Book 2 Chapter 9: When The Students Learn

Dovic was really enjoying going to school and watching the children learn. When The Old Wise One and Gazza came to school with him, he tried to explain some of the Maths he had been learning, but Gazza looked at him puzzled and The Old Wise One pondered on it but wasn’t particularly interested in Geometry. Instead, he admitted, he loved listening to the students read and hear the stories being told in the classroom, best of all.

After the students went home and while The Old Wise One slept for a bit in a more comfortable chair, Dovic and Gazza began to prepare for the next day, aware that Bruiser and Tumbarumba would be coming in tomorrow.

Dovic tried on Hibiscus’ hat and when Gazza laughed at him, he said defensively, “Well, I can’t help it if it doesn’t fit me. You try it on!”

Gazza replied, “Don’t be ridiculous. If it doesn’t fit you, it won’t fit me. Come on, what else will Bruiser and Tumba be doing tomorrow?”

They sat and thought for a long while and when Gazza heard a strange noise coming from next to him, he realised Dovic had fallen asleep. “Oh boy, oh boy. Dovic’s not much fun when he’s deep in thought.”

Gazza went over to where the coloured paper was stored and tried fitting in between the purple pages, pulling a red sheet of paper over him. The shuffling of paper woke Dovic up and he howled with laughter. “What are you trying to do?” he asked Gazza, “Be a purple pinata?”

Gazza blushed and responded, “Don’t mock my disguise. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Dovic apologised and said he didn’t mean to hurt Gazza’s feelings and the two lumbered back to their seat. When The Old Wise One woke up, Dovic blurted out, “You should have seen Gazza! He got between the purple pages and turned another leaf. Haha”.

Gazza looked at him surprised, “Oh boy, oh boy, Dovic, way to make it sound weird” and when he burst out laughing, Dovic smiled.

The students had a busy day of schoolwork but some students took the time to stop and take photos of them to show to their parents when they got home. Ava declared her mum liked The Old Wise One the best and Abbie was happy to see Gazza as he and Ellie were her favourites. The day went fast and when it was time to go, The Old Wise One wearily left saying, “I’m glad to go, I cannot tell a lie” and Dovic and Gazza looked at him with concern and offered him a paw if he needed it.

The next morning, as Dovic, Tumbarumba and Bruiser watched the students coming in, Bruiser was excited to see Owen. Just like some of the students had their favourite member of the Hibiscus clan, some of them had their favourites, too. All of the students were Hibiscus' favourites and she appreciated they each had a different sense of humour, they worked and learned in their own unique ways. She knew some were quick at learning Maths, some loved to write their own stories, some were good at sport, especially basketball and netball and some looked forward to playing at lunch time, more than learning in the classroom. 

Dovic loved Maths and when the students learned about symmetry, tangrams, and geometry, he loved to sit up close and watch them work. The designs they created, the colours they chose, really appealed to him and he wished he could do the same. During Maths, Bruiser and Dovic went and looked at Owen's work and admired his Rangoli design. It was original and very creative. They liked the way Josh had made his design look like an apple pie and they both remembered the time Ronnie had eaten a piece of lemon meringue pie in the middle of the night.

Tumbarumba went to the other side of the classroom to see what Xavier was up to and Daniel tried to show him how to sharpen a pencil. Tumba tried to do it himself but no matter how many times Daniel showed him and tried to help him, he couldn't do it. Eventually, he gave up and after looking at other students' work, went back to his seat.

During English, they heard two dreamtime stories, one was about Tiddalik the frog and the other one was about how pelicans became black and white. They listened to the students reading their parts and wished they could see them acting it out in full costume and with props. They laughed when Hibiscus pretended to be an old woman, explaining to Ben that sometimes she forgot things and she pushed her glasses down her nose and spoke in a strange voice that made quite a few of the students laugh too.

Throughout the day, students went off to band practise but due to Covid restrictions, when they had a lesson, they were not allowed to play their instruments and their music teachers could not either. Hibiscus told her students about the time she started learning the flute. Her music teacher told her she could do the fingering perfectly, but she couldn’t make any sound come from it. A few years later she tried again and could do both at the same time. They asked her when she would bring her tenor recorder in to show them and she simply said, “Soon… maybe. Even if I brought it in, I still wouldn’t be able to play it for you, due to the Covid restrictions.” Jacob suggested she make a recording of it so they could watch it on the screen.

After lunch, each of the students read a sentence from the book they were reading, while the roll was being marked. Hibiscus asked Owen and Jack to email the sentences they read so that she could use them in this chapter of the book. She reminded her class that reading a lot of books, helps give ideas when you are writing. She has used quotes from other books the students had read before, too. 

All too soon, the day was over and after the students had cleared their things off the desk, put their chairs up and were standing quietly, Hibiscus said, “Good afternoon”. They chorused, “Good afternoon!” and ran noisily out of the classroom. Later, as Bruiser, Tumbarumba and Dovic packed up their things, there was a shower of rain and they were glad to be safe and dry inside. It was another good day of learning for them all. 

T4 Chapter 8: Richo and the 2020 AFL Grand Final

 Lulu, Richo and Dovic were so excited to be going to school the day before the Grand Final weekend. All the staff and students would be wearing their football colours and Richo made sure his footy was pumped up and ready to go. Lulu practised the routine she had made up to the Richmond Tigers theme song and hoped she’d have the opportunity to show it off to Hibiscus and her class. As they waited for the students at the front of the classroom, Richo handballed the footy into the air and caught it again.

“Do you really think the Tigers will win?” asked a student as he entered the classroom and his friend answered, “I want the Cats to win.”

One of the boys wearing the Richmond Tigers colours, mentioned to Hibiscus that he was worried his friends, who were going for the Cats would mock him if Richmond lost. “Just tell them you’d prefer the Tigers to win but they’ve already won 2 and it’s OK for the Cats to win one after so many years. They’re still a good team.” Daniel thanked Hibiscus and she added, “But the Tigers will win!”

The day was a good day, there was an air of excitement, footy games at lunchtime and sausages were sold in the canteen. The students in Hibiscus class took the side of the Cats or the Tigers, although Josh was all for the Blues. As the students went home, they were happy to know they were getting an extra long weekend, due to the Grand Final.

The game was a hard-fought match and at half time, the Tigers were losing 2 goals 2 to 5 goals 5. Fortunately the star of the Tigers team, Dustin, kicked a goal just before the siren. The Tigers came back in, energised and eager to win and kicked goals, despite injuries. They won by 31 points and everyone was happy. Black and yellow streamers fell everywhere and their song was sung loudly, “Like the tigers of old, we’re strong and we’re bold cause we’re from Tigerland”.

Richo and Dovic entered the classroom on Monday morning and draped the Tigers scarf around their chair, holding on to the football. He couldn’t wait to see the Tigers supporters and wondered if they would come in cheering. He saw them all come in wearing their school uniform and they got down to work after roll call.

Hibiscus took them all out to the garden for a lesson and the students had to sketch 9 things they were grateful for in a five-minute time limit. Some students only drew 5 things, but some students thought of many more. Richo enjoyed sitting out in the sunshine although he didn’t like the cold wind blowing their paper back up in their faces. He noticed some red flowers growing out of the hedge and he saw a black crow fly over their heads.

At recess time, students stayed back in the classroom and came and talked about the Grand Final while the Tigers theme song played in the background. Richo was overjoyed at hearing what they said. As they ran out to have their break, Richo turned to Dovic and said, “Coming to school during Grand Final time was the best!” and he kicked the football through the imaginary goal posts at the back of the room. Dovic laughed and smiled at how happy his friend was.

Later that afternoon, after all the students had gone home, it was announced that the premier was going to open up cafes, restaurants and retail as of midnight Tuesday. Dovic said, “Oh boy, oh boy” and Richo looked at him and laughed, “That’s Gazza’s line, not yours” and Dovic laughed with him.

Book 2: Chapter 7 "Curious Creatures Wild Minds Library Time"

 

When Dovic and Bruiser turned up to school, they were excited to find that it was book week and today, being library day, their class was going to enjoy some special activities. This was Bruiser’s first day with the class and he enjoyed meeting them all. He sat quietly at the front watching the students complete their English work and was disappointed when they left to go and do PE.

After recess, the students were unrecognisable because they were wearing specially designed masks. Due to Covid and the students having learnt from home for so long, it was decided the students would make their own mask, according to the theme, "Curious Creatures, Wild Minds". Some of the students had put a lot of effort into making their masks and Bruiser and Dovic sat with them to get their photo taken.

After that, they were given instructions for all the different activities they could do in the library. There was a treasure hunt to find information, there was a place they could create their own curious creature, and another place where they could make bookmarks. Dovic and Bruiser wandered around the library and worked with the different students.

When Jacob won the prize for being the first person to find the chameleon, Ben said, “I’m going to legally change my name to Jacob so I can get the prize!” Bruiser looked at Dovic and asked, “Can he do that?” Dovic laughed and said, “Of course not. He’s only joking.... I think.”

Before the students went back to class, everyone had to pack up their things and the tables had to be wiped down before the next class came in to the library. Dovic and Bruiser went back to the classroom and got ready to learn about tessellations. Dovic sat and watched Evan cut out green lizards. It was a lot of work and it was important to cut the lizards out with precision. He was very impressed with how well students cut out the small lizards. Not everyone finished their work so Hibiscus said they will have to do it another day.

At the end of the day, it was time to pack up and before the students put their chairs on the desks, they had to wipe down their space again. As they left the classroom, some students waved goodbye, some came over and said goodbye and when all but one had left, Bruiser looked at Dovic and said, ‘There was so much to do! The day went too quickly!!!”

Dovic was about to answer when he noticed Jacob had come to see them. Jacob had a chat with them and asked to take a photo. After he took the photo, he sat and took a selfie with them. Dovic was overjoyed that Jacob and the other children cared so much. He really felt like he was part of the class. On the way home, Bruiser admitted his favourite part was when he was watching the class make bookmarks. Dovic said his favourite part was seeing the different creatures the students made on the noticeboard. “They were so funny!” he laughed.

The next day Lulu came to school with Dovic but as the class had music and sport, she didn’t get to see much of them so Hibiscus promised her she could be there the next day for the football day. The staff and students would be dressing in their football team colours and of course, Richo would be coming too. Lulu clapped her hands and did a twirl! “I can’t wait!” she said, “I wonder if the students will do a dance to the Tigers theme song?”

Book 2: Chapter 6 "What Happens After School"

 When Dovic, Ronnie and Ellie got home from school on Thursday night, they shared their day with the rest of the Hibiscus clan and admitted they had done the wrong thing when they had climbed up to the ceiling and played up there. They were truly remorseful and the next day none of them were able to go to school. Dovic was so sad about this that Lulu and Ellie made up a new dance routine which ended with Lulu doing a pirouette while standing on Ellie’s trunk. Everyone was impressed.

For the rest of the weekend, Dovic, Ronnie and Ellie did what they could to help where they could and prove they were trustworthy again. On Friday night, they all sat down to watch the Preliminary final and Richo yelled the loudest and sang the Richmond Team song with gusto, when the Tigers won. On Saturday, they played Lego and went for a walk in the park and on Sunday morning they all sat down to hear the premier announce what restrictions would be eased. They were happy to hear that they could travel 25kms from home and looked at the map so they could see what places they could visit.

“The beach!” yelled Lulu.

“The farm where Hibiscus keeps her horse!” chimed in Tumbarumba and he thought fondly of the broncos he used to see in the Snowy Mountains.

“A lake” said another. They were all so excited and wondered when, and who, might get to enjoy those places with Hibiscus.

On Monday morning, Dovic and Tumbarumba went to school and waited at the front of the room for the students to arrive. Dovic pointed to the roof and showed Tumba where he had climbed to and Tumba looked at Dovic and asked him, “Did you have fun? Are you glad you did it?” and Dovic looked away, embarrassed.

Just then the music started and students came into the classroom, sanitising their hands and getting their books ready. Aiden was pleased to see Tumba and asked to take his photo. Ever since he had had heard the story of the bears up the Snowy mountain, lolling on the red car, as well as Tumba’s almost-adventure with his cousin Joey, Tumbarumba had become his favourite of the Hibiscus clan. He wished he could take Tumba home to meet his mum and take him for a ride in the 63 Merc.

The students settled in and worked hard. When Hibiscus took out the book “Wonder” to read them, one of the students grabbed her book so she could follow along. They haven’t read much of the story yet so much of it is just introducing the main characters. Later in the afternoon, the students read their own books for 15 minutes before learning more about Fables.

At the end of the day, after the students had gone, Tumba and Dovic picked up the book that Hibiscus had been reading to the class. They read a bit more and then flicked to the back pages. “Why are you reading the last chapter?” asked Dovic.

Tumbarumba smiled and said, “I want to know what happens at the end. I want to know if they all become friends and if they all live happily ever after.”

Dovic laughed and said, “You could always watch the movie.”

“It’s not the same” said Tumba and after he’d read the last page they went outside to the playground. They needed to get some fresh air and it wasn’t raining. They found the bars and decided to thread themselves through the handles and hang there for a bit.

“It’s fun hanging out with you,” cheered Tumba and after they dropped to the ground, they ran to the tree.

Dovic looked at the ants climbing up the tree and protested, “Not this one, the ants are bigger than my paw!” They found the right tree and reflected on the first time they had climbed a tree together and Dovic had been scared. Dovic laughed and they chatted for a bit before climbing down.

“Hey! Look over there!” pointed out Tumbarumba and they found a makeshift type structure with branches going in different directions. “If you put a tarp over it, it would be like a tent” he added. They explored it and looked at the way it was built, where things were and analysed the structure. They wondered if they would be able to make one at home sometime and made a mental note to ask the rest of the Hibiscus clan if they’d like to help.

“I bet Ronnie would help” said Dovic and Tumbarumba agreed. “I reckon they’d all help… but perhaps we need to wait until after the Grand Final first. Richo’s not going to be much use until after that.”

They both laughed and seeing Hibiscus, raced each other to the car. It was a tie and they both felt happy at the end of a good day.

Book 2: Chapter 5: "There's a Time for Work and a Time to Play."

Dovic was excited when he found out that The Old Wise One and Harley were joining him for school on Wednesday. He had enjoyed Lulu and Gazza’s visit – after all they’d been friends for the longest, but The Old Wise One was especially important to Dovic. He had spoken to Dovic about what being part of the Hibiscus clan meant, he had shared words with Richo when he had accidently hurt Ronnie and he just seemed to know what to say when it needed to be said. Harley loved having fun and had found his perfect hiding place in a gumboot when they had had a picnic months ago. The three of them were sure to have a good day with Hibiscus and her class.

They joined Dovic on the tractor stool at the front of the classroom and students took the time to have a chat with them before Hibiscus began teaching them. They introduced themselves to the newcomers and The Old Wise One listened and observed all of what was going on. Harley wanted to impress the students and stood proudly with his chest puffed out and his arms folded, trying to look cool in his sunglasses.

When the students noticed that The Old Wise One was old, his eyes were not quite as new as they used to be and his fluff had been worn down, Hibiscus shared the story of when The Old Wise One was loved by a boy many years ago and even though the boy had grown up, he was still loved. She told them about the story called “The Velveteen Rabbit” and read them the following:

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it Hurt?"

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen to people who break easily or have sharp edges or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But those things don't matter at all because once you are real you can't be ugly except to people who don't understand."

When The Old Wise One heard the story, a tear came to his eye because he knew he had become real to the little boy. When everyone was busy working, Lincoln came and had a chat with The Old Wise One. They spoke quietly for a few moments and when it was over, Lincoln nodded his head respectfully and went back to doing his work. The Old Wise One was his favourite member of the Hibiscus clan and he appreciated the wisdom that had been shared with him.

After all the students had gone, a few teachers popped in to talk to Hibiscus and then Miss Lauren came in to explain about Book Character day as Book Week was next week. “The theme is Curious Creatures, Wild Minds and the students make their own book character mask.” Dovic, Harley and The Old Wise One watched as she put on her mask which was a character of a cloud. They wondered what the students would make for their own masks next week. After Miss Lauren had left, it was time to go home and they looked forward to telling the rest of the Hibiscus clan about their day.

The next day Ronnie tumbled into the classroom, spinning and whirling and looking for action. He knew there were some boys in the class who thought he was one of the best and he aimed to show off to them. Ellie came in quietly and sat on the stool waiting with Dovic until finally Ronnie got up on the stool with them but decided to stand on his head, to show off.

This was the fourth day the students had been able to come to school after spending more than half their schooling this year, at home doing remote learning. It had been a challenging time and although they had looked forward to being back at school, they also had to remember the rules and remember to do their best work. Sometimes they forgot and sometimes they had so much fun, they forgot they were learning. On Thursday, a few students would leave the classroom and go to their band lesson. Due to Covid, restrictions had been placed on students learning woodwind instruments and they were not allowed to blow into their instrument which made it a bit more challenging and they all hoped that restriction would be lifted soon.

In Period 2 they went out to sport and had a lot of fun learning about softball while the other classes learned netball and soccer. They were going to get to learn a new sport each week so that next year, they could pick one they had enjoyed the most. It was very windy outside and there were a few drops of rain but that was all so they were able to stay outside and play. They had woodwork in period 3 and for the rest of the day they had Maths, reading and Geography. As it was Abby’s birthday, she was allowed to go home first, and the students put up their chairs and raced out the door to catch buses or get a lift home with their parents. Dovic wondered if Aleasha had ridden her bike to school that day.

When Hibiscus left to go and do some photocopying, Ronnie had an idea. “Let’s climb up to the ceiling and sit up there,” he suggested, “We can be on top of the world and look down on everyone.” He went over to the window and took hold of the blinds chain.

Ellie was dubious about this and voiced her hesitation, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t think Hibiscus would like us doing that,” but she followed them to the wall.

“Oh come on, it will be fun!” said Dovic and he took hold of the chain and followed Ronnie who had already abseiled up to the railing and was doing somersaults and cartwheels along the rafters.

Ellie looked up at them and touched the chain. She didn’t know what to do and wasn’t sure they should be doing it but they looked like they were having fun. She watched and she felt all alone just standing there looking up at them and finally decided to start climbing.

Ellie was about half-way up the window when she heard Hibiscus come into the room and she froze with fear. “What are you all doing?!” Hibiscus was not impressed, and they all came down and sat on the chair, listening to Hibiscus scold them for doing the wrong thing.  

“It’s my fault,” stated Ronnie, “It was my idea and I talked them into coming with me. Ellie didn’t even want to, but we talked her into it.” Dovic gulped and sat quietly, looking remorsefully at Hibiscus.

When Hibiscus looked at Ellie, Ellie replied, “I’m sorry. I knew it was the wrong thing but I wanted to be brave and clever and have adventures like Ronnie and Dovic.”

Hibiscus told them she was disappointed about the choices they had made and as a consequence, Ellie and Ronnie would not be allowed back into the classroom for awhile. She looked at Dovic who was holding back tears. “Dovic, you are here to encourage and help the students and it is an important responsibility and a privilege. I trust you to do the right thing and now you will need to rebuild that trust. We will go home and have a good sleep and I will decide in the morning if you will be able to come back to school with me tomorrow or will need to miss out on a day.” Dovic nodded and said he understood. 

It was a quiet drive home and the three of them went to The Old Wise One who listened as they told him what had happened. They talked quietly together and what he said to them, was between them only and after that, they went and played with Lego and joined in with the rest of the Hibiscus clan. They were much quieter than usual, more thoughtful and Ronnie didn’t do any somersaults at all that evening.

Book 2, Chapter 4: Best School Day So Far!

Dovic and Richo arrived at school, excited and ready to meet the Hibiscus class. They sat on the stool at the front and waited… and waited… and waited.

“It’s taking so long!” complained Dovic and Richo agreed.

“I wish I’d brought my football,” replied Richo, “Hey, remember that goal of the match last Friday night? Richmond is the best team! I hope they’re in the Grand Final with the Cats.”

“Mmmm” mumbled Dovic who was watching the clock, “I think the clock is an hour behind the real time. Hibiscus hasn’t put the clock forward for daylight savings.”

“If I brought my football,” continued Richo, “We could handball it around the classroom. I wonder if we will go out to the oval?”

“Mmmm” said Dovic who wasn’t paying any attention to Richo and Richo was thinking so much about the football on the weekend, he wasn’t listening to Dovic either.

The music began and children started running past the classroom, laughing, yelling, talking to their friends. There was excitement, nervousness, happiness and rushing. Dovic wondered what the class of Hibiscus would think of him.

As the students lined up outside, Hibiscus reminded them of the need to sanitise their hands as they enter the classroom, keep their spaces clean and to minimise movement. Dovic and Richo expected she would probably need to say that a few times throughout the day. When all the class was seated, they were introduced to Dovic and Richo and Hibiscus shared the chapter about “Twas the last day of zoom and all through the class…..” when Jack piped up, “It sounds like Christmas!”

The students had to do a lot of work and they went off to PE leaving Dovic and Richo behind in the classroom. Unfortunately, due to Covid and the need to sanitise things they touch, the students were not able to give them any cuddles. Hibiscus took them to her meeting but after a very short time, Dovic and Richo fell asleep.

After lunch, it was Power Reading time. The students had to read their own books and some of them were reading Book 1 of the Dovic Adventures. A few times Jacob played the video clip where Lulu is talking to Dovic on Facetime and says, “Do you know how hard it is to dance to the Richmond theme song?” and then the music begins and Lulu has to leave. Richo laughed hard when he heard it and he remembered that time. Even the third time Jacob played that clip, Richo couldn’t stop laughing but Hibiscus raised her eyebrows at Jacob and he knew he’d better not play it again.

The students packed up and as they ran out the door, a few of them stopped to say goodbye to Dovic and Richo. Dovic and Richo had had such a good day, they looked forward to the next time. As Dovic ‘belonged’ to the Hibiscus class, he would be there often but Richo had to take in turns with the others. When they got home, they told stories of the class to the rest of the Hibiscus clan and Lulu blushed when she heard that the children had heard her talk about dancing to the Richmond theme song. Richo told Gazza that he had passed on his greetings to Miss Lauren in the library and Gazza blushed, “Oh boy, oh boy” he sighed, “I can’t wait to see her at school tomorrow!”

The next day in class, the students were chatting with Dovic, Lulu and Gazza. Finally, one of the students blurted out, “But Lulu isn’t like the others! She doesn’t look like a teddy bear” and the whole class stopped talking. You could have heard a pin drop. Lulu looked steadily at the boy, trying very hard to hold back her tears. Gazza moved closer to Lulu and squeezed her hand and Dovic held his breath, hoping someone would speak up.

Finally, “She’s unique, she has her own special talents and gifts but she’s still part of the Hibiscus clan” said a girl from the back row. “Yeah,” agreed another, “It doesn’t matter if she looks different, she belongs to us!” and with that, the noisy chatter recommenced, and Lulu felt happy.

After school, Hibiscus took Dovic, Gazza and Lulu to the library where Miss Lauren was waiting for them at the table. She opened a book by Andy Griffiths and read to them. Gazza held the pages for her and they all listened intently. Miss Lauren read and read until the chapter was over and it was time to go home. “What a great day I’ve had,” said Lulu as she did a pirouette and skipped a few steps and Gazza and Dovic both agreed. “Oh boy, oh boy!” said Gazza, “One of my best school days so far!”

Book 2, Chapter 3: Twas The Weekend Before

 Twas the last day of zoom and all through the class, the students talked about how good it would be on Monday. They were all very excited to think that in a few days, they would be in the classroom with their friends and their teachers and made sure they would have the right books and be ready. Twas the weekend before school resumed and all through the Hibiscus clan, the teddies prepared for school on Monday. They talked about the students they had heard and met on zoom and talked about what changes would be made to the classroom procedures due to Covid. They knew that Dovic would be going to school and they wondered who would be with him on the first day.

Everyone; Hibiscus, her students, and the clan were excited.

On that Friday night after the last week of zoom teaching, all the Hibiscus clan gathered together to watch the football. Richo had a front row seat and everyone joined him to watch the Tigers play against the St Kilda Saints in one of the finals. Due to Covid, the footy season had lasted longer than other years and Richo was hoping that his team would win tonight and be eligible for the Preliminary final to play against the Port Adelaide Power. Lulu had learnt a lot about AFL and the Richmond Tigers when she had been in ISO with Richo and she knew how much it meant to him. She practised the dance routine to the Tiger’s theme song.

The game went well from the start and during half time, they had a lot of laughs as Lulu and Richo tried to teach the others how to do the dance routine. When Ronnie did a double flip off the chair and landed on Milly’s back, they all decided they’d had enough. Although it was warm in Queensland where the game was being played, it was a cool night, so they ate the traditional meat pie with tomato sauce. Richo sang the song the loudest when it was played after the Tigers won.

Saturday was a lovely day and Hibiscus took Dovic and Richo for a walk around the lake. There were a lot of families having a picnic, wearing their face masks and maintaining their social distance. A couple of ducklings were swimming behind the mother duck on the lake and they saw a cat being taken for a walk too. Richo saw a tall tree and said to Dovic that next time, Ronnie should come here, “He would love to climb that tree!” Its branches reached high up into the blue sky and they could see their home from the Lookout. They imagined that the Hibiscus clan could see them and waved and wondered if they were outside enjoying the sunshine too.

It was the day before school started and Dovic was excited. Lulu brushed his hair and made sure his ribbon was on straight. Tomorrow, Richo would be coming with him because he wanted to see the other Tiger supporters from the class and celebrate with them. He was also looking forward to having his turn in the classroom and Gazza took him aside.

“If you see Miss Lauren when you are at school tomorrow,” he whispered, “Please tell her hello from me and tell her I hope she had a good weekend.” Richo promised he would do that.

The Hibiscus clan had a lovely evening and made up stories about what school would be like for Dovic and Richo tomorrow. Ellie asked a sobering question, “Will the students be allowed to hold you? With all the restrictions, they might not be allowed to” and Dovic gulped.

“Oh boy, oh boy” sighed Gazza, “She could be right!”

The Hibiscus clan talked about it for some time and thought that if the students had sanitised their hands, it should be all right. Finally, Hibiscus took Richo and Dovic aside and put them with some books to get ready for tomorrow. She took their photo and kindly suggested they get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow. “I know you’re excited. I am, too! It will be wonderful to see all the students in the classroom again, but we need to be ready for the day ahead. Sleep well. Good night” And as she turned out the light, Richo asked Dovic, “Do you think I should take my footy tomorrow? Because, will the students be allowed to play with it?”

“Hmmm,” replied Dovic, “Perhaps leave it at home tomorrow. They can see the photos of it and they probably all have their own footy. Good night, Richo” and Richo replied with a snore.

“Tomorrow, tomorrow,” sang Dovic, “It’s always a day away.”

Book 2, Chapter 2: A Night and a Day in the Classroom

 “She’s gone and left us here in the classroom.” said Dovic.

“Oh boy, oh boy” responded Gazza, “Do you think Miss Lauren will be in the library still? Should we go and check if she’s OK?”

Meanwhile, Lulu had gone to the back of the room and was rummaging around the shelves. “Look at all the good things here!” she exclaimed, “There’s a barrel of monkeys, pick up sticks, Rush Hour and different mazes. We will have so much fun!” and with that, she picked up the pick-up sticks, took them out of the cylinder and dropped them over the table. They had to concentrate very hard and Gazza was disappointed when his trunk accidently bumped the stick and he missed it. Lulu was very good at picking up sticks but in the end, they were just glad they could play games for a little while.

Even though there was only three of them, they decided to play hide and seek. Gazza somehow made it up to the top of the screen while Dovic found a good place to hide between the paper shelves. When Lulu climbed into a Fractions and Decimals poster, Dovic decided to read it and he learnt that half a pizza is the same as two-quarters of a pizza and the same as 50%. He was happy to learn new things, but Lulu and Gazza just wanted to play.

After Dovic had finished learning about decimals and fractions, he went over to the sign and decided to change the letters around. He spelled out the words, “Dovic was here. Favourite.” and Lulu said they were all favourites of Hibiscus. “Oh boy, oh boy” said Gazza, “I am so grateful we can be at school with Hibiscus.”

Before they went to sleep, they went over to the hygiene station. They used hand sanitiser after using the tissues and made sure they cleaned up their mess, wiping the tables down with the spray cleaner and using the green cloths. They knew it was important to wash their hands and clean up after themselves.

When the morning came, they went outside and spent some time in the playground. Dovic found a locker that was open and looked inside it. The books weren’t in there because the students had taken them home so they could do their schoolwork from home and Dovic counted up how many days were left before the students would be back. They climbed over the playground and raced over to the Super-nova. Lulu found it hard to sit up and keep her balance and when Dovic fell off, he landed in the mud. They noticed that the drinking fountains were closed off, but the taps were there so people could fill up their water bottles.

They sat out on the window ledge waiting for Hibiscus to open the door for them so they could go back into the classroom. While they waited, they imagined what it would be like watching all the students line up outside and wondered if they would line up shortest to tallest or in alphabetical order or in some other way. Dovic suggested they would line up in the order they came. When they went inside, Lulu sat in the back row, Dovic chose Xavier’s table and Gazza sat in the middle, wondering if he would ever learn to read. Hibiscus was teaching her class on zoom and suddenly all of the students sang “Happy birthday” to their teacher. Hibiscus looked very happy and thanked her class for being so thoughtful.

“Oh boy, oh boy!” said Gazza, “They’re the best class in the whole school.” Dovic agreed and read the new sign that Hibiscus had made. She’d taken out the letters he had used and formed the words: “CORE 5,4 GRATEFUL AWESOME” and they discussed what that meant. Lulu said, “This class is her favourite and Hibiscus is grateful for each one of them.”

At the end of the day, it was windy and wet so Hibiscus made sure Dovic, Lulu and Gazza were wrapped up snugly so they wouldn’t get wet when they went to the car. Hibiscus put on her face mask, made sure her desk was tidy then left the classroom, moving quickly to the car, avoiding the puddles along the way. They were all looking forward to eating birthday cake when they got home and after the weekend, they were all looking forward to seeing students in the classroom.

Part 2 Dovic Goes to School

 Chapter 1: Dovic Goes to School

Dovic was so excited when he heard that the students would be returning to school. He hadn't ever been in the classroom because everyone had been learning from home when he first arrived in the Hibiscus clan. The night before, he could hardly sleep. Hibiscus took Dovic's photo to show that he was ready to go to school. On Monday, she took him to school and introduced him to other teachers, to Miss Emma and Mrs Blake, who all cuddled him and made him feel very welcome. Hibiscus was reluctant to leave him alone in the classroom overnight, so she brought him home again and he told Lulu and Gazza all that he had seen and heard.

The next day, Lulu and Gazza were allowed to go to school with Dovic. “Oh boy, oh boy!” exclaimed Gazza and Lulu did a pirouette and a twirl because she was so excited. “What will we do at school?” asked Lulu and Dovic wasn’t sure so he replied, “The students aren’t back until next week. I think we will help Hibiscus set up her classroom. I hope we will meet the other teachers too.”

At school, they were taken for a quick tour and got to meet everyone. Everyone remarked on how cuddly Dovic is, how cute Lulu is and how adorable Gazza is and the three of the Hibiscus clan felt welcomed and very special. They were happy to know that others had read their stories and were cheered up by reading them during these lock-down restrictions.

Next, they were taken into the library. “Oh boy, oh boy!” whispered Gazza when he saw all the books and met Miss Lauren. He thought she looked the perfect librarian! Dovic picked up a few books and flicked through them and Miss Lauren showed him how to borrow a book. They saw a rotating bookshelf and took it for a spin until they were in trouble from the librarian for being too adventurous. When they saw the trolley, they thought of jumping on that and going for a ride, but Hibiscus took them off to the reading corner and they all chose books to quietly read instead. Gazza liked looking at the pictures and Dovic chose a book full of adventures.

When they were in the classroom, they looked around at the tables and chairs and looked through the shelves at the back of the room. They saw dictionaries, strategy games, counters and saw lots of coloured paper in the opposite corner. There were posters up, as well as pictures the students had made for spelling and for Maths. “So this is what a classroom looks like!” announced Dovic. “Oh boy, oh boy” replied Gazza, “The students do a lot of learning!” “I can’t wait to meet the students!” replied Lulu and they all went and found a comfortable place to watch Hibiscus while she taught her class using the computer.

At the end of the day Hibiscus explained to them that they would be staying in the classroom overnight since they had each other for company. She wanted to see how they would go and what ideas they could come up with about setting up the classroom. She reassured them they would be very safe together and warned them not to get up to any mischief. Dovic, Gazza and Lulu waved goodbye and watched her go past the classroom windows. They were looking forward to their first overnight stay in the classroom.