Winding Down 2nd Grade

I believe this was the last week of any real learning for Payton in 2nd grade.
Next week is technically the last week of school, but we all remember those last few days... cleaning out your desk, bringing home all of the special saved projects your teacher held on to all year, playing games, watching movies... pretty much all fun.
And boy do these kids deserve it.
Today, second grade isn't at all how I remember it to be. They have standardized tests, multiple class presentations (one of which had to practically be memorized), biography projects, Advanced Reading tests, gifted math classes and so. much. pressure. It is amazing to me sometimes that he even has the stamina to come home and do homework some nights.
So these kids deserve a final week to just have fun. And be kids.
And let me tell you... I am so excited for summer. I've got lots of plans brewing in my head. Some of which I will share here in the coming week.
But for now, I am just going to take a few moments to brag on my big 2nd grader who has been nothing but outstanding this school year. He makes this mommy so proud, I have tears welling up in my eyes just thinking about it.
Here's how his wonderful teachers wrapped up this special year...

On Thursday morning, all of the parents were invited to come to the class for a "Bye Bye Breakfast." The teachers had decorated the classroom and there was a huge spread of food for everyone. The kids presented their autobiography projects they had been working on for weeks.

Sorry for the blurry pic. His classmate took this photo. :)

Someone was enjoying all the yummy food!

This page in his autobiography particularly made me smile.

They were asked to make a "dedication page" and he dedicated it to his "loving family."

Do you see the little halo over Rohy's head? Yep, made me cry.

This is Payton's wonderful teacher.

She was tough on him this year, but he really grew from it. And at the same time, she says Payton gives her the biggest and best hugs every single day.

The following day, the parents were invited back again to watch the end-of-the-year awards presentation. The principal and vice principal come to each class and personally hand out gold medals for academic achievements.

The kids excitedly listened as the principal talked to them about the importance of keeping up with their learning and reading this summer.

 Here comes the Proud Mama in me...

My amazing kid got a gold medal for Academic Excellence, meaning he had excellent report cards all year long!

The principal is putting the award around Payton's head.

He's SO proud!

His teacher was super proud of him too!

Payton with some of his buddies. Aren't they cute??

 It's been a long year of testing and learning and he's really risen to the occasion and showed us that not only is he capable of testing into gifted classes, he's thriving in them! And not only can he complete these tough classroom assignments, he aces them with style!

We are so proud of you Payton and we love you SO very much!

(Imagine me throwing a black graduation cap into the air!!!)

Have a fantastic last week of school everyone!

End-of-the-Year Awards

Sorry to write this post out of order, seeing as Payton has already completed the school year; but I know the grandparents and other relatives would want to see these pictures. :)

Payton had a busy last week of school complete with a carnival, movie day, book/picnic day, and even an ice cream social!

(This is Payton and his silly friends enjoying their ice cream sundaes... and of course Parker got in on the ice cream too!)

 They also had an end-of-the-year awards ceremony where the principal and vice principal came to the classroom to hand out awards and shake hands.

Payton received a school award for his grades for the quarter.

And an award from his teacher for being a consistently "Hard Worker."

And then he received a metal from the Principal for having top grades on all of his report cards throughout the year.

Here he is with his best buddy and his sweet teacher, Miss Adams:

We couldn't have been more proud!!!

What a great way to end the 1st grade! 

Awesome job Payton!!!

Quick Check-In

I have a TON of fun pictures to share from our eventful Memorial Day weekend, but tonight I'm just checking in real quick to share some photos from Payton's "Poetry & Pastries" class party.

All of the parents were invited to come to class on Friday morning and enjoy breakfast while our children read us some of their own poetry along with performing some classics (like Shel Silverstein). 

First, Payton shared his poetry book with us:

 It was an adorable book that included all different types of poetry. You could really see his creativity shine through in some of them.

He was so proud to have us there and share all of his hard work with us.

 After enjoying some yummy breakfast treats, the kids all went to the front of the classroom to perform 3 poems. The first was about Mother's, the second was about Father's and the third was Shel Silverstein's "Boa Constrictor." A total classic!

They were all so good! They had every line perfectly memorized.

 Then they presented us with a poem about how small they are and how they won't be this little forever (insert crying here) with their hand print on it.

(By the way, can you see Parker standing on the chair behind me acting all crazy? That kid is a ham, I tell ya! I'm so glad my friend Kristen was able to watch him for almost the whole program so we were really able to focus on Payton.)

It was a wonderful program and it made me realize once again how much we are going to miss Miss Adams next year. She is so wonderful! 

Okay, stay tuned for Memorial Day pics!

Ramblings

We've had some cute moments lately where we've "caught" Payton and Parker playing together. It's absolutely the cutest thing I've ever seen and melts my heart every single time.

Parker is really getting into books now and loves to read the same ones over and over (and over and over). The other night, Payton put their two chairs together and made a little bed with his blanket and read Parker his favorite book. It was so precious!

 Of course Payton, being the avid reader that he is, wanted to read the book page, by page. Parker on the other hand wanted to hold the book and flip the pages back and forth at random. I guess that's just part of being 6 years apart. At least they had a few minutes of special reading time before the book was wrestled over and tossed onto the floor. :)

I caught another cute "older brother" moment the other day when we went to the library. Payton and his friend Avery took Parker by the hand and walked him all the way across the parking lot and into the library. Parker couldn't have been happier!

In other news, Payton just finished up his final project for 1st grade. His class is studying habitats and each child was assigned a specific habitat to research, write a report about it, and then create a diorama.

Payton's habitat was the rainforest. I think he really enjoyed learning about all of the jungle animals and strange little critters that live there. He wasn't so keen on writing the report, but I must say, he did most of it without any complaints. I was very proud of him!

Here is the finished project... complete with 10 rainforest animals and real tree branches!

(Can you spot the flying scarlet macaw suspended in the air by fishing line? Nice touch, eh?)

 

 

 Yeah for Payton completing his final project! Yeah for doing it with an excellent attitude! And YEAH for no more projects till next school year!

Yeah Payton!!!

Payton got his 3rd quarter report card this week. He got all "E's" (which stands for Excellent)!! Basically, for 1st grade, it's like getting straight "A's." It is a wonderful accomplishment and we are so proud of him!

They have an awards certificate ceremony in each classroom for all the students who get top honors. Of course we had to attend. :)

Parker thought he was such a big boy getting to sit with his big brother during the ceremony

(Sorry for the pacifier in the pictures - I was trying to keep him quiet while they were handing out the certificates)

Aren't they so cute? They were all so proud of themselves!

 

Even my mom was able to attend the special event.

 Payton extended his fun day by having a sleepover that evening with one of his little friends from preschool. He was so excited!

The next morning, before we went to pick him up from his friend's house, we went up to Starbucks for breakfast. There were several dogs up there, which is quite typical.

But there was one dog that stole the show. He made me laugh so hard I had to take a picture! I hope he makes you smile too!

I mean, come on...he's just chillin' waiting for his latte! Too funny!

 Happy weekend everyone!