Din-din-din! It's Middle School!

It's been a steamy summer and it's not over yet - but at least school has started back! : )
Yes, as you may recall, Orangeboy and Sister are in middle school now, joining their older brother.  They are in separate classes and on separate halls; so Sister is happy.
Although, at Orientation, we still had the annual, "Are they twins?" "NO we're not!" Event. 

Orangeboy and Sister are going to be starting in the band this year.  (Separate band classes, too.)
Sister likes the flute and Orangeboy has been pushed into percussion - by me, his loving and attentive Mom.  I thought percussion instruments would suit him best since he seems to be tone deaf in both his speaking and singing voice, and he has always enjoyed banging on trees with sticks.  In fact, we brought him home from China in that condition.  Back then his stick hammer spoke Chinese,
"Din-din-din! Din-din-din!"
But now it speaks for itself with a nice, satisfying "thwack!"
I think he'll do well with the drums.

The sixth grade administration and teachers were prepared for Orangeboy and his sister, who are both visually impaired.   I was pleasantly surprised that a public school actually did what they should do and reviewed their records before school started and got ready.  The sixth grade counselor even gave me a call over Summer break.   So at Orientation, even though they didn't know that the kids are not twins and are not biologically related to me or each other, they did know that they were the visually impaired students they were fearing  expecting.  The kids have the tools they need and seem to be having a smooth start to the school year.  

Orangeboy does have one little challenge at lunch.  The lunch procedure involves everyone going to the cafeteria and sitting down, and then they are called by class and by menu preference to come through the line, one group at a time.   Because Orangeboy has some filtering difficulties, he has trouble hearing his class and lunch menu preference being called out over the hubbub of the students around him.  Orangeboy's Antagonists say that the guy calling out is very loud, but Orangeboy insists he should speak up.
We may have to find a method for Orangeboy to better deal with the lunchroom chaos.

So here's to surviving Middle School! - and not losing any weight.