So it is goodbye to Thorpe Woodlands but we return to Trimley St Martin with very happy memories and a wealth of experiences !!
I thought it would be good to see what we achieved on the last day to complete the story. Plus my routine of blogging is normal now !! and I get my tea once all photos are downloaded !! It has been a fantastic experience with a group of brilliant children !!! Let the talent show begin !!
Pupils and their luggage have been loaded on to the coach and they are now just about to leave. Please keep an eye on this blog which we will update throughout the rest of the afternoon.
Current E.T.A - 4pm What a great week the children have had! (Well... perhaps not with the weather!)
I've really enjoyed following the blog and looking at the activities TSM children have been up to from my warm dry office! I've also enjoyed reading all of the parents comments and those written by younger and older siblings. Especially where sibling have realised they actually miss their brothers or sisters. . I know the trip is expensive but my hope is that after following the children for the week on this blog, you feel that it was money well spent! (Perhaps not so much when they open that suit case in the kitchen on Thursday night!) This week, the children have achieved things that they never thought they could do! It might have been climbing a wall, swinging through trees, being away from the comforts of home or just not seeing family for more than one day. Every child will walk away having gained something; having pushed themselves and challenged themselves to achieve. I'm so proud of the achievements I've seen in the pictures and heard about from the staff during our daily catch up phone calls. A huge thank you to Mrs MacFarlane, Mr Childs and Mrs Cumming for leading this trip. Thank you for the wonderful blog! I say this every time at the end of residential trip BUT leading residential trips IS HARD WORK! It is a massive responsibility taking care of other peoples children for a whole week (nearly a week) and there is no switch off time. It is constant. You are a teacher 24 hours a day for the full 4 days! And... although we love being teachers, it is nice to be able to put your feet up at the end of the day, turn on The Real Housewives of Melbourne and relax. However, the one thing that makes it all worthwhile is seeing a different side to the children that we know in school; watching them achieve things they didn't think they could and watching them mature and think for themselves in such a short space of time. Giving up time to lead a residential is above and beyond what is expected of a teacher. There's no handing children back to parents at 3:30pm! This is why I am incredibly appreciative of staff who lead this trip for our children. Thank you also to Mrs Simpson who books the trip, coordinates the coaches, completes the paperwork for the local authority,does the finances etc as this bit often gets overlooked. I hope you all have a fabulous final afternoon. And... parents it wont be long they will be back with you very soon! During the afternoon, Mrs MacFarlane will contact me to indicate an expected time of arrival. This information will be added to the blog as soon as we receive it. So we are all packed up and the luggage is in the luggage room. The thunder storm was fun last night and the rain has stopped ! We are off to do two final activities ! Everyone has had a fantastic experience and everyone would love to stay longer. After lunch we are due to leave at 2.30pm so please expect us at school around 4pm. Please expect children with fantastic stories to tell and some rather wet clothes !!! Mrs MacFarlane
An other fantastic day !! lots of fun activities !! The weather has been fab !! No more rain !!!! We have dry towels now we have found the dryer !!! The children are having the most fantastic experience !! Please expect us home about 4pm tomorrow !!! Well both the monkeys and the flamingos have had a wonderful day ! Monkeys have been canoeing this morning in a lovely calm river . They then went on after lunch to do high ropes tree trekking and then the zip wire off the tower. The Flamingos have been on the high ropes this morning then archery and raft building this afternoon. Take a look at our fab pictures which tell the story !!!! Mrs MacFarlane |