Back to School 2020
Like many kids around the country my kids went to school the last day on March 12th. That’s one LONG summer.
This year has just been so crazy and insane and we were on the edge of our seats to hear the plans for the upcoming school year.
You can read all about how we prepared for this school year here!
We ALL we so, so thankful when we got the news that school WAS starting back up IN PERSON. Praise Jesus!!!
Yes, things would look different and, yes, they have to wear masks all day but at least they get to BE THERE. For now? We’ll take it!
Spear had his Open House and it was THE most normal experience we’d had since all of the Covid stuff started. It felt so weird to feel so normal that I was probably super weird and like over hyped up about everything. I mean, to be honest, I WAS hyped!
I’ve never been the mom who counts down to back to school but this year? WE ALL WERE.
SO ready for them all to go back!!! But especially Spear. Whew a pandemic with a two year old is no joke. He’s BUSY and I was eager for time to focus on the blog (hello me being so behind!) and get back into a set routine for him.
He was excited too and it was great to meet his teachers and get ready for a great school year!
He had NO problems on his first day! He happily went to school and has LOVED every single minute of it since! I love how much he loves it. He truly misses it on the days he doesn’t go!
This lunch box has been awesome for preschool too!
His teacher sent this pics on the first day – I love seeing him so happy and having FUN!
Usually the kids go back to school on August 7th but the county decided to push it a week to allow everyone to get settled in with all the new guidelines. This meant that Spear went back to school a week before the big kids did which worked out SO well!
We were able to do some big kid summer stuff without Spear and it was easier to get childcare arranged for the girls while I attended Kye’s Open House for Middle School.
SUCH a big step and I didn’t know what to expect with Open House. I should have brought a notepad to take notes! We were able to go on a tour of the school and we both were SO impressed. We instantly loved it!
It was weird having so many precautions in place. Wearing masks. Having social distancing. Seeing the water fountains blocked off. I’m thankful he’s in 6th grade as I feel like it’ll seem LESS weird to him since it’s the only impression he’s having of middle school, ya know?
It is a bit nerve-racking entering a new school building and my mind was set at ease right away! Robyn met us at the door (she teaches at the same school Kye attends) and we ended up being related to one of Kye’s teachers! It was such a blessing to feel so comfortable right off the bat.
Kye got a list of the clubs offered and literally circled every single one haha he’s PUMPED for the clubs and READY for Middle School life!
It was a very different attending Open House for the girls. They were heartbroken that they couldn’t go visit their teachers from last year that they never even got to say goodbye to! It was very structured and we couldn’t even get close to their new teachers either.
They had a divider between the entrance to the classroom and the teacher stood behind that and told us the info and said hello and then we left! Even though it was a strange experience, it was still just SO GOOD to be IN the building again! The girls were overjoyed!
It’s a BIG year for Britt as she is in 3rd grade and gets to go UPSTAIRS! It’s a milestone at the school and she was beyond excited about it.
Tess, shockingly, was also super excited about first grade. I was very nervous about how she’d do. Out of all my kids she is the only one to ever struggle with going to school. Kindergarten was a tough transition and I was nervous that after SO much time at home that she’d struggle to transition back into the school setting.
But nope! She was PUMPED and instantly loved her teacher and was ALL ABOUT IT! 🙂
With Kye entering middle school I thought it was time to begin a new back to school tradition for he and I to share – back to school shopping!
I know he’s getting older and I want him to have his own style and choose his own clothes and such. He literally still just DOES NOT CARE though haha.
We went to dinner at Fazoli’s (his fav) and then went over to Academy and had fun choosing some athletic style clothes for him for school. He even went into a dressing room for the first time (he thought it was such an odd experience haha).
We got some great deals and several outfits and he was so appreciative and it was a great bonding activity to do together.
I have so many great memories of third grade and am so thrilled for Britt to be starting her third grade year. I keep having to correct myself because she seems old enough to be in 4th!
She was my most upset child when school closed down and was more hesitant about going back because she had SUCH a great group of friends in 2nd grade in her class and her class list for 3rd didn’t include any of them.
I reminded her to “grow where she is planted!” She is SUCH a light and makes friends so easily that I’m sure God placed her in a class where someone needs a friend like her!
I know she will do great and by the end of the year she’ll be sad to leave these friends too!
Tess was READY! Which made me a bit sad as I’m used to her being the one I can count on to miss Mommy and want those extra snuggles.
But nope. She is ready to face the world and it makes me SO proud! She really grew so much this year and I can see how she’s maturing and I love that we had extra time together but that the extra time didn’t cause her to backtrack to her kindergarten struggles.
I struggled the most emotionally with sending MY BABY to MIDDLE SCHOOL. I’m not ready emotionally but HE IS ready for SURE.
The last few years of Elementary School weren’t the best for Kye. Kye is very mature in a lot of ways and it has made it hard to form friendships. He’s not into “trying to be cool” and I love that about him but the boys he’s been around have not been similar to his personality.
I have just felt very, very strongly that middle school would be THE place for him. I think my confidence and excitement has also helped boost his and he wasn’t too nervous at all. He was excited to have a locker and especially for all the clubs and activities to be part of.
Kye was very active in his prior school and it was hard for him to lose that when Covid hit. He missed all those activities and was eager to get rolling with them again in the new school year. I KNOW he’ll ROCK IT!!!
My masked babies ready to take on the school year -whatever it may look like!
I wasn’t sure if I’d get upset at drop off or not but YUP the tears came a-flowin’ after I dropped Kye off. I’m SO GLAD I snapped this picture!!! Even that mask can’t hid his happiness and excitement! Sure enough he had a GREAT first day back and has been LOVING IT so far!!!
Dropping the girls off was a different experience as I wasn’t allowed to walk them in the building. They still wanted me to park and get out and walk them as far as I was allowed. It was weird not having Kye there with them but I know the Parker Girls are gonna RULE the Elementary school for the next couple of years together 🙂
Britt made sure Tess got to her classroom and is such a good big sister. I love that all of my kids will have an older sibling there beside them through at least the early years of Elementary. Tess is already talking up the day when she gets to help Spear learn the ropes 😉
It’s also such a blessing to have Robyn be in the 6th grade hall with Kye! She sent me this pic during the first day 🙂 A perk of a teacher BFF 😉
We are SO THANKFUL to be IN the school building this year. Usually I’m the parent working that attendance system (and let’s be real…I did still check them out early the first two Fridays of school haha) but this year we want to be there as much as we possibly can.
We appreciate school in such a new way after being gone for so long. I know teachers and staff are working SO HARD to adjust to the new requirements and doing all they can to follow the guidelines so we can STAY OPEN and I applaud that! I may not love all the new rules but I will follow them all without complaint if it means we get to be in those school buildings 🙂
My babies NEEDED to be back. It’s been so, so good for them. So good for our family. SUCH a gift we truly are beyond thankful for! And who knows? Maybe the 2020-2021 school year will even be the best one yet 😉
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My heart breaks for Kye. My oldest daughter is the same way and it has been hard for her to form friendships as most girls would rather hang out with the “popular girls.” I knew this was going to happen as she’s always been mature for her age but I didn’t know it would start so early! I didn’t expect this until middle/high school.
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It is so tough and I feel like even tougher for girls. Prayers for her that she finds her crew! Keep building her up mama and help her to always see her worth 🙂