First Day of School - 1st & 3rd Grade

FISD offered 2 school choices this year, virtual academy & face to face instruction. We chose to go with face to face, however, our district decided for everyone to go virtual for the first 3 weeks. Thankfully our girls have done really well the past 6 months & have learned to go with the flow so starting virtually didn't impact them too much. They were still excited to see who their teachers were & what friends were in their class. I told them up front that we weren't buying new backpacks or lunchboxes this year because they hardly used the ones I bought them last year. Same with clothes. It is still 100 degrees outside & since we aren't going anywhere, there isn't a need to buy clothes yet. But I did try to make their first day feel special. I hung streamers on their doors so they were surprised when they woke up & I made a special breakfast for them:

 

As special as it can be gluten free! In the past we would have picked up fun donuts but since we can't do that anymore, I bought frozen gluten free donuts. Better than nothing, I guess?! We set their alarm clocks for the first time in 6 months, I let them wear whatever they wanted in their closets, which was a big deal because it's been a lot of "play clothes" while stuck at home. We even took first day pictures outside with our sign:

I realized as I was taking their pictures that they didn't have shoes on, but then I thought who cares - we are stuck at home anyway! Even though they tried to dress up, it's ok if they are barefoot :)

School is definitely different but it's going good so far. In the spring, I mostly taught them & I was able to get it done for both of them in a few hours. I liked the flexibility because we worked every day, but everything wasn't due until the end of the week. This way, we could sleep in, start mid morning, but finish early & have the afternoon to go outside & play. That is definitely not the case this year! They both have to log on for their morning meeting at 7:45, they have live instruction from their teachers & with their classmates throughout the day & all of their assignments are due the same day. Then they end the day with another live meeting from 2:30 - 3:00. I love the interaction with the teachers, their classmates, small groups, etc. & it is much less hands on from me, but it requires I be home the entire time from 7:45 - 3:00. I can still get a lot done around the house, but it is a lot of schedules & calls to help them with:

We set up separate work stations for them & I have them both downstairs so I can check on/help them both during the day. Thankfully they both have iPads that seem to be working so far, but fingers crossed they actually get to go back to the school after Labor Day!