Swallowing the Sun

 Amara and I had fun during sunset on the Big Island in August. We tried to capture her swallowing the sun!

Back to School-(10th & 8th)

Amara has started 10th grade. How that happened, I have no idea. It's a case for the X-files. After a super fun filled summer, Amara was happy to get back on campus. Amara was unsure about re-joining cross country or trying tennis. After some discussion, she opted for tennis. It felt like a better fit. As long as she is doing an active sport, Amara is good. She was also thrilled one of her close friends in on the tennis team. Amara does well with peer support.

Amara has signed up for student ambassador. She loves to be in the thick of things and to help others. I can't imagine where she gets that from! But Amara is very social and her mental health is directly connected to having a balanced social life. That Bentley has announced they are getting back to the business of having fun on campus has been a real mental health boost. Amara will be heading out on the back-to-school drafting trip soon, there will be dances and maybe some trips in the Spring.

Amara is now taking chemistry, along with other subjects and has moved to Spanish 2. Learning Spanish has been something she has thoroughly enjoyed. I love that she starting to speak the language of her family. Her abuela Jo's as her great grandma Melba and many other family speak Spanish. My hope is that both girls will be fluent. Amara just plain loves school and it is a pleasure seeing her thrive. She has some struggles with some work but overall, she really digs school. That she can ask for help, get support and find her way, has really helped her confidence. 

Havana was not that thrilled about returning to Stewart for 8th grade. Her main teacher left two months into last year. While the other teachers struggled with very rude students who did not know boundaries and disrupted the class. Overall, she felt she did not learn much. She made a few friends but honestly, it was not the best fit. We had no options but to tell her she had to suck it up for her 8th grade year. But then, one evening, ten days before the start of school, I got an email from the Canyon School's summer camp, saying they had room for 6/7/8 year students. I almost fell over. It seemed our ancestors were working some magic.

I had put Amara on the Canyon school wait list when she was 4 years old.  It is nestled in the redwoods between Morgan and Oakland. The Canyon school offers a Montessori/Waldorf style education. Amara never got in and as everything is in Divine Order, she ended up in Ellerhorst for K and then MFS from 1-8th. MFS was a great fit. Havana joined her at MFS from K-6 and that too was as it was meant to be. But now, in my inbox, just days after Havana told me for the umpteenth time, "I am not going back to Stewart" (and we said, "You have no choice"), there was this email. Long story short, within a few days, we toured the very sweet, magical campus, asked tons of questions about academics and learning styles.  I completed an inter-district transfer immediately afterwards. Havana has now been at this wonderful school for a month. I am hopeful we will be as optimistic and grateful at the end of the school year. 

So far, what I love is that the Middle School program at the Canyon School, is exactly what we had hoped MFS to be, but never was. There are strict guidelines for learning and executive functioning is always on the radar. But the pressure to complete work without really learning, the disregard for kids needs to ask questions from teachers, and the absence of fun are things that Havana is not experiencing in her classroom. There is warmth from her teacher and a liveliness and lightness in the classroom. Kids are working hard but are not feeling overburdened and pressured. The joy to learn is alive and always present. This is what we had hoped MFS middle school to be, what it so sadly lacked and what we grieved when we left. We are rejoicing that Havana at least, gets to have this experience. (And, it's a public school, so no tuition, whew!) This feels healing and emotionally corrective for our whole family, not just Havana.

Havana and her peers spend hours each week in the magical redwood groves, hiking and playing. There is a garden and they eat outside amongst the trees. The one hundred year old schoolhouse has a feeling of welcome and community. Havana is thrilled to be there and I am thrilled she has the opportunity to continue a Montessori style education, with a bit of Waldorf tossed in, while the academics adhere to certain standards. I am confident that falling behind in math is no longer going to be an issue. There are nine kids in 8th grade and a total of twenty-four in the 6/7/8 room. Just the perfect size. Again, we are deeply grateful for this opportunity. Havana is up and ready to meet each school day with enthusiasm. 

There is a camping trip at the beginning of the year  at Canyon, (which that she will sadly miss, due to having just had her tonsils out and needing 2 weeks recovery) and the year finishes up with all 8th years going to Costa Rica for 2 weeks. That Havana just had her first sleep way camp experience helped her to feel more confident about going away from home. When I asked if I could be the chaperone for the trip, she gave a resounding, "No."  That made me very happy. Havana, like her sister, is settling more into herself, with confidence and courage.

Everything truly is in Divine Order. For that, I give thanks. So here's to another school year. This life is going so quickly and I have deep, humble gratitude that my two small gems are getting the education they need that will help them to thrive as they grow into adulthood.

Full Moon over Kona