‘Tis the season! You know the drill: as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are cleared, the family Wishlist requests start rolling in. Last year, I was winging it. This year? I’ve got a game plan. Maybe I’ve just tuned in to what makes me smile, but my asks come with purpose. Here’s what I’m hoping to find under the tree this year…
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Kids ages 6–9 are growing fast mentally, socially, and physically. They start reading independently, grasp abstract ideas, and enjoy creative and group play. Friendships deepen, empathy emerges, and they seek approval from peers. Motor skills sharpen, and they take pride in accomplishments. Gifts for this age group balance autonomy with guidance, and encourage curiosity, connection, and confidence.
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Last school year, it was shared that our local public elementary school was shortlisted for possible closure. After five grueling months of parent advocacy and formal meetings with the school board, a final decision was made: our cherished elementary school would close its doors due to fiscal responsibility. The outcome was deeply disheartening.
I served on the research team tasked with compiling data and proposing innovative, cost-saving alternatives that could give us a chance for this upcoming school year. But despite our efforts, the board’s majority leaned toward shuttering aging facilities and reallocating resources.
This feels deeply personal to me right now, but this trend has been widely documented across the country. School systems increasingly forced to make difficult decisions in response to shrinking budgets and changing demographics. As public school enrollment declines (due to a range of factors), closures and consolidations have become part of the cost-cutting strategy.
So where does this leave our community?
Continue readingIt’s our last week of summer vacation. We’ve bought our school supplies, gotten our end-of-summer haircuts, and Open House is in a couple days. To close out the season, we’re sharing our end-of-summer Things We Loved before jumping into Back-To-School and regularly scheduled content next week.
Happy Last Day of School (for us, at least)!
Since I loved our Summer To-Do List lessons from last year, we’re doing it again. Each summer as our kids get older, they become more and more capable. I also feel more and more determined as a parent to stretch their comfort zones. Both Mary and I have something new up our sleeves for our kids this summer.
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Child(ish) Advice 