The last days of school were full of farewells!
Sam's best mate, Harry and his wonderful family threw him a farewell party at their home. There were nearly 30, 13/14 year old's there and they rocked the pool (and everything else!) as they had a blast! The theme was red and white and the yard was decorated beautifully. The cake was a Canada flag and Sam was given a supreme send off. Thank you Orme Family!
Jacob's class surprised him with a farewell party on the second last day of school. There was enough food to carry the party over to 2 days! His class gave him a boomerang that was made by Mick Lyons - a treasure that he loves. He also received a lovely card with lots of lovely messages inside.
On the last day, the families of my class surprised me with a party in my classroom. After coming in from Yard Duty, many parents and my students were waiting to greet me! Kate Hall made a heartfelt speech about the year we had together and then each of my Year 3's also made a statement. It was beautiful and of course made me emotional. I told them how much the year meant to me as well and that I hope to keep in touch. There was yummy cake and I was presented with a beautiful engraved necklace and a piece of art depicting various landmarks in Narrandera. I was speechless and deeply touched by this community of wonderful people. I was so lucky to be at St. Joseph's in Year 3.
That evening, we had our end of year staff function which was themed "Canada and Australia". Once again, there was a lot of red and white as everyone dressed in Canada colours. Robin used ebay to import special touches like maple leaf balloons, a flag and a special Canada/Australia flag pin for me. I was presented with some beautiful jewellery from the staff as well as a gorgeous Koala aboriginal painting created by Steve and Phil. It was a fabulously fun night - a perfect way to end my time at St. Joey's.
The School Community of St. Joseph's is what makes the school such a magical place to be. The students are so polite, enthusiastic and wonderful, the parents so caring and supportive and the staff is like family. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE has the best interests of those kids at heart and will go above and beyond contracts and hours to make the school experience a rich one for the students. It's a winning combination and I feel blessed to have had the privilege of being a part of it - if only for a year.
This experience has made me a better educator and it is something I will reflect on for many years to come.
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