The first day of school has finally arrived. The weeks leading up to this watershed day were fraught with registration forms, immunization verifications, official documentations, and lots of waiting. Being the proactive planner that I am, I knew way back in about April that we absolutely had to be in Texas no later than August 1st. In my mind, that was the drop dead deadline. We closed on our house July 29th, and with only a couple of days to spare in my grand design, I was ready to kick into gear with the enrollment process.
One of the first things I did was call around to the schools to see what I would need to bring in order to get the kids registered because I am so organized and on top of things. That is how I roll. So I make the first call, and in talking with one of the secretaries at the elementary school, I learned a jarring piece of information. Upon informing her that my students were going into 3rd and 5th grade, she came back with the declaration that my 5th grader would not in fact be attending their school. What?! But this school is right around the corner from our house, the house we picked in part because of the close proximity to school. WHAT?! Here in this neck of the woods they have a charming little thing called intermediate school. It is not elementary, not middle school or junior high, but something in between, a sort of interim if you will. They rotate around a little bit, and they even get lockers. They don't have recess anymore, but there is "break" after they eat lunch. Okay. A little surprising, but it is what it is. Moving on.
More calls were made, and as mentioned, lots of paperwork was completed. We met with counselors for the two older boys so as to plan out their schedules. Theo was beyond thrilled to learn that our younger boys would have P.E. three days a week and the older kids every single day. Bonus! We were a little disappointed that the high school doesn't have an orchestra program for Drake. Besides that, they seemed to have some great classes to take.
The Friday before school was supposed to start, each of the schools had a "meet the teacher" night. Luckily none of them were at the same time. Maybe less lucky was that they were all in 30 minute increments. We would have to hustle from one place to the next to get in the face time I had planned to get with the teachers. Drake got to attend a half day freshman orientation at the high school sans parents. If I had my way, I think I would have liked to go and sit in the back so I could have my own peace of mind that I knew the procedures and policies without having to rely on Drake to relay them to me. He is not well known for his communication skills. When the late afternoon rolled around, we started our rounds at the other three schools.
Holy parent involvement! The traffic to the schools was insane! I think every single parent of every single kid was at the schools trying to hone in on my teacher face time. It was a spectacle. We did get to meet Bowen's three core teachers and Rex's teacher. Corbin was barely tolerating our presence on his turf and refused to let us walk around to meet each of his teachers. I guess he didn't notice the halls were teeming with families all doing the exact same thing. We are so embarrassing!
Monday morning rolled around, and it was time to put all of the planning and preparation into play. The kids all donned their new clothes and shoes, ate a little breakfast, and we were off. Rex was first on the docket as I walked him around the corner to his school. It was borderline pandemonium in the roads and parking lot surrounding the school, and I was so glad we were on foot. Apparently, kids aren't allowed anywhere but the cafeteria before school, and they in there in rows by grade until the appointed time. I left Rex sitting in his little row looking so anxious it was all I could do to leave him there. Bowen was next as Theo loaded him up for the drive to the Intermediate school. Luckily, we got him signed up to ride the bus, so this was just a first day of school ride. Corbin left on foot to the junior high with nary a look back. Drake was last to go, the only kid who will get a ride every day. As we dropped Drake for his first day in the big scary world of high school, I admit, I had a little bit of a lump in my throat. Our baby, in high school!
Some things never change, as this was sadly the best photo I was able to snap before they all dispersed.
Corbin had arrived home in the nervous waiting for Bowen and declared that almost all of his teachers are mean. Finally, Theo departed to collect Drake. No drama there at all.
Once we were all home, snacked, and settled, tales of the day were overlapping. The gist was, for the most part, they survived. it wasn't so bad. It was even pretty good! YAY! Maybe school in Texas won't be so bad afterall.
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