Great email from aid about Polly's first week!

The following email is from Polly's aid. I am so thankful for such a great update about Polly's first week mainstreamed in Kindergarten!

Good evening,

I wanted to contact you just to give you an overview of the amazing week I had with Polly. I know you have probably been in close contact with Ms. ***** but as someone who worked with Polly quite often, I wanted to give you a little overview from my perspective. I took your email information from the information sheet that you provided for the parents. I hope this is ok.

From the moment I met her, I knew she was going to a great student to work with. I was extremely excited. The first day was good. Definitely a time of adjusting and observation. A little challenging but I don't think she purposely sought to challenge me. It was simply my first day ever working in a position as an individual assistant so it took time for me to adjust as well. Wednesday was a day of great improvement with Polly being very cooperative and obedient. I believe that was the day you came and she did continuously ask where her mom was but she was still very cooperative. I don't think it hindered her focus.

Thursday was amazing. In the morning, we wrote numbers. I would call out the number and she would repeat. I would then write the number down and she would try to trace it. I had a really proud "teacher" moment when we opened up her green notebook to keep going after running out of space and she wrote the number 14 and said it without any help from me. I actually wrote a note in the notebook after she did it. She is really great at counting and went ahead of me when I tried to count slowly just to let me now that she could do it. Since Wednesday, she has been great at using the restroom as well. I'm only with her for 30minutes in the morning and an hour in the afternoon so I only do bathroom break with her once a day but when there she is great. She really likes being independent with using the restroom, even trying to lock the door when she hears her classmates slamming and locking the doors.

I have lunch with her as well and she is great with that. As I told you, the first day, she did have a challenge with seeing her sister but now when her sister speaks, Polly speaks back and is fine after. No attempts to run after her. Today she whispered to me and told me that her sister was coming soon as if she knows the moment that her sister comes to speak each day. She tends to try to eat all her food but with a short lunch time, its a little hard for her to finish. I've realized that she likes to do things that she sees/hears others doing. In some instances this has worked such as the bathroom and sitting and standing when asked but sometimes when her classmates do things that they shouldn't, she repeats but she will be fine. Today was great. I didn't have to help her much at all. She stayed in line, walking on her own, and followed all directions.

I do hope for more updates as encouraging as this! Go Polly! And a huge thanks to Polly's aid. You made this Mama's week! I hope to update on Evie's school later this week.