If ever too much excitement was packed into one day, this was the day. We had Amelia starting school in Switzerland for the first time, Sophie going into first grade, and Noah starting Kindergarten. Oh, and Uncle Adam coming to visit after spending three months in the African bush. Since we had more children than parents, we had to make an executive decision as to which child would go unaccompanied to school for the first time. After much discussion, we decided that since Amelia was in the same class as Nicholas, she wasn't really alone, and as the oldest she could handle the anxiety the best. So, Chris and Alexandra went with Sophie, and I went with Noah.
I can't tell you too much about how Sophie's morning was, other than that she had a cute little cuddly monster to hug whenever things got too overwhelming.
Her teacher is Frau Goeldi, and Sophie really likes her. She was kind of disappointed at first, that Sarah has "the prettiest teacher" in school, but Frau Goeldi is the best artist! And since Sophie is such a huge fan of crafting, painting and generally creating, this carries quite a bit of weight with her. There are lots of stuffed animal mascots in her class; Timmi the cat, Mimmi the mouse, and Lilli the mouse, Hoppel the bunny, Eli the elephant, Leo the lion, and Bear the bear. 🙂 Apparently, there are even a few more. She told the class that she has so many stuffed animals, she isn't sure exactly how many she actually has! The kids can sign up on a waiting list to take one of the stuffed animals home to keep for a day. And sometimes, you get really lucky and get to have them over a weekend! Sophie has already brought home Timmi and Bear.
Noah was not too sure he wanted to go to Kindergarten at all. He didn't have a super great time when we went in June, although it wasn't really THAT bad. He is just terrified of the dog, Spiro, and doesn't have any friends already. All his favorite playmates from preschool are still there because they are younger. Throw in the fact that he doesn't feel really confident speaking German yet, and you can see why he wasn't excited about spending too much time there.
After we had put his "Luechli" ( reflective band they wear to make them stand out in traffic) on his coat hook, put on his "Finken"(slippers that all children are required to wear inside the school house), put his toothbrush and cup by the sink, and put his gym clothes in the appropriate bin, all the kids sat in a circle with both teachers and introduced themselves again. They met the class pets, 4 live mice, which was a huge ice breaker. How can you sit there, quietly on your chair, when there are mice to look at? We sang a few songs, played a couple of games, and then learned of the new hygiene rules for this fall and winter.
Due to the swine flu, the Swiss are breaking with the age old tradition of greeting friends with a handshake and three cheek kisses. In school, it has always been the rule to shake your teacher's hand and say "hello" every morning, and again when you leave after school is over. It promotes good manners, and helps the teacher and children to bond, as well as let the teacher know if anyone is missing. But the Zurich school board has deemed it to also be a huge germ spreader. So they have instructed all schools to stop the practice until flu season is over. I can understand the reasoning behind it, but it does seem a little sad when the world's problems interfere in our idyllic village life. :( Some teachers have gotten rather creative and instituted a new tradition. Instead of shaking each child by the hand, they just touch elbows! I like that solution rather a lot.
The new regulations also prevented the traditional school-wide balloon launch from taking place. Apparently, everyone standing together outside presented a too great risk of germ sharing. So each class had to do it separately. :( Each child got a helium balloon, to which he/she attached a card with their name, school class, and school address on it. Then they all went out to the playground, and on the count of three, let their balloons go. We stood and watched them float up to the sky, each child trying to figure out if their balloons was the one in the current lead. On the last day of school, they will take all the postcards that were returned and give out prizes for the balloons that traveled the farthest.
I watched with Noah's group, and then it was time for the parents to leave, so I went to find Chris. He was just coming out with Sophie's class to do their balloons, so I watched with them as well. A few of the kids let theirs go too soon, with the expected tears to follow. But they were allowed to go in and get a spare balloon to launch with the class, just not a second postcard with their name on it. Then we said goodbye to her, quickly sneaked back into Noah's c
lassroom to take a few quick pictures and came home.
Well, I came home. Chris went to pick up Adam at the airport. The kids were hoping he would be there when they came home for lunch, but unfortunately, travel out of Africa isn't as reliable as one would hope. He missed a connecting flight due to airline error, had to wait for the next one, and didn't get home until the kids came back from afternoon class. But at least he was finally here!
Did you add another member to your family that you didn't post a blog about?
Hmm, I guess she didn't actually get her own blog post, but she was definitely mentioned. Anyway, Amelia is our niece, on Chris' side who has come to live with us for a year so she can learn German. She is ten. Glad you are still alive. How are things settling down for you?