Ellie is continuing to LOVE Kindergarten!
The bus picks her up right outside our door each morning at little after 7:15am. Francis loves climbing on board while Ellie fastens her seat-belt. She adores her bus driver, Ms. Lisi, and greets her each morning saying "Guten Morgen!" Ms. Lisi plays children's music to-and-from school. She also gives each child (and siblings waiting for the bus) a gummy bear when they get off the bus at 12:40. (The bus actually drops her and the other 'Kartause kids' off in front of the church, as she knows we're all at noon Mass - and it works out perfectly that someone can go out and get the kids and then return to church).
Riding the bus is probably the #1 thing I hear Ellie talk about in regards to Kindergarten. So it comes as no surprise that the Wheels on the Bus remains one of her (and now Francis') favorite songs. What did come as a surprise is when she interrupted us from singing along with her in the car the other day, and insisted we sing it in German instead. And so she corrected us -- "Die Rader auf dem Bus gehen rund und rund, rund und rund, rund und rund...." Other than counting in German, that's the most coherent German we've heard her speak. She does pretend to talk and sing in German a lot - but it sounds like someone praying in German tongues :)
Brian, Francis, and I visited Ellie at school last week for an open house. The students were all invited to wear their dirndls / lederhosen. Ellie stuck pretty close to us when it was time for their performance in German, but she was all over the place showing us the different games, toys, and play areas in her classroom. Her teacher says Ellie does understand German and follows along very nicely.
The bus picks her up right outside our door each morning at little after 7:15am. Francis loves climbing on board while Ellie fastens her seat-belt. She adores her bus driver, Ms. Lisi, and greets her each morning saying "Guten Morgen!" Ms. Lisi plays children's music to-and-from school. She also gives each child (and siblings waiting for the bus) a gummy bear when they get off the bus at 12:40. (The bus actually drops her and the other 'Kartause kids' off in front of the church, as she knows we're all at noon Mass - and it works out perfectly that someone can go out and get the kids and then return to church).
Riding the bus is probably the #1 thing I hear Ellie talk about in regards to Kindergarten. So it comes as no surprise that the Wheels on the Bus remains one of her (and now Francis') favorite songs. What did come as a surprise is when she interrupted us from singing along with her in the car the other day, and insisted we sing it in German instead. And so she corrected us -- "Die Rader auf dem Bus gehen rund und rund, rund und rund, rund und rund...." Other than counting in German, that's the most coherent German we've heard her speak. She does pretend to talk and sing in German a lot - but it sounds like someone praying in German tongues :)
Brian, Francis, and I visited Ellie at school last week for an open house. The students were all invited to wear their dirndls / lederhosen. Ellie stuck pretty close to us when it was time for their performance in German, but she was all over the place showing us the different games, toys, and play areas in her classroom. Her teacher says Ellie does understand German and follows along very nicely.
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| The kids in Ellie's classroom |
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| Ellie's main teacher & her classmates in the 'gym room' |
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| Her own towel and toothbrush in the bathroom |
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| Francis & friend touring the upper level of the playhouse in Ellie's classroom |
Brian and I are very pleased with her Kindergarten experience so far. The fact she eagerly looks forward to getting on the bus and going to school each day really helps!
Culturally, Austria is very Catholic - so in school the children learn about and celebrate many Saints and Holy Days. They have off from school on "Holy Days of Obligation," like today for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Last week, during the Open House, the priest from town was present and read the Nativity Story to the children (or at least I think that is what he was reading....it was in German :) When Brian went to retrieve something we had left there, he saw the children were learning about the Advent Wreath and lighting the candles. They had special in-class celebrations for St. Nicholas Day and St. Martin of Tours (Martinstag).
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| Ellie's "Sankt Nikolaus" (St. Nicholas) |
Hope you're having a wonderful & blessed Feast of the Immaculate Conception!
Wonderful....or in German, Wunderbar!
ReplyDeleteDanke schoen :)
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