I LOVE Alora's school

I can't even begin to note how happy, blessed, and thankful I am for Alora's elementary school - Midvalley Elementry in Odell, Oregon. When Alora was about to transition to Kindergarten, I was TERRIFIED! I couldn't help but worry about her shyness, her exposure to unkind kids and all of the bad words and truths that I had been trying to shelter her from. I worried about who her teacher would be, as the youngest would she be too tired by the end of the day, would she be safe, would the curriculum be competitive enough, etc., etc.

I am prone to always expect and plan for the worst, but with the Kindergarten experience, it ended up being best case scenario in every way. Alora's teacher, Mrs. Lake, is a 5'1", sweet, pretty, energetic, and kind teacher who has made Alora feel safe and comfortable from day one. There has not been one day of crying at drop-off! That would amaze her preschool teacher! In addition, to a young, spunky teacher, the halls are filled with the kindest teachers, volunteers, and aids. I am amazed at how many know Alora and greet her warmly. I can tell that she walks the halls with confidence.
Her principle is unbelievable. His name is Mr. McCauley and he personally greets and knows by name all the students. The kids all LOVE him. He dresses up as Santa every year, takes the kids who win fundraiser events on a limo ride, and always finds a way to be silly with the kids. He is not the principle of my youth that you only talk to if you are in trouble... and he NEVER wears a suit. Even after all the years of working with kids, it is very evident his passion is still there. In working to help kids be healthier he has instituted a mini-marathon program for the kids where they can track their running up to 26 miles and then win an award. He also has them running laps around the field before school and during recess and they get a dot on their hand for each lap. It is amazing how well this works! On visits to Alora's school, half of the kids are running (including Alora - but she is galloping like a horse!). Mr McCauley can also be seen painting the school on his day off and serving the kids their cafeteria lunch outside on beautiful days.

Some of the things have really impressed me about her school


The kids get Paw Powers (they are Cougars) for showing kindness, respect, safety, or responsibility. Alora has turned them in to jump on a bounce house, go roller skating, and have a pizza and movie party. Every month, one student gets chosen to receive a Paw Power award from the Principal. In March, Alora was chosen to get the respect award for showing respect to her teacher and her class mates. The picture to the left (it was pajama day) shows Alora sitting down during an assembly; the award was a surprise.







Art week - the PTO has raised money to have an art week every year where the kids spend the entire week doing art with local artists. This year there was 12 artists and the kids got to choose what art project they wanted to complete (e.g. pottery, theater, Native American basket weaving etc.) Alora chose mosaics. The school also is constantly doing fun activities such as Dr Seuss week. The kids made Dr Seuss hats (the principle wore one all week of course), made green eggs and ham, and wore pajamas on Friday.




Art Day





Twice a year the school has family fun nights. There are a whole list of activities you can choose from. Alora chose flubber making and Elijah chose theater. We had so much fun doing improv theater with the highschool theater troupe.



Of course, I do not have another school or curriculum to compare hers to, but if my standards of measurement were my daughters love of learning, emotional/ social growth, safety, and fun, I would have to give her school a very high score!