Life MORINteresting: Last Day of School & Luke's 5th Grade Graduation

And here we have it...The last day of school for our 5th, 3rd and kinder. Wow. What. A. Year. NEVER did I EVER think that Ben and I would parent/teach/plan/protect/explain/cover etc. during a global pandemic. This year had it's silver linings for sure. Ben got to work from home. The kids could sleep in and not have to wakeup early for SAC, we didn't have to drop off kids in the morning and get them ready and out the door on time. We didn't have to pack lunches or snacks etc. But man, oh, man. The unknown and all of the worry, fear, anxiety of trying to parent during a global pandemic and not knowing day-to-day what was instore. Our 3 kiddos were remote (except for just a few weeks in the Fall) until February! That means ALL 3 were being schooled from our basement while Ben was also working his own fulltime job. But they did it!! WE did it! All 3 earned outstanding performance in all academic areas!!! All teacher comments poured out the compliments to these three. My favorite start to a comment was from Luke's 5th grade teacher. Mr. K. started with, " Luke is the kid that every teacher crosses their fingers hoping they'll get." Well, geesh, these parents' hearts just exploded and we are so, SO proud of our kids.

We had a special breakfast of cinnamon rolls and eggs to celebrate the LAST day of school for the 20-21 year!!!! WAHOO!!!!! Good riddance to this year and bring on the SUMMER!!

Elle and Drew wanted to dress up too because of Luke's 5th Grade Graduation.

This guy right here. DONE and DONE with his elementary years. I can't believe it!!! Onto Hart Middle School in the Fall for 6th grade! OMG. Luke, you are so ready. Remember no matter what, YOU ARE SO LOVED!!!

My 2 handsome fellas.

Getting ready to go on the bus for the LAST time all 3 of them. This is the last day all 3 will be at the same building for their K-12 years. It's true what the say...It goes by way too fast.

Ben and I took the morning off work to celebrate in the last day. On our way to Luke's graduation, we were able to snag a pic of Drew and his kindergarten class. Drew, despite it all, you had the BEST kinder year!! We are so grateful to the amazing Ms. Hundley, who spent HOURS with you one-on-one over Zoom reading with you and conferring with you on your writing and math skills. You grew so much!! You learned how to self-manage your time and keep engaged during remote learning! Drew was almost totally independent navigating his school day from home and YOU EXCELLED!!! We are so, so proud of you Drew!!

We just happened to see Drew outside however, Elle was busy in her own classroom so I'll use her school pic. :) Elle, you rocked your 3rd grade year!! Any parent/teacher will tell you that 3rd grade is a big year. The expectations for students go way up and Elle, you SHINED!! Not only did you excel in all academic areas but you also shined as a kind-hearted leader!! You loved being a leader in the McG Student Council. You were often the student who answered student questions on the Student Council Google Classroom page. You actually loved remote learning and became inspired to create your won Google slides that you would share with friends over Zoom. You created and started a Babysitter's Club (based off you reading the series). You held weekly meetings with the members where you prepared an agenda and Google slides to share information. Each member was assigned a role by you and your role that you coined was the CEO. Watch out world!! This girl has passion, smarts, kindness, and direction! We are SO, so proud of you Ellie!! We are all in Ellie's world and love watching you go!

And Luke. Oh, Luke. We can't believe you are graduating and moving onto Middle School!! Luke, you are just an all-around rock-star person!! Although, you have given me more gray hairs than I can keep up plucking, I wear them with honor and love because YOU kiddo are just so impressive. You are our 1st, the one we learn and grow with as parents. You are curious, pose lots of questions, and usually want to try it your way before taking advice. Mr. K in his report card comments to you hit the nail on the head when he said, " He strikes an exceptional balance between being kind and assertive." Luke, that's YOU!! You are so kind but you also use your voice and make your thinking heard. Below it the letter that Dad and I wrote to you and submitted to the " 5th Grade Virtual Memory Book"...

Luke!! We are so, SO proud of you. We will always remember the day we dropped you off here at McGregor for your first day of Kindergarten. You walked so confidently into Ms. Slater's Kindergarten classroom. We watched you learn to read from the Dino-Baseball books, to the A-Z Mysteries, to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, to rehearsing a Midsummer Night's Dream. We've heard your voice and express your opinion on issues that are important to you. We saw you compete and succeed in Math Pentathlon. We saw your innovation at the Science fairs with circuits and M&Ms. We saw your determination as we cheered you on at the Run Club 5K as you crossed the finish line. We saw your tenderness when performing in the McGregor Choir. We saw your patience and understanding as Lion King was postponed and then canceled. We saw you lead through Student Council as School Vice President. We saw your flexibility during the pandemic and in remote learning. We saw your resilience when you broke your leg during this final stretch. Through it ALL...We saw your heart. Your love for learning, your McGregor family, and everyone around you. The future is yours kiddo...Keep going, keep going, keep going!

We love you with all our heart, 2-4!!

Mom and Dad (and of course Elle & Drew)

Below is the 5th Grade Clap Out...Luke is in front.

Graduation Ceremony: Luke earned the Excellence in Music Award, Safety Patrol Award, Student Council Vice President recognition, the Resilient, Self Motivated, Independent Lifelong Learner Award, and he won the McG Flag contest!! Wowza!!! Congratulations, Luke! Each year the 5th grade has a Flag contest based on the school theme for that year. This year our school theme was RESILIENCE. Nobody knew who won until the ceremony and when Luke's name was called we all cheered! His flag will now hang in the cafeteria next to all the previous year's winners. Here is his flag!