Kate's school visit

Kate has been dying to get to school from the day Jaimee started.  At 3 years, she was reading all Jaimee's new entrants readers and has kept up with her sister as best as she can in maths and writing as well.  I even questioned the possibility of her doing a few daily visits this term because she is just so keen but the class is just too full!

So when she got given the dates for her school visits (one a week over the next 4 weeks), she was SO excited.  It has been like counting down to christmas here!  This morning, she insisted that she would be wearing her uniform and tried to get it on at 8am like her sister (her school visit wasn't until 10.30am).  She packed her morning tea and drink bottle with great importance into her bag and made sure her hat was on her head.

After bugging me all morning every 2 minutes with "Is it time to go yet?", the moment finally arrived.  She hopped out of the car with a shy grin at the principal who waved to her as he walked past.  She did hold my hand to the classroom, where I wondered if all the hype would become too much in reality and she would freak out.

Jaimee makes sure Kate is looked after

She didn't.  She went and sat down on the mat after popping her things in a locker and couldn't wipe the huge smile off her face.  The bell rang for morning tea, and she was met at the door by her equally excited big sister, who gave her a big hug and took her off to sit down with the kids in the shade.  I wandered over to them, and was so delighted that Jaimee had decided to sit down with some girls from Kate's new class instead of taking Kate over to her 'big kid' friends.  Kate spent all of morning tea time feeling very important and big, playing with a large group of girls who followed her around everywhere she went.  It was very warming!

After morning tea it was off to the library.  Memories of Jaimee's first trip to the library floated through my mind: she cried the whole way there and refused to hold a 'big kid' buddy's hand for weeks and weeks.  Kate said she wanted me to be her buddy, and I explained that this is what happens at school: the big kids keep the little kids safe and hold their hands to the library.  I reassured her that I would walk beside her and that was that.  No tears, just slipped a shy hand into that of her Y8 buddy and walked happily all the way, swinging her brand new book bag in one hand.  I was able to leave her to it at the library, and she just LOVED it when her buddy read her some stories.

Back at school, when it was time to go home for lunch and to get Luke...Kate burst into tears.  "I don't want to go home" she wailed.  Ah, Kate .....don't worry, before long you will be there every day!  I am just so proud of your bravery!

Couch time after a busy morning at school