Jillian's best friend had her last day of school today.  Jillian seems to be handling it well, but has shared her fears about no longer having a really good friend in her class.

On Friday, September 13, we had our first quarter parent-teacher conference.  The night before we asked J.J. if she had any concerns or questions about her class to address with the teacher.  She stated that sometimes she doesn't know when or whom to ask a question to during her seat work.  

As my husband and I sat down for our first parent-teacher conference with Sra. C., we were nervous, yet we had great expectations about the meeting because of the teacher's professionalism, character, and knowledge displayed up until that moment.  She greeted us and began by reminding us how beautiful J.J. is and how spunky she can be in class.   We took this as a compliment, but we know that being silly can get her into trouble when she is off-task.  The teacher proceeded to share with us J.J.'s progress in Math, Reading, and Writing.  The teacher seemed quite impressed with J.J.'s fluency in reading Spanish.  At the beginning of the year, she struggled through sentences, yet she scored an amazing 40 WPM on the most recent assessment given to her by her teacher.  They were passages that J.J. had never seen before and she nailed 'em!

We went on to talk about the teacher's opinion about J.J. staying in the program.  She seemed very optimistic and shared about her experiences with former students who had also come into the DLI program in the first grade.  The key, she stated, was that both of us speak Spanish at home, read, review numbers and every day words in Spanish, and continue to support her with homework.  

Although we knew we had a little gem in our home, we left the meeting beaming with pride from all J.J. has accomplished in a short 9-week period.  We pray that we are able to step up to the challenge to speak to her more in Spanish at home and that J.J.will continue to have the passion to take on this challenge.

Today, my little Miss Perseverance received an Effort Award for her determination and attitude in the classroom.  Her little classmate, L, also received an award.  This is her first year in the DLI Program as well.  CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH!  Keep it up and you will accomplish great things this year!!!   Love, Mommy

This morning went well as we got ready for school.  It was time to go and as we headed down the path to school, I told J.J. that I wanted her to bring home two new words in Spanish.  When I finished the sentence, she yawned and said, "I'm tired."  This is her cue to me that she does not want to continue the conversation.  I stopped and sat down with her on some steps and asked her what was bothering her.  J.J. burst into tears and said she just doesn't know anything and that she didn't even want to go to school because she doesn't understand anything the teacher says.  Although I could understand what she was saying, I was surprised because she is my little Army brat, my resilient child, the strong-willed and outgoing one.  I let her cry on my shoulder and told her that everything would be okay.
As we walked up to her classroom, her teacher was standing outside the classroom door and welcomed us.  I asked if she had a minute, and she gladly listened as I explained to her in Spanish what had just gone down on the way to school.  Sra. C. reassured me that it was a normal part of the process and that she had already begun researching about J.J.'s academic background.  Many of the kids in her class had already been in the program for a year.  To me, it seems as though maybe the ratio of English speakers to Spanish speakers in not equal.  She promised to pair J.J. up with a student who is strong in Spanish and willing to help.  I am hoping this will help.  I was impressed with Sra. C.'s knowledge and concern for J.J., this, to me, shows her compassion and love for children.  I know we will have a great year!
When I picked up my estrella from school, she was smiling from ear to ear... she knew she'd be seeing her Nana and Papa who were coming down in their RV to visit for the weekend.  She had a great day and learned the word elefante (elephant) and continued learning numbers and colors in Spanish. 
Off to relax and recover. 

Today, when I picked up J.J., she excitedly told me that she learned the word estrella, or star.  Her teacher picked her to spell it out on the whiteboard with help from the class.  They are learning about the Spanish letter "e". She made some new friends and she also received a purple card for the second day in a row.  J.J. was very proud of her behavior and her effort today, and so are we... She is our little estrella!  

Today was J.J.'s first day of school!  J.J. was very optimistic about being assigned a caring and kind teacher and making new friends.  There was no pressure from her Daddy and me, we just wanted her to have a wonderful day!  I had her Nana call her and reassure her that today was going to be a great day and that learning Spanish would help their relationship and make her grandma proud.  
We were met at the door by her new teacher, Sra. C.  As we entered the classroom, we were bombarded with all the bright, inviting colors of her classroom.  J.J. gave Sra. C an apple as a gift and then found her desk labeled with her name on it.  J.J. couldn't stop smiling and I just beamed with pride.  
The teacher allowed parents 5 minutes for pictures, settling in, and farewells.  When I felt time was near, I gave J.J. a kiss and told her I loved her.  She held out the palms of her hands for kisses (Like in the book, "The Kissing Hand") and she saved those two for later.  Baby brother, L.J., also gave her a kiss which just melted my heart as I could see the love in his eyes.  I held back tears and walked away.  The moment I stepped outside the classroom, I burst into a steady stream... tears of joy, tears of great anticipation, tears of pride for my precious girl.  This was the beginning of a new chapter in our family and I couldn't wait to see where this journey would take us.
J.J. was picked up by her daddy and shared that she didn't understand a word the entire day.  J.J. shared a story with us about a moment in the classroom where the students were told to get ready for circle time in Spanish and she didn't understand. I guess a few students tattled on her and she began to cry.  She said she was listening, but just didn't know what to do until "everyone was yelling at her" (I'm sure this was a first grade exaggeration).  The teacher comforted her and they continued on with the day.  
She also  told us that she learned a new word... the teacher asked her to sit on her bottom, sientate en las pompis.  This was her first learned phrase from school and she giggled as she repeated it.
We reaffirmed her with our words and reminded her that although this journey would be difficult at first, that in the long run it will be worth any struggle she will encounter.