Has been a nice, short, four day week at school. Kids are getting more into the swing of things. Madi has three projects assigned and has started two of them. She'll have some time on Saturday morning to get the posters started and possibly look into her third project for Math. She had her first night of homework since school started and it was a simple math worksheet that she needed to just finish up.
Student Council elections are coming up and she's planning to run for it. Would LOVE to see her be on it and think it would be really great for her. There are a ton of kids who want to do it, but I'm glad she's working on her speech and wanting to go for it. Would be very positive for her to have a leadership role I think.
She is loving her teachers!! Her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Von, absolutely loves her! She has made several comments about what a sweetheart she is and how great she is doing. I talked to her LEAP teacher the other day and while they haven't started LEAP yet (starts next week), she did meet with them briefly. We were talking about what a difference this past year has made and she told me that Madi is so different and has come a long way. She said she is more mature this year and more self-assured. I would have to agree. Mrs. Campbell, her teacher last year, has also mentioned how great Madi is doing which is awesome. Madi is very comfortable at the school and it is great that she is not the new kid this year. She has made some new friends as we were rezoned so we have 120+ kids that are new to our school. She's figuring her way around and navigating some good friendships which is awesome.
We measured her in her closet a week or so ago, but I don't think I mentioned it. I had measured how tall she was last August when school had started. She has grown about 5-6 inches since last August. Not to mention what she may have grown between May and August when she first came. That's a lot of height!
On Tuesday, she left her lunchbox in the bin in the classroom. As well as her backpack in her locker. Our rule has always been that we don't do special privileges and we don't do anything that other students wouldn't be able to do. So we talked about responsibility and reminded her to get it the next day. Wednesday came and she still forgot it.
Today she walks into the classroom and the lunchbox is not in the bin. She even talks to Mrs. Von who tells her that she saw it last night and knows it was there, but it is gone. Madi said she was sorry and I told her that I knew she was. And told her I wanted her to think about two things: why she forgot it and what she needed to do to remember it.
She asked me if I was mad. I told her that I was not happy about it and that sometimes the best lessons in life are learned through mistakes. So she asked if I was ok with it. I told her I'm not happy she forgot it and that it was taken when she could have remembered it and brought it home. But that if she could figure out why she kept forgetting it (talking with friends, rushing into line - whatever the case may be) that she could form a new habit. And that evaluating what she would do next time, would help her make better choices. That she will remember how it felt losing an expensive lunchbox with expensive inserts and items inside. And that she won't want this to happen again.
The lunchbox was used for six days. We bought it from Pottery Barn. Actually, we gave my parents money so that she could pick one out there and they picked it up for her. Even had an embroidered M on a patch on the front of it. We're talking a $32 lunchbox. We had bought the girls special containers with ice packs and sections inside of it. They were $7.99 and the large container with two small containers and an ice pack were inside. So $40 of items gone.
We talked to her about how it isn't really the lunchbox that is the issue. It is the source of the problem. Being responsible is a big deal and makes a difference. A lunchbox can be replaced, but it shouldn't have to be as she should have been responsible to take care of it. Especially with several reminders and opportunities to do it. And it wasn't done.
We talked with her about how being responsible with what you have sets you up for making bigger decisions as she gets older and being able to get further in life and make better choices and with that comes great opportunity to do great things. She'll have the consequence of purchasing her own lunchbox now and we'll save up her allowance for her so she can get a new one. Until then, she's taking her lunch in a Walmart sack. Not because we don't want her to have one. But living out the consequence of not taking care of her item will help her remember to be more responsible with what she has. Totally stinks that it has been stolen. But it could have been prevented.
I'm still sending out an all-call at school and as her lunchbox has the embroidered patch and has her name in sharpie on the inside, it'd be hard not to recognize it. And it is a rare print that is on it so it'd be easy to identify.
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