The kids and I had dentist appointments on the same day, but at different times and different places. It was a day dedicated to oral hygiene. I was relieved to find that none of us had cavities. We try and stress the importance of taking good care of your teeth, but I think our pleas often fall on deaf ears. Kara is really good at brushing, flossing, and using mouth wash. Jack and Anna are hit or miss. Thomas and I still brush Luke's teeth, so we figured he would be fine. Regardless, I always hold my breath a bit. We walk a fine line between trying to terrify our kids of the consequences of a cavity and making sure they aren't scared of the dentist. But, I figure if they ever do have cavities, I will have some major backpedaling to do. So, I am glad to put that off for at least another 6 months.
The older kids got their second report card of the year last week. Kara got straight As and Jack and Anna made the A/B honor roll. We are mostly proud. Jack and Anna could have easily had straight A's with slightly more work. We don't care as much about the grade as the effort and we feel not all our kids are putting forth their best effort. We really want them to establish good habits now.
On Friday, I attended my 3rd International Day at the kids' school. It is held every two years and is a definite highlight for everyone. There are six areas in the school and each is a designated country. The kids walk through and learn about the country through different activities, crafts, foods, etc. This year's theme was the Winter Olympics, which was smart and well-timed (purposefully, I am sure) to get the kids excited about this year's games. I walked around with Jack's class. Since Anna is also a fourth grader, she was on the same rotation. But, since she is in a different class, she had a different chaperone and was usually in a different spot. But, I still got to see her a bit. And, when we went to Kara's classroom, she gave the speech for her class (which she had memorized). It was about a treat found in Russian bakeries, then her classmates passed out donut holes (half the students give the lesson to the travelers in the morning and half in the afternoon, the kids not remaining in the class are traveling). It really is a super fun event and it takes a ton of work on the teachers' parts. The classroom decorations are generally very elaborate. Some of the teacher's dress up and all plan a good activity. My first year, I went with Anna's class. Two years ago, I was with Kara, and this year was Jack. I feel fortunate that my kids get to go to such a nice school and that I am still able to participate in some of their activities. And, with Luke starting in two years, I still have three more International Days to go before they all graduate from Elementary School.
 |
| One hallway |
 |
| Kara and some classmates. |
 |
| Anna practicing the luge |
 |
| Jack "ice skating" |
No comments:
Post a Comment