Hi friends,
Thursday, July 20th will be a bittersweet day for us as it’ll be Dashiell’s last day at NSW. He’ll be transferring to a preschool at Farragut Elementary School and will be on the same campus as his older brother Max.
Without any expectations, we put him on the waitlist last year as people have told us that it’s impossible to get in off the waitlist. Then in April, we unexpectedly received a call that a spot opened up for him. It was a hard decision for us to make but with the addition of our new baby, Nina, we needed to figure out ways to simplify and streamline our daily routine as a family of five. We live four blocks from Farragut in Culver City and the boys love their walks to and from school. Dashiell will be able to transition to kindergarten from his new preschool with the familiarity of the campus and with friends that will enter Farragut along with him.
We weren’t sure if this was the right decision as his older brother, Max, was able to reap the benefits of three years at NSW. However, we know that Dashiell has learned so much this past year from his loving and caring teachers that he is capable of transitioning to a new school with much more ease than we expect. Or at least much more ease than us, his parents.
Just today while dropping off Max at Farragut, Dashiell said, “I don’t want to make new friends. I just want my New School West friends.” Teddy reassured him that he’ll make new friends at his new school, in which Dashiell nodded and replied, “alright.”
Dashiell has been able to express his thoughts and concerns more than ever and we’re just so grateful to our NSW teachers for all their efforts and mindful attention to his feelings.
As he transitions to his new school, we’ve been able to have meaningful conversations with him about the upcoming changes for the new school year. And this wouldn’t be possible without the growth and support Dashiell received from his thoughtful teachers.
Thank you to all the wonderful teachers, Roleen and Kristin for all the love you show our dear Dashiell. Thank you Flora for being so patient and understanding with our little guy. I know Dashiell will miss spending the extra time reading or hanging out with Astrid, Jess and Jessica as he’s usually the last one to get picked up.
Dashiell would love to keep in touch with his NSW buddies and have play dates! He’s also very excited and looking forward to his first Kids Night Out where alums are able to attend because as Dashiell puts it “there’s fresh movie popcorn, a fun movie and you can stay up late with your friends!”
We hope we’re not saying goodbye forever as we’d love for Nina to have her magical NSW experience as well! This is definitely a place filled with so much love and more love.
With gratitude in our hearts,
Karen and Teddy
Dashiell (2017)
Max (2016)
Nina (?)