Three Weeks In ~ School is Good, but Befuddled

Zack & AJ are doing really well in school so far.  They are in the autism room for much of the day, but their kindergarten class has what they call "liberty time" when, for about 20 minutes, the kids can pick which activity they want to do.

This is when my boys are in the classroom.  Socializing, learning, mimicking, being with the typical kids in a setting where they are able to watch kids do what kids do, and listen to them say what kids say.  As they get used to this time, they'll be there for more and more typical time.

The school, though, is having some new-school-year growing pains, or something. 

Last week one day, I put the boys on the bus, went grocery shopping, and came home to find a message from the school.  I called voicemail and got the message while hauling in grocery bags; it was from the school secretary, and she was wondering if AJ and Zack were sick that day, because they were on the absent list.  What???  I stopped in my tracks.

This message was a half hour old.  Why didn't they call my cell phone?  I quickly reviewed the morning; I did put them on the bus.  It was the same bus driver.  Nothing unusual there.

Within seconds of my pending heart attack I started to think rationally, though.  This was a half hour ago.  Surely if my boys were truly missing, they'd have called my cell.  Also, it was 10:30 by now  -- a full two hours into the school day.  It took them until 10 to realize my boys were on the absent list and to call?  Something wasn't adding up here...........

I called the school secretary, identified myself as Zack & AJ's mom, and she casually says "oh hi, they are here."  The computer was reporting them absent for some odd reason. 

Hm, this is just an idea, but maybe you want to verify the kids on the absent list are, in fact, absent, before you start CALLING THE PARENTS!

They flubbed up this week too.

Tuesday was a "late start day," so the teachers could attend a workshop.  Meaning school begins exactly two hours late, and morning kindergarten has the day off.  The school sent home two paper notices to let me know, and the autism teacher called the night before, to triple check I was aware they didn't have school that day.

Then that morning, the bus pulls up in front of our house.  Luckily the boys weren't in the front room at the time.  It might have been really confusing for them to see the bus but not be allowed to get on it.  I ran out and told the bus driver they didn't have school today.  Apparently someone forgot to let the bus company know.

And these people are teaching my sons to communicate?!  Ha!