School is officially out for the summer (although we have several days till Summer officially starts!) This year flew by quicker than I could wrap my head around. Ever since I started working at Kaiser and can no longer pick the girls up from school, I feel like I am less connected to their school life. I try to stay connected on my Fridays off and help out when I can with school events. And still, I feel more disconnected than I would like, which I think makes the year zoom by all the more quickly.
Both girls worked super hard in school. Havana had some academic growing pains moving to the Upper Elementary (UE). Yet with diligence in her work, along with support from teachers and an outside tutor, she made strides in her work. Initially quite concerned I had an IEP done for her. Thankfully everything was normal. She continued to work her but off and I could see her confidence bloom as she became more proficient in math and language (what most call English) works.
Havana is a social girl and her relationships with her peers is equally or maybe more important. There was some on-going drama going at times with her current girl crew but she was able to form new relationships with some of the older classmates which she just loved. Havana can be quite shy but when she gets to know you she is quick witted, loyal and sometimes a bit bossy. All of these things played into her social life in UE this year.
Amara had challenges of a social nature this school year. Some of her close friends moved to Middle School (MS) and that transition, them moving on and cutting her off for the most part, left her feeling abandoned, hurt and confused. There were many painful, tearful moments. Yet it allowed for many conversations about friendships and changes as well as people needing time and space to grow in their own ways. It was a long process resulting in the girls all coming back together at the end of the year. Different but still connected. Next year, when reunited in MS, it'll be interesting how it all plays out again. Amara also struggled with having only one close friend remaining in UE. This led to discussions about opening up to new relationships; getting to know kids better that she had not previously and accepting the fact that UE may not be her best social year in school. She did not like that and there were many wearisome evenings after school during the Fall. Amara ended up focusing on her work and as always thrived in that area. She became a strong leader in UE, always completing her work on time or early, looking out for peers and planning some school events. Then before we knew it, she started to form some new relationships, with those she thought would never happen including some of the boys. UE ended up a great year for Amara.
So here we are almost at the end of June. Birthdays this month and the end of another school year. This life goes by in the blink of an eye. I think that is why I write these blog posts; to capture the feelings and memories because life flows by so quickly but I do not want to lose the feelings and memories that mean so much in the now.
Below, last day of school photos, June 14, 2019
And Below 1st Day of School Fall 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment