Snow is here again!

What a time it has been since a post, but a fitting time to be blogging again. 

We have a snow day!  Well not a full on proper snow day, as we have been in to school, but it is 2pm and I am now at home.  We were thinking if this had happened before and I said yes and I think it was a Wednesday; John said how do you know and I said I blogged about it and will check.  Have just had a nice time reading the snow posts. 

Last week, the forecasters starting predicting snow and we had had a little bit here and there but nothing to cause disruption - or even to build a snowman.  Then rumours started going, including from the school cleaner, that Friday would be the day.  I came out of the staff room yesterday after school to see all the teachers heading to one of the infant classrooms and had found out an emergency snow meeting had been called.  The head gave out the same letters that had been sent to the children about how to find out if school is open and gave us his number to txt in the morning if we couldnt get in.  John got the latest weather forecast up on the IWB and we all watched that.  It seemed to suggest that snow would really hit us at 9am and carry on for the school day.

That evening (including during a meeting at school about turning to an academy) snow appeared to be falling, but very light wisps of it and not a chance of anything sticking.

Woke up at 6.30 with the alarm this morning and after a moment leapt out of bed to check behind the blind.  Alas, there would be no need to txt the head.  There was a very slight covering on a few of the car rooves but that was it.  By the time we started driving it was indeed snowing, but nothing seemed to be sticking.  We parked in the junior playground and carried snow boots into the classroom.

By the time the children were here, it was still snowing and this time it was settling.  There were discussions about what we should say to parents about school staying open and the message was school will be open till 3 but children can be collected at lunchtime if conditions become such that it's needed.  I did overhear the head discussing with the Didcot teachers that the 7 of them would each be responsible for a year group in the afternoon if all the other teachers needed to go.  We also heard snippets from TAs about what was going on at other schools in the area.

I only had 4 away which I felt was pretty good going.  We had a pretty normal start to the day then it was all hands on deck for breaktime - children with boots went outside while others stayed in a couple of the classrooms.  It was still snowing pretty hard which meant it was hard to look anywhere outside!  Break was kind of delayed and so we didnt do phonics, and then things kind of descended!  While I was checking who really did have wet shoes and socks, I put on the 8 minute video of the three little pigs.  Feet checked I then started changing the reading books.  The video finished but I hadn't - doh!  The children pleaded to have it again so wonderful teacher that I am I let them!  Then to fill time did a few maths games on the board and then explained to the children what might be happening at lunchtime.  We gave out Ratty and had just started reading a big book story when the parents started arriving at 11.45.  Children started to eat in the classroom if they were still here at 12.15.  Then children all went to Foundation Stage for a film if they were still here and non-Didcot teachers were able to leave. 

A pizza box was passed from one of the other cars in the car park to start clearing the couple of inches off Mavis.  John drove magnificently home.  The hairiest bit was at the end of the school road which has a little slope downwards to the main road.  Mavis wouldn't stop and there was a car travelling slowly along the road towards us and somehow we missed but it was very close.  The A34 was fine half the way and just slow the rest. 

We are home safe now!  John is in the bath and I am happily doing this.  Sadly I have no photos yet - I am really out the habbit!  but hopefully I will take some soon.  We have tickets for a secret cinema event tonight with Lizzie in London.  I really hope we can make it!  It's still snowing outside...