Today was Kylie’s last day of 5th grade, and as such the end of Elementary School! Hard to believe that next year she will be moving up to the Middle School. She’s excited but realizes that she is going from being one of “the big kids” to once again being the youngest. However, she is already looking forward to the possibility of joining new clubs and looking forward to making new friends as students from other elementary schools will be going to the same middle school. At the end of the day there was an awards presentation, after which there was a clap out for the 5th grades to send them off to middle school and say farewell. When everything was complete we went to Red Robin for a celebratory lunch.
Tag Archives: 5th Grade
Third Swim Meet
Kylie had her third swim meet tonight. She participated in 4 events and did great! This was the second meet that Melissa and I were able to make it too, the first one being last week’s. I was very proud, and impressed, to see how much she has improved in the last week. I know she has a lot of practices during the week, and was even practicing in the lake with her cousins when we went up north, but the change in her form is incredible. Tiffany sent me the videos that she took during this meet like she did for the other, and as soon as I can I will get them posted as well. Also, once again, I do not know what her rankings were in her events, but that doesn’t really matter to us. We are very proud of Kylie and everything she accomplishes, and even more for just simply attempting it and following through. Looking forward to her next event already!
Second Swim Meet
Tonight was Kylie’s second swim meet with the Wild Cats, and thankfully Melissa and I were able to make this one (and hopefully many if not all of the rest!). Kylie took part in 4 events, and while I am not certain, I think she came in first in one and third in another. These events were a mix of both individual and group events and she performed a mix of different strokes. She will not find out what place she actually came in until her next practice, but that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that she did her best and had a lot of fun. She is doing really well and I can see a lot of improvement over the way she used to swim at the old apartment pool. I can see her confidence has improved in the water along with her general form. Also the dedication she is displaying, not only to swimming but also to maintaining her grades and ballet, is awesome. I think sometimes as parents we don’t realize the dedication and effort our kids put into these extracurricular activities, we just see the money and time we spend getting them there. I think it’s important that we recognize all the hard work, effort, and skill this takes on the part of our children as well. We are super proud of her and can’t wait to see her next meet!
Middle School Orientation
In a couple short weeks Kylie is going to finish up fifth grade and move on to sixth. This means that she will be in middle school! This is a completely new school, separate from her current elementary school, though right next door. So today she got to go on a field trip over to the new school to have an orientation, and tonight the parents got to do the same. Orientation for the adults this evening was held in the library of the middle school and provided by the Principal. He explained what our children can expect in terms of additional homework, different classes, changing classes and rooms during the day, even the availability of extracurriculars and clubs. It turns out that the swimming team is one of two athletic teams that sixth graders are allowed to join, so the Wild Cats will be a great help to Kylie if she wants to go for the school team. He also informed us about the eighth grade trip to D.C. so we could start saving for it now, as it can be a little pricey. After the presentation and the corresponding Q&A, he then led us on a tour of the school. The school has a separate gymnasium, auditorium, and cafeteria which is different from the elementary school. In addition they have their own indoor school, which is where Kylie is currently practicing with the Wild Cats until after school is out for the year, then it moves to the High School. There are also fully functional science labs and multiple computer labs the kids will have access to depending on their classes. Additionally there is a new wing being built that will include a second gymnasium and additional classrooms. Next year Kylie will also be required to change for gym, which is new compared to elementary school. There are going to be a lot of changes for her next year, and there will also be some for changes for us as well. While I am a little shocked at fast the time is going by, I am really excited for Kylie to begin the next chapter of her education
First Swim Meet
Tonight is Kylie’s first swim meet with the Wild Cats! Unfortunately due to Melissa and I celebrating our anniversary tonight by going to see a musical, we will not be able to attend. Thankfully Kylie understands, as this was planned before she was on the swim team. Nevertheless I am a little sad to miss out on her first meet. I have no doubt that she is going to do great though, and I look forward to hearing all about it. I am sure Tiffany will take some videos and send them to me, so once I have them, and time, I will be sure to get them posted up. In the meantime, good luck Kylie! We know you will do your best and totally rock! We love you and are very proud of you!
Bring Your Daughter to Work Day 2016
Today was the day that Kylie had been waiting for just about a year. It’s take your daughter to work day! Last year was Kylie’s first time participating in this event and she had so much fun that she has been asking about it ever since. So last night after work I went over and picked her up so she could spend the night at my house to make the morning a bit easier. Seeing as the events started with breakfast at 9am I decided it would be best to not go into work at 6am like I normally do, so we both got to sleep in a little later than normal, which is always a good start to the day. Traffic on the way to work was a little heavier than I am accustomed to, and even Kylie commented on it, which I thought was funny. Regardless, we made it to the office with plenty of time and Kylie was amazed that since last year I have moved my desk and now have a standing desk instead of a sitting desk. She seemed shocked to find out that I literally stand around all day. Even more exciting for her though, was that I actually do have a chair, one that adjusts to a higher height to allow me to sit at my standing desk if I so choose. She had a lot of fun sitting in such a high chair. After about 15 minutes we went over to the main gathering area where breakfast was being provided and found ourselves a seat. After breakfast there was some dancing (though Daddy doesn’t dance) and general goofing around, and shortly after it was time for the kids to go off with their groups for a day full of activities. Due to a customer issue I was, unfortunately, not able to actually sit and have lunch with Kylie. This upset me greatly, in fact, I think, a lot more than it did Kylie. Thankfully she was able to sit with Nicole and Kira so she was not alone. I was able to at least quickly go over and let her know I wasn’t going to be able to eat with her and let her know how sorry I was so she wasn’t just sitting there wondering if I forgot or something. After eating Nicole brought her over to my desk so I could see her for a few minutes before she went off to her next activity. At the end of the day we met back up and she told me about all of the cool things she did. She said she really enjoyed the programming class and that the day in general was a lot of fun. I am very fortunate to work for a company that participates in these events and grateful to have a job where I can actually bring her in for the day. We are both already looking forward to next year’s bring your daughter to work day!
The Tooth Fairy Retires
A little over 5 years ago (February 4th 2011 to be exact) Kylie lost her first tooth. I can still remember pulling that first tooth out without her even realizing it, and how excited she was that the Tooth Fairy was going to come to Daddy’s house and visit her. Those days of excitement have sadly come to an end. I found out today that Kylie no longer believes in the Tooth Fairy. She told me that she was working on Mommy’s computer and found a typed letter that the Tooth Fairy had left for her on the computer. I not sure of the exact circumstances, it could be that the file was accidentally left open. Regardless, she saw it. This lead her to ask Neil if the Tooth Fairy was real. Knowing she was just on the computer he figured something was up, this wasn’t the first time she had asked any of us this question, but this time it seemed different. So he asked if she wanted the truth and Kylie said yes, so he told her. She was slightly upset but also liked that we had all done this for her. I knew this day was coming, but it doesn’t change the fact that I still feel a little sad. While we all want to witness our children grow, mature, learn, and be successful; it’s still sad when these large events take place as they are key indicators and turning points that parents can point to as specific moments in their child’s life when they took another step out of childhood and into the next phase of their growth. As she takes this step away from being a child and moves forward in her evolution into a young woman I take great comfort in knowing that no matter her age, she will always be my Little Bit.
Beginning Fifth Grade
Today was Kylie’s first day of 5th grade! As we start our adventure into another new academic year I am greatly looking forward to seeing all the things Kylie will accomplish, and all the new ways in which she will continue to grow, change, and expand her abilities. While my outlook is focused, mainly, on her intellectual growth and continued success that will hopefully lead to greater things for her future, Kylie is more excited to see all of her friends again. Regardless of the different reasons, we are all excited to see what the year has in store.
Heading to Fifth
Another school year has come to an end, and Kylie is now finished with 4th grade! She made great progress this year and we are exceedingly proud of her and her accomplishments. She continued to maintain all of her academic progress and it seems like our problems with math in particular have been fully resolved, though we do continue to keep her in tutoring a few times a month to reinforce her confidence. The rest of her subjects all remained strong and steady, which we are also extremely happy with. As we look forward to watching this progress continue next year in 5th grade, Kylie looks forward to a fun-filled summer vacation!