The kids finished up their weirdest year of school ever due to Covid. Let me try to recap and then post the pictures!
Both started the year in Virtual School. That meant they "went" to their normal school with normal teachers online for zoom. Nathan had 2 days of Zoom a week and then had to do projects on his other days. Elizabeth had a few hours of zoom a day and then did projects on her own the rest of the day.
Then, in November, they announced grade schoolers would go back to school part time. We weren't ready for Elizabeth to go back to school yet not knowing how Covid spread in schools. Therefore, she had to switch to "Extended Distance Learning" with a new teacher and new class.
Interestingly, her regular class at Wiley was only back in school 8 days before they had to switch BACK to all zoom. Then they stayed in zoom like that for another few months! So we really had her switch to a new teacher for no reason.
At the end of January, the district decided that all kids would go back half time if they chose. With masks and distancing they were not seeing covid spread in the schools. We were more comfortable with letting Elizabeth go back to school since Jeremy had his vaccine and I was in the process of getting my vaccines. Elizabeth went back to school at her regular neighborhood school (with the teacher she started the year with) in the afternoons (every day of the week) for 2 hours beginning at the end of January. It was like preschool all over again! We laugh that she started and ended her "younger years" education only going to school in the afternoons.
Nathan's middle school went back part time as well a few days a week. He did not feel comfortable going back, so he just stayed home and zoomed into his exact classes those 2 days a week. His face was up on screen and his classmates could look up at him!
In April, the district said all kids would go back full time. Elizabeth went back to school as "normal." Other than wearing a mask, things were mostly the same for her. Nathan still chose to stay at home. He just sat on zoom from 7:55 to 2:30 every day and changed zoom classrooms 6 times a day. In mid May, he was able to get his first vaccine dose and received his second dose at the beginning of June. He went to physical school for one class for one day in June to do his frog dissection! Since he's now had his vaccine, he says he will feel a lot more comfortable going back to "normal" school next year.
I was very impressed with how Elizabeth began school in person in January and didn't catch ONE cold or sickness the whole time she was in school! It was unbelievable! Usually, every fall when the kids start school, it is just one cold/sickness after the next. Those masks really work!
We all caught our first cold in nearly 2 years right after school got out. I finally let Elizabeth go play at a friend's house (the family had already had covid) so I figured all would be well. Well, she came home and 2 days later started symptoms of a terrible cold. Sigh. All of us got the terrible cold too and it's taken some time to recover. Yes, we went and got her covid tested and it wasn't covid.
Nathan finished 7th grade! Next year will be his last year of middle school!
Elizabeth finished 5th grade. Next year, I will have another middle schooler! The grade school years are now gone.
Here are my hydrangeas looking pretty before they got hit by the horrible heat we had the last week of June.
