The Last Day of School

The kids were excited for the last day of school - June 18 - and that lasted about one day. They miss their friends and teachers. We were SO blessed to have ended up in Butler Elementary School boundaries. We could not have asked for a better school

Cooper and Isaac - he's also in our ward. His parents just bought Cooper's bunk bed for Isaac, so he and Cooper are going to have a late night so Cooper can see that his bunk bed is happy at his friend's house.

Maia and her very special Chae Bin. Chae Bin arrived from Korea just before school began and Maia has been at her side since then, helping her with everything. Her parents had requested that she be put in Maia's class next year, but were saddened to find that we were moving. They are planning a cross-country trip this summer and will be in Utah. We're making plans to meet up with them there.

Cooper and Mrs. Ruddock. This teacher thankfully raised three boys of her own, so she knew just how to love Cooper, and he loved her right back! He has LEARNED so much this year - more than any of my other children did in kindergarten. It's been awesome.

Maia and Mrs. Filippi. Again, we were blessed with the perfect teacher for our child. Maia felt very comfortable and safe with Mrs. Filippi and knew she was genuinely cared for.

The kids with Mr. MacDonald - the world's BEST principal. On the second day of school he had every child's name memorized (he knew my kids' names on the FIRST day) and from that day forward made every child believe he or she was his best friend. He played basketball with them, swung them, shared cookies, or just sat and chatted with the children. On bad weather days (we had LOTS of those) he met each car outside and personally opened the doors for the children and sheltered them with an umbrella while they collected their belongings, then shut the door behind them. Each and every afternoon he was outside the school to help "deliver" each child to their parents.

One time Maia's dad (NOT HER MOTHER) forgot to pick her up from school, for OVER an hour. It was the last day of school before Christmas vacation and every teacher had left school, but Mr. MacDonald, of course, stayed behind. He had tried calling (but Richard didn't pick up because he was on a business call) and so was just ready to take Maia to his house and feed her lunch when her daddy remembered her and ran to school. He knows Austin's and Tessa's names as well - because they would pick her up from school ocassionally. Of course he knows Ivy too. He made every family/student feel like they were special. This is a man who loves his job and has made the world better because of it.