This week is our wonderful Dillon Ray’s last week in the Aloe Vera Group. The children are spending their last days together making special cards for Dillon to share their most enjoyable moments and what they learned from him. We are also supporting Dillon to create notes to express his feelings and remembered special moments he encountered with his friends here at NSW.
Questions we asked the Aloe children:
How do you feel about Dillon’s next steps? What did you learn from him? What do you like doing with him? What do you hope/wish for his next steps?
Colin – I’m hoping Dillon Ray gets to play with legos in his next school. I love playing the “Corona Virus” game with him in the sand area.
Santiago – I hope Dillon gets to paint for his family in the other school. I know he loves painting! I’m going to miss his paintings.
Dylan F. – I wish that he meets new friends! I learned how to do the backflip on the monkey bars from Dillon. I’ll miss you.
Christoph – I feel so sad and disappointed that you are leaving, Dillon. We learned so much from you. Like how to make a butterfly and everything you made out of sculpey clay. It’s time for you to leave and I wish when you go to your other school you do some good learning, like math.
Poppy – I feel sad because I love playing little puppy with him and it’s my favorite game. I wish he has a happy time in his next school.
Mia – I hope he has fun at his next school. I love playing super heroes with him.
Levi – I’m feeling sad that Dillon won’t be here to play going up & down the monkey bars. I wish one day he comes back.
Chloe – I want Dillon to stay here with us and play in the lego area with me. I wish he gets to have the same materials and same areas in his next school to play like the house area, writing area, and building space. I love you, Dillon.
Presley – I’m feeling hopeful that I’ll still see Dillon because his mom fixes my mom’s back and I think I’ll still be able to see him. I hope he comes to visit. I enjoyed working on sculpey clay with him.
Mason – I’ll miss Dillon. I like playing in the sand area with him. I hope he gets to play with other kids in his next school.
Uma – I love working on sculpey clay with Dillon. I’m going to miss him!
After learning about Dillion’s next steps, the Basils brainstorm ways to say goodbye to our dear friend.
Everly: When Mars bumped his nose on the stool, me, Mira and Tallulah made a note for him. Maybe we can make a big note for Dillion Osborne too.
Susan: What could we write on the note?
Everly: We’ll see you later, Osborne.
Asher: We’ll see you later at a park.
Everly: Or a campsite. At the end of March I’m going camping with Savannah, Mason and Dillion.
Tallulah: We can say, “Bye, Dillon.”
Mira: Maybe we can make a big sign and it says, “goodbye.”
Mars: Goodbye and we love you.
Rufus: Hope you have a nice school.
Mars: We can make a big giant heart paper that you close and you give it to him and you don’t have to write we love you because it’s a big heart paper.
Dillon’s thoughts
Adriana to Dillon – How do you feel about this being your last week here at NSW?
Dillon – I’m going to miss my friends. I’m having mixed feelings, like I’m happy for my next school and I’m feeling sad about leaving my friends. I’ll miss everything from NSW.
Adriana: We will miss you too and you are always going to be welcome and you’ll always be a New School West friend.
This year we all have been experiencing transition at different times and for different situations. By observing the children and listening to their genuine interest in creating note messages for each other, we discovered what wonderful tool notes are for the teachers to know how the children are processing emotions and sharing love and questions with each other as we welcome, say goodbye, and say, “see you later” to the different people we love. Dillon, as Levi said, “We will miss you and we hope you have a great time in your next school.”
Below are some words from Jordan and Randy Osborn:
We have had the privilege of Dillon being a student at NSW beginning as a West Winger back in 2018.
In 2019, he became an East Winger, expected to graduate in 2020.
He was one of the younger ones in his class and due to his September birthday, we had an option to have a 3rd year at NSW.
Not knowing what 2020 had in store for all of us, we enrolled him for a T-K year at Westminster Elementary.
We completed two days of zoom with his T-K class, picked up the phone and begged Roleen to let him come for a 3rd year at NSW.
(However, he has kept his enrollment at Westminster Elementary this entire school year with daily online assignments).
Thank GOODNESS she found room for him! We have been so grateful to keep life for Dillon (and Mason) full of rich, in-person interactions and the magic of NSW.
LAUSD is going back to in-person, so we thought it would be a good time for Dillon to get to know some of his TK buddies prior to the kindergarten year in the fall.
Not an easy decision to take him from the cozy blanket of NSW but we felt it was a good time.
Also, his entire class missed their graduation. So this acknowledgment means a lot to honor next steps.
Mason will be there in full force, so you aren’t rid of us!
We are truly so appreciative of this growth NSW has provided and even though all the parents don’t get to hang the way we would like… we are all connected by the spirit and the love of our kids.
-Jordan Osborn & Randy Osborn