Good Riddance 2020-2021 School Year!

We have officially been out of school for a full week, yay! The last few weeks of this year definitely felt like we were limping to the finish line - we were all tired and grumpy and READY to put this school year in our rearview mirror.

We went into this year with pretty low expectations - we had no idea what to expect and just wanted to survive. Well, the good news is we did more than survive! Overall, I would say we had a pretty darn good year even with multiple quarantines, masks every day {yuck!}, teacher turnover, and all sorts of confusion.

Let's start with the head of our trio. Trent finished 6th grade which is the end of Lower Elementary. He has 2 more years at Goodwater in the Adolescent Community {7th-8th grades}, and I'm already sad that we are nearing the end of Montessori for him.

Start of the year vs. End of year {during his zoom graduation}

Trent surprised us a lot this year with how well he handled all the uncertainty. He had 3 teachers - and they were all new - and a lot of changes. We only had 1 small rough patch {with one 3-day suspension...after all, it wouldn't be Trent without a LITTLE trouble}.

He did struggle a little in the middle of the year with some regression in his skills, but I *think* we've mostly got him caught up. He took the STAAR test in May, so we'll see how that went for him.

He has some good friends in his class that he's excited to have in Adolescent with him, and he's looking forward to the new opportunities and freedoms that will bring. We think he grew a lot this year and are very excited to see him continue to grow!

Silly Kindergartener vs. Mature 6th Grader

Next up - our Drew Baby! Drew had a wonderful year - you would never have known anything was different for her. She should have been in the same class as last year, but with half the school virtual, her guide from last year became a virtual guide, and she changed classrooms. Well, this change put her back in class with her kindergarten bestie and a soccer friend, and she was in HEAVEN.

August vs. May

Academically, she has BLOSSOMED. She maintained consistent growth throughout the year, and we saw her skills really grow - her reading jumped leaps and bounds, she is doing so much more in math! She will take the STAAR tests next year, and based on how she's doing now, she should ace them, yay!

She was actually sad for school to be out - she is a social butterfly, she loves to learn, and loves her teachers. I'm really excited to see how she will do in her last year in Lower Elementary as a leader of the class and in a much more normal year.

Kindergarten {in the same dress ha} vs. 2nd grade

[Why do my kids want to be silly in their Kinder photos?]

And goodness, let's wrap up with our little ball of sunshine. Paige had her first year at Goodwater, and it was a pretty tough start. She spent 6 months at home, then started at a new school with a new teacher and all new students, had to wear a mask all day, it was brutal. For over a month she cried every day at drop-off!

August {with no clue about what was to come} vs. May {she survived!}

It took a little while for her to get settled, but she eventually got there and then it was smooth sailing! When I had the spring conference with her guide, she commented on Paige being so different now vs. the fall. I told her she was finally getting the real Paige, that the one in the fall was NOT our Paige. She is happy, happy, happy at school! She LOVES her guides and friends, she loves everything they do - they sing, they color and paint, she is obsessed with maps, she loves working on her writing/reading {she is starting to read!!!}. Her little best friend, Lucy, will be moving up to elementary next year, but Paige doesn't seem to be too upset - she is thrilled she gets to stay with her beloved Ms. Liliana and Ms. Maria. I think Pre-K4 will be a great year for her!

I'm really looking forward to the next school year - our Governor has already stated masks won't be mandated, and I'm excited for what is in store for our kids. They are all SO happy! But first, I hope to enjoy a great summer!

Peace out, 2020-2021 school year - we won't miss you!

May 2021 Reads

Another month has gone by - I can't believe school is out {post coming soon about how school ended up} and our summer break is starting. So let's start our official first week of summer off with some discussion of BOOKS!

May was another solid month of reading - I read 10 books this month bringing my total to 52. Well ahead of where I need to be for my goal of 100, yay!

The Wicked King/The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black - I read The Cruel Prince back in February. It was the first book in a trilogy set in a world of faeries, elves, magic, etc. but the main character is a human girl growing up there. I liked the first book enough to keep going in the series {and the ending was a big part of that - talk about saving everything for the end!}, and I'm so glad I did because the 2nd and 3rd books were excellent! They were action-packed with some good twists, turns, and intrigue. I really ended up loving the 2 main characters {one of whom we hated at first!}, and this series stuck with me a little longer than others of this type have.

Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai - This story continues with the best friend from The Right Swipe which I read last year. This was a chick-lit rom-com but one that covered some meatier topics with mental health and family relationships. I liked it but didn't love it. 

Code Name Helen by Ariel Lawhon - WW2 Historical fiction alert! Yes, I do keep reading these books and loving them! It's amazing how no matter how many of this genre I read, I continue to learn something. This story jumps from right before WW2 started to further in the war {and nearing the end} and the part one woman plays in it. I was very vested in this story and loved the characters. It kind of reminded me of The Secret Life of Violet Grant where the main character just captured my interest right away, so good.

Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman - I read this for a work book club. To me, it read more like the autobiography of the 2 authors vs. a self-hep book {which is what I assumed it was from the title}. So I can't really figure out what the *point* of the book was? I enjoyed reading their story and the challenges they faced, how they grew apart, and how they worked to bring themselves back together. Did I really take anything away from it? Not really.

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny - This was such a quirky little read that snuck into my heart. Probably the first 10-15% I was really unsure of whether I would like this one - the characters are goofy, I wasn't sure I could get behind the boyfriend, etc. Then the next thing I knew I was loving everyone in this little town! I like how the story jumps ahead - each section is a different year and sometimes there are years between sections. It was fun to see how the characters had changed and what had happened as the time moved around. It ended up being charming and fun and I loved it!

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis - BFBC read this one this month and WOW. It's the story of a star H.S. softball player who gets into a really bad car accident and gets addicted to Oxycontin after some major surgeries. I was very stressed out the whole time as she kept making terrible choices, and I knew eventually everything would implode. It was interesting to discuss with our little club because one of the parts of the storyline is that the main character was adopted and adoption is a big part of 2 members' lives, so it was really thought-provoking to hear their perspective on the way the author had adoption factor into this character's life. I really couldn't put this one down and would recommend to anyone, SO good.

To Sir, With Love/When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn - Another month and 2 more Bridgerton stories. What am I going to do when I get through them all? I'll be so sad! I mentioned last month that one of the 2 I read wasn't my favorite. Well, I think Francesca's story made up for that one last month! I really liked both of these but especially enjoyed When He Was Wicked.

Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho - I've been really intrigued by this book after seeing some of Emmanuel's YouTube videos with the same title. I thought it was really interesting that each chapter began by a question from a white person asking a question related to race/racism that Emmanuel would then dive into. Every chapter he gave a little bit of a history lesson, some great food for thought, and ways to put those thoughts into action. I think this is a book everyone should read - it was quick and the way the book was structured made it really easy to understand and think about - while giving room for further learning with great references.

Not much new to report for the kiddos this month - Trent is still working his way through the entire Manga section of our local library, and Drew and I are still reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I can't remember if I mentioned that she has also gotten into graphic novels in the last couple of months. She has read everything just about by Raina Telgemeier {and loved it all}!

She also read When Stars are Scattered {which Trent read last year} which is about 2 refugee brothers and their story. It is co-written by one of the brothers. I read a few sections as Drew asked me to, and gosh, it is so sad and so hard, and I'm very glad both of my big kids read it! Drew finished it at school and said she just cried and cried at the end! I think it's so great for our kids to read stories outside of their everyday life and love that this one touched both Trent and Drew.

So that wraps up May reading. I'm about 2/3 through an interesting story right now about the 6th century and have some holds I'm very excited about. Here's to a great June full of great books!