Tuesday June 10th 2025
Dear Diary,
It was a real treat to return to Callowell Primary today. After parking nearby, I was immediately recognised and greeted by a pupil I’d met the previous year. And when I entered the hall to set up for my assembly, the breakfast club members were extremely excited to see me back! They couldn’t have made me feel more at home!!! The hall was surprisingly empty during my assembly, as the stage that had been there the previous year was no longer in place. But the pupils filled the room with so much energy and were a super audience once again.
My first workshop was for Year 1 & 2. These pupils were fast workers and had so many super ideas. They weren’t shy, either, as most of them were keen to read their work aloud. I particularly enjoyed Milo’s story about a dragon having eaten his homework:
… and Poppy’s story about what dragons do with doughnuts:
Next, it was time for a session with Years 4 & 5. I could distinctly remember my workshop with them the previous year, so it was lovely to return and see how their creative writing had progressed. And we had a super song performed during this session, just like the last time I visited. I always admire those who are brave enough to stand up in front of their classmates and read aloud, but those that sing or rap in front of their peers are next level! I’d never have been that brave when I was their age. I loved Fraser’s story written under the title A Dragon Just Ate My Grandma:
I also thought Lewis’ story entitled Dragon Farts vs Zombie Farts was brilliant:
The last morning session was for the lovely Reception pupils. They truly are adorable! I was excitedly informed by many of them that they’d turned 5 since I saw them last. And the enthusiasm and the effort they put into the activities I presented them with blew me away. We decided to award a couple of small prizes during completion of the letter-tracing task. Lovely Mia ending up winning the speediest of the bunch, with Rosie picking up the prize for best effort. But I must say that the perseverance and determination of each and every pupil during this session was phenomenal. Not one of them was willing to let an aching arm or finger cramp beat them, and they all ended up completing the task before moving onto further activities!
After lunch, it was time for a slightly shorter workshop for Years 3 & 4. This session was over in a flash. But we all got to hear some super work being read aloud, and I got to see the wonderful story Layla has been working on at home (which I’ll share soon). I thought the story Layla came up with today was really good, too:
… as was Louie’s story:
My final workshop was for Years 5 & 6. Despite the heat in the room (and the fact that the fan sadly did little to counter it), these pupils worked really diligently. And they all had super imaginations. This group was really good at sharing ideas and working collaboratively, too. But one of my favourite pieces of work would have to be Theo’s rap:
I have a fantastic idea.
Let’s cover this controversial matter, and let’s be truly sincere.
What do dragons do with doughnuts?
Do they eat them, beat them, wear them, tear them, kick them, hit them?
What do they do? It’s a real mystery!
It cannot be discovered or uncovered.
We must find out. It’s a life-or-death matter.
Do they throw them in the sky so they fly until speed dies because of low gravity so very high in the sky?…
I also really enjoyed Brie’s poem:
The pupils at Callowell Primary are all so kind, polite, and eager to learn. I had such a wonderful day with them all and was sorry to have to leave at the end of the day. I really hope to return again next year with the third book in the Words of WARNING collection.
