It's May, and that means that summer is officially just around the corner. As our students prepare to leave this school year behind, they're also imagining the roles they'll hold when they return in the fall. For some, those new roles mean big transitions. Come fall, our current 2nd graders will leave Lower Campus, where they currently reign as the "big kids," and will step foot onto Middle Campus, where they will find themselves to be the "little ones," once again. Our current 5th graders, after three years at Middle Campus, will finally reach 6th grade: "big kids" and leaders among their schoolmates. To help our students face these transitions with confidence, we hold the 2nd/ 5th-Grade Buddy Lunch.

The 2nd/5th-Grade Buddy Lunch is a special, annual occasion in which current 5th graders welcome current 2nd graders to Middle Campus for a "get-to-know-you walk" up Fremont Avenue, a social lunchtime, fun games, and a student-guided tour of campus. For the entirety of the event, each 2nd grader is paired with a 5th-grade "buddy." The relationships formed over this fun-filled lunch hour are crucial in preparing these students for what's next. When current 2nd graders return to Pinewood in August, they will have at least one familiar face to look up to on campus, and they will have familiarity with their new surroundings. For our current 5th graders, this event invites them to step into the positive qualities of leadership we hope they will embrace next year: kindness, helpfulness, and pride in their school.

This week's 2nd/5th-Grade Buddy lunch was an exciting look at what's to come. We're already thrilled for all that's ahead in the fall of 2019!