Signs of Summer

Everything's in full bloom around our house.

Burpless Cucumber blossoms and vines

grape tomatoes ripeningSweet 100 Cherry tomatoes (we have both red and yellow)

Crookneck SquashCorn is on it's way

The pumpkin vines are taking over (there's cantaloupe in there somewhere, too)
Tiny green bell peppers will be ready in no time

Black Beauty Zucchini

Beefsteak Tomatoes won't be green for long (we also have Early Girls, and Celebrity)

more crookneck squash
Gardenias are in full bloom in our front yard and smell divine

Thompson Green Seedless Grapes will be ready in the fall. The vine arbors around our front porch

Day Lilies are abundant...and with the surprise of this new color...

This is the 3rd year for our Navel Orange tree and we will have a good crop

Colin Passes Kindergarten

Colin finished his first year of school at Hurley Elementary on June 2nd. All three kindergarten classes got together and had an ice cream party. Just got a few pictures as I was chasing Katie around most of the time. This is a picture of Colin with his teacher, Teresa Merrill. The picture to the right is Krista in kindergarten. What do ya think? I think there are some similarities.

Colin did very well in all areas. This school district grades on a 1-4 rubric. A "1" is far below the grade level standard. A "2" is approaching the grade level standard. A "3" is at the grade level standard. A "4" exceeds the grade level standard.

Colin has had a 4 in his reading fluency and comprehension, vocabulary, and literary analysis all 3 trimesters. He received 3's in his writing strategies and listening and speaking. 3's in science, technology, History/Social Science, Visual and Performing Arts, and Physical Education.

In Math, he went from a 3's from last trimester to 4's in all areas of math: Number Sense, Algebra and Functions, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability.

The most improved area is his Citizenship Skills. He had a hard time adjusting to being in school at the beginning of the year and didn't receive very good marks in these areas. He eventually adjusted and learned some valuable lessons this year about being a good friend, and organizing and completing his work. He really has blossomed and ended up with 3's in all areas of Personal and Citizenship Skills. I am very proud of him for that.

His reading and writing assessments are off the charts and I think he's really going to like the challenge of 1st grade.

This was Colin's favorite place to play during recess - the Sand Pit (as I so lovingly like to call it). He especially liked this tube. Now I see why - the shade! He would come home everyday with at least 2 tablespoons of sand in his shoes. Not to mention the damage it did to his pants and the stains on his socks. By the end of the year he had patches on all the knees of his jeans! One of the best things about Colin going to 1st Grade - NO MORE SAND PIT!

This summer, Colin is on a reading program that will challenge him and continue to improve his reading skills. He is also doing about an hour of other work everyday - math, writing, science, history, etc. - to get him ready for 1st grade. There will be many trips to the library, zoo, and other fun places this summer to enrich what he is learning at home. It's important to not let his mind go stagnant until the end of August.

Well done Colin! You made if through Kindergarten. Now onto 1st Grade!