Another Year gone by...

How can it be that another school year has ended?!?!  I always say this, but it feels like we just started the year and here we are already, saying our goodbyes.  But then I look at the first day of school photo right next to the last day of school and see oh so clearly that time has certainly passed and my girls are taller, wiser and have a LOT more hair...

We ended our week with an all-school assembly where MadHatter got her award for her second-place finish in the sprint finals...

Stinkerbell got her birthday recognition (on her birthday!)

And we sang goodbye to those from the school that would be leaving us for good. (and that is about 10% of the school population!)

We ended the last day with a lot of tears, even more hugs and some exchanging of email addresses so we could keep in touch.  It is just a reality that any time you go to an international school with a large population of expats you will be saying goodbye to good friends each and every year.  It is sad, for sure, but we are all the better for having had such fabulous people in our lives, even if it was for a short time.  The girls will grieve their missing friends but are already looking forward to the new ones they will make next year.  Goodbye 3rd and 4th grade; hello summer!

Mr. B was her favorite teacher EVER she said!

 Her friend Irene.  She is the one that MadHatter writes Korean notes to by using Google translate as Irene doesn't speak any English.  Sadly, she is moving home this summer.

 Stinkerbell will lose her bestie too!

 And I lose three of these ladies to their home coutries :(

Sports Day

The last week of the school year kicked off (literally) with us all traveling out to our sister campus for a day spent playing a lot of games on the open fields, mostly fireball, kickball and capture the ball before segueing into the track and field competition.  At the end of the day, the kids are exhausted but really excited about the day they just spent with their friends in friendly competition.  In fact, MadHatter has been talking about the sprint relay rematch between her and her friend W almost since the second last years Sports Day finished up.

The girls made their way to school as usual because even though I was driving out to the main campus also, they wanted to ride the busses with their friends.  I arrived before they did (which was the plan as I was to photograph them all arriving and then for the day).  Stinkerbell came ready to go!

They quickly found their friends and then broke off into their teams to play a round robin of different games.  A side note about the teams - Each year, the school is split into four house colors - red, yellow, blue and green.  Each house collects points throughout the year based on participation in different PE challenges and on spirit days. The competition can be very close right up until Sports Day when the winner of the year is finally decided.  Siblings are always placed in the same house color to prevent rivalry and foster teamwork and once you are assigned a color you stay that color throughout your time at school.  Houses are a great way to help the kids get to know and work with each other, no matter what grade they are in.  On Sports Day the games are played house against house but are grouped by grade.  So, the 3rd graders all play against each other as 4 different teams, the 4th/5th graders play other 4th/5th graders.  It keeps the competitions fair for all.

The morning was spent running away from the ball in capture the ball, running base to base but not past the base in fireball and kicking the ball as far as they could in kickball.  

 We took a snack break (where I got a snuggle) and then were back at it again with track and field games.  We had the long jump, javalin, 120m race, discus, the relay races and the most anticipated preliminary race - the 80 m dash (87 yards).

 She blew them away in the 120!  That girl is fast...

   

 Stinkerbell placed 2nd in her heat of the 80m dash but it wasn't fast enough to get her to the finals.  Which she was quite happy with actually as she said she was done racing for the day.

 MadHatter on the other hand placed first in her heat and that automatically put her in the finals.

And she was ecstatic about that!

 When her final finally came up she was prepared and ran a great race but as you can see by this photo she was just a hair behind in a photo finish.  According to the timer, it was so close they had to replay it several times to get the winner.  This is exactly what happened last year also.  I think we just have to agree that W and MadHatter are pretty darn fast!

What a fabulous way to spend a Monday!!!

Random Goings On

As any parent knows the last few weeks of the school year get busy.  REALLY busy.  They are packed with assembly's and art shows and final projects.  Throw in all of the summer birthday parties that need to be celebrated before everyone leaves for the summer, the goodbye parties for those moving on and it becomes jam-packed craziness.  I don't have time to do separate posts for each happening/event so I have smashed them all into one and, even though I haven't done each justice in its own right, at least they have made it to the blog and are documented and not just photos that will get lost on my phone.

I give you the random goings on around Munich these last few weeks...

 Here in Germany kids get a license to ride their bikes at age 10 (fourth grade).  They spend a few weeks learning the practical and the theoretical and then finish it off with tests.  I am proud to report that she is one of the children that passed and is now able to ride on the streets by herself (even if I am not ready for that yet).

 They carried the Venezuelan flag at the schools International festival!

 The G family threw an end of year party a few weeks early (they are moving so would be out of a house) for the entire 3rd and 4th grade, plus...Ambitious and fun...

 Still going strong at the G's party!

Madhatter playing drums at the music assembly.  She also played another piece on the xylophone.

Stinkerbell on the xylophone at the music assembly.

MadHatter's class took a year-end trip to Legoland.

Our student council threw an end of the year party in the park after school on Friday.  We rode our bikes to the English Garden, snacked on some goodies and then caught the World Cup match between Spain and Portugal before...

 riding home to our last sleepover with A since she is moving home this month.

We occupied ourselves as best we could while the kids were painting at Stinkerbell's birthday party.

 Sunday in the Biergarten again for the Germany match (they lost but we had fun).

 Another day, another bike ride through the English Garden.

 Art exhibition.  Stinkerbell was inspired by the Ocean and made all kinds of artwork in different styles.

 Goodbye dinner in the city for J!

 The rest of this one will come soon - the 4th grade has designed, drawn, and now painted a mural on the wall at school.

Stinkerbell's diorama for her book report on Geronimo Stilton.

  

 A chilly Birthday celebration for B.  Where else would we be but the Biergarten?