Sports day

Anna's school had sports day (as far as I can tell, it's the equivalent of field day in US elementary schools) last week, and she didn't enjoy it much. Too much noise, too many parents and kids, and far too much of the 'do this now' that cramps her individual style. (It should be noted, though, that the child who hated sports day is the same child who came in first in the 50m for her age group in a special olympics event in May!)

Thomas, on the other hand, had a blast. He got a first in one race, even, and a second and a third in others. He was so enthusiastic and determined to participate that he substituted for some less eager kids from his class. My grasp of the way these things work is hardly complete, but from what I could gather, the school was divided into four teams: blue, red, yellow and green, with children from each grade level on each team. Thomas' team came in first, I think, though I don't quite know how they calculated that! The important thing was that Thomas enjoyed the day thoroughly and succeeded at a school event, which pleased us all.

Next week the nitty-gritty of Anna's school assessment begins. She will be evaluated by the educational psychologist on Monday and be seen by a member of the pediatrics team at the local children's hospital on Tuesday. We don't expect anything earth-shattering; the local educational authority (which seems to be like a school district) simply wants to make its own assessment of Anna to accompany the information provided by her school in Atlanta.

Summer holidays begin the 17th of July. It is strange having the kids in school so late into the summer! We are planning some day trips rather than a longer vacation away from home. Durham still feels sufficiently away from 'home' that yet another new place seemed unnecessary. It was a hard choice, giving up the week we usually spend at the beach, though. Spending a day at Tynemouth just won't be the same!