Miss Swendy's Graduation Day!!
I'll admit, I didn't really understand why the kids needed a graduation seeing as how they would go back to day school the very next day. I discovered that underestimated Miss Swendy.
All the kids who turned 4 in the 2013 year were considered pre-school kids for the August 2013 - April 2014 school year. I appreciated that with this movement within the day school, they were going to focus on getting the kids ready for kindergarten. Each week the kids focused on a letter and a number. Show and Tell became Show and Learn and the item brought from home on Friday was to begin with that weeks letter. All week the workpapers coming home revolved around the letter. Activities and food (as much as possible) were also planned with a focus on the weekly letter.
The kids worked on skills like cutting and gluing, they traced and colored, they learned how to write their names in upper and lower case letters. |
| Maddy with Eva (left) Kayley and Shaylynn (center) and maybe Kayla? (right) |
But a graduation? What was the point when the kids would head back the next day just as usual. Well, turns out that these kids, post-graduation, are now SCKs. That's summer camp kids. That means for the remainder of the summer no more direct focus on learning (though it's not like they ever get away from that at Miss Swendy's) but now it's all about activities. No more naps after lunch, they go on a field trip to the park, the splash pad, to Miss Swendy's house for a movie, they feed the ducks and visit Miss Lorna - a retired teacher that used to work with the kids when they were in the toddler room. Every Tuesday is the water day and they put on swim suits and play water games on the lawn. Too, too, much fun.
And then, the summer will end and the kids will go to KINDERGARTEN! Maddy will go to kindergarten in the morning (I hope) and then after school is over at the big school, a staff from Miss Swendy's will pick her up and she'll spend the afternoon at the day school as "a big kid". Things get very exciting from here on out.
So, graduation. It was very sweet and Madelyn was a superstar, in my montherly opinion. They had a program of songs that they had been learning. All memorized and filled with actions. I could not get enough (crappy iPhone) pictures of her facial expressions as she did the songs. She knew the Pledge of Allegience and God Bless America and every time the teacher would ask for more, Maddy pumped up the volume.
After the songs, each child was called up to pick up their packet and hugs from Miss Swendy and their teachers. Maddy's teacher was Miss Ally (in the black shirt). Miss Ally was one of my young women when I was in the YW Presidency so I feel a special love for her:). Their packets had a certificate and a photograph taken the week before and worksheets to show what they had been working on in pre-school. What a great program they have here. Scott and I are constantly impressed.
Congratulations Madelyn Loran Bishop!
Kindergarten here we come!!
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| the Pledge of Allegience song |
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| My sweet graduate |
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| Best song ever - Goin' on a Bear Hunt - because of the line "and a fuzzy little tail" |
