MAY 2019
Warrandyte Diary 21
Mother’s Day Stall saves the day Adventure corner of my eye
By JO FRENCH THAT SPECIAL Sunday in May is just about here and I’m one of the lucky ones that will be woken with a hug and a kiss by an excited child, spouting words of love and eagerly asking if I’d like to have my breakfast in bed. My first thought will be of crumbs in the sheets but I will push that aside and as the family head off to the kitchen to fix a tray of croissants and jam, I will jump up quickly and race to the bathroom, diving back into bed before I’m discovered to be missing in action. With a stack of pillows behind my back and a smoothed down doona, it will be one of those quintessential moments of parenting as I balance a tray on my lap and try not to spill my cup of tea. At my feet will be a stack of presents, each gift bearing the tell-tale signs of being wrapped by a child — the tape not quite holding and the paper not quite fitting — and I won’t be the only one excited about what they contain. Balanced on top of the pile will be a handmade card that, a few days later, will join the stack in my bottom drawer. This same picture will play out in many households around the country on that particular Sunday morning and it is all thanks to a time-honoured venture — the Mother’s Day Stall. In every primary school across the country, an energetic volunteer has spent the last few months scrolling through websites, ordering from catalogues and tweaking spreadsheets. The Mother’s Day Stall is serious business. It takes hours of planning to make sure there are enough gifts for each child to choose from, balancing costcovering with quantity and trying to consider quality when the endgame is dealt in gold coins. It’s not just about what gifts to have
on offer, it’s also about balancing quantity — we don’t want slim pickings for the last kids through the door. So from travel mugs and pretty gardening gloves, to photo frames and dancing plastic flowers they aim to please. After the planning and buying comes the hours of wrapping and ribbon tying. Each gift is made to look grand, pretty bows get tied around cellophane wrapped notebooks and mugs are filled with chocolates. The Mother’s Day Stall is a stand out event at most primary schools, just check out the faces of the Prep kids as they file past tables filled with a huge assortment of pretty gifts while clutching a few coins in their hands. Some walk up and down unable to choose, others seem to know in a flash just what Mum will love, and those friendly, smiling helpers behind the tables will gently coach anyone who is overwhelmed while they restack the
glitter pens, bookmarks and shopping lists. For just a few dollars, kids can leave with a bag full of goodies for Mum. The gifts of stalls past are scattered around our home. I have notepads to help me plan my week and silk flowers glued onto pegs that decorate my fridge. There is the bright pink and white plastic coffee mug emblazoned with “I love Mum”, that holds the pens on my desk — it didn’t stand up to the challenge of travelling with hot coffee — and the heart-shaped jewellery box that sits beside my bed. This annual event is a rite of passage through the primary school years and many mothers and grandmothers will receive a little something this Mother’s Day because a few good women stayed up late in the night to make sure our little treasures have something to give. So thanks and Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers that make our Mother’s Day special.
By CHRIS “CHEWY” PADGHAM IMAGINE a group of 11–14-year-olds in the bush by themselves. S e t t i ng u p a standing camp to live in for four days, putting up their tents, establishing a kitchen, building camp infrastructure, cooking their own meals, keeping their campsite clean and tidy – with no adult supervision. “Impossible” you say, well not if you are a Warrandyte Scout. Each year Scouts Victoria holds the Stradbroke Cup, where scouts from across Victoria compete to see who are the most skilled at independent camping. Our scouts left Warrandyte Thursday afternoon, finding their way to Geelong by train, overnighting in a scout hall in Geelong then bus to Brucknell in south-western Victoria for the commencement of the competition on Friday. Adults camped about half a kilometer away and each patrol of six scouts was assessed on their ability to independently establish and maintain a standing camp. Stradbroke “Advisors” guided and assessed each patrol’s camping competency. Establishing your campsite only takes so long however, so, as well as the competition, the camp comes fully loaded with adventurous and fun activities such as crate stacking, where scouts see how high they can get before the tower of crates under them comes crashing down and “bang” which involves scouts, sledge hammers and an old car, you get the picture. Monday morning saw the dismantling and pack up of the camp, presentation of awards — silver for both our patrols — and the long trip back to Warrandyte for 12 very tired scouts.
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WARRANDYTE PRIMARY SCHOOL 5-11 Forbes Street, Warrandyte www.warrandyteps.vic.edu.au
OPEN DAY Wednesday 22nd May CLASSROOMS VISITS
9am – 1.00pm SCHOOL TOURS
Andersons’s Creek Primary School
OPEN DAY
Tuesday 21st May ~ 9am to 12pm Open Evening: Classroom Showcase - 6:45pm to 7:15pm Performance in the Arts Theatre - 7:15pm to 7:45pm Prep 2020 Information Session - 7:45pm Tours with the Principal are available at 10:00am and 6:30pm Call 9844 2757 for further enquiries Visit: www.andersonscreekps.vic.edu.au
Anderson’s Creek Primary School Learning with the Community
9.15am and 12.15pm OPEN EVENING 6.30pm - 7.45pm The evening will conclude with a student performance at 7.45pm.
BOOK A SCHOOL TOUR TODAY! For school tours contact the school on 9844 3537 or via warrandyte.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
