Mrs K’s Lockdown Farewell

As I opened my door in September I welcomed you in one by one.

An exciting year lay ahead, with hard work but guaranteed fun.

All that changed at the start of 2020 when a worldwide pandemic was declared,

It slowly spread from Wuhan to Newry City causing many families to be scared!

Windsor Hill Primary Schools’ teachers prepared for the covid storm,

Hand gels appeared out of nowhere and coughing into elbows the norm.

News Flash from Boris Johnston, the P.M. in charge of the U.K.

He declared we must wash our hands more often to keep the virus at bay!

Washing hands while singing Happy Birthday is what we were required to do,

Everyone had their part to play and that included me and you.

‘Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Dear Coronavirus and we hope you die soon!’

Was what I heard from the boy’s toilets as they sang along to the tune.

But the virus; it wasn’t beaten and it continued to spread rapidly,

The government couldn’t decide on school closures – immediately was the plea!

Lockdown 2020, whoever would have thought,

That a school year cut short, in March, is what the virus brought!

We’d been preparing for ‘Clabbering Hilter’ but we’d to clabber this virus instead,

There’d be no VE Day celebration but it was still remembered in May.

Everyone had to stay at home, it drove us round the bend,

From self-isolation to no hugging, would this saga ever end?

Oh how we missed our aunts and uncles, grans and granda’s too,

But we knew if we followed all the advice we would see it through.

From P.E. with Joe Wicks, your online learning had begun.

It wasn’t all hard work though, your parents made sure you had fun!

My classroom was so empty; it just didn’t feel right,

A school without children – it would give you a fright!

Now you’re all moving on to secondary schools,

I’d have you all back if it wasn’t for the rules!

So here it is my final goodbye - sent to you online,

I will never forget you; this lockdown class of mine.

By Olivia Kerrigan (Windsor Hill Primary School, June 2020)