Last Day of Preschool

Photo of a photo because our scanner wouldn't work

Today was Punky's last day of preschool.  It was an exciting but hard day for our little girl, as many of the friends she has played with this year are now five years old and will be going to kindergarten next year.

A few weeks ago, Punky attended two birthday parties for two of her classmates.  The parties were on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  And they were the first drop-off parties that Punky has been invited to as well.  On the way home from the last party, Punky started crying.  She realized that turning five meant that her friends would not be at preschool next year.  I was pretty shocked that she had such a strong reaction (especially on such a fun day).  But, I chalked it up to attending two back-to-back parties and being exhausted.  And besides, all of her preschool friends live nowhere near us, so they wouldn't be going to the same school anyway. 

This morning Punky had the same reaction saying good-bye to her preschool friend, C.  Punky and C were inseparable the entire year.  They were always playing together, choosing each other to be partners, and often times walked hand in hand through the parking lot at the end of the day.  A few times at pick-up, I even heard the teachers remind Punky and C to stop talking, wrestling, hugging, etc.  Today, after the end of the year party, Punky burst into tears and came running to me crying when it was time to say good-bye.  I felt so bad for our little girl, I was in tears too.  It hurt so much knowing how sad our little girl was in that moment.  The teachers all commented on what a special friendship the two of them made that year.  All we could do was hug her and remind her to think of the fun times they had together.  

C gave Punky a present- so sweet!

Similar to last year, families were invited into the classroom during the last half hour of class to watch the children sing a few songs, receive an award from the teachers, and celebrate the end of the school year.  Daddy, Buddy, Cassie (Punky's DHH teacher) and I had front row seats for the performance.



Punky's teachers presented her with an award for "Endless Enthusiasm and Great Generator of Ideas".  Her "report card" had high marks in nearly every category.  The only "developing skill" the teachers made a comment about was that she "occasionally needs a little help resolving conflicts without assistance".  No surprise there, but we're working on it!



When I was young, my dad always told me he did not care so much about the grade on the report card, but that the teachers had positive comments to make about me.  Here is what the teacher had to say about Punky:

"We enjoy Punky very much.  She has a great sense of humor, is always engaged in our discussions at circle-time, and tried out all things."

We missed photos with the other two teachers because Punky was still crying.

Like last year, I saved some of my favorite projects that Punky created at preschool.  I am not sure how I will ever keep all of her artwork, so taking photos is one way to remember all the cute things she has created!