Today was an okay day school work wise. I’m finding it very difficult to concentrate when she speaks. It’s like when Wouter speaks sometimes. He talks but it doesn’t really register with me sometimes. So I’m starting to get head aches when she talks. I think it’s to do with the way she phrases things and because they don’t always make complete sense so my heads working on that confusing sentence and she then carries on talking so I think that’s why Grade 1 duty Today I had to read to them because it was Wet Weather Procedure. I was reading to them quite well if I say so myself. Half way through a sentence a girl near the front pokes me and says “You haven’t shown us any of the pictures!!!” So I did. This story was about a ferret. On the cover they had a crow. So all the children thought that a Ferret was that bird. Which I corrected.. Then they were aloud out because everyone decided that it had stopped raining and there was an announcement that we could go out.

I am desperately trying to get my other blog post which I wrote in the holidays onto my blog but I wrote it on my mini laptop and when I copied it, it didn’t like the folder I’d used or something. But I will get back to my holiday news when that’s ready. For now I’ll tell you about my last three days.

10 Jan 2012

Was my last day of holiday. I, being a prefect, was asked to come down to the school for an hour the day before school (10 Jan). When I got there at exactly 12 ’o clock like the notice had requested I was told that Mrs CF was in a meeting and that she would fetch us few at the door. She did but when we came up EVERYONE was up here, which makes me mad because I was dead on time, and they made me look late, which is annoying.

We were congratulated and then told everything we needed to know about the duties. One of the most liked duties of all is Grade 1 duty. For the simple reason that the Grade 1’s are SUPER CUTE!!!!! Mrs CF said that not to scare the grade 1’s they choose girl prefects for the first term while they still miss they’re mommies. She asked who wanted, out of the girls, who wanted the duty for the first time. All of the girls, naturally, put up they’re hands. So she asked who desperately wanted to do it. All the girls, naturally, put they’re hands down. She called a few names that were going to do it. Then she asked which two girls would absolutely no questions asked want to do it together. Naturally, Tamlin and I put our hands up. We didn’t have to ask each other. There is always a lot of debate, angst and trauma because “so and so didn’t choose me” or “I BOOKED so in so”. We got Grade 1 duty. YAY! Grade 1 duty is where you go out with the grade 1’s during first break (the only break that they have) and look after them. Kind of. There are 2 prefects per a grade 1 class. We were told about all the new teachers and where they were located. That was basically orientation.
11 Jan 2012

The first day of school. On the first day of school you don’t really say hello, or hi. You wait until the very important question is said first. “Who’s class are you in”. Then you pick from the following answers

“OH! Shame!”

“No-WAY? I HATE you I wanted to be in that class!”

“I’m in that class too. HIGH 5!”

“Oh well that’s nice”

I waited as late as a I possibly could and then went to the front office where all the prefects were (if they could get to school early enough) would go to help new children find their way to their class. There were only 4 of us at first. 4 of us and 1 very unsubtle mom saying “I WONDER were ‘Mrs Linken’ is” we were all walking towards her to help her but didn’t want to be rude to each other so we all stopped and said “No YOU go” and “Oh it’s ok I’ll go next time”. By this time the mom was going “Oh we’ll NEVER find it! *Sigh*

I just said “Sorry guys” and went forward and said, like I hadn’t heard the 50 billion times before “Do you need any help”. I took her and her little girl to the class and asked which school she’d been at before. As it turned out the girl wasn’t new she was there in grade 1 and 2 but her mom wanted to know exactly which class her little darling was in. When I got back it was CAOS! There was a whole long line of prefects standing at the door. Then in a milli second there were all these new children and we were all busy. I did door duty and managed to take 3 people up to their classes until the bell rung.

First day of Big School-for the grade 1’s

First day Of Little School-for Tamsyn

Tamlin and I left after assembly and went to our grade 1 class where the teacher introduced us. This is how THAT went

“OK GRADE 1’S LISTEN UP!!!”-Teacher

“This is”-to the class “what’s your name”-quietly to me

“Uh Tamsyn” I said to her

“This is TASMAN!”-Teacher to the class

“Uh ha sorry, it’s TamSYN”-me

“Oh ok. CLASS THIS IS TAMSYN! Can you say TAM SYN?”

“TAMSYN”- Choir of little people

“Good say it again” Teacher

“TAMSYN!!!”-Little people

:Good and this is Tamlin” (Tamlin was in her class in grade 1)

“Can you say TAMLIN?”-Teacher

“TAMLIN”- Mighty Midgits

“Good, again”

“TAMLIN!!!!”

It was a looong gruelling process when I could I‘ve just been like “Hi I’m TAMSYN.”
 We sat down and ate our lunch with them. They seemed pretty relaxed and calm… Famous last words. One they’d finished their lunch they were aloud out side to play on the play ground. So we went outside as well. It was going well until two of the prefects said “WHO WANTS TO PLAY STUCK IN THE MUD?” Now we had a mix of 4 grade 1 classes running around on tarmak and falling over left right and centre. I really wanted to hit those two girls (Just like a good leader, I didn’t). I left it because the bell had rung.

My teacher I am not keen on. I am hoping to learn to love her but at the moment it’s not looking good. I was given a bunch of colouring in. I’m pretty sure the grade ones learnt about letter land or something. NOT COLOURING IN!!! But no, that’s what the grade 7’s got.

12 Jan. 2012

I’ll skip straight to Grade 1 duty. We got their (thank goodness we didn’t have to go through the whole introducing ourselves again. What we did was make a circle and we ate. Two girls took a big liking to us. The one asked, “Are you staying the whole break?” We replied that we are and the cutest thing happened. She exclaimed in glee “YAY! Now you can help us look for fairies!”

Aaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So when they were aloud out Tamlin and I went out aswel. And told them we’d look in the pot plants (we cleverly distanced our self from them and put ourselves in a good spot to still see the jungle-jim). I thought that these girls were still in the “Wow can you see my pet bee” when there isn’t a bee anywhere type of thing. SO I called them over and said “Look! I think I saw a fairy. They inspected the bush very carefully and said with a lot of SASS “I don’t see any fairies”. So I said that they must’ve flown away. Then one said that she saw a lavender bush move so she said there was a fairy in there too. They were all checking but I stopped them from totally destroying the already dieing plant by reminding them that they shouldn’t mess up the fairies home. And that if the fairy wanted to come out that it would. The on e part of that plan that back fired and made me feel really bad was that they then stood staring at this bush until they found a dieing butterfly.

Obviously that is a very intriguing title but it really isn’t as exciting as I would have liked everyone to think.

I just wanted to let everyone know that my blog post are on their way and that I am writing them before I post them. I have a full schedule and will try to post them whenever I have time!

MER

Be patient my works of art are on their way 😉

RY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Enjoy your holidays and family. I’ll see ya after Chirstmas!

On Monday I got my report which told me whether I passed, how much I passed by and most importantly who’s class I’m going to.

A little lesson quickly.

T1/T2/T3/T4 is Term what ever

They’re all in %

Social Science is History and Geography

Economic Management Sciences is finance and money

Arts and Culture is Arts and Culture (I’m glad we got THAT one cleared up!)

Life Orientation is everything the government wants the children to know about Aids, Healthy Foods, Religion and what not that doesn’t actually fit in to any other subject

Gr Av stands for Grade Average

I wasn’t absent at all this term and I was only absent 10 days out of the whole year

The most important part. Not the part that says YOU PAST. No it’s the part direnctly after that

You PAST and you’re going to………… Grade 7 F……

I would’ve liked to be in Grade 7 CF……

At least I’m with Tamlin. But other wise so far the rest of the people I know (which is surprisingly little) are going to Mrs CF!!! It’s okay. I’m sure it’s going to be a great year seeing as I’M A PREFECT!!!!!!!!

On the last day of school we have the End Of Year Assembly. This is of course about the Grade 7s because it’s their last assembly in primary school and all. Although the grade 6s (typically the girls) try (and mostly succeed) to make it about themselves because they also announce prefects which is a huge deal. A few weeks earlier our Principal told us that they were doing the choosing differently this year. What would happen is that if you want to become a prefect you write your own letter of recommendation, then those names are put into a list where the children are aloud to choose 16 (any 16 doesn’t have to be 8 boys and 8 girls). What I did was I put a lot of thought into it and eventually it ended with 9 girls 7 boys which I thought was fair. Then the teacher’s vote. THEN our Principal talks to our grade teachers and asks them to vote and then what happens is on the last day when we’re supposed to be focused on the grade sevens we’re all nervous and sweating (well…anyone like me). Parents weren’t invited which sucks but it didn’t matter. Once all the sobbing had stopped and our poor Head Girl could talk we had our Head Prefects up to give us speeches. Then our Deputy Principal told us that he was going to announce prefects. Everyone in grade 6 drew in a breath. Our Deputy Principal certainly does the suspense thing very well. I thought I was going to pass out and then he called up “Tamsyn Blake!!!” when he announced it was this little sound of everyone letting out  their breathes. I was shaking and had to pass two children to get up to the aisle and I couldn’t get my DAMN FOOT to go down. Meanwhile they’ve announced two other prefects who all seem perfectly able to walk. I finally took over my foot and the first Boy Prefect he called waited for me to pass him. I made my way up the stairs on the stage and made my way to the Head Girl who put my badge on. I wasn’t really listening to her. It was more like I was waiting for our Deputy Principal to call up Tamlin. I did manage a thank you but it was halve hearted. This is going to sound terrible but I didn’t smile. I didn’t want to stand on the stage and go HAHA SUCKERS YOU’RE NOT A PREFECT I AM!!!! All with one smile. Once Tamlin was called up I relaxed a lot but was waiting for others. She was absolutely BEAMING I wanted to mention to her why I wasn’t smiling instead I made eye contact and smiled but that was it. I was still waiting for others but that was it and every one was clapping. The girl next to me said that the other prefects needed more space to line up in so I was pushed against this extra-ordinarily pollen full arrangement of flowers. When we went back to our seats we were net with balling children, children who weren’t talking and children who were PISSED! Oh and of course the beaming prefects. We were told that after assembly we were to make our way to our Principal. We sang our school song and the national anthem and assembly was done. Tamlin was busy consoling a particularly sad girl when I dragged her to Mrs G (our teacher) who gave us hugs, kissed our heads and told up that there was no one else. I then dragged Tamlin to our Principal’s office. We had to stop because Tamlin’s cousin (from the high school had come down and was very proud of Tamlin) I cut the reunion short and Tamlin was walking with me talking about being a prefect. We got there and we were the only girls there. The rest I assumed were still consoling the damaged. We were welcomed in and congratulated. We stood around a long table and waited for the other girls and boy. When they came we were told that we were to come to school the day before it opens for an hour. This is when it hit me and I was now completely smiling. I felt it was okay because they were all prefects too. I read that some of our duties will be Grade 1 Line Up, Grade 1 Fields, Adventure Playground, Break DT and I’m sure lots more. This years prefects look good we’re all ready for the responsibilities and I’m sure can’t wait. I will wear my albino badge with pride. The next year will be a good one!

Oh and the name of this blog post is because the morning that they were to announce prefects mom came in to wake me up. SHe barely had to say anything I sat up and said HOLY CRAP! So it’s actually not rude.

I have found a new AWESOME sight. It’s called Attack of the cute. It’s done by the same people as DBPB.

Here is my fav so far

Just one lick

Prize Giving is when the Grade 4,5 and 6’s get together to receive awards (No? really?). There are awards for Top 10 in each class, Drama, Various sports, Entrepreneurial skills (only for grade 6) and I’m sure I’m missing some. Most of the children who care about their school life are hoping to get at least one award.

They started with top 10. our class was second last which made my butterflies very anxious! Our deputy principal finally said Mrs Gerstner’s class and called up Tamlin and then me then ‘maths genius boy’ and so on. They don’t mention numbers only top 10 but it was obvious that the way the called it up was the numbers. I (Tamlin and ‘maths genius boy’) got Excellence in Academic.

Then the ones after got All round Good work

All round Good work

All round Good work

All round Good work

All round Good work

All round Good work

All round Good work

All round Good work

All round Good work

And then finally one of my friends (whom everyone thought shouldn’t have been up there. except those were the people who weren’t called and thought they should’ve been there)

Got Good Work

Which cracked us up it was like “for attending school!”. But we were proud of him anyway. They called up more and more people for various things and then our Deputy Principal announced that he’d call up the Grade 6 learners that will receive certificated for Entgroodfasijo Sfei. Which confused almost everyone.

He called up four children from Mrs B’s class. So we were like ‘UM what? Oh well!’. Then he called up Tamlin and I and a few other children. Once we had shook hands with the Principal and stood in front of all the Grades 4,5 and 6 we read our certificates which are for Good Entrepreneurial Skills. We were pleasantly confused.

Then came sports. By now my whole right leg is completely numb. He called up all the U12 netball team and we all got certificates for becoming first in the Southern District.

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you’re having a lovely birthday. The best yet ( 😉 )

My gift is the card that’s letting you know that I’m thinking of you today. But the real gift is the HUG. That is for you to wear whenever! From your favourite granddaughter!!! (I’m kidding). I hope that your day gets better and better!

I’ve always loved sports days. When I was younger they were cool ways to show off my fastness-ness. Now they are a good way to scream my lungs out and…a cool way to show off my fastness-ness. There are things called prelims. We have them for each house. Peers (children with surnames with letter beginning A-G. We’re the Green house), Dollery (children with surnames with letters beginning H2O. They are the blue house (ironic isn’t it?)) and De Villiers  (they are the rest of the letters and the yellow team. In the prelims we run against children our age in our house to get into a race. You get races A 1,2,3 then B 1,2,3 C 1,2,3 D 1,2,3,4 then if you’re not in any of those races you’re utterly useless to the team and are free of races. They obviously have different races for boys and girls. They have the If-You-Want-To-1 200m and the relays. The relays are for children who came in A 1,2,3 B,1 and reserve B 2.

I came B 3. Which I think is really awesome because last year I came C 3. I would’ve been in the C race but the girl that might have beat me ‘unfortunately’ tripped over her own feet.  

Tamlin hates prelims and sports day but decided that this year she’ll try (every year she runs as slowly as possible and doesn’t get into a race. Which so far has worked!). This year she came B 2 so not only was she doing a race like every one else she was reserve for relays.

Leading up to sports day there is a lot of ‘whose house you in?’. And ultimately I think that these sports days promote racist. There is also a lot of “I don’t want to talk to YOU YOU’RE in Dollery” and so on.

Dollery won last year with De Villiers close behind and Peers (as usual) was faaar behind. We had created quite the reputation for losing. Peers hasn’t won for about 10 years. It’s always a fight between Dollery and De Villiers and they’ve both won plenty of times before.

On the day you’re not aloud to use face paint or anything else like that. You may wear a shirt of your colour (green, blue, yellow). There are many remarks on who’s going to win and how the other teams are going to lose. When we’re aloud to go down to the field to our designated area we see our ‘cheerleaders’ (they control us by telling us what songs to sing and when to shut up and other things.) They are the ones who get to dress up and cover themselves in face paint. I will admit that Dollery was the best looking the boys were Blue Devils (that in the beginning I thought were avatars) and the girls blue pixies in short skirts and whatnot. De Villiers were bumble-bees I think and peers were wearing white shirts with green writing (mainly on the back with things like “You just got OWNED” or “Eat my DUST!”) which I don’t think were appreciated as much I as I thought they should’ve. Our seating arrangements were different this year and it was Dollery the very close to them was Peers (most of the people sat on the edge of the Peers to Dollery side) and then on the other side of us De Villiers. We could barely here De Villiers who had no new songs. Peers had a new song and Dollery had a new song. Peers was most defiantly the loudest but we faded a lot towards the end. Dollery had the most dancy, singing, active people who started added ‘Dollery’ to lots of the pop songs like “Who run the world.… DOLLERY!” (to the song Who run the world-girls.). There were of course challenges as the day went by ‘Tara’s’ brother (in grade 2) got kicked quite forcefully in the nuts… a few times by other grade 2’s which I thought was unnecessary on a ‘fun’ day like Sports Day. And ‘Nardie’… This really pissed me off. On one of the If-You-Want-To-1 200m practises ‘Nardie’ has an ‘asthma’ attack. My inverted commas may seem rude but given her history of making up absolutely EVERY disease possible to get attention I seem to think they’re necessary. ESPECIALLY when I have/had asthma. She then came to school on Sports Day in her ridiculously short shorts* and ran the If-You-Want-To-1 200m and conveniently when she was losing had an asthma attack. But then after the medics and every one was absolutely worried she promptly told us that she ‘never brought her asthma pump to school’. And this bugged me MORE than usual because I then had a completely stressed and depressed Tamlin (stressed because of doing the relays and depressed because she was certain that she wouldn’t be good enough (‘Nerdie’ came A 2) or that she’d mess up) After too much sympathy of my liking Tamlin was confidant that she could maybe do it. When she did it there was a fumble getting her the battern but she made up good time. When she passed the battern she tripped on the girl’s foot but all was well. It was then our race. We were both B races and Tamlin and I were terrified about racing each other. WE told each other that it didn’t matter and that we must bother run our best. On your Marks, Get set, BANG. Jeez my heart was pounding. I focused on a point BEHIND the finish line and then zoom it was all done. Tamlin came 5^th and I came 3^rd, which we all thought was pretty darn FANTASTIC!!! I was really happy and modest. (Truelly modest. Not ‘modest’.).

Soon enough it was time to read the final scores. Usually around the end they turn the score board so the children can’t see it but this year they didn’t. So Mr Williams did his suspense-filled-even-though-we-already-now-the-score-speech. De Villiers was completely no where with 200 and something point, Dollery was second with 404 points and Peers first with a whopping 427 points! Not only was the reading a fail we weren’t aloud to do our victory lap because Mr Williams decided that we weren’t doing that anymore. MY FIRST YEAR TO DO THE VICTORY LAP, RUINED!!!

It was lots of fun afterward because all but 1 of my other friends is in Peers the rest are all in Dollery so bragging (in a good natured way) was all the better.

*You wouldn’t think I have a problem with this girl AT ALL!! Cha!

* ‘Unfortunatly’ dad couldn’t run in the dad’s race. OH WELL! What ya goona do?

I am really disappointed with not only the grade 6s but the 7s,4s and 5s. The other day a small group was forming. Either a fight or an epileptic fit. , (I’m not even joking a boy had two epileptic fits during break before). We assumed the first because he’s in grade 8 now. We were right. A grade 6 boy and a grade 4 boy were fighting. I could do as much as role my eyes for them. As if that wasn’t bad enough that they chose the week we had a visitor from England. The worst part was the petty, petty people that followed the circle. The field was practically deserted. Tamlin and I were disgusted because we literally watched people drop everything and sprint to get a good spot to watch the ‘show’.  Tamlin and I didn’t even THINK about going there. Our soccer game was completely gone because we had about 3 players.

Absolutely revolting.