This year all our kids will be attending school here in Austria. This is a big change for us. The kids are not fluent in German yet, so this will also be a big challenge for them as they adjust to school in a foreign language.
Here in Austria it is a tradition to give children who are entering the first grade a “Schultute” filled with treats and prizes to “sweeten” the school experience and make the first day of a new adventure a little more exciting. We got one for all of our kids this year since it is Elora and Oliver’s first day of school here in Austria.
Chris flew out of town early in the morning on the first day of school. That made drop off for so many kids a little tricky! Luckily we have amazing friends, so our friend Peter came and stayed with the little ones while I took Elora to school. James got picked up by our friends and neighbors who attend the same kindergarten, and then I took Oliver and Marion to school.
It is the tradition for all the first graders to bring their Schultute with them to class the first day. The parents stay with them and school is only an hour on the first day.
Marion was super nervous when we went into her classroom. I explained to her that I noticed her teacher has the same name as “The Little Princess” and that she seemed just as nice as the little princess too, and then Marion gave me an excited smile. Her teacher is super gentle and sweet and we feel so grateful. She is really a wonderful teacher and is great with Marion.
After school it was all smiles! That first day with one or two hours of class was pretty fun for everyone, plus after school means time to open the Schultute!
Yay for treats and school supplies!
When I went to the parent meeting in Marion’s class a week later I got to sit at Marion’s desk. The picture she drew on her name tag is her and the little girl who sits next to her. She made a friend the very first week, and hasn’t looked back. The kids all love their schools, are picking up the language a bit, and I feel so blessed. It was hard to decide to send all the kids to school after homeschooling for so long. I still miss it sometimes. I also look back and wish I could have done a better job while that was our life. I am grateful that when we registered the kids that I was willing to listen to the feelings in my heart about which schools to send them to and to push to get them into those schools. It has made all the difference in making this new life direction a good experience for our family.
