Claire's Last Day of Kindergarten

June 5, 2014 was Claire's last day of Kindergarten.  I didn't expect it to be so emotional, but I started crying when we told Claire's teacher goodbye for the summer.  We started the year not really knowing what to expect, but we hoped and prayed that Claire would have a good relationship with her teacher, that she would feel safe and happy at school, that she would make friends, that she would be kind and obedient, and that she would learn a lot.  All of these prayers were answered and it was a wonderful first year experience for all of us.  Her teacher was such a huge part of it - we couldn't have gotten a better one, and on the last day she told me how much she cared about Claire and how she hoped her daughters would have the same relationships with their first teachers as she had with Claire.  It was an amazing year!

The day was full with fun celebrations.  We took a last day of school photo in the backyard, and Will wanted to take one, too, with his scary dragon face.




We dropped Claire off, ran a quick errand, and came back for get a seat for the Kindergarten ceremony.  Claire and her classmates worked so hard on their performance, and it was beyond adorable.  They sang a song written by the music teacher to the tune of "Summer Nights" from Grease..."But, oh, now it's time for First Grade!"




Then each kid got a completion certificate...




And they ended by singing their school song, "We are the Lions, Hear Us Roar!"  Claire gets really animated during the "Roar" part!


Afterwards each class went back to their classroom for pictures.  Will brought Claire flowers that he picked out (our earlier errand), and she was so pleased.








They had the option to stay or go, and Claire wanted to stay for part of the day, so I helped her change out of her dress clothes.  I picked her up a little early, and she had enjoyed helping clean up and organize the room - two of her favorite activities!

It was truly a wonderful year.  Now, on to First Grade!