Keller-Heikkila Blog

Kaisa had her first day of Kindergarten today. She was very excited to go, though more than a bit shell-shocked by the time she sat in her assigned chair. Things have changed a bit for Kindergarten since I attended. At a parents meeting, the principal said that by the end of Kindergarten, the children will be expected to be able to write a three-sentence paragraph to be considered “up to standards.” I don’t remember learning to read and write until the first grade. They also started on counting to 100 today, I heard.

After school, Kaisa worked hard at being the Big Girl, especially toward her jealous brothers. Julian had a harder time with jealousy than Jasper. He accepted that he wasn’t ready to go to school, but it was hard to not feel left behind, especially with all the fuss over Kaisa’s school uniform and backpack (which it turned out she doesn’t need until First Grade).

Since the school is only 1/2 mile away, Kaisa walks to school as I escort. Julian wanted to come with me to escort her back home and I suspect that might be a daily ritual for us. I just hope that Julian can keep going with the 1 mile round trip each day, as his 41 pounds is not a light load to carry a half mile.

Here are a few pictures of Kaisa’s first day of her school career.

Kaisa on Her First School Day

Kaisa and Me at School

Kaisa in Class

Here are some pictures of Kaisa’s new school. Schools in LA are quite different than the ones we’re used to in Minnesota. They are generally “outdoor” schools, which means there are no interior hallways. They are a collection of buildings (essentially trailer houses) with canopies covering some of the pathways between them. There also are large permanent school buildings, but the classroom doors are on the outside of the building, similar to a motel.

One sad thing we noticed was the lack of windows. Maybe since the students are outside between classes, for recess and for gym class (since there is no fully-enclosed gymnasium), the builders decided they didn’t need windows. At least Kaisa’s school has an interior, fully enclosed cafeteria. I saw another school nearby that had their cafeteria outside with large canopies.

Here are some pictures of Kaisa’s school.

Many have asked us to see pictures of our new condo/townhome. At long last, we finally have some for you.