It is one of two DoDEA schools here. One, Sasebo Elementary, is for kids who live in Main Base Housing. Darby Elementary is for kids like Leah who live in Hario Village. The mascot is a dolphin so how could Leah not like it?
Put some knee-high boots on this girl and she'll look like Nancy Sinatra!
I got her a new backpack from Land's End (with matching lunchbox). This is their "small," meant for 3-to-5-year-olds. That would have to be one NBA-sized 3-year-old because this is big on Leah.
When I do my blog on Hario you can see the school and the playground but the basic facts are it is an elementary school run by the Department of Defense so all the students are military dependents or dependents of civilian employees who work here at Fleet Activities Sasebo. The school is K - 6 but there is also a Sure Start pre-k, which is the DoD version of Head Start. (Sure Start doesn't begin until mid-September.) As we learned in our new student orientation last week, the enrollment is at the lowest levels it has been in years because they are renovating housing here in Hario so there are not as many residents right now. This works in Leah's favor because they still have all the same facilities and resources, but less students. Leah has 16 kids in her class (including her). She had just 14 in her kindergarten class last year at Merit, and that was a private school. Darby Elementary has a technology grant so every classroom has smart boards and multiple computers and there is a computer lab with 30 computers where each class goes to learn every week (even the preschoolers). Leah's teach in named Mrs. Jarrard and she seems very nice. (For all my Furman peeps, she grew up from 3rd grade - on in Greer, SC.)
Mrs. Jarrard and Leah
Leah checking out the computer station in her classroom.
The room is not all technology--lots of books and even some fish.
Today was just a half day with an open house in the afternoon to meet the teacher, see the classroom, etc. The classroom is really big but maybe that's just my perspective after three years at Merit. Aaron enjoyed exploring it so much he didn't want to leave when it was time to go. Maybe that's a good sign....
Leah went to bed very easily tonight but she was up until 10pm last night. I guess she was too excited/nervous to sleep. School starts at 8am here so wake-up for the kids is 6:00-6:15am, which comes quickly. Leah and Aaron are not as bad as Matt when it comes to getting up in the morning, but they do not respond well to being rushed. I'll be curious to see how she does tomorrow because it will be a full day (8am - 2:30pm) without a nap and then our first soccer practice from 4:30 - 5:30pm. I think she'll be wiped by the end of the day tomorrow!
Best Buddies!
Holy small class!!! I think Brady has close to 30 kids in his class!! And good luck with being wiped out...I was hoping the same for Brady, but after a full day (8:40-3:20) of Kindergarten and then soccer practice, he was totally wound up!! Didn't go to bed/sleep til close to 9. And now, as it approaches 7:30 they are both still asleep which means I'm going to have a rough morning getting them "up and at 'em"!!
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