1st Day of School!

As the Bolivian school calendar runs February-November, today was the first day of school! This year, all of our school-age big kids are attending one school which means all go together in the morning. It's a much easier schedule than we had last year with multiple schools and both morning and afternoon sessions. Jhosi, who is blind, will still attend FAPIZ (a sight disability school) but I've been told she will also attend the morning school with the other kids, too. Everyone seemed excited for their first day, so I hope it was a good one!

Outside (and inside too) of every school are these little snack stands. They have snacks as well as little toys and other trinkets that kids can buy. Before even going into school, the kids wanted to choose their snack for the day! 

Cannot believe this baby starts pre-school today!

A. refused to look at the camera for a picture. She started 6th grade today, and I think she was nervous. Her first comment when entering her new class was "It smells like onions."

 A.M., 2nd grade

Love these kids! 

 Sisters B. and S., 3rd grade (S. repeated and changed schools which puts them in the same class this year). 

J. (center) would only agree to a first day picture if her friends were in it as well… Luckily they were good sports and obliged!

B. was excited about his chocolate cereal snack!

A.M., S., and B. ready to head to their classes!

I couldn't find D. to get a picture until he was already in line with his class. He happily smiled for a picture though!

Every morning the students line up with their classes and have an assembly to start the day.

 S. and K. both started pre-school. Here they are in line with their class, not feeling as confident as they did a few minutes prior when they were still with us!

She thought she was a big and bad student until it was time to go to her class. Although she never cried, she almost did a few times and kept telling me "When can I leave? I don't want to stay here." I know she'll end up loving school though!

K. and S. were some of the first to enter their classroom and chose to sit together! There are 29 kids in their class… Can you even imagine?! Some of the other parents had the same thought because at the parent meeting this morning, all agreed to pay for a teachers' aide every month.