You know the saying, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life?” I feel like that summed up today for Ethan. Today, the tiny little peanut we brought home from the hospital over 5 years ago, strapped on an oversized backpack and started a new chapter in his life.  He’s officially a big time Kindergartner!

I don’t think he could have stood to wait one day more. He was SO excited and very proud! Since St. Martin of Tours is also our parish, we managed to introduce Ethan to about a quarter of the other kiddos in his Kindergarten class prior to his big day, so I think that really helped curb anxiety and get him excited. Let’s be honest…it helped me as well. Proud to say, while it was bittersweet to send Ethan off with his new class this morning, I didn’t cry!

E will have computer class, art class, music class, Spanish class and PE. He’s happy about hot lunch Thursdays where moms go and bring special lunches and dessert to the school for the students (Pizza, Taco Bell, Subway, etc.). Eric is excited about the beautiful iMac lab and iPads for every classroom. E will continue to take piano lessons and we look forward to starting soccer, tennis and maybe musical theater after school at St. Martin’s.

In Ethan’s Words:
Ethan really likes his backpack, recess (no surprise there!) and playing with his new friends. He says his teachers are nice and when I asked what he thought of his uniform he said, “It’s cool, mom.”

The Courtship
Oh yes! Quite the courtship we’ve had with St. Martin’s. The back story? We entered a whole new territory of schools and processes when we moved to LA. Little did I know how complex and competitive Kindergarten could be! It’s a little scary when you learn that other parents are applying to several different schools for Kindergarten and you’re staring blankly at them wondering why? Aren’t the neighborhood schools up to par? (Not if it’s LA Unified!) It’s a whole different ballgame than what I anticipated. Charter schools, magnet programs, private schools, school lotteries…

Last October was the beginning of a crazy process I feel rivals a university selection process. Applications were filled, recommendation letters were written, Ethan had interviews….even Eric and I were interviewed!

Ethan got into his “safety” school in February and we waited patiently to hear back from our first choice (St. Martin’s). Despite being a K-8 school, we liked how tight-knit the school felt. The entire administration seems loving, but firm. Nurturing, yet empowering. The school itself has an outdoor layout…where you walk outdoors to get to the different classrooms, areas, offices. (Guess you can do this in SoCal where it doesn’t rain much or get very cold!) Each grade has only one class of 25 students. But our odds weren’t great as siblings get priority and there were going to be 10 younger siblings entering St. Martin’s Kindergarten this year!

Thankfully, E won them over and the rest is history!

So, we said goodbye to our Montessori friends and teachers (though Max will probably be there next year) and then celebrated our last week of summer vacation in style! We made a trip down to Dana Point harbor to see boats and sea lions, spent an entire day with just Mom and Dad at Disney California Adventure park, and then the grande finale: a Santa Monica block party with friends and bouncy castles!

I can’t help but feel we made a really great choice for Ethan and for our family. We look forward to a great year of fun and learning. Go get ’em tiger!