Today was Sammy’s first day of kindergarten, at the Manning Elementary School in Jamaica Plain. I know it shouldn’t be a big deal, since Sammy’s been in daycare and preschool since he was four months old. Still, this is different.
He was a little nervous. This is only his third school, and the first time he’s gone to a new one in three years. It’s also the first time he’ll have been at school without his best friend, Charlie. Still, he’s never been a shy kid, and I have no doubt he’ll come home today with a bunch of new friends.
The school held an event last night, a picnic for the new families, hosted by the parents of the first graders. It was a great chance for Sammy to meet and play with the other kids, and for us to meet other parents and the teachers, before the frenzy of this morning. If nothing else, we all had a bunch of familiar and friendly faces greeting us today.
The Manning looks like a great community. It’s a small school, K-5, with one class per grade, and there appears to be a large group of active parents. We’re very impressed with his teachers and the principal, and the school’s focus on science and nature is right up Sammy’s alley. It seems like it will be an exciting place to learn, and that gives me great hope for the Boston Public Schools.
