Things I remember about infants school: learning to sing ‘Frere Jacques’, poking around in drains for coins to buy 6-cent packets of Chickadees from the canteen, being mortified that I couldn’t pronounce “choir” during a reading test with the principal (couldn’t understand why it wasn’t choy-er), sitting on painted circles drinking warm milk out of glass bottles for morning tea, hiding my bananas behind the sink in the classroom for weeks because someone called me a monkey …
Thing I don’t remember about infants school: Christmas Fair Day.
It’s Sprog 2’s “BBQ lunch and fair day” today at school. According to the permission slip: “We will be participating in lots of fun activities including a disco, face painting and games. There will be a jumping castle and an inflatable slide. BBQ lunch will include one sausage in a slice of white bread, a Popper juice and an ice block.”
I kid you not.
They’ve already enjoyed a junk-fuelled Christmas party last Thursday, exchanged $10 secret Santa presents last Friday and received bracelets and personalised Christmas cards from their teacher yesterday.
Correct me if I’m wrong, any former Belair Infants School students who happen to be reading, but I don’t recall Christmas being celebrated with quite so much zeal in the playground when I was six. I mean, I’m not knocking it. I’m glad they’re having a fab time.
But wow.
PS Sprog 2 is wearing her Santa outfit to school. Yep, I’m really going to miss this lack of self-consciousness phase …
housegoeshome 
OMG, that school has as much Christmas spirit as I do!
I think her favourite part was wearing the Santa outfit and getting compliments all day.
No, we definitely didnt celebrate this much… i remember being excited to not have to wear school uniform on the last day… even in high school… do u remember ‘end of yr activities’ in yr 7??? When we did fun things like play chess for hours??? Lol
For some reason I seem to have blanked the thrilling games of chess out.
I think it’s like a lot of other things these day – unnecessarily extravagant. Just think how school ‘farewells’ have morphed into ‘formal’ extravaganzas. And don’t get me started on weddings!
How about sixth class formals – they’re a spin out with the heels and fancy frocks and stuff.
I hear you … I’m a Merewether Heights-ex, no such fun there either! I have three sons – one waiting nervously for HSC results, one at the end of year nine (thank God, it’s hideous!) and one in kindy. Kindy is hard, let me tell you, for a mother who has already “been around the school-mum block”! Could we just have a “go to school and wear our uniform” day? NO! It’s killing me … And making me feel like a cranky old lady – and I’m not!
Wow, that’s quite the age spread. Personally, I’d like a “go to school and not be handed candy” day.
That too, we have an 11-year-old teacher (seems like!) who was giving away lollies as an incentive for a while there, and even though she’s a great teacher, she really had no idea that lollies weren’t such a fab idea until it was pointed out to her by other mothers with some time on their hands …
My daughter is at Belair now, the plan for party day yesterday was to travel to Glendale by bus, see a PG rated movie, have a gym lesson at the sport centre and then lunch at Speers Point park ! This was changed as it turned out the movie wasn’t suitable for year 2, so they went to Glendale, did Gym class then to Blackbutt for takeaway pizza. I find it totally over the top, I’m sure the kids would be just as happy with a party at school with shared party food from home – like we had. Apart from the fact that it costs $18 per child, it is really unnecessary when Christmas is around the corner.
Does set the bar a bit high