Goodbyes

Today is Kylie's last day at her Goddard School.

And I am going to miss it. Here are the top five things that I've really enjoyed during Kylie's five weeks at this school.

1. Drop offs. I loved that I could bring Kylie to her classroom anytime after 7am. We would get there usually around 8:00 but sometimes as late as 8:40. I loved that flexibility.

2. Interaction. The folks at Goddard are great with their interactions with the parents. Every morning as I would walk Kylie to her class, we would be greeted by name by either the receptionist or the owner and usually both. Kylie's teacher Erin always had a kind word in the morning. And she always made it a point to share with me something about Kylie's day when I picked Kylie up after lunch.

3. Curriculum. I enjoyed how the school focused their teaching moments on various countries so the little ones could learn about their world. During Kylie's time there she learned about Australia, Canada, Mexico, South Africa. She would learn the placement of the countries on the globe, their national flags, a few phrases in their language, and a few cultural facts. The music played and the books read during class also centered around the country currently studied.

4. Reporting. They excelled at reporting. Each day Kylie would get a worksheet that stated how much lunch she had eaten, when her sunscreen was applied, the story and music of the day and a few of the facts she learned during circle time. This was so helpful in drawing Kylie out to speak about her day. I could say to her, "So, you learned how to say 'How are you' in Zulu today?" And Kylie would reply "Unjani!" and then tell me about which kids could say it and what she did afterwards. It really helped to speak specifically about an item in her day to get her talking about her day. The reporting worksheet also had a note about Kylie's day such as "Kylie used blocks to make birthday cakes for her friends." I really appreciated this worksheet!

5. Water Day. Tuesdays and Fridays were water days during playground time and Kylie loved them. There's nothing like water fun to wear out a three-year old.

I gave each of Kylie's two teachers a Starbucks gift card and made them these two bags filled with cookies as a thank you.


They gave Kylie a magnetic frame for our refrigerator complete with a picture of Kylie and this card. The teachers wrote a sweet thank you and the kiddos all doodled in it.


We are sad to leave Goddard School. My plan is to use them again next Summer.