Cow Hollow School End of the Year Ceremony

Lulu and Maisy prepare to enter the ceremony.

I've been thinking about what to write in this post for several weeks; my delay is not due to my usual mixture of busy days, fatigue and procrastination. What to say about Maisy's time at Cow Hollow School? What to say about her completion of preschool?

(Thank goodness she is at summer camp at CHS. Otherwise I would be crying now.)

First let me get this out of the way: How can my sweet baby be five years old? How can she be starting Kindergarten in the fall?

OK.

In my journey as a parent -- a journey that is just beginning, really -- I have been influenced by many people. Many of these same people have also influenced Maisy, either through the changes in me or through their own relationships with her. These people include close friends, family members, caregivers and teachers. While I expected this to be the case, I had no idea how profoundly Cow Hollow School would impact our entire family, how deeply we would connect with the people and place, or how grateful I would feel.

(Thank goodness Lizzie will also attend CHS. I am looking forward to 2017!)

I know Maisy's teachers Jenna and Tim love and appreciate her for who she is. I know they believe she is capable, competent, and also amazing. I know that she is truly known, not only by Jenna and Tim, but also by each member of the school's faculty and staff, especially her former teacher Melissa and art teacher Jamie. At the End of the Year Ceremony on June 12, Jenna read the following:

Once upon a time there was a school in the woods, a school with white sides and a red roof. Inside this school there was a classroom called the Big Garden where 17 connected, curious and creative children came together every day. The children of the Big Garden loved lots of things – they were problem seekers, and expert problem solvers, expert builders and fixers, and masterful gardeners, chefs and caretakers of the earth. But, most of all, they loved to be together in the community they created.

. . . 

When asked what does it mean to be part of a community, this Big Gardener said, "Be friends with somebody." And, to show that you are part of a community, you “be kind, be nice to people." You also said how you show that you are part of the Cow Hollow community is: "I help people by asking if you are okay, and animals and things that are living."

Maisy, you have shown the absolute most love and care for your friends and the earth. I will never forget the gentleness you use when working in the garden, planting baby sprouts and tucking them into bed, and the absolute joy and connection with the natural world you have cultivated. Please never stop doing what makes you happy, like when you said about what CHS means to you: “Having fun and painting the mural on the bench and doing things that make me happy.” 

Thank you for everything you have brought to the Big Garden community, your hugs, your silliness, your love. Thank you for reminding us how to live in the moment.

Maisy and Jenna

Maisy's classmates are a wonderful group of children. Although they will attend a variety of Kindergartens in San Francisco and Marin (and even Madison, WI) -- sadly, none with Maisy (which I hate, but I also know will be OK) -- I imagine many of the relationships begun at Cow Hollow School will continue.  

Maisy and Maggie

Kyle, Maisy and Maggie

Maisy and Evie

Maisy and her classmates worked this year with a community partner, the Richmond District Neighborhood Center (RDNC). On one of their visits to the RDNC the children noticed a dilapidated bench and were concerned about people possibly getting hurt. The RDNC handyman repaired the bench, and a CHS family brought it to CHS so that the children could paint a collaborative mural to decorate it. Before it was returned to the RDNC, it welcomed visitors to CHS for the end of year celebration.

And on that note I'll end this post, with so much love and gratitude for the Cow Hollow School community.