Wow, I can't believe we are already in Term 2 already! It's been hectic. Going to intermediate school is very different than being at primary school. The expectation is so much higher for students to take responsibility for themselves. I tell you, it's not been easy. A lot of adjustments going on here!
These are pictures from the first day at school back in Feb. Seems like so long ago now hahaha.
Kien is very fortunate that a majority of his friends from primary school are also at middle school with him. I won't say all his besties, because he's got one that was in the Maori unit at Freemans Bay and he is now at another Maori unit at a different school. But otherwise, all his other BFFs are at Intermediate with him. A number of them are in his class as well - which is so cool when we go out on school trips. In term 2 there were school trips every second week. I was able to be a helper for a couple of them which was really nice.
We went to Circability at Vic Park where we did plate spinning and juggling. Great fun for a lovely summer morning.
We caught a bus to Jump. We love trampoline parks. I couldn't resist and paid for myself to jump with the kids while the other adult helpers watched from the sidelines - except the mother in the picture who also jumped with me. She's the one that organised our tramping trips away so of course she will jump too!
Something different this year is Market Day at school where the kids get to be entrepreneurial. They come up with what they want to sell at their stall. They paid for a stall, and they got to keep all the proceeds. Kien teamed up with his mates, and between all 4 of them they managed to make some good pocket money. We're talking about setting up a stall on Ponsonby Rd so all the kids can do it again.
We've got a walking bus going on this year for a few of us who live close and/or are coming in the general direction. On the way home from school we sometimes stop for sushi or ice-cream (ice-creams are restricted to Fridays only!).
It's been fun walking the kids to school. Most of the time a couple of parents are walking as well - good opportunity for exercise! It only takes about 15-20 mins from home depending on how quickly we walk and how long we wait at designated pickup spots. I think Kien enjoys walking and talking. He tells me he has loads of things to say about a whole lot of stuff. But of course he ends up talking to me while going up the hill, and when his friends join us they will walk and talk together.
We found this baby bird on the footpath one day. I tried to help it but couldn't do much for it. An hour after I got it home it died. I cried. Then I put it in a box and waited for Kien and Jef to get home that evening. They burried it out the back of our place.
