Seasons

The elementary school my kids attended is closing it's doors forever at the end of June.  The walls of this school housed my children for nine years.  I forged relationships with the teachers and support staff. as together we navigated through the elementary years, for each of them.

It wasn't the school that the kids started in, and I was reluctant to switch because we loved the other school so much.  But having them attend this school made more sense because we lived very close to it.  And we never regretted it.  Their Dad had attended this school for a few years, so a piece of our family history was held there already. The kids could run to the school at the last minute, and come home for lunch, on the days when I was there.  Eventually, this came to an end because they liked playing on the play ground more than they enjoyed a hot lunch. 

The motto at the school was 'A place where every child is important' and the staff lived that out.  They followed the kids' progress even when the kids were no longer in their classes.  It wasn't unusual for a graduate to come back and check in with the teachers to let them know what they were up to in their more grown-up lives.

Every year, the parents would put on a Teacher Appreciation lunch. At one point, I became the PAC president and  I gathered some moms around me who didn't mind singing a song for them as part of our presentations.  They were good sports and indulged our 'joyful noises'. 

The school accomodated about 100 kids.  The Christmas concerts were always a highlight, and we always commented on the wonderful sound that was pulled out of the kids.  We parents enjoyed the show, while the children complained about having to wear reindeer ears and standing so long.  A couple of years, I hosted a handchime choir and they played their little hearts out. 

Over the nine years, there were many activities to get involved in: PAC, SPC, parent helpers, field trips, education nights; all with a view to making the school a welcoming, place to students, parents, and the greater community in the pursuit of a good education. 

Sometimes the school hosted craft nights.  I went, thinking I was going to turn into a scrapbooker, but it never happened.  (Still working on my finishing documenting my daughter's second  birthday).  And there were the fun fairs, which we all groaned about, but secretly enjoyed the chance to contribute to the community at large.  We used to joke that if people wanted to go camping, they shouldn't plan to go on the weekend of the fun fair, becuase it ususally rained.  But the rain never deterred the good-natured participation from the parents and students in the never-ending pursuit to raise money for books, and computers, and supplies.   I remember my husband hooking up our little lawn tractor and offering 'hay' rides as part of the fun fair.  One year, I ran the silent auction. [ I learned from that experience, that it was not my gifting. I got the job done, but it will never happen again.] 

Another important piece to me personally, was "The Moms Who Care" group, [which we fondly referred to as the "Moms Who Give a Rip" ]  which gathered weekly to network, and to pray for the school.  As a mom of young kids, it was invaluable to me, to meet with other moms who loved their kids and wanted the best for them.  We were accused sometimes of being a 'gossip' group.  But that was mostly from people who didn't attend and weren't privy to the types of things we shared.  I am still in contact with several of these women, even though our paths have taken different turns since then. 

Even though it has been several years since my kids attended the school, and this closure does not affect me personally, I still find myself a little sentimental that such a huge part of our family history will be no longer, come June.