The last sports day

It wasn't the fact that this was the last sports day for us Sinclair Stuarties that made this sport's day special - well, maybe at the end when all the P7s piled in for an impromptu photo shoot and singalong - it was because it was the most fun sports day ever, and that's out of all the nine or so years I, Dave or Grandma (actually, always Grandma come to think of it) have been going to them.

And that was because of the folk that organised it but mostly because the new Head Teacher has managed in a very short space of time to bring the fun home to Newmachar. (About fekkin' time). He was right in there, running, congratulating, hosting a parents race for the first time ever, and a teacher relay race against the kids. I'm so glad Tess has seen what school life can be like under such a positive head teacher these past couple of months, she came home the first day he arrived and talked non stop about how brilliant he was. Wish she had had the benefit longer, and that Sam had it too.

Best bit was seeing Tess run in the relay team, her last sports day race was a win, which is unusual for us Sinclair Stuarties. But then again maybe the best bit was seeing her in the midst of all the P7's congregating and laughing at the end, again made possible only because the head teacher recognised this was an important moment for them all and relaxed the 'get back to class rules', and this let me see with my own eyes how happy she looked surrounded by laughter, finally comfortable in her own skin as part of this group and hopefully feeling secure amid friendships and connections after all's said and done.

Sports day will be a bit different for them in the big school.

Two weeks left of P7 for Tessie.