Nigel's last day in OLPS Kindy

We just came back from a very happening and emotionally charged party at OLPS kindergarten. Today is not only Nigel's last day in K1, but it is also the last day for the kindergarten itself as the church management had decided earlier in the year to close it down.

The children had one last dance (to their year-end concert songs) - in fact, they were all busy dancing to themselves (I mean watching their concert recording on DVD) when we got there, really really enjoying themselves dancing, singing and bugging each other for one last time! It was like a pre-schoolers version of a dinner and dance - dinner was replaced by tea-snacks and dancing by very cute sychronised steps rehearsed over the past few weeks.

The kids don't seem to understand that these friendships that they've built-up during the past year was coming to an end and that many of them would not see each other for many years to come. Then again, how crucial are these friends given that they will have many more in the years ahead - no doubt they've made friends, but what is more important is that they've learnt how to do it - "social skills" as Nigel's teacher put it, an important skillset to pick up as they progress through life.

And as the children started leaving to go home one by one, I was overcome by a sadness of sorts, on Nigel's behaf. Another phase of his life is over this day, his first year of "formal education" has come to a close. And while he went around (balloon) sword-fighting and playing catching with his now former classmates, we walked around the kindergarten classroom absorbing one last time, what used to be his playground.