On Thursday Miss. Matea walked out of her Pre-K classroom for the last time, sniff.
There was a little party, and lots of play time at the park, a sing-a-long celebration, and finally some tearful goodbyes.
Her fave climbing thing at the park at school
She ♥'s the monkey bars...but just can't quite master them on her own :)
"playing" with friends at the park
this little girl wanted her to go faster down the slide and kicked her with both feet....but Matea rolled with it, and didn't lose it, which I thought was a pretty big win for the kicker :)
Inside for a little sing-a-long, and some diploma presentations
Matea not really loving the singing along part - I think she was a little "thrown off" by Mom and Dad being in her classroom :)
Every child got a little present and a diploma!
So awesome!
The whole crew!
Matea and her EA....such a wonderful lady.
She taught us so much about Matea, and she was a fierce advocate for our girl.
Here is a little note she wrote to Matea's future EA, and teacher....
"I have very much enjoyed working with Matea this year and am very fond of this very special, lovely girl. Matea is a gentle soul with lots of special gifts to teach all the people who are blessed to know her.She has many fears of the world that is so confusing to her yet possesses the strength and courage to overcome them with your love and support. I believe that Matea has all the skills she needs to be a successful student and will bring a wonderful dynamic to your classroom. I wish you and Matea all the best in your kindergarten journey and your many new adventures."
Matea and her teacher.
She has journeyed with us as we became full fledged members of the A team, fought it, embraced it, and now live it every single moment :) She celebrated everything about Matea, and respected her every step of the way - we couldn't have asked for a better Learning Team for our girl.
Here is a little note SHE wrote to Matea's future Kinder teacher & EA.....
"It has been such joyful challenge to watch and help Matea grow and develop this year. As with any child who does not learn in the "typical" way she has been more of a teacher to me that I have been to her. I urge you to invest several days at the beginning of the year observing and playing with Matea. If you follow her lead and allow her to show you what she is interested in and the skills she has you will have a strong foundation for the rest of the year. Matea has a strong need to process her world through her senses. You can't go wrong by providing her with squeezes, tickles, back scratches, cheek rubs ect. It's hard to know why new things and changes to routine are so hard for her and why she protests them so strongly. However, if you have a goal in mind ahead of time and make it clear to her what you expect she will comply. She doesn't hold a grudge and rewards you with lots of smiles and hugs. I know you will treasure your time with Matea as much as I have."
And then the tears started flowing, we didn't stick around too long, Miss. Matea doesn't do well with a crying mama - so we headed home put on a nice cool sun dress, and went for a bounce on the trampoline.
I'm not sure how much she understood about school being over, and even though we are armed with pictures of her new school and teachers - I'm sure she will be missing her Pre-K classroom and all the special people that were in it come September.
Those little notes from her teachers, and extra hugs from her EA's are one of the perks of having a child with beautiful differences. When she meets those milestones, there are so many people rooting for her, and the victory is so sweet :)
♥
