Tag: school

Sailing Into Second Grade!

Published on by noteworthymommy3 Comments

My mini me started second grade a few weeks ago and I am happy to report that so far second grade has been smooth sailing! As a mommy educator I have been looking forward to this age and stage! There is less drama then the previous grades and although second graders are gaining independence they still have the sweet innocence of a young child. Second graders are comfortable with school. They were introduced to critical foundational skills in first grade and are now ready to apply those skills in second grade! It’s so much fun seeing my mini me make those connections! Her reading and writing skills have taken off and she is working independently with just a little help from mom and dad. She is confident and loves school!

But her love of school isn’t simply from the skills she is beginning to master but rather from the amazing teacher who is guiding her! This is the first time my mini me has had a young teacher. After working with inspiring young educators this summer, I was drawn to their energy, excitement and pure optimism! So when I found out Mrs. Leeper was going to be my daughter’s second grade teacher, I was thrilled! Mrs. Leeper was born in 1996 (so she’s young to this fifty year old noteworthy mommy) and she embodies the young educator vibe. With her inviting classroom, warm smile and infectious love for her students and her Lord and Savior, she exudes positivity and enthusiasm. After a few days I could tell Mrs. Leeper is naturally intuitive. Based on some of her comments I told the hubs, “What a blessing it is that our daughter has a teacher that really “gets” her! I know we are going to have a fantastic school year!”

My mini me with Mrs. Leeper, her 2nd grade teacher.
Making homemade sugar cookies with Nana. A back to school tradition!

Jesus Loves You Cookies– Now that my mini me is a big second grader, we no longer needed to read The Kissing Hand to prepare her for going back to school. However, I know there will be times when my mini me will feel sad, frustrated or anxious. There will be times when she is faced with decisions to make and will feel unsure. I reminded her that Jesus walks beside her wherever she goes and that she can turn to Him for support. Jesus hears our prayers while we are at school, when we are on the soccer field or at a friend’s house. We can talk to Him through prayer in the morning, afternoon or evening. He is there to listen when we feel happy, worried or sad. So my mini me continued the tradition of baking homemade iced sugar cookies with Nana but instead of making kissing hand cookies like they did in years past, they made Jesus loves you cookies! Heart shaped to remind us that Jesus is with us wherever we go and crosses with hearts to remind us that Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. My mini me enjoyed making the cookies with Nana and shared them with teachers and administrators at school.

Cookies to share with Zion teachers and administrators.

I wish all of the teachers, students and parents around the world blessings for a wonderful school year! Whether it’s your first year or twenty-ninth year in education (like me) I pray you have smooth sailing. When you find yourself in rough waters (there will be those days) know you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, make sure you take care of yourself and know that Jesus loves you!

The Noteworthy Mommy Gets Her Daughter Ready For Kindergarten!

Published on by noteworthymommy7 Comments

During my twenty-eight years in the field of education, seven glorious years were spent teaching kindergarten. I look back on that time with found memories and keep in touch with some of my former students who are now young adults beginning careers or parents sending their own children off to kindergarten!

This year I am sending my only child off to kindergarten and we commemorated this milestone with some special books, back to school traditions and activities.

Kindergarten Books- To prepare my daughter for her first day of kindergarten we read several kindergarten themed books. As a former kindergarten teacher, most are from my own collection and as I read them memories of my seven years laying the educational foundation for five and six year olds flooded back. The joy of preparing my classroom and filling it with new materials, the shiny waxed floors and freshly cleaned classroom, the anticipation of meeting my students and experiencing a new beginning with them was thrilling! Now it will be my daughter’s turn. The following books are some of my favorites.

Meet the Teacher– A week before school, we signed up for a private meet and greet with my daughter’s kindergarten teacher and kindergarten assistant. To avoid extra people in the school building, one adult was invited to join their child on this special tour of the kindergarten classroom. My daughter was excited to meet her teacher, Mrs. Reed and her kindergarten assistant, Mrs. Collins. My daughter found her cubby, practiced washing her hands properly, made a painted heart to hang in the classroom and read the book Kindergarten, Here I Come! with her teacher. My daughter got to take the book home so we could read it before the first day of school and inside the front cover was a handwritten note from Mrs. Reed. When I read the words “Jesus loves you and so do I,” any trepidation I had about sending my daughter to Zion Lutheran School for “face to face learning” was washed away. I felt confident that my husband and I had made the best decision for our family because I was reminded that along with Zion’s carefully thought out safety procedures and dedicated teachers and staff, Jesus would be lovingly watching over our daughter while she is at school.

The Kissing Hand Tradition- I always read The Kissing Hand to my kindergarten students and their parents during our “Meet the Teacher Night.” I also made and decorated heart shaped cookies for them to take home. I began this tradition with my daughter when she was a three year old heading off to preschool. CLICK HERE to read all about it. We continued the tradition this year with Nana and Pops joining us in baking and decorating homemade kissing hand cookies which we gave to my daughter’s teachers and administrators on the first day of school. CLICK HERE for Nana’s homemade sugar cookie recipe and CLICK HERE for Nana’s homemade buttercream frosting recipe.

A Special ‘Twas the Night Before Kindergarten Poem- I was touched to receive this special poem written especially for my daughter by Auntie Jaime, a dear friend and my daughter’s honorary auntie. When I read the poem it brought back faded memories of when I was a kindergartener (43 years ago) and more vivid memories of my first day teaching kindergarten (24 years ago). As you read the following words I hope you are transported to a simpler time, not so long ago, when all children could safely go to school, hold hands with a new friend, learn without wearing a mask and freely play tag on the playground.

Whether you are home schooling, going back to school for face to face learning, engaging in virtual learning or participating in hybrid learning, I pray that you and your children have a safe and productive school year!