We had our National/Liberation day coming up and being a proud Kuwaiti, I wanted to make the day more exciting in ES. I wanted to have a day of activities and not just a parade like we’ve had in the past. My goal was to bring back the spirit. The KG AP and myself came up with a plan. For this day to happen we needed to have a committee. We knew that there was no way we could have pulled it off by ourselves as we simply didn’t have the time. After we planned everything out I sent out an email to staff asking if anyone was interested in joining us. I honestly didn’t expect many staff to volunteer but a couple of them said, “When we read your name we knew it would be an organized event and you are fun to work with. That’s why we wanted to join.” That comment put the biggest smile on my face.
By the time the deadline was over we had 10 volunteers between Prek to grade 4, I was so happy! We had one meeting with all of us together (Prek-Grade 4) explaining to them what we had planned, what was approved and what we needed from them. Then we split into two groups. Preks went with the KG AP and ES stayed with me and then we started brainstorming. We all got along so well. I basically explained what I would like to see and that I needed their creativity. I told them that we would meet in a few days to see what they came up with and to finalize the station.
Things were going smoothly and I was so happy yet nervous as it was my first time leading a committee and being responsible for it. I honestly didn’t want to add more onto their plates and really appreciated their help. I made a whatsapp group so that we were all easily reachable. During the weekend, they were cutting things out and sharing it on our group chat. They also shared what they had made for our photo booth and for the arts and crafts booths. Everything was coming together and I was getting very excited! The schedule was created by one of my staff on the committee. I went and spoke to the specialist teachers to tell them where I needed their help and what they would be doing. I spoke to our art teacher and what I asked for was done in half a day. WOW! She made my day when I saw it on my office desk.
The night before the committee chose to stay and help set up. We had all hoped that it would not rain the day of the event. I woke up at 5:15a.m and I was at school by 6a.m and of course it was raining! I wanted to cry! We had a plan B but I didn’t want all the hard work the committee did to go to waste!
I spoke to my principal and KG AP when I saw them. We decided that the parade would happen since it was indoors. At 7:15 I started the music through our PA system. Then it was time for the parade. I tried hard to not show my panic and just hoped and prayed that the rain would stop.
My husband surprised me and came to see the parade and both me and my kids were so happy. The parade ended in the tennis courts and there was a full house. We weren’t expecting that many parents to show up. The parents loved it and thanked us.
We pushed all the activities to begin an hour later. At 10:30 the sun was out and the event had officially started. The students had fun and so did the teachers. The day ended perfectly well. Of course we had a few bumps along the day but considering that this was the first time we’ve pulled off an event like this, we considered it a success. I thanked EVERYONE face to face or by a simple personalized message. My committee and I will debrief next week and hope for a even better yet stronger celebration next year. As for the weather, clearly that is out of our hands. Half a month of planning went well and it paid off. I loved my committee and my staff for being understanding. I appreciated my specialist teachers who took part of the stations.
I was so happy with how the day turned out. I wouldn’t have been able to pull this day off without a fun and understanding committee. I owe it to them! 🙂
It was an amazing Day!!!!!!