The last week has been a very mixed one. We’ve had a few highs – attending the Action Medical Research 70th anniversary event, Sophie getting excellent results from her ballet exam and a good score on her 11+ assessment test and Thomas finally bringing home his first reading book from school. We’ve also had the lows of Thomas being sent home from school due to being unwell, Sophie being unwell on and off throughout the week and hubby being unwell. So far I’ve been mostly ok, but I feel like I have a cold brewing so I don’t think I’m going to escape the bugs going round. We’ve also had Sophie and Thomas being home for two days due to the school strike so it’s been a challenge trying to juggle working around them being home as well.
It was lovely to share Jessica’s story at the Action Medical Research event. Naturally that brings very mixed emotions – there is always the ever-present sadness that comes from living life without Jessica but talking about her brings so much joy too – that reminder of the happy memories we have and the joy that Jessica gave throughout her life. It means a lot to be able to share her story and help raise awareness and give hope to other families.
Sophie had her assessment test for 11+ tuition last weekend and the results were very encouraging. She did particularly well in the maths section, scoring 93% for this. We don’t want to put Sophie under a lot of pressure with the 11+, but equally it would be good to give her the opportunity of going to grammar school if she is able to pass the 11+. We’re looking at group tuition sessions and it’s just a waiting game now for bookings to open for this.
It was lovely to get the results from Sophie’s ballet exam back this week. She did amazingly well, with a mark of 91. Another proud mummy moment.
Thomas had a milestone moment this week, coming home from school with his first reading book. He’s taken a bit longer to bring one home than the girls did (they both had reading books by October half-term in their Reception year). I was relieved to see that he’s been started at an appropriate level for his reading ability, starting on Read Write Inc yellow books, which is Year 1 level and would be green books on Oxford reading tree (which was the scheme the school used when the girls were there).
What I’ve been grateful for this week:
- Day 69 – I am grateful for the wonderful work that Action Medical Research do to help fund medical research for children. It was a honour to share Jessica’s story this evening at their 70th anniversary event. Thank you for inviting us to be part of it.
- Day 70 – I am grateful for jigsaw puzzles.
- Day 71 – I am grateful for cooked chicken and pre-prepared potatoes and veg making a Sunday roast quicker and easier to make on a busy Sunday.
- Day 72 – I am grateful that Thomas has finally come home with a reading book from school.
- Day 73 – I am grateful that Sophie enjoyed her first online singing lesson.
- Day 74 – I am grateful for an amazing mark of 91 for Sophie in her ballet exam. Plus we also had the results of her 11+ assessment test for tuition where she scored 83%. Well done Sophie!
- Day 75 – I am grateful for a walk around Black Park and spotting some litter bugs along the way.
Other things that have made me smile this week:
- Watching Thomas in his class assembly.
- The lovely comments about Sophie shared by her Girls’ Brigade friends as part of their badgework.
- Watching Sophie and Thomas playing together at the park.
It does sound like a mixed week.
Well done to Sophie with the ballet exam and her 11+ scores. How exciting for Thomas to bring a book home from school. I remember those Read Write Inc books from when my girls were little. So sorry your family has been unwell. I hope you manage to escape the cold but it seems to be the time for it. My fella and eldest has one and I am just waiting to catch it. x
Thank you. I didn’t manage to escape the cold unfortunately but hopefully it won’t linger too long x
Well done Sophie, what a clever girl! And well done Thomas on his first reading book. I know it must be difficult but I’m happy you got the chance to talk about Jessica, it sounds like a worthwhile event.
Thank you Anne. Talking about Jessica does come with mixed emotions but it is always lovely to have the opportunity to talk about her.
Amazing scores on Sophie’s ballet exam and 11+ assessments. And well done to Thomas on his reading progression.
Sounds like a busy week, the 2 days of strikes is hard when you’ve got younger children and working. At least with N he’s old enough to just get on with it himself (although spent most of these on the farm!)
Thank you, it was hard work with the two days of strikes although Sophie is good at helping entertain Thomas when I’m trying to juggle work!
It does sound like a mixed week, but those hits for the children are amazing, you must be so proud of them. Sorry to hear the children and hubby were unwell, hope everyone is now fully recovered.
Thank you, yes everyone is better again this week.
She cannot be old enough for the 11+ surely – well done though!! I always found my boys were slower to read than the girls – they needed something that they enjoyed. Sebby has only started reading for fun in the last couple of years
Not quite old enough for the 11+ yet – that won’t be until the start of Year 6 but she’ll have a year of tuition to prepare for it. Thomas has been much quicker to read than the girls and is further ahead than they were at this age but school have been very slow to send him home with a reading book.
Sorry there have been lows amongst the highs. we use the RWI books at our school and I can’t imagine any other schemes! #project365
I remember Jessica occasionally coming home with the RWI books but otherwise the girls mostly had Oxford Reading Tree books so my knowledge of book band levels is still stuck on those.
That’s amazing news for Sophie. We all had to sit the 11+. I know it’s different now. I’m not sure if it’s something we will put Little E forward for. I’m glad that you get the chance to share Jessica’s story. It is a great way for her to be remembered #WotW