She is one
of a very small group of students that get to do that.
Beyond academics, Claire continues to enjoy swimming,
piano, softball, sleepovers, music and reading.
She is a good, solid friend and a loving daughter/sister.
She has grown in her faith this last year and relies more
and more on God's strength and grace all the time.
We are very proud of our dear Claire.
Ella triumphed in her new school! She grew leaps and bounds
in her new learning environment. In fact, she far exceeded any
academic goals they set for her and they had to keep
working hard to challenge her! The best part is that Ella was
so proud of herself and really grew to love school.
You can find her most days with her nose buried in a book!
While busy learning and exploring new
things academically, Ella also continued to swim and play
piano. She also tried softball this year, and loved it! We have
quite a little ball player on our hands!
We are amazed by your strength, determination and
kind spirit Ella. We love you!
Avery did great at all day school and I think not only
learned a lot, but taught them a thing or two, also!
Avery did not lose any of her spirited personality or
hilarious sense of humor in school, but did learn ways
to channel it better. She is a clever, sweet, funny
girl and we could not be more grateful for her!
Dave showed me up with his awesome AM parent powers.
This entire year, he got up every morning and got all
three girls up, dressed, fed, lunches packed, bags packed,
shoes found and on, coats, hats and mittens located
and out the door to deliver everyone to school on time!
I will freely admit, he rocks and I don't look forward to having
to reclaim that AM job!
Our girls are very blessed to have you as a dad, Dave!
I survived, and actually enjoyed, full-time work.
I really loved the people I worked with and the students I served.
It was a great experience with some great opportunities to meet people,
attend conferences, dig deeper into my field, and explore what's out there.
Most importantly, it helped me really sort through some of that
career vs. family stuff that can start to get a little confusing
at a certain point. I have been a stay at home mom for a long
time and I love it. And, although I loved it, I needed to get
out there and see what I could do in the workforce. I am very grateful
for the experience and even more grateful for the affirmation that I like
being home! I like being able to do more with the girls' schools,
more volunteering and just being there after school.
As my Simpson contract comes to an end, I am very excited for
new opportunities that have presented themselves.
For now, I'm looking forward to a fun summer with the girls.
For next year, I'm looking forward to being back in the
classroom at DMACC part-time and to taking
on some new volunteer opportunities that are near and dear to my heart!
As we wind up our 2011-2012 school year, we have so much
for which to be grateful.
We are all healthy.
We are all happy.
We are all busy, challenged and encouraged.
We know we are blessed and are grateful to our
loving Father for those blessings.
We are surrounded by wonderful friends and family.
We are stocked up on sunscreen and ready for summer fun!!
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| Ella and Avery on their last day of school |
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| All of us at Orange Leaf, celebrating the end of the school year! |
Last day of school dance!!
