School Days in December Year 6

I think this December’s school days has been a mixed bag. The fun of the end of the school year and festive week with non normal school days. But having to do a Christmas play that not many of them have enjoyed preparing for.

Here’s this month’s school days – the last Christmas run up at primary school for N.

Football injuries

It seems so far that football is a more dangerous sport than I antiicipated. Every week N had come back with so many bruises, or sore legs or feet from being studded. The latest one he was doubled leg tackled and has a nice bruised line on his thigh.  But he’s really enjoying football club, and was pleased that one of his friends said he should go and play for the club lots of them play for (I’m hoping he didn’t take that seriously, as I don’t fancy becoming a football mum on Saturday mornings as well as tennis taking up time).

Assessments

Towards the end of term they have assessments across english and maths. This helps the teacher understand where they’ve got to, and what shortfalls might need to be made up. Hopefully he’s done as she would have expected. I’ll get told how he did at parents evening in January.

Target assembly 

Each term they have target assemblies, where they can get their next level certificate if they’ve shown the next number of targets achieved.  They’re on bronze at the moment. Most in N’s class will get theirs, it’s later in the year they spread out how fast they get them as it gets harder to achieve.  N would love to get to platinum by summer, one he’s never achieved. Hopefully if he doesn’t get ill and have time off school, he might achieve it if he keeps working hard and does better in his english.

Christmas jumper day and non uniform

I also wore my Christmas jumper in solidarity, although I’m not sure N wore his for more than a short time in school. He would have been too hot.

They had quite a few non uniform days this term. The last Christmas week was all non uniform, to allow them to layer up better when doing lots more outdoor things like their Christmas performances.

The Christmas Play

N was Santa in the Christmas play. I don’t think he enjoyed one part of taking part in it.  They weren’t allowed to bring scripts home apart from at weekends, so for those with lots of lines, it was hard to learn them. A song got changed to one noone knew, then 1 day before got changed again to a different one. I think N was quite relieved that I couldn’t go and watch. Evidently it was ok but he missed a cue because he was distracted being told something had changed.  At least (hopefully) it’s the last play he’ll ever have to perform.

Christmas poems

Every year they write their own poem, and it gets sent home to parents in a homemade Christmas card. They’ve also been writing Christmas cards to villagers, and went out to post them. I love how the school always tries to involve the village in what they do.

Christmas dinner and Santa

On the last day of school they all dress up in party and smart clothes to meet Father Christmas and have Christmas lunch.  They have a photo sitting with (or near, the last 2 years) Father Christmas, then parents get the photo made into a calendar for them. N decided that they must have a system going for them to get the calendars printed and made up for the same day!

You wouldn’t believe how hard it was getting him into smart gear. He lives in sportswear usually, and although he’s now in jogging trousers for tennis, he still wears shorts the rest of the time. So we had to dig out some smart shorts. He does have a smart shirt, but he moaned about it being long sleeved, how weird it felt in something other than a t shirt (then wore one underneath), the collar was weird (it was just normal). He couldn’t remember how to tie his tie because he’s not been on a shoot for 2 years so hasn’t practiced. As for socks. I refused to let him wear sports socks, and told him to find some normal socks. After going through all his socks, he finally found a suitable pair that he agreed did fit him. I couldn’t believe how painful it was. Excusing the trainers (he’ll have been in school shoes in school) he looked reasonably smart. So many of his friends go in waistcoats or jackets, but N just doesn’t have that sort of clothes. There’s no point for a dress up day once a year, and he wouldn’t wear them anywhere else.

Dance off

Winter and summer they do class dance offs which are judged Strictly Come Dancing style.. I don’t think N’s class have won it very much, and he thought they should stand a good chance this time. They were in last place though, with some very mixed scoring. I think it was down to choosing a random Christmas track that wasn’t particularly well know. Who knew Craig Revel Horwood had a Christmas song out?

Walking to school

In December, kind of by default thanks to an oil fuel lorry blocking the lane to school, N has started partially walking to school. Quite a lot of his year are dropped off in the village, and then walk up to school for a bit of independence. He usually sees others on their way so waits for them, and he’s loving the chance to do it. It means I can be in and out of drop off even faster, although I still do the pick up. It’s really the only chance he’ll get (unless the OH agrees for him to cycle once he’s done his cycling proficiency test later in the year) to do a school run alone. Even if it’s only partially the route.

So that’s school done and dusted for 2021. Let’s hope the schools don’t have to close again with Covid cases on the rise again. And roll on approval of the jab for younger children too.

Hope the year ended well for your children.