and baby makes three vol.2: Last day of 3rd grade

I can't believe the day is here! The beginning of summer break and the last day of 3rd grade! This year has been so full of ups and downs. Trace experienced real bullying, made huge strides in his reading and math abilities and deepened friendships that he's had for years.
I was so thankful for his wonderful teacher, Ms. Allison Stroud. She looked out for him both academically, emotionally and physically. She made all the difference! There were even times when she sent messages home about how Trace had had a hard day or an uncomfortable altercation. She also started a campaign wherein kids would take a post it note every day and give it to another kid with something nice about that person on it. Trace brought home his collection of post-it notes and it was fun to see how his other classmates think about him.
Trace was supposed to finish a computer math program before the end of the school year and when the kids in the class completed the program, Ms. Stroud held a "graduation" ceremony for them. The kids that had already completed it lined a real red carpet and cheered on the one who completed it while they wore a cap and gown and received a certificate. So cool! All year long we tried hard to help Trace complete the program and Ms. Stroud would send home progress reports so we knew how he was doing. Sure enough, on the very last day, he finished the program and I thought it was too late for him to have the graduation ceremony, but Trace and I were both surprised to learn that the cap and gown was brought out one last time! It's sort of funny because it makes it seem like Trace is the only kid graduating from 3rd grade, but in reality, he just finished his project the very last possible day! I hope we're not setting a precedence for future school work! So neat that Ms. Stroud made the kids feel so special and important after working so hard. I'm so sad we'll be losing her for his teacher, but so proud of Trace for the accomplishments he's made this year. He ended the year with him testing "on grade level" in all areas! Now to just figure out how to keep it up during the summer......