What a way to celebrate a big birthday! 4 double decker buses and all the pupils, staff and parents coming together to enjoy lots of sunshine, sand and surf. Perfect!
It was a joy to watch the children squeal with delight as
they decided whether to dig holes or paddle first. With the heat of the day the cool waters won
most hearts with many staff and parents taking up the opportunity to join the
children in the water.
It was wonderful to see all the children enjoy the simple
pleasures of the beach including kite flying, sand castles, beach footie and
cricket. After lunch the local lifeguard
joined us to talk to the children and demonstrate some of their skills and
finally some last minute paddling, children and adults. All too quickly it was time to pack up and
leave the beach as we found it. As we
left the empty beach it was hard to imagine that just 15 minutes before a whole
school community had gathered together to have fun.
There was only one thing left to do – ice-creams all round.
Very welcome in the heat, then bearing in mind the journey ahead, getting all
children and adults through the limited toilet facilities and onto the
buses. This caused a slight holdup to
plans, especially as another school had the same idea and the same
timetable. Still, mission accomplished
and we were back on the road home.
For some, the heat and excitement of the day was too much
and some little ‘heads’ nodded off and
some children did too.
It was a treat to see the school celebrate a milestone in
such a child centred way. A considerable
amount of planning went into the event and it showed, from the attendance of
the local lifeguard to the purchase of bucket and spades. It was typically Suttons to fully involve the
whole school community and to include so many parents who joined us on the
beach; A true reflection of the Suttons’ ethos.
Congratulations to everyone at the school for all the hard
work and the children and parents for creating magnificent memories for the
school storybook.
