The families of all of the fifth graders packed into the gym for a luncheon and celebration of all of these kiddos and these last six years. Cole and his class sang a few songs, ending with What a Wonderful World. I'm not posting the videos because, to be perfectly honest, I was shaking so badly, I was trying to keep all of my emotions in. Because of that, the video quality is less than sub-par. But my goodness, was it sweet to hear their voices sing words that are so meaningful.
Love all of those sweet faces adorning those cupcakes.
Cole and his buddy Jack:
This is what they REALLY wanted to be doing during the luncheon! ;)
Jake made his schedule so he could pop in and be here in the middle of his work day, and of course, I missed getting a picture of him with Cole. I am still bumming about that! But, the way our schedule worked out, Jake's mom was able to be here with us. Living hundreds of miles away from grandparents doesn't usually afford us the opportunity to celebrate things like this with them, so that was a rare treat!
Cole and his good friend Austin:
Fabulous teacher and director of KM Explore, Ms. Dahm:
Cole's first-ever male teacher....who totally "gets" Cole's personality and made learning so fun for him, Mr. Fronk:
A bunch of almost-6th graders (and a few of their siblings!):
Crazy crew of boys:
Out of all of our kids, Cole is the one who has had the most transitions in school. He started 4K when we lived in Michigan, and moved to Wisconsin where he finished out his last 6 weeks of preschool in a district we no longer live in. We then moved to another town where he went to the local elementary (still within our current school district), but once KM Explore Charter became an option, we believed in their vision of learning so much and moved our kids again to have them attend this school.
I can't even begin to put words to what a journey it's been and how all of the teachers here have supported our family and loved us through numerous seasons, both joyful and difficult. We have watched Cole grow immensely within the security and love these teachers have provided. Jake and I have grown as parents too, gleaning much wisdom from some of these teachers who are ahead of us on this journey.
I can still remember the day I signed Cole up for preschool, feeling like we had made it...we were finally in a season where our kids were in elementary school. It sounded so grown up; like we were actual adults raising actual people. But now, with us saying goodbye to elementary school, I feel like we're so young. We're not ready. Because, you know, middle school is only 3 years...and 3 years are like blinking.
Still...I look at this guy and I know he's ready. And that's what matters. We're so proud of him and the person he's becoming. I know this is just the beginning of some pretty awesome adventures with him. And I couldn't love that more.
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