Day 1 of the 13-year journey to come.
Mild apprehension and excitement.
No tears (thank goodness).
Eager to learn and play.
Proud of new shoes and uniform.
Ready to take on the world.

Helen

Oh my goodness I cannot believe he is in school! He looks SO handsome. You should sell that picture of him modeling his backpack to the school for use in brochures, seriously.

Is he at a Montessori school like you wanted?

Wow! That close up shot of him in his hat makes him look like he's still soooo young, but he looks so grown up in all the other shots.

You must be so proud. And probably a bit nervous. I hope he thrives at school.

Erin.
::righteous babe::

He's at a public school. I've edited the photos to take the name of the school out (it's EVERYWHERE! - collar, crest on polo, hat, bag, shorts) but I've left the bit where it says Public School. There are no Montessori schools anywhere near us and this school is a 4 minute walk from our house.

Helen

Oh Helen he looks absolutely adorable.

Well done you for no tears.

My primary school was that close to my house, we bought a house near it then they brought it down, boohoo.

Helen

Look at that CUTIE! I just love that boy's face.

Good for him, being all ready to go to school. I can't get over seeing that boy that used to be a baby wearing that backpack and doing his thing! It always amazes me how fast they grow.

Your son is possibly the cutest little boy I've ever seen. So glad to hear he's excited to start school!

Aww how cute?

Whats the difference between Public School and Montessori?

Is it a bit like here in the UK where we have state and church schools which are free and then privately paid schools?

I wish our uniforms had been that cool.

Excellent post and excellent progress. In fact, I think he has graduated to a different board.

Awww big boy, now. First day of school.

kk~

Really spiffy uniform that his school has. Uniforms are not usually the rule in public schools around here, but most parochial and private schools have them. My son's boys go to private school which is uniformed. The name of the school is Glen Elg Country Day School and the kids become either "Glens" [Green with white logos] or "Elgs" [White with green logos] but not half as nice for the boys as Elijah's. The girls wear a lot of kilt skirts and tartan patterned jumpers. I don't know what Tartan it is, but I heard it has to do with the founder's Scottish roots. Most of the area private schools have the girls wearing some sort of kilt.

Public school uniforms tend to be used only in the poorer areas with the expressed goal of avoiding gang "colors."

Jon

My primary school had brown and yellow. Yuk!
www.st-josephs-northfleet.kent.sch.uk . . .

Public Schools are fully government funded and not fee paying. Church based schools are partially funded by the government and are fee paying, but generally low fees. Independent or private schools are partially funded by the government and are fee paying with higher fees. These include anything from alternative educational programs like Montessori and the big "elite" private schools. We liked the Montessori method but ultimately couldn't afford the fees, nor was travelling to the nearest school feasible as it was an hour away.

Elijah's uniform is designed for running and playing. All schools in Sydney have uniforms, except a few private schools like the Australian Institute of Music High School.

Helen

Great photos Helen! Congratulations to your little one on his big journey to school

Most Montessori schools are private around here, but we have a few public "magnet" school which have Montessori programs.
I have a college friend who with her husband, both just retired as Montessori teachers in a Cinncinati, Ohio public school. Magnet school is the term for schools which have some special emphasis (an outgrowth of programs to end de facto segregation in many public school systems...which meant that while legal segregation of races have been illegal since 1954, many school are still segregated simply because of area demographics. The school where my wife was principal was nearly 95% Black with most of the remainder being Hispanic...in line with the population of that area. That county (not the one we live in) instituted programs at certain schools to attract kids from the few remaining White populations clusters to emphasize things such as Art, Music, French, Asian Languages, Russian, Montessori, at some school to achieve some semblance of racial integration. It really hasn't worked...many parents just moved or sent their kids to private and parochial schools. My wife's school (she retired in 2000) was not a magnet, but she did have a special education wing with 75 kids (out of 550) in it.

Jon

wow, well done Elijah! I can remember meeting him when he couldn't even walk, and babysitting him when he could barley talk, now look at him.

Its so good to see him growing. He is a remarkable child.

He's seriously the cutest thing ever second to my nephews. He's one of those kids you just want to tuck in your pocket and take home. How nice of them to co-ordinate their uniform with his colouring.

Oh my god, he's SO big! Where did the time go?! I remember when he was born.
Either way, glad he enjoyed his first day of school

Oh gosh, look at him with that backpack! It's almost as big as he is! So freaking cute.

Jonelle, thank you for mentioning the size of that backpack. Adjust that pack so that he carries the load higher and consequently does not have to lean so far forward.

What an adorable little boy! I love the red hair. Always wished my hair was that red! Did he have a good first day?

Aww how cute your son looks and glad there were no tears
Best wishes
Karen xw

Wow I remember when he was born. Kinda puts it into perspective just how long I've been on DDN for ...
He looks absolutely gorgeous! You must be such a proud mother Congrats!