First Day of School

Elina started first grade at the brand new neighborhood Primary School, instead of the Elementary where she attended Kindergarten (they split the Elementary school into two, because of the huge number of students). This new school will host pre-K through 2nd grade, so Elina will go two years here before going to the Elementary which now houses 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.

 This somewhat sheepish smile is because she did not want to show her 'hole' of missing teeth... 

Those first graders!

The question "how will families with kids at both schools handle pick-up?" was indeed raised at the pre-pre-pre construction meeting with the answer "we have not figured that out yet" - that continued to be the answer while drawing the plans, constructing the grounds and building the school, until two weeks before school started when the logistically idiotic solution arrived giving me a near-hernia just thinking about it.

But the school itself is great and Isak and Elina got great teachers this year. Elina's classroom is very pretty and the school smells SO good. Everything is BRAND new, obviously. So overall we are very thankful and excited about this year. The new playground has astro turf (konstgräs) which is awesome.

 Very tense.

Nerves were at an all-time HIGH last night and this morning. Elina had zero appetite, Isak wanted to double check his backpack and then triple check it. They both said they did not feel well. I gave them allergy medicine and that seemed placebo enough to get them out the door. Isak wouldn't hold my hand where anyone could see, (of course!) while Elina didn't want to let go. Isak posed for pictures in the hallway, but nowhere NEAR his classroom. The super-cute girl that had a crush on Isak last year and who (can be seen in the Christmas program video wearing a black dress and wreath in her blond hair), together with some other girls, was very aggressive at pursuing Isak during recess last year much to his STRESS, is IN HIS CLASS this year. Isak has been very nervous about this, but I reassured him that she would likely not be brave enough to follow him around now that they are in the same class.

She's at an all-boy table, it seemed. Elina's teacher in the striped dress.

Wouldn't smile - too nervous.

There she is, dead center at the far away table. 

She knows one girl in the class from last year.

Isak's classroom has a cowboy theme (while Elina's has a Luau one).

The classroom entrance is around the corner to the left beyond that little saddle. 

He would not pose where anyone could see him, bless his 3rd grade heart!