was created especially for

Jake Alan Whiting

at the age of 5

With Love From,

Mom & Dad

February 1, 2002

Jake Alan Whiting, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, woke up bright and early.  Today is a very special day.  It is the first day of school at River's Academy.

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Jake quickly jumped out of bed and checked his brand new backpack Mom and Dad had given him.  This would be the backpack Jake would carry to class every day.

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Wonderful smells were coming from the kitchen.  Jake hurried to the breakfast table where his favorite cereal was ready.  Jake ate heartily while thinking about the classroom adventures that would take place today.

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Jake, followed by Mom and Dad, hurried to the corner to wait with the other kids for the bus.  They talked about the fun things they were going to do today.  The sound of the bus drew cheers as it stopped at the curb.  It was time to go to school.

As he climbed into the bus, Jake waved goodbye to his Mom and Dad.

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After a short ride, the bus pulled up at River's Academy.  It looked very big to Jake.  All of the children were filled with wonder as they got off the bus.  Entering the front door of the school was exciting.

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Jake and all the new students took their seats in the bright and colorful classroom.  The teacher introduced herself.  She talked about the many fun things that they would be doing in her class.

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"We will read everyday," said the teacher.  She picked up a book and read a funny story.  Jake and the whole class laughed.  "Before long," said the teacher, "all of you will learn to read very well."

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"We start with learning our letters," said the teacher.  "There are 26 letters in our alphabet.  Repeat after me. . .

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J

K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T

U - V - W - X - Y - Z"

Jake and the whole class repeated all the letters of the alphabet.

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"Next, we learn our numbers.  Numbers are for counting," said the teacher.  "Let us count to ten."

The whole class counted out loud.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10.

Jake had fun counting out ten numbered blocks and stacked them on the table.

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All the children loved lunch time in the school cafeteria.  Everyone is free to talk as long as they don't get too loud.

One of the students chose a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a big, red apple.  What did Jake choose for his lunch?

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After lunch there is free time to go to the playground and run and play games.

The class divided into teams to play a game of soccer.  Jake scored the winning goal and everybody cheered!

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The afternoon was set for an art project.  Everyone was given crayons and paper.

The teacher told the class to draw and color their favorite food.

When finished, the teacher tacked each picture on the wall.  Jake drew a jar of honey.  The whole class said this was the best picture.

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As the school day was coming to an end, each student chose a picture book from the classroom shelf.  Jake chose a story about Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

There are many books on the shelves.  The pictures and the stories were fun and brought smiles to everyone's faces.

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Then, the school bell rang.  It was time to go home.  Jake said goodbye to his teacher.  What a busy day it had been with so many things to learn and do!

All the children went out to the school bus and climbed on board.  Jake waved goodbye to Nikki, Ean, and Hunter.   Tomorrow would be another day of fun, games and learning.

Jake couldn't wait to tell his Mom and Dad about his first day at school.  They would be proud because going to school means their little boy is growing up.

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THE END