Settled in and doing well.

With M's permission (it was given on the condition that I sympathise with her over her painful back tooth that is coming through, which I did most genuinely), I'm sharing some of the things that have happened in her school life recently.

Since making the decision to go back to school after Christmas, M has been continuing to settle in and get used to school life.  We had a 'progress report' in March which clearly shows that she is working hard with an 'outstanding attitude' to study and homework in nearly all subjects (and good in the other one), and as far as I can make out from the rather bizarre reporting scheme they use, she's making good progress academically too.  They use letters that are reminiscent of the Hogwarts mark scheme!

She has been participating in plenty of extra-curricular things at school.  As well as playing her French horn in the concert band, including a performance at the recent showcase evening, she has played in another inter-school netball tournament and joined an after-school dodgeball club.  She also volunteered to help with the school's Comic Relief fundraising efforts.

We had a bit of a hitch recently when a book, that she found in our local library and wanted to read, wasn't in the accelerated reading scheme that the school uses, and she was convinced that she would be given a detention if she read it.  No amount of persuasion or reasoning from me would convince her otherwise, but fortunately an email to her English teacher explaining the situation sorted it out.

On Monday this week, on the way home from school, M told me almost in passing that she had been given three awards in the half-termly achievement assembly, and once home produced certificates for 'outstanding attitude to study' in German, science and, rather oddly since it was the only subject she was not given outstanding for in her progress report, maths.

Today put not only the icing on the cake, but the cherry on top of that too.  A letter addressed to M arrived through with the post today; it was from the headteacher.  It was a letter congratulating her on and thanking her for her attitude to work, behaviour in and around the school and her commitment and dedication.  Her tutor and head of year had nominated her for one of these letters, which, she was told, are not sent out regularly and not too many students receive one.  Shortly after she'd read this letter, an email arrived from her form tutor, who is also her maths teacher, to say that she will be moving to the set above after the holiday, that she 'has come on a long way during this year and this is testimony to her hard working ethic.'

Twelve months ago, we were happily home educating both K & M, a couple of months later M made the decision that lead to the most difficult six months of her life.  She was extremely unhappy and doubting her decision at times, but has shown amazing strength of character throughout.  I am incredibly proud of her anyway, but to have her efforts recognised like this is truely heart-warming.