Preschool Graduation

Today, Aerya had her last day of Three Year Old Preschool at Les Tournesols French Immersion Preschool. Aerya has grown and matured so much over this year, thanks largely in part to the devotion of her amazing teachers, Mme. Lucie and Mme. Gisele.

Over the course of the year Aerya has gone from crying when I dropped her off and not letting me leave, to saying a quick goodbye as she excitedly played with the other kids. She has learned her alphabet, how to spell her name, numbers and about 75 french words and phrases. She will often slip in a few french words while speaking with us which just excites us so much.

Stations were her favorite part of the day, but she really did enjoy most everything. The kids always came home with great little crafts like ladybugs (out of paper plates), sandscapes, picture frames and of course tons of coloring pages. While at first Aerya was hesitant to join in, she quickly began singing along at song time (and most of them were in french!) and answering the questions to games. The only thing I'm a bit concerned with is that Aerya is easily distracted (gee Derek...!) and her attention will wander from the task at hand. But this usually happens only with group songs and games, and not during stations or craft time - until she is finished that is.



Probably the best part of preschool was the time Aerya spent with the other children. She became much better at understanding sharing and taking turns - even if she still didn't want to do that! She would often take a second to talk to a quiet child, or reassure one who was sad. Aerya would discuss this with me at home, and decide how to handle these situations if they arose again. It warmed my heart to see her reaching out to the other students. Even though Aerya still explains that she doesn't like it when others win at games, or get to go first, she at least now lets it happen without a fit or complaint (most of the time.)
She also clearly came into her own extroverted personality. Aerya would often be heard telling stories to her teachers, explaining just what was what and trying to direct her friends in a game. Her best friend at school was Taylor (in front of her with the purple shirt and no hat), a very sweet natured little girl. The two of them were inseparable! Finishing out a trio was Jaina (beside her with pigtails and the pink/green dress), whom I was so happy to see with Aerya. They both have quite dominant personalities and had to come to terms with each other. There were days that Aerya wasn't thrilled Jaina was there (especially when Jaina was spending time with Taylor) and Jaina often went home with comments of Aerya's bossiness (which we also heard about Jaina!), but by the end of the year the three of them were great friends. Aerya and Jaina both gained a lot from learning to balance each other.





We are so very proud of Aerya and all the growth she has shown this year. She is returning to Les Tournesols next year (3 days a week) and we are so excited for what that may bring.