School Update!

Ryder is pretty much a professional school go-er now!  He knows the schedule, how to get all around the school, the rules (and how to push the limits!), teachers names, the ins and outs of riding the bus, you name it…he has figured it out! 

He absolutely loves riding the bus to and from school!  He has made great friends with the bus driver and school bus aide, often getting on the bus and giving them both hugs.  When he gets to school either his teacher Miss T or her aide Ms. Payne are waiting for him.  He has breakfast in the cafeteria, then heads back to class for circle time.  In his classroom they learn about the days of the week, the weather, how to recognize and write letters, they read books, have puppet shows, play on iPads, and do lots and lots of crafts that come home in his bookbag.  Every 2 days they switch activities…so for 2 days they have PE, next 2 days they have art, then library, then music class.  He really enjoys all of the variety!  They have lunch in the cafeteria, then nap time, then snack time, and one last circle time before they load the buses to come home.

He has made several trips to the nurses office, probably because they think he’s cute in there and he gets lots of sympathy! He bumps his head a lot, little uncoordinated thing.  We need to keep working on his core strength in therapy so he can stop having so many accidents!

I have great communication with his teacher.  She calls any time I need to know something and sends really thorough notes home on all of his projects.  When he gives them a good laugh she usually calls to tell me that too.  Also, when there is a problem, she lets me know so that I can talk to him about it at home.  The problem usually relates to sharing and keeping his hands to himself!

I really thought that such a full schedule was going to be hard on him, but he has proved me SO wrong!  He gets home from a full day of school and is wired!  I put in his IEP that he would not come to school on Friday’s because I thought he’d be too tired, but he insists on going, so it seems like he can’t get enough of it.

Ryder got his very first ever report card!  It was funny because I opened his book bag and pulled this out:

And got OVERLY excited!  Ryder’s response was “what’s a report card??” haha.  So we explained to him how he will be getting report cards all throughout school and how Good report cards have Good rewards, and Bad report cards have Bad consequences!  Of course Pre-K report cards have crazy lettering and aren’t really going to be “bad” but he got all P’s & H’s which stood for “Progressing” and “With help from adult”.  Then it was filled with notes from his teacher.

Some of the things she wrote were “Ryder entered the PreK Special Ed class with enthusiasm and a smile.  He has adapted well to the classroom routine and consistently is the first to respond to directions to prepare for activities.  He has made positive progress in many areas of development.”  And “Ryder demonstrates a strong use of vocabulary throughout the day. He describes the current weather and everyday events appropriately.  He tells adults what his peers are doing and how he thinks they feel.”  Yup, sounds about right!  Of course there were comments like “He loves to inform everyone he meets that his sister (who is 1) is mean because she takes all his toys without asking.” And “Ryder rarely has periods of noncompliance except for a few attempts to “trick” teachers by closing the door on them as he enters the hallway first.”  Mischievous Marsh.

He also had a handwritten note from the Asst. Principal…

All in all we were very pleased with his very first ever report card!  So to the Dollar Store we went to pick out a reward!  Of course he picked a fire truck.

It’s funny how you feel like you are the only one who knows your child, then they go to school and you read someone else’s words who seems to know them almost as well!!  Reading through this report card has really solidified for me that we are making the right choices for Ryder.  This one-on-one attention he’s getting is putting him in such a great position to be ready for regular classes when it comes time for Kindergarten.  He has come so far and we couldn’t be more proud of him.  Of course he seems like he has aged at least 5 years now that he is “too cool for school” and uses the word “DUH” when he talks to us!

Another exciting milestone in his school career is that Ryder got Student of the Month for the month of January!  He got to have a special Principal’s breakfast so I texted his teacher to send me some pics (that’s some serious blog material that I almost missed out on!).  Thank goodness she came through and I got the pics below of him at breakfast and checking out his certificate!

   

     

We are so proud of our boy and this makes me SO excited for the school career he has ahead!  He’s definitely following in Mommy’s footsteps with his love for school and willingness to learn.  Hopefully he stays on that path!

We did a little school interview to complete this post.

Ryder Marsh – 3 years old – Pre-K

What is your favorite thing to do at school? Read about Spot the Fire Dog, He’s a Dalmation.

What is your favorite classroom to be in at school?  The library because I love to sit down and be quiet

…(reallyyyy??!!!  could have fooled me!)

What is your favorite thing to learn about at school?  Letters!  My favorite letter is X because that marks the treasure.

Who is your favorite teacher?  Miss Kim…no no no no wait she yells sometimes, Ms Payne, well really its Miss Kim AND Ms Payne.

Who is your favorite friend? S’avion because we like ummm talk and build together and stuff.

What is your favorite thing for Mommy to pack you for lunch? Watermelon and blueberries.

What is your favorite thing to wear to school? Ironman & Batman clothes

Who do you sit with on the bus? Haven, Lilly, Savannah, and Kimberly…

…(big Pimpin in the front seat of the bus over here…DUHHHHH)