The finale for Elizabeth’s school of Highland Dance end of year show was last night. We went to the opening night and it was fantastic. Yesterday I was wishing I’d bought a second ticket so I could go and watch it again but they’d completely sold out. Never mind, we’ll get the DVD when it comes out.
Elizabeth was feeling a bit depressed yesterday that it was the last night. She’s really enjoyed it. They only put on a big show like this once every two years because it’s so much work. We’ve had to wait three years for this show because of the pandemic.
Elizabeth was in four dances plus the final sequence when everyone goes on the stage together. She had several costume changes and even a hair change. These are her costumes.
She was told she had to wear makeup for the show including lipstick. I don’t have lipstick in the house so I had to go and buy some. I can’t stand the stuff and Elizabeth didn’t like it much either. I’m not sure why it’s necessary but what would I know?
Yesterday I made sushi for dinner. It has been years since I’ve made sushi. I had a Japanese flatmate when I was at University and he showed me how to make it. It’s very easy. The kids loved it and polished off this whole plate. I used tofu, carrot, capsicum, avocado, and cucumber for the filling.
Here’s Victoria demanding a pat.
The kids are now at the start of their summer holidays. They have both done exceptionally well at school this year. Their school does regular MAP testing which measures their achievement in maths and English to see how far above or below the average they are for their age group. Daniel is in the 99th percentile for maths which means he scored better than 99% of students his age group globally who have taken the test. I blame the father. He did well in language usage too – one of the English scores – getting into the 92nd percentile. Elizabeth did similarly well although not quite as high in maths as Daniel she’s in the 98th percentile for science (Daniel’s year didn’t sit the science one) and the 98th percentile for language usage.
Their report cards are also excellent. Daniel was very worried before starting school about French. He took French at the online school and really struggled with it. I think languages are hard to learn online. Being back in a real classroom has been wonderful for him and he got 6 for French (7 is the highest). The teacher even commended him on his conjugation skills. He particularly likes verb conjugation because there are rules and he likes rules. Elizabeth got top marks for almost everything. Both of them are good at computer science which makes me proud. Of course it’s not all about academic achievement. Also important is a curious mind, the ability to think critically, and perhaps most important of all, meeting people and making friends. The friends we make at school are with us for life.
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