first week of school

School started this past week!

According to U.K. standards Marisa should be starting Kindergarten or "Reception" as they call it here, this fall. But because of the timing of our move over here we were considered late applicants when I applied for Marisa to attend the top 3 public or "state schools" nearby so we didn't get into the schools I wanted. So while we remain on the waiting list for them, and as I refuse to send her far away to a crappy school they allocated me in the meantime, I instead have her in a really good preschool or "nursery" which has accepted her to attend until the end of December this year because she is considered a young 4. (Her birthday is in April.) I think I mentioned all this before.

What I didn't mention is that the school was even nice enough to let her attend mid-term this past June! So technically Monday wasn't Marisa's "first day of school" but it kinda was at the same time. She had a good introduction into the school, her teachers, and how things run over here beforehand so she was such a pro entering the school on Monday.

She marched right into the gates of the school with her red school bag in hand with so much confidence, leaving me way behind, and waited for her classroom or "shelter" doors to open with a huge grin on her face. She "self-registered" which is like a way of an attendance sheet, and placed her bag where it belonged with that smile still on her face. It was never a problem leaving her the first time we went to school, (ok it was a little hard for me, not for her though, to actually leave her) but it was 10x easier leaving her this time around because she was SO excited to be back!!

After the first day of school, on the bus ride home, I turn to see Marisa laying herself across an entire row eating her grapes. This is the "Good Life"!

I asked Marisa what her favourite part about school is and she said, "Umm, reading books, playing with toys, making maps, making a friend. Yes. All of it."