Recent Blogs
Blog Archive
Blog Archive
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
graduation - santa cruz style
Gareth had graduation on Friday. His school is a Montessori preschool. They teach kids ages 3-6. There are about 28 kids each day. Each year, there are a different number of kids that do kindergarten at the school. Next year there will be four or five. This year there was one... Gareth. Each year they do a graduation for all the kids that are moving on; those going into first grade (like Gareth) and those who are going to kindergarten at a different school. It's not traditional; nothing in Santa Cruz is. It's more of a "moving on" ceremony. They do it over two days -- one set of kids each day -- because the classroom isn't big enough to do all at once. Here is the classroom. All the parents are at the edge, mostly in kid-sized chairs.
The younger kids and the kids who graduated yesterday then filed in and sat in a circle just in front of the parents.
Then the graduates filed in. This is Gareth followed by Michelle. As they walked in all the rest of the kids sang "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold."
Today's six graduates -- Gareth, Michelle, Paulo, Lily, Logan, Angelo
Then the head teachers -- Michelle and Jena, who were sitting at either end of the graduates -- talked about how the kids had grown so much and how most of them had been at the school for half of their lives. Then they talked briefly about two books that the graduates had had the chance to choose between. Then they handed each graduate the book they had chosen, with a note inside fro the teachers.
Jena then did a mini circle tie with the grads where she showcased the different things the kids had learned over the years. It was quite impressive how much they knew about the earth, the continents, the countries, plants, planets.
Then each graduate picked up a candle that was under their chair. The handed it to the first child in the circle and it was passed around the circle. As it was passed from child to child, each child paused to give the candle a wish for the graduate.
Then the graduates sat around these tubs of water in the middle. One of the head teachers, Michelle, talked about how at school they've talked about moving on and saying goodbye and how even though the graduates won't see all of their school friends every day, they can always come back and visit, they can always have playdates, and they always have their memories, how they can always see their friends "in our mind's eye". And when a graduate gets sad, they can light their candle and think of all the love and wishes that are now inside. Then they lit the candles and said a poem. The graduates thought of a wish "bigger than themselves" and then blew out their candle.
Then they sang the Common Threads Song (Common Threads is the name of the school). It's a song that a parent wrote for the many years ago. Then, Jena, the other head teacher, pointed out and thanked all the other teachers. And then the kids handed out flowers to all their parents and family members.
Oh, and sometime during graduation, the teachers handed the graduates their graduation books. These are scrapbooks that the parents made (largely using pictures that the school had taken and then given us).
I just liked this picture of Gareth. He looks so grown up.
After the ceremony was done, we all went outside to have lunch.
No cap. No gown. Just a loving send off with a reminder that your friends are always with you and you are always loved and welcome at Common Threads.
graduation - santa cruz style
Gareth had graduation on Friday. His school is a Montessori preschool. They teach kids ages 3-6. There are about 28 kids each day. Each year, there are a different number of kids that do kindergarten at the school. Next year there will be four or five. This year there was one... Gareth. Each year they do a graduation for all the kids that are moving on; those going into first grade (like Gareth) and those who are going to kindergarten at a different school. It's not traditional; nothing in Santa Cruz is. It's more of a "moving on" ceremony. They do it over two days -- one set of kids each day -- because the classroom isn't big enough to do all at once. Here is the classroom. All the parents are at the edge, mostly in kid-sized chairs.
The younger kids and the kids who graduated yesterday then filed in and sat in a circle just in front of the parents.
Then the graduates filed in. This is Gareth followed by Michelle. As they walked in all the rest of the kids sang "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold."
Today's six graduates -- Gareth, Michelle, Paulo, Lily, Logan, Angelo
Then the head teachers -- Michelle and Jena, who were sitting at either end of the graduates -- talked about how the kids had grown so much and how most of them had been at the school for half of their lives. Then they talked briefly about two books that the graduates had had the chance to choose between. Then they handed each graduate the book they had chosen, with a note inside fro the teachers.
Jena then did a mini circle tie with the grads where she showcased the different things the kids had learned over the years. It was quite impressive how much they knew about the earth, the continents, the countries, plants, planets.
Then each graduate picked up a candle that was under their chair. The handed it to the first child in the circle and it was passed around the circle. As it was passed from child to child, each child paused to give the candle a wish for the graduate.
Then the graduates sat around these tubs of water in the middle. One of the head teachers, Michelle, talked about how at school they've talked about moving on and saying goodbye and how even though the graduates won't see all of their school friends every day, they can always come back and visit, they can always have playdates, and they always have their memories, how they can always see their friends "in our mind's eye". And when a graduate gets sad, they can light their candle and think of all the love and wishes that are now inside. Then they lit the candles and said a poem. The graduates thought of a wish "bigger than themselves" and then blew out their candle.
Then they sang the Common Threads Song (Common Threads is the name of the school). It's a song that a parent wrote for the many years ago. Then, Jena, the other head teacher, pointed out and thanked all the other teachers. And then the kids handed out flowers to all their parents and family members.
Oh, and sometime during graduation, the teachers handed the graduates their graduation books. These are scrapbooks that the parents made (largely using pictures that the school had taken and then given us).
I just liked this picture of Gareth. He looks so grown up.
After the ceremony was done, we all went outside to have lunch.
No cap. No gown. Just a loving send off with a reminder that your friends are always with you and you are always loved and welcome at Common Threads.
Beautiful ceremony and photos...love Gareth's Crocs!