School Days – morning fitness
I was always really keen at school, whether work, taking part in clubs – sporting and music, volunteering for things. But as a parent my role is to ensure N enjoys school, works hard, and does as best as he can. As well as backing up what the teachers are saying, and supporting PTA events. I did think I’d like to be on the PTA but as most of the meetings are during the working day it’s not possible.
As a working mum I do miss out on a lot of school things, especially those they try and involve parents in, but sometimes I’m relieved.
Morning fitness
School have always been pretty good on the fitness side. The children do a lot of sport – having external coaches coming in for tennis, football, hockey and cricket, as well as doing PE and swimming for the older ones. But they’ve decided to start healthy mornings, where they do something fitness oriented at school drop off.
It’s meant to be for the parents to join in, rather than for the kids, and is led by 2 parents. I avoid it most days because N is in earlier for morning club, but then was approached one day along with another parent I was talking to, to join in. I don’t like being bullied and guilted when I don’t take part.
Even if I wasn’t working, it’s not something I’d want to take part in. I do exercise my own way, I definitely don’t do running, and I don’t do freestyle dancing. If others want to that’s fine, but doing exercise with teachers and other parents at school isn’t what I fancy. I’d rather run around the garden, play frisbee or go scooting with N.
N seems to quite like it, but he’s not bothered that I’m not there.
School report
This week N’s school report came home in readiness for next week’s parents’ evening. It was a bit confusing because the report was written by the teacher in Class 2 rather than his actual teacher from Class 1. Makes sense in terms of most of the lessons he’s done in her class, but given I’ll be speaking to the class 1 teacher it’s a bit mixed up.
Apart from the bog standard ‘this is what we’ve done this year’, the final general comment was lovely. How N was easy going, nice boy to have in class, who settled in with his peers. How he was able to focus well and was enthusiastic about all of his work. Just the kind of thing a parent wants to hear.
Reading levels
Back in September N was only on level 3 Oxford Reading Tree books, the same as he’d been on in reception. He quickly moved up because miraculously he came back from the summer holidays having not read a thing, but able to fluently read the school books. Since then he’s gone up to level 7. It doesn’t seem that the level of writing is that different across level 5, 6 and 7. But this week he came home with a level 9 Storyworlds book. I’m presuming it’s to see how he goes with it and they’re mixing up what books come home.
N isn’t impressed because of the amount of writing, although he’s pleased that there’s chapters in it. So far he’s refused to read further than 5 pages but he’s doing ok with it. There’s some new complex sight words he’s going to have to learn, and where he doesn’t want to say the correct word he just decides what word he’s going to do instead. But it’s great to see how far he’s come in only a year.