Last Hurrahs

Violet and her friends had fun on the go-karts at the sixth grade promotion celebration Thursday afternoon at MB2 Valencia, the former Mountasia. (Vi is in the middle of the frame, giving me a thumbs up.)

And here, the kart closest to the photographer...

It was a very hot day, so the kids did the go-karts, but then enjoyed the inside amenities like the arcade and laser tag.

Violet and the group she hangs out with at school... 

 I spearheaded the party effort, and thankfully everything went smoothly. I had help, of course, especially from one mom who handled the payments and check-in procedure. And, from Stacey, who created the flyers we sent to the parents. We had 60 of our 100ish students attend, so I was very happy with the turnout. 

And on Friday, after a quick half-hour "check-in" school day, for signing yearbooks and collecting final things, that was that! I made Violet take the closing photo in front of the sign. 

After relaxing at home a few hours, we returned to the park for the yearend PTSA picnic, which hadn't happened for the last two years. It was super hot and Violet didn't see any of her friends, so we didn't stay long - just long enough for me to say hi to a few of MY friends, and take a pic in front of the photo backdrop. 

It's hard to believe our 10 years are truly over now! How blessed we were to be at Meadows, where we were part of the family.

Our last school event here! I know it's hard to tell, but there were SO many people at the park. The heat pushed everyone under the trees that lined both edges, and the four food trucks all had lines (especially the Kona Ice truck!). And the DJ here was adding to the festive atmosphere. 

Seeing everyone together, enjoying themselves as we started our summer, brought me so much joy!
 

Violet's Promotion

Violet and her sixth grade classmates promoted Thursday morning, in a lovely ceremony that featured songs, speeches and each child saying a few words before getting their certificate.

"When I grow up, I want to go to art college and study to be an animator," Violet said.
 

Here's Violet with her principal Mrs. VanGelderen.

Friends since they were 3! Now going on to Placerita together...

Last Week of Elementary!

 Violet's last week of elementary school was full of fun activities. First up was the parents vs. students kickball game on Monday, including certain big siblings.

Here's Violet gunning it for first base!

Cora helped out on the parent side, and we won.

On Tuesday, the kids had a picnic lunch of pizza and watermelon at a park across from the bowling alley. 

Then, we walked across the street for neon bowling! Here, they're getting their glow sticks ready. The painted their t-shirts with glow paint last week.

Violet had fun! 

Violet and her buddy Zane... It was a loud crowd, especially when the kids knew the songs that came on! So much fun!

And on Wednesday, the kids wore their jammies (except for a few, like Violet) and watched a movie, and later had an ice cream sundae party.

I didn't get a photo of Violet's loaded sundae, because I was helping serve the ice cream. I also helped with everything, all week, including coordinating the parent volunteers and the money to pay for various parts of the week. It was busy but worth it!

Violet's Musical

Another huge part of Meadows returned this year, much to our joy and gratitude. The Musical run by Mrs. Shafarman was Cora's favorite part of elementary school, and Violet was set to take part when the world shut down in 2020.

This year, we were able to pull it together again, even though Mrs. Shafarman has retired. She returned for weekly rehearsals, and on Wednesday, about 50 kids put on "The Greatest Americans of the Twentieth Century."

The play is basically an awards show, for the 20th Century great Americans, and Violet had a lead role as one of the show hosts.

In this scene, the girl playing Ernest Hemingway VERY much wants to come up to get his award.

It's a cute show, and a few years ago Cora and her friend Violet played the Wright brothers.

This year, Cora helped out when she could, with working with the kids on their choreographed dances.
 

It was so wonderful to see Mrs. Shafarman again, and have Violet get to work with her!

Ms. Sheen always assists Mrs. Shafarman.

Here is Violet with a couple of her costars. No, they weren't told they had to wear black, but they apparently all got the memo!

Cora and Mrs. Shafarman enjoyed seeing each other again, too. 

School Stuff

Cora went straight from Rosencrantz craziness to taking an Advanced Placement test in Environmental Science. If she passes the test, she can receive college credit for a science class. It was obviously an intense class, and an intense test. We celebrated Tuesday with a sushi lunch once she'd finished it.

On Friday, Violet had her "Greek Day" at school, where the students take on a famous ancient Greek persona and pretend to be them. While other classes had each student wear a toga, or more traditional ancient Greek attire, Mrs. Fusner allowed her students to be creative. 

Violet had fun putting together her outfit to present Artemis, the goddess of the moon and the hunt. Hence, her bow and her silvery blue accessories and makeup. 
 

And, Aunt Patty had to return to Washington, but Uncle Bill stayed another week! He was able to attend Violet's Open House, and see Cora in a Show Choir competition that, luckily for us, was held at Hart High. Cora ran over to get a photo in her costume after her choir's set was over.

Another parent posted these fabulous photos from the competition. Cora's group won first place for their division!

Open House

Another fabulous pre-pandemic normalcy brought back this spring: Open House at school! We went to Cora's in March, but haven't been to an Open House at Violet's school since third grade!
 

Violet has enjoyed her teacher this year, Mrs. Fusner! We appreciate her emphasis on arts.

She's pointing to the artwork she painted on Valentine's Day, when I was blessed to be able to volunteer in class.

More Vi projects...

Showing us the projects she's worked on...

Our last Open House! How can it be??

We made a tour of the school, going through the girls' old classrooms to say farewell. First stop, Mrs. Hawthorne, who taught both girls in kindergarten and Violet in first grade, as well.

For a trip down memory lane, here's our first Open House, when Cora was preparing to enter kindergarten and we went with Genia and John and their family.

Next, Dr. Porter, who also taught both girls. I'll miss seeing these ladies occasionally when I'm on campus!

Then, third grade, Mrs. Breneman - she, Mrs. Hawthorne AND Dr. Porter are all retiring at the end of the year! Plus, three more teachers are retiring. Next year will be very different at our beloved school.

Violet's fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Zamperin, my fellow Dodger lover.

And the lovely Ms. Dallaire, who Violet truly loved last year in fifth grade. Such a sweet, encouraging woman.

We have been deeply blessed to be at this school! 

Rancho Camulos, At Last

Two years ago, with the world shut down due to a virus, Violet and her classmates missed out on their 4th grade field trip to Rancho Camulos. 

This year, field trips are back on the menu, but the traditional 6th grade trip to the Getty Museum was still off limits. 

So, I suggested to the teachers that this cohort take the Rancho Camulos trip, and they agreed. On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to come along as a chaperone.

Rancho Camulos is a part of California history, a rancho that used to cover a 48,600 acre swath of land used for farming and cattle. It also provided the setting for a famous novel named Ramona.

The field trip here is fabulous - educational and fun for the kids. Here, one of the docents leads them in making their own adobe brick from mud, straw and water. Adobe was a great building material in the hot southwest.

This sweet docent taught the kids some of the history of the area.

This gorgeous restored carriage was from the 1850s! You can see how wealthy the owners were.

The students also got to do some hands-on activities, like washing, wringing out and hanging clothing.

The day was warm but not too hot, and the setting is gorgeous, off the 126, between home and Fillmore. The kids enjoyed a picnic lunch, and I loved seeing Violet interact with her friends. She doesn't talk much about school friends, but seeing her with these guys, I can tell that they ARE friends!

After the last two years, I deeply appreciated being along for the ride, and I'm so grateful for the chance. (And let's not even go into the idea that it's very likely my last field trip!)