Back to School

Megan and Elizabeth both started school today and as I explained to my mom on the phone recently, it feels different to have my children start school and realize that it's really NOT the end of summer...at least not in terms of weather. Of course, the girls won't enjoy weekday mornings at the pool or Wednesday trips to the zoo and I'll miss that part of summer break but I'm happy we'll continue to be able to plan outdoor family outings and pool dates throughout the school year.

Megan's teacher is Mrs. Brill and she seems perfectly suited to be a first grade teacher. During orientation, we discovered that not only did she grow up in the Dallas area but that her husband graduated from Plano Senior High in Brian's and my class. Of course, with more than 1,200 students in our class, I didn't know him but I still found that amazing. I love those small world moments when living on the opposite side of the globe :) Her one fault is that she's a Texas Longhorn, so if any felllow Ags get an email from me asking for clothing for a 7-year old in early November, you'll know why! There are 20 children in Megan's class with 1 teacher and an assistant and 7 kids are new to SAS this year. Apparently that's not unusual in an expat environment and we talked quite a bit to Megan about being a good helper to the new kids, since she was one of them not long ago.

Elizabeth began her school career at SAS this afternoon and while I was concerned about putting a 3.5-year old on a bus, I'm impressed with the program and facilities they have for the preschoolers. Her teacher, Ms. Jennifer, is a new teacher at SAS but has 2 children in the early childhood program and taught while living in India for the past 7 years. There are 16 children in her class with one teacher and 2 assistants. Parents joined the kids for their first day and that was neat to participate in the class. After her negative experience at a local school, this feels like the right place for our sweet girl. The curriculum is similar to what we saw at preschools back at home, with the exception of the Chinese lessons she'll have 3 times each week. She'll attend school every day in the afternoons so she'll ride a smaller bus with the other preschool kids before lunch and then ride home on the big bus with Megan after school.

So, needless to say, the daily routine in the Dean home will change dramatically from the past few months. I've gone from having 2 or 3 kids home with me all day to just 1 in the afternoons! Our weekdays will be full with Elizabeth continuing to take swim lessons on Monday mornings, my Pilates classes twice each week, and with the older girls being at school all week, I'm excited to have more time with just Emily now. We are doing a gym class with our playgroup on Wednesdays and Kindermusik with her friend Jacob on Thursdays.

As for me, I feel like I am pretty well settled into life here and I'm ready to devote some time to volunteering and meeting more people. I haven't figured out my exact plan yet but I started by volunteering with membership for the American Women's Association. So far I've just been a playgroup coordinator but I haven't been active in the larger organization, so time will tell if that's a good fit for me.

In the meantime, I'll be pleased if all three girls are happy with their daily activities and enjoying their experiences here. I'm looking forward to a great school year!