Getting back into the swing of things.....

The school season is rapidly approaching.

Tonight, is Parent Orientation for Princess Petunia's Kindergarten. The 31st is the Parent/Teacher/Student Orientation for my son's class. September 1st is his first day of school; September 2d is my daughter's Teacher/Student Orientation -- and then her first day is the 8th of September.

In our town, there are seperate Kindergartens; by that, I mean the schools as a whole are a Kindergarten. Then, they have elementary schools -- 1-3rd grades. The 4th-5th are Intermediate schools; 6-8 is the Middle School -- and then you have the high school. While it can be a logistical nightmare when you have children in different schools, I really like the layout and structure of it all. They separate the age groups so that children of like ages are together and yet not with groups too young or too old to be truly "peers". Even the release times are different so as not to conflict. (Again, logistically for a working parent - a potential nightmare, but yet somehow, it all works out in the end.)

When I was little, we were in the more traditional K-6. Some schools are still that way, or they're K-8 and I suppose that's okay but I'm happy with the kids being in different schools. In some ways for siblings that's kind of nice too -- they each have their own space.

So this weekend I've got some school supply shopping to do (not much, truly their lists are quite small which surprised me!) and at a minimum I'd like to get a new shirt for my son to wear his first day. My daughter already has a few new things to start with so I have some choices for her first day. I'm sure the weather, while it may be cooler - will still be warm, and their schools have no air conditioning so even on cool days it's so very warm in there.

September 1st will be bittersweet....happy to see them go back and continue their education, but yet sad to see them go; yet another indication that they're growing up and becoming little people. While it's something we all long for our children, and want to see them be happy and successful in life -- at the same time -- we wish we could keep them small, and safe and sheltered with us forever.