Ours is the only school in a ten mile radius that has opened today. Princess Curly-Wurly and destructoBoy are torn between delight and despair.
I filled them up with hot breakfasts (crumpets and cereal for one, porridge and crumpets for the other and hot chocolate with marshmallows for both) then we set off into the polar landscape down the hill to school.
Although a bit slippy slidey along the flat our minds were taken by the view before us. Hoar-frosted trees, fields encased in white. The black dogs ran like hooligans, barking and snarling, snapping wildly at each other as they dashed through the snow. We chose the 'safest' option to get to the bottom, figuring age has its benefits and a cobbled path with a handrail made more sense than a tarmac one trodden to glass by a thousand teenage feet.
Arriving safely at school we were greeted (oleaginously) by Mr. Headteacher complete with snow shovel in hand. I left them safely ensconced in the hall, busy planning what they would make in the imminent snow sculpture competition, a hotly fought battle. Last year's winners were Pr C-W's team with a fabulous 3D model of a penguin.
My two were also back today and enjoyed the experience of a much smaller school - out of 370 children, 160 made it to school. They had a lovely time, exploring the animal tracks in the playground snow, doing snowy research and then going back into the tropical conditions of the classrooms to write 'snow reports'!!
ReplyDeleteThe walk to school and back was fun. Two inch thick glassy ice. I was kind of glad I didn't do what my friend did and fall flat on my back outside the Co-op - I had a backpack full of milk!
A truly memorable week for us all. Even Moog's had a great time, hoovering beneath the bird table in the garden. Is it any wonder she's somewhat noxious tonight?!
xxx
now I want a crumpet!
ReplyDeleteOur school has been open all week as we didn't have nearly the amount of snow you had. But while yours got to play outside ours have been kept indoors at every breaktime, lest they slip in the playground. I never thought I'd utter these words, but it truly is health & safety gone mad!!!
ReplyDeleteOoooh, you must show us the results of the snow sculpture competition! And that dog picture is hysterical. If only he (?) could talk -- I'm thinking there might be a few bad words in there???
ReplyDeleteWe were open on Thursday - for 1/3rd of the children to turn up when most of the teachers had driven from at least 20 miles out of town. We are a town school, our children come from a maximum of 3 miles away, most with about a half mile/mile radius. Interestingly, it was the further away children who came!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, parents complained, said it was irresponsible and so on.
Friday, we closed for the day. The head and deputy basically decided that the roads were too bad and there was more snow forecast, so best off stopping home. I only live a 10 minute walk from school, as do most of the TA's and so on, but we understand the risks. At the end of the day, if most of the parents won't bother to travel half a mile, why should the teachers go 20+?
So we shut. Parents complained.
Monday will bring it's own decision again, with more complaints, whichever way we go!
I can't imagine being snowed in and having to close the schools.... I'm sweltering!
ReplyDeleteo to be sweltering!!! but then we'd have hosepipe bans instead of lack of salt and blocked roads!!!
ReplyDeletexxx
Isn't oleaginously a wonderful word?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for us, ours seem to be the only schools open in the region too :o(
Locket xxx
Perhaps between your current part of the world and your former home ground, the weather-gods could sort out some sort of in-the-middle sort of climatey thing....?
ReplyDeleteI just noticed a warm "draft" in the loungeroom, and the culprit was a slight gap in our 100%-turn-day-to-night drawn drapes and a fan! (Don't want to be letting that daylight anywhere near you - it hurts on days like today!) Tomorrow will be worse - 41degrees :(
I love that mad dog picture!
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