With Sarra at high school and Ollie, Hallie and Jonty at primary school, the presentation evenings for last year, both happened to be on the same night. Because I had been to many of my own presentation evenings with St Pat's at the Silverdome, I volunteered Simon to go and "enjoy" 21/2 hours of Mass and awards. Jonty went with Simon and Sarra and sat very still the whole time but being promised an ice-cream from Maccas might have helped. :)
I went to our primary school and had a lovely time watching our grade 6 class be farewelled.
Hallie got a lovely award for consistent effort along with a book.
I love that she got this award and I noticed it seemed to go to the really nice kids in each class and that is definitely Hallie. There are some kids, just like at every school, that swear and carry on and some have anger management issues and Hallie takes it all in her stride and is always so kind to everyone and doesn't judge or ever say anything mean to anyone but always has a smile and is generous and helpful.
Her good nature naturally draws people to want to hang out with her but she would be just as happy doing her own thing. It's this naturalness in not trying to try too hard and not thinking that she is the bees knees but just her happy quiet self that has contributed to this award I think.
Ollie has won the academic award in the past and was hoping to win one again in grade 1 but just missed out. I think it is a good thing sometimes to be pipped at the post, because it gives you the motivation to keep striving, the humbleness to know you aren't always going to win everything and the quality of a good sportsman to not just congratulate the winners but be genuinely happy for their success. And I think that our Oliver has mastered these qualities beautifully.
Ollie with his teacher Mr Trotman.
Hallie with her teacher, Miss Woolley.
Each year at the presentation evening, our school does a hamper raffle from each class. Each class is given a theme and the children have to bring in new products to do with that theme. The P&F run it and the winning tickets are drawn out on the night. I was sitting in front of another parent and had said to them, "I've been on the School Association for 2 years now and have had kids at this school for eight years, surely its my turn to win a hamper, just not the stationary one". We had a chuckle and that same parent was asked to draw out the next winning ticket and he drew out OUR name. But you guessed it, it wasn't for the chocolate hamper or even the baking hamper, but the STATIONERY hamper. We certainly had a laugh.
Meanwhile Simon wasn't having quite as much fun at Sarra's presentation evening, texting me about how long it was taking and when was it going to end. ;)
last day of grade 7.
We were very proud that Sarra came home with two awards, even more prouder because she has at times had such a hard time transitioning into year 7. It is such a big thing to come from a small school of 126 students to a great big high school of 1410 students ranging from year 7-12.
Sarra got an academic award for Maths and a medal and endeavour award for band.
Sarra ended up with 1A and 7Bs on her report and it would not have mattered what she got, because we were so proud of her getting on that school bus each morning, not having any friends that were going with her to her new school and knowing that she would have to leap out of her comfort zone and try to make new friends in such an unfamiliar environment.
High school can be hard at the best of times even when you are surrounded by good friends but despite how hard it was, Sarra threw herself into school work, the school production, band and touch football and came out the other end with a greater appreciation of not giving up and a greater awareness of helping other people who may in the future, experience some of the same feelings she did, during the first year of high school.
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