Holidays and High Hopes

Naturally, we had our usual visit to Eastbourne to visit my sister and watch the airshow. We saw the Red Arrows an all of the days we attended the event and enjoyed many other thrilling displays.
After that work seemed inevitable and I began to contemplate the year ahead of me. Where am I going? What am I doing (and why)?
There are some exciting things happening this year – none less so than the fact that I am to teach ICT for 6hrs a fortnight to Y7, Y8 and Y9. In order to do this I am going to have to learn how do use some applications quite quickly. Can’t wait! In particular it will be interesting to see my job from the perspective of another subject area. How do they teach in ICT? Is it really different from teaching MFL? In addition ICT is taught in Tutor Groups throughout KS3, whereas MFL is taught in sets from Christmas of Y7, what will that be like? I already like teaching ICT before I’ve even had one class, as I already have all of the lessons and resources!
Added to that I have acquired a “new” job title, that of “International School Co-ordinator”. Basically it means I just continue doing what I’m doing already. Continuing with that theme, we will re-apply for a Comenius Grant, after failing to gain funding last year. I’m currently trying to organise a preparation visit for January which will be entertaining! Also we have an all new French exchange with a school in Caussade near Toulouse.
As far as my MFL teaching is concerned, I have to admit to feeling a little stale, so I want to focus on injecting some enthusiasm into things. Naturally I’ll continue to use ICT to motivate pupils and also lead some staff CPD within the department to encourage colleagues to follow suit. I’m also going to do some work on Phonics with my classes. After seeing Rachel Hawkes speak at Grasping the Nettle and being in touch with Suzi Bewell, I’ve bought a Jolly Phonics French book and a lovely Frieze and am going to spend time focusing on pronunciation with many of my pupils.
So not much then, in the year ahead. It should keep me out of trouble anyway!

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Race for Life – Ormesby Hall 2009

For the third time in a row, I headed to Ormesby Hall on Saturday morning to take part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. This year was a little bit different, as I had my favourite 7 year old taking part with me. Alice was desperate to take part this year, since one of her friend’s had done it last year and she likes to do the same thing as her friends (of course).
We made no pretence of trying to run this year and duly lined up with the “Walkers” to cross the start line about 10 mins after the first runners. It was most disconcerting to, having only just completed the first kilometre, see the winner heading for the finish line. Alice couldn’t believe it!!!
We finished the race in a record 56 mins and have been challenged to run it in 35 mins next year by Mr. Langwitch – he said he’d sponsor us £100 if we did.
I don’t think you can tell by the picture, but on our backs we wrote “I race for life for Pauline’s mum”. Pauline is my closest friend and her mum is currently in the final stages of ovarian cancer, so we felt it was very important to race for her.
All in all it was a good morning, we didn’t get too wet and my hand didn’t quite fall off after being held onto very tightly for 5 km by a 7 yr old girl )

ps. You can still sponsor us online here

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Just one of the reasonsI love being a mum

My little girl, who is 6, must have been writing poems for Mothers’ Day at school this week because this morning she wrote me this gorgeous poem before going to school.  It just goes to show how children see things through rose-coloured spectacles but here it is, it’s absolutley beautiful. (Oh by the way, I’ve left in her versions of spellings!):

“My mum is terrific and thoughtfull

My mum is fashenebell and fantastic

My mum is beautifull and best

And thas way I love my mum”

Absolutely wonderful!

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The Lake District

As well as having visited the Netherlands 2 weeks ago (nearly), I also spent last week in the Lake District with my family. By “my family” I mean Graeme, Alice and Dan – obviously – then my sister, her husband and 2 children (aged 4 and 2), my mum and dad and my grandma (aged 90). Luckily we weren’t all in the same accommodation!! Each Whit Week my mum hires 3 static caravans and we all troop off to the Lakes. This year we stayed near Ambleside on Lake Windermere on a lovely caravan site call the “White Cross Bay”. It had a swimming pool, so because Alice is a mermaid, we spent several hours each day in the pool. We also took in Lake Coniston, Hawkshead (Graeme believes that all roads in that part of the Lakes lead there!), the Aquarium of the Lake District near Newby Bridge at the bottom of Windermere, Hawkshead, Keswick, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Ambleside, Pooley Bridge and Grasmere. Probably a lot more too! The kids didn’t enjoy walking too much, although we did manage to coax them on 2 walks, one to Grasmere from the car-park near Rydal Water and one the the cairn on the walk between Pooley Bridge and Howtown (they whined all the way but no-one got a carry!!). The kids also loved being able to play with their cousins everyday, since normally they’re way down in Eastbourne and we’re way up here in Stockton.

We had a lovely week with very little rain and fairly mild nights (although heating in the caravan really helped) and I didn’t miss blogging or twittering at all – couldn’t even get a signal on my mobile most of the time! Back to the grind now, though – heyho!

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Samantha Hughes

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Dan starts full time nursery

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21 again

Yesterday was my birthday )
I was, of course, 21 again … well this year 37…only another 2 birthdays to go and then the next one I’ll be 40. Must admit that reading Ewan McIntosh’s blog post about being 30 today I felt VERY old.
I have to admit that most of my birthday was pretty crap (
I had to take Heike back to the airport to go home. After that I was knackered and kept falling asleep in the car. My so-called longest friend (won’t mention the name) couldn’t find time in her day either on Thursday or yesterday or today, to call round for a coffee (will try to follow Graeme and Heike’s advice about not bothering anymore) and Dan was in a hell of a mood.
On a plus side Graeme and I had a lovely meal out, I got a a great bottle of bubbly from Tesco with a jacket round it and Alice amazed me and Graeme by picking out the BEST skirt from Next for a present for me, that she and I had seen a couple of weeks ago, that she actually pointed out to me then as well (how can a 5 year old know my inner hippy so well????)

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A week off?

As we approad the end of our half term break, I thought, after a week of doing very little computer wise I’d post about my “week off”.
We had a lovely, if not tiring week with my best friend Heike and her two boys Marc (2) and Eric (1). It’s amazing how quickly you forget what life with a baby is like…it takes about half an hour to get out of the house!!! (Or is that just Heike??) We explored the Northeast in freezing temperatures and howling gales (seeing us at out best, of course)…but at least it meant that the boys weren’t too warm with their tights under their trousers, 3 layers of jumpers, scarves and balaclavas. I must admit that by the end of their stay I’d started to wonder whether I should be wrapping Alice and Dan up warmer. We looked at the planets and railway carriage at Wynyard Woodland Park. We ventured to Seaton Canoe …oops, meant Carew (when it was 0 degrees outside) and played on the beach, then went to the Marina for hot chocolate and scones and then walked round to “see” the HMS Trincomalee and the Steamer the PSS Wingfield Castle through the freezing fog. We attempted to go to Raby Castle but it was closed until April – although Heike being Heike insisted that I drive up the drive to get photos (and cringe with embarassement!) – so then drove through Barnard Castle and then back to marvel at the toys in “Toys R Us“. Finally, on Thursday we made it to Hadrian’s Wall - the Fort of Chesters – in the wind. The kids loved being able to run around and pretend to be Roman Soldiers. In addition we watched a couple of German films – “Goodbye Lenin” and “Was tun wenn’s brennt” – which were actually quite good. I really enjoyed being with Heike and miss her now that she’s back home in France…yes, she’s German but is married to a French soldier…very confusing as far as languages go (not for me but for the rest of the family!!!).
So that was my week. Now I have a week of lessons in the dining hall whilst my classroom get “propped”, since our building is falling down s

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What an afternoon

Today has been an odd day really, if only because I spent most of it in front of the TV or computer and had a bath.
It started of strangly, since I dreamt all night about my tight throat and cough…so obviously there was something wrong there. When I got up I had become a bass, my voice having dropped an octave or two over night ( I decided that, since it hurt to talk, spending the day teaching would not be a good idea. So, feeling bad (as I always do, if I’m ill enough to take time off work), I phoned work and told them I wouldn’t be in, then I dutifully send in some very high quality cover work. I also took Dan to nursery (felt even more guilty when I did this…however, I was ill), which took ages due to the infamous Ingleby Barwick traffic and the fog. After that the morning was fine.
When it got to the afternoon, the sun was shining and I felt a bit better, I decided (as most mothers probably do), that I could have some bonus children time. So I went to get Dan and then headed of to Red House to get Alice when she came out at 3.30, planning to feed the ducks on Norton Duck Pond. I’d just got onto the A19 when there was a bang and something hit the windscreen and stayed there. Naturally, I braked and swerved, eventually found the hazard warning lights and somehow managed to see through the broken windscreen and thing on it to get onto the hard shoulder. What had happened? Somehow the bonnet had come unclicked at the front and when I began to pick up speed, the wind pressure blew it up and into the windscreen!!!! How me and Dan were OK I have no idea ) Shaking, I phoned Graeme who, like the knight in shining armour he is, came to our rescue, phoned the AA and waited with us until they arrived. Dan, of course fell asleep (bless) and the whole thing was sorted out. We still got Alice but an hour later than anticipated and we still got to feed the ducks (although they weren’t too interested). So now we’re in the middle of insureance claims.
I’m just amazed that we’re OK…we were in the “middle” lane (which isn’t a real middle lane due to slip roads on and off) and things were going very fast around us, HGVs thundering past etc. Me and Dan were both very shocked but I think we’re OK now…he’s in bed and I’m looking forward to some alcoholic refreshment to help me “come to terms” with the ordeal. I told Dan, when we said prayers tonight that we needed to say a special “thank you” to God for looking after us and he wanted to know who God was. When I told him that God created everything, he thought that was great )
Anyway, there we go. Great afternoon! Oh and the voice? Still the same, I think I’ll return tomorrow with lots of worksheets…got to get a letter out to Y7 about their trip to Cologne.

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Freezers!!!

Our fridge freezer broke on Saturday morning…just what we needed ( So we headed off to local electrical stores to check out what was available, me dreaming of beautiful, huge, silve creations to find that because of the width of the hole we had to fit it in, we were rather more limited in choice than we had hoped (damn that boat over the road stopping us from selling our house – or is it the poor financial state of the country??).
We dutifully purchased our goods and arranged delivery for today and made arrangements for in-laws to come and let them in. The fridge freezer arrived and…it was dented! We are now left with a quandry…do we just keep it and get some money returned from the company (not a bad choice, given the amount of magnets and childrens’ work that we acquire on our fridge door), or get another one delivered in its place (thus having to inconvenience other family members again).
Oh the traumas of every day life )
Atleast it gave me a good excuse to a) avoid doing the grocery shopping yesterday and b) not go to choir (far too traumatic and it gave me a headache…lie, lie, lie…)
Graeme will have to decide on this one, I fear )

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