Two schools closed due to weather conditions
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (341903)
Rockingham, Australia
February 15, 2024 8:00pm CST
The photo is of a butcher bird, one of many species which inhabit the area I’m about to talk about.
Most mornings I check the fire and emergency site for Western Australia. Today, two schools have been closed due to heatwave conditions. This is quite unusual really. Maybe they are expecting thunderstorms which are often the cause of bushfires. The schools involved are Ravensthorpe and Jerramungup.
We used to live in Ravensthorpe which is quite an isolated town in the south-east of Western Australia and about half an hour from the coast. School children would travel quite some distance to the school. The odd thing is that the closure was posted on the site around 8am but which time all the bus children would be on their way to school. Hopefully, the parents were notified well beforehand.
It's interesting that the American schools have 'snow days' while ours have 'heat days'.
15 people like this
15 responses
@RebeccasFarm (90339)
• Arvada, Colorado
17 Feb
@JudyEv It is something they do here too the snow you know..we never got days off..we had to plod through it as kids..
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341903)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Feb
@RebeccasFarm In summer, our school-bus would fill up with dust and in the winter it leaked. 
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341903)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Feb
Really? Bomb scares during maths lessons? Sorry but I have to laugh.
@dgobucks226 (35726)
•
17 Feb
I guess the main thing for the kids whether it be snow or heat they get the day off from school. 
P.S.- What a cool looking bird with terrific colors. So vivid, like our Cardinals and Blue Jays. Is it a common bird there?
P.S.- What a cool looking bird with terrific colors. So vivid, like our Cardinals and Blue Jays. Is it a common bird there?1 person likes this
Thanks for the share!
@GardenGerty (160935)
• United States
17 Feb
When we close schools it is on the television, radio, web site, and auto dialed by phone and an automatic text. When my son was in middle school it was the one building that did not have air conditioning. If the temperature reached 85 F by 11:00 a.m. school was dismissed at 1:00 p.m. That was the year they got air conditioning installed. To make up for the lost half days they added fifteen minutes per day on the end of the schedule.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341903)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Feb
I'm sure they made every effort to contact everybody. It must be a logistical nightmare sometimes.
@ptrikha_2 (47066)
• India
16 Feb
Here, Schools are closed earlier due to extreme heat or cold conditions in May/June or December/January.
Sometimes, schools switch to online mode for a few days, although it is not that easy to do at times.
It happens for a few days during the rainy season.
It won't be a happy situation if children have reached school in a bus and then they have to immediately go back.
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (47066)
• India
17 Feb
@JudyEv
Yes and some misses are bound to be there.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (71660)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
16 Feb
Depending on where you live in the U.S. our "days" very. In the northern states, it's snow days. In the east and south it's Hurricane days.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (71660)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
16 Feb
@JudyEv Trust me, they aren't a whole lot of fun. Unless nothing happens.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341903)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Feb
Yes but I think the worry would be that, if there was a bushfire, the buses wouldn't be able to get the kids home. It seemed a bit strange to me and very unusual. I haven't heard of it happening before.
@wolfgirl569 (108000)
• Marion, Ohio
16 Feb
Some schools that have a lot of kids that walk to school will cancel when it is extremely hot. My area it is because of snow or flooded roads
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (181433)
• United States
16 Feb
Last year schools here had heat days during the record-breaking heatwave. We never had heat days when I went to school...and we didn't have air conditioning. I'm sure it's much hotter in Australia. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@Beestring (14683)
• Hong Kong
16 Feb
Here, schools closed when there is very heavy rain or typhoon. But not on 'heat days'.
The butcher bird is beautiful.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (341903)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Feb
We all have our weather challenges, don't we? I'm glad you like the butcher bird. He has a very beautiful song.
