School's Out for Summer!

The school year is longer here in the UK than in America and we've finally made it to the end!  It has been another pleasant and eventful year for both girls.  Here is a brief end-of-the-year report as well as a highlight of some of our summer holiday activities so far.

Amy received the following end-of-year report from her teacher, Miss Wade:

"Amy is a conscientious and kind member of the class who enjoys good relationships with her peers. She is helpful and carries out classroom jobs willingly. She works hard, has made good progress and is working at a high level across all areas. Homework is always handed in on time; she has made some wonderful posters and leaflets and often does extra homework without being asked because she is interested in the topic (which is lovely to see!) As well as working very well in Literacy, Numeracy and Science, Amy has many other strengths, such as being able to express her views thoughtfully - both written and verbal - and is very creative, making a lovely dinosaur puppet for art. She performs well in gym and dances and sings very well. She performed her parts well in the Christmas Nativity. Amy has been a pleasure to teach and this excellent report is thoroughly deserved!"

Amy & her teacher, Miss Wade.

Year 2 (aka 2nd grade) is an especially important year in the UK since children take their first series of nationalized tests during this year.  It is also the end of "infants school" - more commonly referred to as "Key Stage 1" in the National Education Curriculum.  Amy did very well on her tests this year, scoring a Level 3 in all areas.  According to the Assessment Results information we received: "Level 2 is the nationally expected level of achievement for children at the end of key stage 1.  A level 3 or above represents achievement above the nationally expected standard for most seven year olds. Children in Year 2 are expected to achieve a level 2 and children in Year 6 are expected to achieve a level 4.  The 'normal' progression is one level every two years." 

Amy will be 7 years old in a couple of weeks and we are very pleased with her Level 3 results!

While Pre-School is definitely not as academic as "big school," Emily has had an eventful year as well.  Last week she 'graduated' from her preschool class and will begin Reception (kindergarten) this fall at the ripe old age of 4.  (Kids start school a year earlier here than in the USA).  The theme for this pre-school party was "Princes and Princesses" and I was asked to make a special cake for the occasion:

Emily finishing pre-school has been both exciting and sad.  I will miss my little buddy when she is in school all day, every day...

In the meantime, we are enjoying what little bit of summer holiday we've got.  On our first day off school we rode our bikes to a little area just north of our village called "Nine Bridges."  It's a cute little pond area with plenty of pretty trees and trails for exploring.

We like to do pond-dipping" here - an activity that involves catching pond wildlife with a net and studying them in a bucket, then setting them free.  We have discovered tiny fish, frogs, leeches and some other mysterious creatures.

We had an added adventure to our pond-dipping/picnic this time when a large thundercould moved in and threatened angrily.  It was a brisk 2-mile bike ride home and fortunately we got inside before the rains came!

We have also enjoyed seeing Toy Story 3 in the cinema (which only opened here in the UK last Friday), and playing with friends in our neighbourhood.  On the agenda for next week: tennis camp, library events, and a variety of home-based activities.