First Day of School 2012...

I woke up on Tuesday morning and something was different.  Our house was clean, cereal bowls and spoons were at the ready, and school supplies lined our dining room table. It was the first day of school.  As most of you know we home school our girls.  Our "first day of school " rituals are a little different but still important. 

Sophie has been wanting to start school all summer long.  She loves learning and projects.  She and kindergarten are going to get along just fine.  Being the second child she has a clear advantage because she has been exposed to this curriculum already and has a more seasoned teacher.  

One of my co workers has 3 daughters, the youngest being several years older than Maddy.  I love hearing all the stories because I know, in the not so distant future, that will be us.  One story I clearly remember is when his youngest went into second grade.  She walked up to the door on the first day and said to her dad "wow 2. N. D."  I can just imagine her little first grade brain looking at those older kids and dreaming about the day she to would be older.  Well, here we are... Maddy is officially in 2. N. D (that's right I call it that and not second grade :)  She is a champ!  She loves math and reading.  I am so proud of both my girls and what this school year holds.

Also worth mentioning is, we participate in the Idaho Distant Education Academy (I.D.E.A) program.  This allows us to pick our curriculum, be the full time teachers, and move at our own pace. But it also provides us with the expertise of a contact teacher who we visit monthly and have quarterly progress reports, all the standardized testing, money for books, and a transcript.  So, the best of both worlds.  Idaho just implemented a rating system (1-5 stars) of schools based on test scores and overall improvements.  I was pleasantly surprised to see I.D.E.A scored 5 stars!  That is awesome.  Especially when you check out the quality of schools getting the 4 and 5 star ratings.  Read the full article here.  I know this was the best decision for us but seeing the elementary school in our district only scored a 2 just confirmed it.  

Now for cute pictures....