Kindergarten Graduate

I have a first grader, guys. How crazy is that? I can't believe my sweet Piper has already finished her first year of school.

She had a great first year and we are so proud of her! According to her teacher she is at or above grade level in every area. I'm most impressed with how her reading has exploded this year. She was reading a little before school started. She knew letter sounds, a few sight words, and had a basic understanding of phonics. She could read through most beginner readers with a little help. Now she's reading chapter books on her own.

Her school uses an A-Z level reading chart. By the end of Kindergarten, students should be reading on a D level. At the beginning of the school year, Piper tested at an E level. By the mid-year assessment, she was a G. At the end of the year, she tested at a J level. She's already where she needs to be by the end of first grade. The kid just loves to read. I'm thankful she had a teacher who kept her challenged. She sent home extra work, borrowed Piper's nightly readers from a 2nd grade classroom, and organized a reading group for the advanced readers in all of the K classes. I hope we're as lucky next year.

She also won the music award at Kindergarten graduation. We're so proud of our girl!

2013 was a big year for Piper. We moved from the only house she'd really ever known (we moved there when she was one,) she started school, and she became a big sister (x 2!) That's a lot of change in a pretty short period of time. Especially for a kid. Overall she has adjusted pretty well. She's a great big sister and she loves her brothers so much! We've had some rough patches, acting out, and jealousy issues. I think that's to be expected, though. The boys took up a lot of my time in the beginning and they attract A LOT of attention when we go out. Tim and I both make sure to plan special time with just her.

She decided to try out basketball this year and played soccer for the second season.

She turned 6 in December and we did her yearly interview. It's always fun to see how her answers change. You can find past interviews here and here. I'll leave you with this years answers and a few photos from her birthday party.