I know they’ll never read this, but it only feel right that now the year is over I get to say thanks to them myself. 

Hello you lot,

We’ve been through a lot this year haven’t we? It’s not always been easy, we’ve not always got on, but it turned out alright in the end. A lot has happened this past year! I’ve graduated, you’ve all grown into incredible humans and we did it together.

I’ve got a few things to say to you before we finish this year. I have a massive thank you. You have no idea how much I have to thank you for… so here’s just a few of the things:

• Listening: even when you were being noisy, or being pains you always listened to me. There were times when no one else was listening to me but you always did. Listening is hard, but you’ve shown me this year that it’s possible to listen (even if you don’t want to). You’re all brilliant listeners, just remember that.
• Learning: we learned a lot this year together and I don’t just mean the things in the classroom. We did some brilliant writing together, we learned a lot about Russia that I had never known before! We developed some brilliant skills together, we made mistakes together. You helped me fix my own mistakes and I hope you learned that it is OK to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them.
• Kindness: you never failed to amaze me with your level of kindness this year. Yes, there were times when you weren’t kind to each other and there were times when we had to talk about being kind, but you came out on the right side of kind. We’ve learned a lot about friendship and kindness from each other – always remember to be kind. It costs you nothing.
• Laughter: we have laughed a lot this year. You laugh at the terrible jokes the head tells you, you laugh at my sarcastic comments, you laugh when I don’t expect you to. You’ve made each other laugh, you’ve cheered each other up and you’ve certainly cheered me up on days when there was no happiness. It’s been a joy coming into to classroom seeing your smiles. Don’t lose that. 
• Reading: my favourite thing about this year has been our time spent with books. You know I love books. I know you’ve come to love books almost as much as me. You’ve been excited when a new book arrived from me, you’ve shared your favourite bits of books, you’ve been honest about books we’re reading. You never fail to see the best in books. We’ve sat on the carpet together and read together. You’ve let me share books with you that I never thought I would. Your excitement for reading never fails to astound me. Each time you’ve asked to talk about books in your own time, when you’ve taken your book to read at playtime or lunchtime, you’ve made me smile. Books are special and we have definitely learned a lot from books this year. Perijee taught us about friendship, Demon Dentist taught us about being brave, The Island at the End of Everything taught us about the importance of family and including everyone. Each and every book has mattered. Our reading time is my favourite memory of this year. Never lose your wonder in books. 

If I was to keep going I’d be here forever.

You’re an incredible bunch of humans with the most incredible attitude and potential. Remember to be kind to each other all the time. Learn from yourself and each other at all times. Ask questions and be inquisitive. Read everything. Enjoy books. Don’t read books you’re not enjoying. Dream big. Trying is what matters. Remember to smile and remember it’s OK to cry. 

It has been a pleasure this year. We have learned a lot together.

Miss Elliott x