End of the Half-Day Pickup

We are entering a whole new era.  Our youngest child just had his last day of morning only classes.  (!!!!!!!!)

Quinn showing me his latest map

Montessori has mixed aged classrooms, and the kindergarten has K3 and K4 children who leave school at lunchtime, and K5 children who stay the whole day.  It's a great system in that the younger kids don't get overwhelmed and the older kids get more serious attention in the afternoon.

Half-day pickup

It's a great system for the kids.  For the parents, not so much.  Especially if you have a mix of kids at the school for half-day and full-day.  We drop the kids off at 7:40, then come back for the 11:00 pickup, then back again at 2:20.  That half-day pickup kind of breaks up the whole day into unworkable parts.  The morning stretch is not quite long enough to do anything involved, and then we can't go far after the half-day pickup because we have to turn right back around and do the end of the day pickup.  It can be a bit limiting.

Since Ian is the stay-at-home parent most days, he's had to deal with the brunt of the school chauffeur duties.  He missed the one year with no half-day pickup when Quinn wasn't in school yet and Mona moved to full-day, but that was my one saving grace during that deployment, not having to chop up my day with another drive to the school at lunchtime.

I will say, however inconvenient, there is nothing cuter than the half-day pickup.  Watching the procession of three and four year olds being herded out of the building and onto the playground in uncertain rows, most of the year bundled in brightly colored coats and hats, is adorable.  It unfailingly makes me smile, regardless of anything else happening in my day.

Next year I will get to wait for my son on the other side of the building at 2:20 like we do for his sisters.  I'd go anywhere, anytime, to be greeted with that smile--but I'm glad we won't be doing it at 11:00 anymore.

Quinn is now officially a K5!