The end of the school year always throws me into fits of emotion, possibly because it's an undeniable marker of too-quickly passing time. The kids only had five weeks at ISB, but I'm still fighting back the tears at all of these end-of-year events. I'm hopeless!
Yesterday, Evie was an enthusiastic participant in her class poetry share and then again in her grade's music share. Today was Johnny's "Moving On" ceremony, ISB's version of elementary school graduation. He's headed to middle school! I don't know how he feels about this, but I'm a total wreck. Middle school was by far the most difficult time of my growing-up years, and it's tough not to project all those memories onto him.
Just to prove how much changes in one little year (and because I never got around to posting these pictures last year), here are some pictures of Johnny and Evie's last day of school at AISC in Chennai. Aren't they just babies?
This is a view out of my Chennai kitchen window as they take their last walk to the bus stop ...
And picking them up at the end of the last day ...
Fast forward one year, and look at how much everyone's grown! Evie started kindergarten very shy and a bit of a wallflower. She improved through the kindergarten year, but she's really blossomed in first grade. She loved her class in Falls Church, but she's jumped right in at ISB and seems very comfortable. At the poetry share, she performed one poem with a partner (they co-wrote it), two of her own creations, and also acted as one of the emcees. She was confident and did a beautiful job. Here she is celebrating with cookies and lemonade ... clearly not a wallflower anymore!
The elementary music teachers end the year with a music share, which is a talent show in which students can perform for the other kids in their grade. Evie wanted to participate and read the poem "Now We Are Six," by A. A. Milne, with a little "seven is really the best" addition at the end. She was great!
After some piano solos, a guitar solo, magic tricks, and far too many renditions of "Let it Go," the kids ended their music share singing a rousing rendition of Bruno Mars' "Count on Me."
Today's fifth grade Moving On Ceremony was really fun. The principal based her remarks on the Dr. Seuss quote "Today you are You. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." She encouraged the kids to be themselves as they head into middle school and to not allow the opinions of others to change their essential "you-ness."
The kids sang "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World and "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons. The elementary music teachers are apparently big on slightly toned down versions of popular songs, because Evie and Johnny have also been learning Avicii's "Wake Me Up." It's pretty fun, actually. The teachers and some of the students play guitars and hand drums and all the kids get really into it.
Then each class lined up to receive a certificate of completion of elementary school. Here's Johnny getting his from the principal, Ms. Armitage, who happens to be married to his fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Armitage (at the podium).
After a fun slide show and closing remarks from the vice principal, the kids lined up for photos. Here's Mr. Armitage's class.
And here's one of Johnny and his two best friends with Mr. Armitage in front of the ISB panther. The other boys are Isaac and Misha, who were Johnny's roommates on the three-day fifth-grade trip to Chanthaburi. You read that right. Those brave teachers took the entire fifth grade to explore Chanthaburi's mangrove forests and coast for THREE DAYS. Johnny, Misha and Isaac are quickly becoming inseparable.
And here's a bevy of boys ...
The fifth-graders spent the rest of the school day at a pool party, which was rockin', judging by Johnny's sunburt-to-a-crisp face and huge smile when he walked in the door this afternoon.
Two more days of school! And by the time school starts again, Johnny and Evie won't be the new kids anymore. They hardly seem to be the new kids now.
Yesterday, Evie was an enthusiastic participant in her class poetry share and then again in her grade's music share. Today was Johnny's "Moving On" ceremony, ISB's version of elementary school graduation. He's headed to middle school! I don't know how he feels about this, but I'm a total wreck. Middle school was by far the most difficult time of my growing-up years, and it's tough not to project all those memories onto him.
Just to prove how much changes in one little year (and because I never got around to posting these pictures last year), here are some pictures of Johnny and Evie's last day of school at AISC in Chennai. Aren't they just babies?
 |
| Last day of kindergarten and 4th grade! |
This is a view out of my Chennai kitchen window as they take their last walk to the bus stop ...
And picking them up at the end of the last day ...
 |
| Samuel on the playground |
 |
| Evie on the playground |
 |
| Ready to head home one last time ... |
Fast forward one year, and look at how much everyone's grown! Evie started kindergarten very shy and a bit of a wallflower. She improved through the kindergarten year, but she's really blossomed in first grade. She loved her class in Falls Church, but she's jumped right in at ISB and seems very comfortable. At the poetry share, she performed one poem with a partner (they co-wrote it), two of her own creations, and also acted as one of the emcees. She was confident and did a beautiful job. Here she is celebrating with cookies and lemonade ... clearly not a wallflower anymore!
The elementary music teachers end the year with a music share, which is a talent show in which students can perform for the other kids in their grade. Evie wanted to participate and read the poem "Now We Are Six," by A. A. Milne, with a little "seven is really the best" addition at the end. She was great!
After some piano solos, a guitar solo, magic tricks, and far too many renditions of "Let it Go," the kids ended their music share singing a rousing rendition of Bruno Mars' "Count on Me."
Today's fifth grade Moving On Ceremony was really fun. The principal based her remarks on the Dr. Seuss quote "Today you are You. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." She encouraged the kids to be themselves as they head into middle school and to not allow the opinions of others to change their essential "you-ness."
The kids sang "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World and "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons. The elementary music teachers are apparently big on slightly toned down versions of popular songs, because Evie and Johnny have also been learning Avicii's "Wake Me Up." It's pretty fun, actually. The teachers and some of the students play guitars and hand drums and all the kids get really into it.
Then each class lined up to receive a certificate of completion of elementary school. Here's Johnny getting his from the principal, Ms. Armitage, who happens to be married to his fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Armitage (at the podium).
After a fun slide show and closing remarks from the vice principal, the kids lined up for photos. Here's Mr. Armitage's class.
And here's one of Johnny and his two best friends with Mr. Armitage in front of the ISB panther. The other boys are Isaac and Misha, who were Johnny's roommates on the three-day fifth-grade trip to Chanthaburi. You read that right. Those brave teachers took the entire fifth grade to explore Chanthaburi's mangrove forests and coast for THREE DAYS. Johnny, Misha and Isaac are quickly becoming inseparable.
And here's a bevy of boys ...
The fifth-graders spent the rest of the school day at a pool party, which was rockin', judging by Johnny's sunburt-to-a-crisp face and huge smile when he walked in the door this afternoon.
Two more days of school! And by the time school starts again, Johnny and Evie won't be the new kids anymore. They hardly seem to be the new kids now.
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