A Goodbye Letter to the P2 Class of 2019-2020
Dear P2 boys and girls,
What a year this has been for us all! When you came into P2 in September 2019 with your new uniform and shiny new blue school bags, you were ready for a year of learning and fun. We started learning phonics, words of the week, writing sentences and we got better at reading. We learned how to count to 20/50/100 and could add and subtract.
In Autumn, we collected leaves and made colourful crowns. We used conkers for counting. The weather was lovely, so we got outdoor play with the bikes, sandpits and mud kitchens.
At Hallowe’en, we dressed up and made masks to scare P1! The Parents Support Group had a disco for us.
November came around and it was P2’s turn to host an assembly. We remembered those we loved who have died by saying prayers, singing hymns, lighting candles and we made beautiful paper angels in their memory.
Soon it was Christmas. We wrote our letters to Santa and made decorations and Christmas crafts. In January we made birdfeeders and hung them in the school garden. The hungry birds loved them!
In Spring, the bulbs we had planted earlier in the year grew into daffodils, tulips and snowdrops. At the beginning of February, we honoured St. Brigid by making crosses out of rushes-guided by Mrs Keenan. We loved cooking pancakes and spider cookies. You fought over who could lick the bowl!!!
Then a strange thing happened. A nasty virus called Covid-19 was spreading all over the world. St Jarlath’s had to close and we all had to stay at home. Your parents became your teachers. You did your work remotely on Seesaw and Lexia and you worked hard on your Literacy and Numeracy packs. I loved receiving all your fantastic work-but it didn’t replace the ‘show and tell’ sessions we used to have. You learned new words like corona virus, social distancing, pandemic and lockdown. You learned what 2 metres looks like!
Instead of being the class that ‘missed out’-I think you were the special class that were enriched. You had a different type of education. New life skills included planting and cooking. You learned resilience by climbing trees and riding your bike. You got creative and made designs from the recycling box. You learned patience and self-control-especially when your parents were on work Zoom calls!
P2, you will go down in history as the class in St. Jarlath’s who didn’t get to complete your P2 year. However, I will remember you as the class who laughed, cried, were kind and helped each other, shared resources with one another (most of the time!). Loved making little books and things from Lego.
So thank you. I wish you all a healthy and happy Summer and all the best for P3.
Lots of love
Ms M. Smyth
