Day 1 of 2,340

After four years of preschool, today is your first day of kindergarten.

You walked calmly and confidently between raindrops into Peter Noyes School — Spider-man sweatshirt, powder blue backpack with the Arsenal luggage tag, smile on your face. There probably weren’t many kids more excited or more ready for elementary school…

Maybe it is because of the four years of preschool at WoodsEdge. You know how to go to school. You know how to be in a classroom. Routine is routine.

Maybe it is because three of the kids on your preschool soccer team are also now in your class. Having Ambrose, Brayden and Fede beside you each day is amazing. Your friends like you and respect you, and no doubt you will all grow together immensely.

Maybe it is because of all the time you spent learning math at Grandpa School while quarantined. I learned math with my grandpa on napkins. You learned math with your grandpa on FaceTime. So impressive is your ability to add, subtract and multiply — you’re probably well ahead of math schedule.

Maybe it is because of all the times you read the two- and three-letter words in the bedtime stories, even when you didn’t want to or when it took longer to do so. Reading is perhaps the most powerful tool a person can have, and you’re well on your way to turning letters into words and words into ideas.

Maybe it is because of Thomas. Every person should have a best friend who is loving, loyal and fun. You have each others’ backs without question or hesitation. When another boy was on top of you, you didn’t cry or call for an adult, you simply shouted across the yard: “Thomas, come here, I need you!” And Thomas sprinted to your aid.

Maybe it is because of your exceptional sense of wonder. You always ask what a word means when unfamiliar. You spend hours learning with Highlights magazine, your Magic Adventure Globe, reading library books and watching Wild Kratts. Whether an Encyclopedia Brown caper or a lego or a project around the house you’re always trying to figure things out.

You’re shy for five minutes, but then you’re everyone’s buddy. Kids, adults, babies. People you know, people you’ve just met. Many love your eyelashes or your dimples; everyone loves your smile and your laugh.

You are patient far more than you are impatient. You’re a chill guy most of the time. You are a good listener and always follow the teacher’s instructions. You can lead with your words and with your actions.

The biggest reason for moving to Sudbury — five years before you were born — was for the schools. It’s why your grandparents moved to Lexington and it’s why your parents stepped into a new home on Tanbark Rd. 10 years ago, the past preparing for the present.

And this morning, without worry or hesitation you stepped confidently, calmly through the rain and into your future...