Remembrance Day.

Today we walked 30 Year 2 children over to Rock Park for the Children's Remembrance Day Service. (not by myself but with 2 TAs and a number of parents). We thought we had plenty of time to organise the children who were coming from 2 different classes, send them to the toilet and have a chat about what would be happening but we hadn't factored in that it was this morning that the school nurse was coming to vaccinate the children against the flu virus. The vaccination was optional so lists had to be checked and children seemed to be going here there and everywhere. Unlike the adult vaccination this was just a nasal spray so you would have thought there would be no problems. Imagine the reaction of the children in one class when a child announced that they were all going 'to have an injection in their nose'. Some parents had opted out because of daft rumours going around that a live virus was being used, completely untrue, and that the vaccinated children would be shedding the virus for several days.

Having left slightly later than planned we had a brisk half an hour's walk to Rock Park where we were joined by children from other schools and even a pre-school group. There were a number of veterans and the usual local dignitaries and a military person (a sargeant  I would think as he had an extremely loud voice) organised where people should stand. It went well except when he told the children holding the wreaths to 'dress the line' which left them very confused.

Because this year the children's service coincided with Armistice Day itself instead of the usual 1 minute's silence the children stood in silence for the full 2 minutes which they did very well. That was after they had already been standing in place for half an hour. After the laying of the wreaths all the children had been given wooden crosses with poppies on which they planted in the flower beds. One of our children, who had been feeling a bit dizzy before we left school, felt more unwell and went home with her mum who had been one of the parents helping today. (If her mother hadn't been accompanying  us I wouldn't have brought that child along.) Then a brisk half an hour's walk back to school in time for lunch. Some of the children were quite worn out and my feet were feeling the pressure too. And in the afternoon we had PE so now I'm truely tired.

As our headteacher is 60 tomorrow instead of the usual lunchtime celebration we had an after school mini party with wine for those who weren't driving. Our headteacher's husband had smuggled in photos going back to her childhood days which were quite amusing.