Master Frugal has now completed a full two weeks at the secondary school he’ll be attending in September and so far, he’s liking it which is a huge relief. I’m not sure how the schools deal with transition in your area but here the kids spend pretty much the whole of July at their new schools to help them get used to it ready for when they start for real in September.
His time at his Junior school ended at the start of the month with a very emotional leavers ceremony that had me sat with a lump in my throat from the moment it started. I managed to (almost) stop the tears from falling until close to the end when their teacher, who’s generally known to be quite gruff and strict, got really emotional himself when he was saying goodbye and had to be handed a tissue. By the time the headmistress went the same way I had tears streaming down my face and had given up all pretense of trying not to cry! This year group has been amazing and I genuinely hope that the friendships formed last for a very long time.
Here’s a photo of him on his very first day and his very last….
Although he was more than ready for his new senior school adventure he was a little apprehensive before he started as he was starting a senior school, not only without the vast majority of his friends, but also at a different senior school than the one his sister goes to!
I did originally apply for the same school as his sister for him as my first choice but it wasn’t to be as he didn’t get in due to an admin error (they ‘mislaid’ the form which said he had a sibling at the school) which really upset me at the time. Some things happen for a reason though and this turned out to be the best thing for him as it seems that the school I wanted wasn’t really the school he wanted to go to.
I let him make the decision in the end and I think he’s made the right one for him because he seems to be settling in really well. He’s made plenty of new friends, rediscovered some old friends and is on his second girlfriend since he started there so all in all, it seems to have been a successful few weeks.
He’s been cycling to school and back every day which is not only brilliant for me thanks to the fact that his school is on the other side of town but it’s also great for him in terms of keeping active and for his independence and confidence.
Last Tuesday we had junior school parents night where he finally got his SATs results and I’m so proud of how well he did. The SATs don’t hold much weight with me as you probably know but to see the pride on his face when he heard his results was amazing and I may have even had to wipe a stray tear from my eye as his teacher was thanking him for his hard work.
But the highlight of the week by far was Wednesday night which was his junior school prom. We knew that everyone was going to be going all out with the outfits but after a looong shopping trip looking for a suit for him, he decided that he just wasn’t happy wearing one and wouldn’t enjoy himself if he had to be all ‘uncomfortable and stuff’ in one. This is how our conversation went after two hours of suit shopping….
Mast F – I’m 11 years old Mam, why do I want to be wearing a suit?
Me – But everyone else will be wearing a suit!
Mast F – Yeah but I can be the cool one with a hat!
I couldn’t really argue with that, could I?
He looked amazing although he had a bit of a confidence crisis when we pulled up to see all the other boys in three piece suits but he soon got over it when we opened the car door and every single boy already there ushed over shouting his name. He really is loved by his classmates and that moment is actually the proudest moment from the last couple of weeks if I’m honest. You can keep your SATs results and your fancy outfits and I’ll take the moments like this. 😉
I couldn’t have been prouder and there was definitely another tear in my eye as I took photos of him and his classmates all together for probably the very last time.
I can’t wait for the official end of term to come as I am emotionally wiped out right now!
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