it t.i.s. time

Here in Heber, the 5th and 6th grades are in a separate school called Timpanogos Intermediate School, known to everyone around here as TIS.

When I was growing up (oh my gosh..did I just say that!), Elementary school went all the way through 6th grade, so this was a new idea to me.

Mary was definitely nervous for this new change, and so was I.  It truly felt like I was sending her off to Jr. High...and we all know what kind of a hormonal rat race that is all about.  I had to keep telling myself over and over and over again that she is just 10, it is just 5th grade, it's all good.

I took her to the open house, where she got her locker!  Yup, they get lockers!  Mary was extremely excited for a locker, and had her bag full of locker décor all set and ready to go. 

the worlds skinniest locker, I swear!

We met her teacher, found her classroom, walked around for a while, and worked on opening her locker about 100 times, she is Mary, therefore, we stayed at that school and I watched her spin that locker combo over and over and over again until she could open her locker fast and accurately.  :)
I just sat there saying right, now left, now right. I am pretty sure I fell asleep saying that that night.

With the open house under way, Mary felt a lot better about going to a new school, and was very excited!  She is my separation anxiety girl, so this was a huge deal that she felt so comfortable and excited.

We did end up taking another trip to the school the following day though...with all of her siblings...so she could "make sure" she knew how to open her locker a few more times.

We also got to make a trip to the Middle School for Mary to pick up her netbook.  If it wasn't already weird enough that my daughter had a locker, and was changing classrooms, now she was getting her own computer!!  She was bursting with excitement, I was just trying to get over the shock.  All of the 5th-12th grade students here get their own netbook, it is basically a laptop that they do all of their homework on, and get their assignments on.  It has the internet, mircrosoft word and excel, and everything else a normal computer has.  Our school district rocks!

William was addicted to the locker, and made Mary show him how to open it over and over again.  I honestly thought we would never leave the school that day.

The night before school started, this was the scene at our house.

The kids were so excited, I thought they would never go to sleep!

Mary was up at the crack of dawn, and had decided on a different outfit.  I am pretty sure she had been trying on clothes for an hour.  hehehe

Some of us were not as happy as others for the first day of school.  Poor Molly didn't want her sister to leave!

I sent the kids out the door with a warm breakfast, a prayer and a warm hug. I was pretty nervous for Mary, since she was charting new territory. She didn't seem phased at all.

re-packing her purse, netbook, pictures for her locker, and who knows what else for the tenth time.  love it!

She came home that day all grins!  She absolutely loved it!  I was so proud of her for taking on this new adventure and fighting her demons that so easily make her nervous and anxious.  She has grown so much in this area and is a fighter.

It has been a week since school has started, and Mary is still loving it.  Her teacher has taken a special liking to her, so she is really enjoying the classroom.  :)  Of course, she struts out the door every day with her computer, her cute new stylish outfits, and is talking about lockers and friends all the way to the bus stop with her friends she walks with.  I wouldn't want it any other way.

And so it begins....welcome to TIS Mary!