It seems that almost everyday Lukas comes home with a picture of our family that he has drawn. I'm not sure why he draws a picture of our family every day but it is always interesting to see what additions or settings we are in. Since starting Kindergarten we all have had hair added to our figures, well, except for daddy.
This is our family outside in the grass. Notice that Lukas and I have short legs and daddy has long legs. Normally we all are pretty much the same size. He even got the style of hair pretty accurate. His new found sense of awareness is very interesting.
I enjoy opening his folder up every day after school to see what he has done that day. So far he seems to be doing very well. He still loves to ride the bus and go to school. He also seems to enjoy his new Goddard School and is making new friends quickly. The really nice thing is that he is now going to sleep on time without difficulty and sleeping about 10 hours. School and no nap makes for one sleepy boy around 8pm.
On Wednesday we had our first IEP meeting at his school to convert his ESP (educational service plan) to an official IEP. I can not say enough so far about his school, his teacher, and the staff at LSE. The SLP (speech language pathologist) had contacted the group that provided his ESP before school was out last year to ask for his records so she could start plans for this school year. We had the opportunity to speak with her at the schools Open House the day before school started. His IEP team seems to be on board with us in being proactive in Lukas' plan to make sure he has every resource available to succeed. For now we will continue with 30 minutes a week of SL instruction and 15 mins a month of Special Education to keep tabs on any potential behavioral issues that might arise.
His teacher, Mrs. Mitchell, had only positive things to report to date. She feels he is transitioning well, keeping up with the rest of the class, has had a few episodes of very minor crying that were short lived and then he was back to his usual self. She also informed us that he likes to sing and is one of the first ones in the class to learn the songs. They all are impressed at where he is considering he was 3 1/2 when we brought him home. The group all agreed that we don't think Lukas needs any special accomodations in class or outside other than what is already in place. They all mentioned how friendly and outgoing he is.
On Friday evening they had an Ice Cream Social at school. The principal, Mrs. Reed, was there and she told me Lukas had come over to say hello to her. She then proceeded to tell me that whenever he sees her at school he makes it a point to wave and say hello. She must have made an impression on him when we had our private, pre-open house visit. She also told me what a sweet boy he is and that she has been keeping tabs on him. She goes to observe him in class from time to time and is very impressed with how he is doing. She made me very proud when she said she thought he was a very bright boy. Sounds like his school life is off to a good start. We just hope it continues on this track.
It is obvious to me that God has been watching out for our Lukas during the first 3 1/2 years of his life and still is. Based on his background he could have any number of developmental, psychological or neurological problems. At this point it appears that he has come through it mostly unscathed. Only time will tell. To me that is nothing short of a miracle. God has also placed some very special people in our lives during the past two years to continue aiding him in his development and providing for him as he continues along his journey. I cannot say enough about the teachers he had at The Goddard School the past two years and the foundation they have given him to succeed in school. And now we are blest with having a topnotch school, terrific teachers and great staff to work with him now. I don't think it was a coincedence that he ended up with the teacher who was not originally part of the Kindergarten staff. She had been teaching 2nd grade and requested to teach the K level this year. I'm sure any of the K level teachers would have been fine but I think Mrs. Mitchell has been put in Lukas' life for a reason.
PHOTO BY LUKAS
Monday Lukas will start at his new school that he will be attending after school and when public schools are closed. I hope they are ready for the Kazmanian Devil coming their way. We stopped in for a visit earlier in the week so he could familiarize himself with the school, staff and kids. After checking out the room and some slight hesitation he made himself right at home. I let him play for a while and then it was off to Karate class.
