hopes-for-the-new-school-year

School Days – the start of year 1

The new school year has started for most people, and N’s done his first week back going into Year 1. He had a really good reception year, the main achievement being that he enjoyed it. When asked N does say he doesn’t like school, but then he tells me he has a good day each day.

Thankfully the new school year has started brilliantly. We’re back in the routine quickly, and N’s settled back into school.  I’m still working on getting him chatty again with our post story, pre-sleep chats.

Here’s how the first week went.

Being Year 1

At N’s school the year 1s are split up initially depending on them being ready to move up or needing a little more support in 1 or more areas before moving up.  So this year there are 6 boys staying in Class 1 with the new reception children, while the rest go in with year 2.  N sees this as a bonus a) because he likes his old teacher and TA, but also b) because Class 1 have a playground and outdoor learning area.  The year 1s in his class go and do some work up in Class 2 (usually afternoons), so N’s getting used to that.

It made me laugh when he told me that the year 1s had been sitting down to do some maths (‘I’m good at maths’), but some of the younger ones came to sit down as well.

‘But we’re the ones doing the writing. Foundation stage just play all day’.  Ha ha, that was him last year.  I love how all of a sudden he knows that it’s the serious work that makes them different.

hopes-for-the-new-school-year

Scary

N’s started being scared of a lot of things recently, castles being the main one.  But he did tell me on Monday evening that it was a bit scary on the first day back.  I’d never have known and he followed it up with ‘but that’s ok because it’s always scary on the first day.

The reason he’s in the lower year 1 class is because he needs to do more writing and increase his confidence with it.  He’s said he’s a little worried about doing writing when they go up to Class 2 in case it’s too hard for him.  I explained how it takes practice improve and that the teachers will help him to improve. I also explained that everyone finds things hard, telling him that most of the time at work I felt like after 3 years I still don’t know what I’m doing. He was surprised – he obviously thinks adults know and can do everything. Hopefully now he’ll understand that we all have to work to improve and find things easier.

Going up to work in Class 2 doesn’t seem to have put him off too much.  He told me they had to write down what they were good at.  I thought he’d have put farming or cycling, but he wrote maths.

Talking to the head

Going to the head is never a nice thing. It always feels like you’ve done something wrong.  The first day of the year I had to see her to discuss something I was a little uncomfortable with.  She was pleased I’d spoken to her, so hopefully it’s all cleared up and I can go back to not worrying about anything with school.  Well, apart from when the next dressing up day is!  Or where N’s jumpers have gone to.

Lost and found

Yes, we’re only a week into the school year and already N has lost a jumper. At least I think he has.  On Monday he came home without his (only new) jumper.  The next 2 days he didn’t go in with one. But by the end of the week only 1 had come home.

So I’ve been rooting through the lost property box in their corridor.  And I’ve found an old handmedown jumper of his from last year.  I didn’t even know we’d lost one. Oops.  It’s a bit small, and old design jumpers, so it’ll be recycled.

I need to do a jumper count at home and check how many we’ve got. Hopefully I’ve just mis-counted and the extra jumper is at home.

On the upside, N’s has remembered every day to wear his outdoor shoes home. Whoop!  Hopefully his school shoes will last until he grows out of them, and not be destroyed from him scuffing them.

Sports clubs

This year N wanted to try out multiskills sports club after school but it’s not on.  So he’s back doing tennis club instead.  Hopefully it’ll be more successful than the first lesson at the local tennis club.

VIP x2

First week back at school and N’s been VIP twice. He does love being VIP, and has finally grasped that its V-IP and not just an IP which is what he called it last year. The second one he was really proud of because his cousin was VIP on the same day. They were obviously taking over the VIP lunch table that day.

Holiday scrapbook

Over the summer, I suggested to N he do a holiday scrapbook, mainly to encourage him to do some writing. Needless to say it was a slog getting him to write anything, but he did labels on several pages. He took it into school to show his teacher, who told me they’d spent quite a long time going through it with N telling him all about it.  I’m so pleased that N was proud of it in the end. And it’s a great memory for him to look over in years to come.

writing-for-his-holiday-scrapbook

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16 Comments

  1. Sounds like he’s doing really well! I wish our school did it like that, the boy could have done with a slower transition, he’s also struggled with his handwriting

  2. Glad to hear N’s doing well. The start of a new school year can be a tricky time, but it sounds like he’s thriving with a year’s experience under his belt. #sharewithme

    1. Yes thankfully the sitting down and doing work is going fine. He doesn’t seem to be missing all day playing which is what he seemed to do last year. He even looked down on the new reception children for spending all day playing!

  3. Sounds like he’s doing really well. He’s a year ahead of my boy who has just started reception. He dislikes writing too! Reading this I know he’ll be going into that year in the blink of an eye.

    1. Ah, he’s got plenty of time if he’s only just started. N’s just started doing cursive writing,but tbh I’m more concerned about him getting confidence in basic writing independently and learning spellings than fancy writing. Thanks for stopping by

  4. It sounds like he’s settling back in really well. The writing will come in time (says the woman with a son in year 11 who STILL can’t write properly!). The holiday scrapbook is a lovely idea and it’s great that the teacher will give him some time to talk about it.

    1. I’m hoping that it’ll just kick in and he’ll realise he can do it. Let’s face it with my side of the family being all about words, writing and reading (even my brother is extremely good at writing having wanted to go into sports journalism at one point), even with his dad not being a fan of it, some of our genes must have rubbed off on him.

      Thanks for linking up.

  5. Sounds like N is enjoying being back and love his comment about Foundation Stage just playing! Hope being in Class 1 helps him to improve his writing and that his school jumper turns up. Love the sound of the holiday scrapbook – what a great idea. Thank you for hosting #SchoolDays and lovely to join in 🙂

    1. Thanks for stopping by and linking up Louise. I’m hoping i’ve just miscounted the jumper – just need to recheck. I remember doing holiday scrapbooks myself (I only remember the one with a sepia postcard of Tattershall Castle in – funny what you remember). He’s very proud of it though.

  6. I loved reading this! It covered all those aspects of settling back in that children (and parents) have to cope with! You sum it up so well. The bit about the lost property made me chuckle – I bet you’ll spend a lot of time in there! I hope he continues to enjoy it all. xx

    1. Thanks Sharon. So far I’ve not had to go as far as the proper lost property cupboard, just the box in N’s corridor. I’ve heard the actual cupboard is a bit grim, so fingers crossed I never need to.

  7. Ahh it sounds like he’s liking being back. I dread speaking to the head too. I’m not even sure why I’m scared of him, he’s really lovely but I think it feels like I’m 5 again too when I see him :). Z has loved doing dinosaurs this week!

    1. I think it’s the same feeling. I was never sent to the head when I was at school, except for 6th form when sports captains had to get their team signed off on match mornings, so just letting N get on with it would be great.

      Dinosaurs is cool. I’m not sure what they’ve done this week in terms of topics, just settling in and getting to know each other.

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