First Grade Comes to a Close

Just like that, the school year is over. As always, it seems impossible and yet at the same time it feels like it's been a long year. But such a good year. McKenna has grown so much in 1st grade. Not just in height but in her learning, her maturity and her personality. She had the most wonderful teacher this year and we could not be happier with the learning that occurred in Mrs. Matukaitis' classroom.

McKenna ends the year continuing to excel in reading. She LOVES to read and often times can be found in her room on a Saturday or Sunday morning curled up with a book long before the rest of the house even gets out of bed. Her favorite books are the Rainbow Fairy series. She can't get enough of them. The one thing she loves perhaps even more than reading is writing her own stories. Our schools begin doing "kid writing" in kindergarten. It quickly became something that McKenna enjoyed. But first grade elevated that to a whole new level. Her teacher has shared with me on more than one occasion that McKenna does not like the days where the schedule does not allow time for kid writing. She likes to keep the class on track so that there was always time to sit down and write.

At the beginning of the year McKenna struggled not with her math grades or understanding of math, but in her confidence related to math. I am happy to say that Mrs. Matukaitis did a fantastic job in boosting McKenna's confidence. And it shows. McKenna wrote her teacher a card for the end of the year and the very last sentence said, "Thank you for teaching me math." I have to imagine it's that sort of thing that makes teaching rewarding.

Today McKenna and I spent the afternoon getting ready to host a small bar-b-que tonight. Cooper is at school. He will continue to go two days a week throughout the summer. That means that McKenna and I will occasionally have days that it's just the two of us at home. I am so excited to have this time alone with her. She is my biggest helper and it's fun to hang out with her without the distraction of a nearly 4 year old. I realize this time will be coming to an end when the new baby arrives and I think that's what makes me cherish it even more. Cooper and I have shared a lot of alone time during the last year and especially over the last month. I am glad that McKenna now gets a little time too.

McKenna, we are so proud of you and all that you have learned in first grade. Your desire to learn is contagious and we hope that you will always love school and learning. Thank you for doing such a great job and for being a good friend to others in your class. ~ Love Mom and Dad