There have been so many fun differences about living in the Southern Hemisphere, a few of them being a December summer and the end of the school year!!
It has been interesting to reflect back on the past several months since the kids started school here in New Zealand. They have come a long way, and just as Steve and I anticipated (and hoped!), each child ended up having a really positive school experience. Don't get me wrong, they are glad to be out for summer break, but they already miss their friends and are looking forward to next year (Rachel proofread this post and said, "Mom…seriously...'looking forward to'?…more like 'not dreading'.").
Did you know that nearly every school in New Zealand (even in rural areas) has a swimming pool? We think that is awesome. Cameron and Emily swam EVERY DAY, during school, for the few weeks leading up to the end of school. Emily is such a fish and loves the pool so much, so she was in absolute heaven!
Here are a few pics of Emily with her teachers -- her classroom teacher, Mrs. Hanley...
...and her aide, Michelle:
I'm so grateful for these kind, patient women who took Emily under their wing. It's been very rare for anything to be sent home (as far as schoolwork or homework), but we knew Emily was learning a lot based on the things she told us after school. When her bag came home at the end of school, filled with her workbooks that she had completed, we were astonished at how much they had covered and how well Emily had done.
Beyond the schoolwork, Emily's social experience was very positive. Her classmates were so incredibly kind to her. A few times I mentioned that observation to Mrs. Hanley, and she looked so proud and said, "This is a beautiful class." The kids were genuine and caring, and really looked out for Emily. She will miss her sweet friends next year!
Have I already explained how we have configured the school schedule? If so, pardon the repeat. Since Emily had finished 1st grade in Utah shortly before moving here, she started second grade (or Year 3) during the middle of the school year in NZ in July, and when she goes back in February, she'll pick up the first half of second grade, with a new teacher and new kids. Then, when we go back to Utah in July, she'll be on schedule to start 3rd grade. Cameron is following the same pattern for 6th grade. Julia BEGGED to advance to the next grade (and her teachers agreed that it would be time wasted for her to complete the other half of the grade that she missed). So, in February, she'll start 8th grade, which is HIGH SCHOOL here! Yikes! She'll go to the same school as Rachel, so that will be fun for them. Rachel is also advancing to the next grade...based on her younger age, she had to enter the second half of 9th grade (she had already completed 9th grade in Utah) and will pick up the first half of 10th when school resumes. That means she'll technically get only half of 10th grade, since she'll start her Junior year when we move back. Rachel is the only one we've really worried about, since her credits are counting toward graduation, but we have the list of graduation requirements from Utah and she is right on track with her classes.
Rachel and Julia both received awards at their schools' prize-giving ceremonies. Rachel's awards were for English, Art, Social Science and for service to her House, Tararua. This is a horrible photo, but proof that we were actually there! :)
In case you were wondering, that's Rachel there at the end of the line. The students were required to wear their uniforms to the prize-giving ceremony. I actually grew to love seeing Rachel and Julia in their uniforms every day! Here is a selfie that Rachel took in her uniform…cute girl.
Julia's prize-giving photos are similarly of fairly horrible quality (my apologies!). She received awards for academics and citizenship:
One very exciting school event for Julia occurred several weeks ago, when she won an art contest! The grand prize? An iPad!! No kidding! Here are photos of the school newsletter announcing the details about the contest and results, and a photo of her finished piece of art. She spent many, many hours designing and working on this project (although we all agree that an iPad seems like an over-the-top award for ANY middle-school contest). It was all very thrilling nonetheless.
Julia designed and drew this picture independently, only needing coaching (and lots of trial and error and erasing and re-doing) on the wording. We are so proud of Julia for her dedication and hard work. You don't dangle the prize of an Apple product in front of Julia without asking for a serious contender. :)
Cameron had a great time at school and became sort of famous in his grade for being a master writer and storyteller. He can sure spin a good yarn, that boy. In addition to doing well scholastically, so many people at his school have approached us to let us know they have been incredibly touched at how Cameron gently helps and supports Emily at school (it's a small school, and their paths cross several times a day). We're not a bit surprised to hear this, but are still grateful to know that Cameron is being a kind brother always.
Luke and Landon's Kindy follows the traditional school schedule, so they are on summer recess as well. Every time we drive by, they call out to their beloved school, and are already asking when they can go back. This pic was taken on one of their last days of school before break:
And finally, my favorite end-of-the-school-year photo:
We're all feeling pretty joyful. Bring on the summer!
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