David Seymour Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 I wondered if teachers and (grand) parents would like to share with us what happened in connection with Remembrance 2006 at the school where they work or where their (grand) children attend? At Thetford we had our usual academic conference as well as a service based around the stories of some of the Old Boys. With best wishes, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Saillard Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 Hello David ! I received an invitation to give a short talk at the local school which two of my children attend. Although it was rather short notice (two days), I accepted and also mounted a small display to serve as a backdrop. The activity was held in the school hall as part of the morning assembly and was given very favourable comments by both students and teachers. Apart from three uniforms (army - battledress, airforce - pilot flying kit; navy - service dress), there were a number of select items in a display case. Among these were a Memorial Plaque; a Memorial Scroll; a Princess Mary Tin; a special postcard issued by the local branch of the St John Ambulance Association to raise funds for the sick and wounded troops recovering on the island in 1915; a Prisoner of War letter from a Turk; two Memorial Cards (commemorating an Australian and a German); First and Second World War medals; a set of dogtags; two Maltese cap badges and a paybook. There were a couple of items for the children to touch, such as a piece of shrapnel, a gas mask, a helmet, etc., as I am a firm believer of 'hands on' to make the subject more interesting. The school choir ended the activity with two songs related to remembrance. Regards Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garron Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 I am still in school (6th Form), and nothing happened to my knowledge, no rememberence assembly, (had one every year since i have came there in sept 2000) i even had comments on how stupid i was wearing a poppy by some little runt in year 7 (first year of the comprihensive) a poor show in my school. Garron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick H Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 I cannor remember my old school having anything in the way of remembrance. I cannot even remember anyone wearing a poppy. It was a few years ago now, but from what I have seen schools are now having some remembrance. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 Nothing much here. Probably partly because the actual day was a Saturday as we normally observe a two minute silence and move break-time to accomodate this. However, for many years I had done assemblies all week on the theme. This year I was not invited to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 My school is closing, with staff being made redundant (me included). So this was our last Remembrance observation in school. In the past, when the 11th has been on a school day, we have observed the 2 minutes....difficult for Year 7s. This year, with far fewer in the school, we had a school assembly. It was only ten minutes, but I put together a powerpoint on the background to a few of the names on the local war memorial. I concluded not with a prayer, but with the Exhortation. Subsequently, I have received two complaints. One was from the head-teacher, complaining that the pupils are never that quiet for him. The second was from four of the ladies....for reducing them to tears! (I have that effect on women!) Our last Remebrance Day did not pass unobserved. Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 Nothing much here. Probably partly because the actual day was a Saturday as we normally observe a two minute silence and move break-time to accomodate this. However, for many years I had done assemblies all week on the theme. This year I was not invited to do so. Not invited??? I just told the Head I was doing it..... Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison Arnold Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 we have observed the 2 minutes....difficult for Year 7s. Bruce Even more difficult for those in their reception year. My youngest came home and said "We had to be quiet today because people died in wars" I assume from that they held the 2 minute silence on Friday. He is only just 5 so probably very difficult for him to do. My other sons school probably nothing as usual don't know as he is not in school at the moment. My daughters high school rememberance display plus assembly. So 2 out of 3 is not bad. Ali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommie Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 I wondered if teachers and (grand) parents would like to share with us what happened in connection with Remembrance 2006 at the school where they work or where their (grand) children attend? At Thetford we had our usual academic conference as well as a service based around the stories of some of the Old Boys. With best wishes, David For the first time students from Armadale Academy attended our Remembrance Sunday Parade and it was nice to see some of them go out and lay some Poppy Crosses during the service. I hope this will happen again in the future as it was great to see the more mature kid’s as well as the Armadale Girls Brigade and Boys Brigade taking part. Oh and my two kids who are in Primary One and Two decided they were going to take two of my victory medals to school on Friday for show and tell, without asking me they told my mum who takes them to school in the morning that dad says its all right and just helped themselves. I think they must have been speaking about Remembrance day in School that week or something. But even though they took without asking I was happy that they did. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 King Henry VIII Junior and Senior schools always have a Remembrance assembly and this year it was on Friday 10th. Then again a number of WFA members are attached to it! My Granddaughter aged 9 had to read her thoughts at the assembly. She talked of her hopes and ambitions up to the age of 25. She finished by saying that many young men and boys such as the 15 year old in Essex Farm had never had the chance to fulfill their potential and that made her sad. Gramps was nearly in tears! On Saturday she had orienteering and said to me ' Gramps I will have my watch on and at 11 am I will stop and think of all the men who died'. Not sure how happy the schoolteacher who trains them would have been as she had a break in the middle of a race though. By the way she is the one next to an unknown soldier at Tyne Cot. stevem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_armstrong Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 The girlfriend teaches 7/8 year olds in Spalding, and they've been learning about what remembrance is and what the poppys are for, etc. On the week leading up to the 11th they sent letters home asking the parents to give the children some change so they could buy a poppy in school. Then this monday she marched her class down to the town memorial, and they looked at the names and the wreaths, etc. I'd prepared some basic information for her about a couple of the men on the memorial from newspaper obituaries and so on, so she told them some much simplified stories about them so that they would be more than just words carved into the stone. Apparently they were most interested in an RFC pilot who was the MP for Spalding, who, when he was killed, all the shops closed for the day in the town, and there was a service in the parish church that is attached to their school. This week they've been making some kind of display about remembrance - she was buying coloured tissue paper and card last weekend so they could make little poppies for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Hesketh Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 Not invited??? I just told the Head I was doing it..... We don't operate that kind of system. It sort of works the other way round! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot#1 Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 At our school we had an assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Johnson Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 I believe my younger son's school had an assmebley and minute of silence. I did a Remembrance Day presentation for the Cubs last night. I showed them the medals of F/O David Carson Evans (pilot) and read the letter his Navigator F/O Edson Armour left for his 2 1/2 year old son. These can be seen at Rich Allenby's excellent website http://www.allenby.info/aircraft/planes/44/kep2.html on the crash of 434 Sqn. Halifax LL178. I also showed them the plaque and memorial cross to Pte. Allan Flock, 2. C.M.R. killed at Vimy Ridge April 9, 1917. He was a Boy Scout from Grimsby Ontario; his Scoutmaster was also killed. Finally I showed them R.C.A.F. and Canadian Army uniforms and webbing so that they could get an idea of what it was like. I also played a cd with The Last Post, one minute's silence, "The Flowers of the Forest", and the Rouse. As always these boys were attentive, engaged, and some of them recounted their own family history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 16 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 16 November , 2006 Elliot, Please could you tell us what was the content of the assembly? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot#1 Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 Yes, First we had the normal school notices before it started. Then a few of the students that had been on the battlefields trip in October explained about the battle of the Somme. Also about the number of casualties that Britain and the empire suffered. At the end the head of History briefly sumed it up and quickly explained about the youngest British casualty. Before we went to lessons we stood and had a 2 minutes silence. Elliot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithfazzani Posted 16 November , 2006 Share Posted 16 November , 2006 I am a parish priest and we had a Remembrance Day assembly last Friday at our C of E Primary school. In the previous weeks the school had been very succesful at selling poppies and most children and staff wore one. All the children but the very youngest gathered in the hall and I read the names of all those who had died from our local villages. We had photographs of some of the lads from WW1 and the children passed these around. It was very poignant as one of the lads didnt look much older than than the eldest boys in the school! He had attended the very same school as they did (although they are now housed in a new building the old school, now smart houses, is still at the end of the playground). At 11 we observed two minutes silence - I then read "In Flanders Fields" we then said a prayer and the children returned in rare silence to class. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 18 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 18 November , 2006 Many thanks everyone. Some good work is clearly being done in some schools. Anyone else got anything to report? With best wishes, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 18 November , 2006 Share Posted 18 November , 2006 We don't operate that kind of system. It sort of works the other way round! It used to in my school too. But since we are closing, and staff awaiting redundancy notices, things have changed a bit. After all....he can only sack me once! Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desmond7 Posted 18 November , 2006 Share Posted 18 November , 2006 Was a great success ... Folk singers did - Willie McBride; Band Played Waltzin' Matilda RIR and School Band - Fare thee well Enniskillen; Ulster Division; Danny Boy; The Contemptibles; Triumphant Fanfare; plus a section to raise a smile of 'Sure as my name is Barney; Irish Rover etc' and of course they ended with Killaloe. School choir did - Pack up/Tipp; Goodbyee; When this Lousy War is Over. Poetry from Sassoon and Owen by pupil readers. I linked it and slabbered on a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff. Hobson Posted 18 November , 2006 Share Posted 18 November , 2006 Visited the town of Worksop last week opposite the library on what is Memorial avenue is the War memorial below that stretching for possibly 70 odd yards is a Junior School, the railings some 6 feet high on a wall were covered in large red poppies made by the pupils, a marvellous sight and a credit to the School. Cliff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Seymour Posted 20 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 20 November , 2006 Many thanks to all for contributing. There is clearly some good work going on out there with the young people, and evidently it does matter to them. Our Years 1 - 3, having had a servie on Fri 10 went up to the local war memorial last Friday with a list of our Old Boys who came from Thetford to see if they could see them on the war memorial. This small task interested them and gave their teachers a focus for their war memorial study. With best wishes, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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