The time is coming...

[~~Snoogans~~]

I am looking up Schools for Miss H to attend next year.

Prep.

Gah.

My baby gone for most of the day....

Someone else looking after her!

It's somewhat freaking me out a lil ... I feel like I'm in a daze to be honest! Have been putting this off a bit...

however!

I have just booked in an interview for Thursday afternoon at the local Primary School. To meet the Principal, see the classrooms etc...

So ladies, what the heck should I ask? look for? etc... I must admit, I'm feeling a bit out of my depth here...I really don't want to stuff up ! put her in the *wrong* school environment etc (hope I am making sense!)...

So, PLEASE, hit me with questions....or things I should look at while there...

TIA

[RhiChiChi]

Awww, my little DD goes to prep next year too.... I chose the school for religious reasons & the size of the school (small) and also b/c the local primary schools had mixed reputations. I don't know what to ask for but I think when you go meet the principal and see the teachers and kids you'll get a good feel for what it is like. You might want to ask if they have a propectus on the school, what their numeracy & literacy teaching is like, bullying policy....

[Lana]

As it is Education week this week a lot of schools are doing open days and tours. I would recommend you have a look at a few schools which will give you an indication of what different schools are offering and what sort of values they have and then you will get a gut feel about the best place for your child. Think about what is important to you do they have small classes?, space to play? music? sport? art? languages? how is technology used, is it integrated into classrooms or a lab for 30 mins a week? As you see a few schools you work out what is important for you in the educational experience and what sort of questions you should be asking. Then you can go back to the original school and ask those questions.

I have looked for a school that is about developing the whole child not only academically but socially and emotionally. Some schools seem to be so focused on achievement and curriculum and the development of other areas of the child seem to be secondary. Also important to me is a school that has well being policies and are strong on inclusiveness and anti-bullying.

Talk to parents at kinder with kids already at schools in the area.

Obviously until they start there it will be hard to know if you got the choice right but you will definitely get a feel for different options if you visit a few schools.

[sangie]

We are looking at schools too at the moment, my DD will be starting prep next year too.

I think definitely look at a few as then you get a sense of how the schools feel. Take note of how the kids seem (are they happy/engaged? Does it feel like a nice place to be?).

Questions I have asked relate to class sizes, teacher retention rates, any play-based or inquiry based learning, specialist teachers for music/PE/performing arts, language program, intervention programmes for kids who may be strugglilng a little, green/recycling programme, anti-bullying and inclusive programmes, facilities (library, computers, art room etc) and how often they use these. Also which secondary schools do lots of the kids go to?

Good luck! Although the danger of looking at too many is that you might end up with more than one that you like. This is my problem right now lol!

[~~Snoogans~~]

Thanks girls

Am going to write what you both said down! And ask the principal on Thursday...

Rhi, are you freaking out as well? I am so nervous!

Small school is what I want as well, as I went to a farm school back in Tassie! From grade 3 right through to year 10! And basically with about 80% of the same kids I started with hehehe

Lana - Thanks for what you said as well! I read both replies out to hubby (who is home with the horrid man flu!) ... and he was appreciative as well

gah .... I'm tearing up at the thought of my baby going to schooooool

I = pathetic :|

[Mother Goose]

My DD started Prep this year and we didn't ask too many questions - we did a lot of behind the scenes research, talking to parents etc. Questions I asked the school included:

What's the policy on bullying
Do you have a reading recovery program?
What specialist teachers are avail to the kids and how/when do they access them (ie art, library, PE. One school I looked at only had an art teacher and the library was only open 3 days a week).
Is there a no nuts policy?
Is the school a Healthy Eating School (this is a specific program in Vic and restricts what the Canteen can sell) and what's for sale to the kids in the canteen?
Do you have a school nurse?
Do you have a First Aid room?
Do you have before/after school program? (essential for our family)
How many children in each class?

We also observed DD's interaction with the Principal, the teachers, the grounds. One school we went to she told the Principal she hated the school. Another we had to drag her out of! We also watched the kids in the classrooms we visited. We didn't attend a formal open day but made an appointment for a private tour. This meant we got to see teachers and kids in a more "natural" state as opposed to "have to be on our best behavior today" state. The kids were all really happy. I have to say that I've never seen an unhappy kid at our school. And they are all very friendly children.

Good luck - it's a hard decision to make!

[RhiChiChi]

Nah, I'm not worried about my DD going to school, she'll be fine! I'm looking forward to her going so she can start learning different things to what she has for the past nearly 5 years! I will be a little nervous for her at the start but I won't make a fuss in front of her - maybe when I get home I'll have a cry ;P

[No.5]

GL choosing a school Nikky. We've just done it for DS who starts prep next year too. We enrolled him in pre-prep which is one day a week at the school so we can get a feel for it and see if he liked it. He loves it, wants to go every day! One of my friend's daughters started prep there this year which helps too.

[Mother Goose]

I thought the library was too. But I was wrong! Mind you, it was a very small school. We enrolled DD in a medium size school (about 430 kids) which has an art teacher, full time librarian, full time PE teacher, music teacher, an Italian Teacher, a part time reading recovery teacher. All on top of the class staff. Our Canteen is only open 3 days a week and has healthy food on the menu (you can buy pies but they are "lite").

[~~Snoogans~~]

Thanks Schonell

I'm really hoping we like this lil school, as it's smaller than a couple of others we will be looking at. Is at the end of a quiet street in a cul-de-sac and we can walk to it!

I have no doubt Miss H is not going to want to come home....EVER! she loves Kindergarten....cept she keeps asking *When do we actually start learning mum*...

[mrscricket]

Nikky, we've started looking at school for DS too. I didn't think I'd feel this devastated. I can't believe he won't be home 5 days a week! I miss him when he is kinder lol. We'd always planned to send DS to a local school which is quite large, because his cousins go there and love it. But since he has started kinder, I've realised he is very, very social but gets overwhealmed in large groups so we are now also considering a small rural school about 20 minutes away. I've got appointments at both schools in the next few weeks to look around so this thread is great! I would of never considered to ask half the questions that MG suggested.

[black_rose]

We are in the middle of deciding too, my baby girl is so grown up!

I will have to drive wherever we decided so that wasn't a big factor. We aren't religious and don't want a religious school so that quickly knocked out the private school.

Are you interested in music, performing arts or sports as all schools are different. My girls dance and are showing an interest in music and st one of the schools you have to pay extra for music lessons.

Make sure the principal and teachers are approachable, and are you happy with the classrooms and technology?

[~~Snoogans~~]

So,

we are off to interview a Principal of one of the schools down the road....

I have printed out the questions you lovely ladies have suggested and I shall be asking her ALL of them!! hehe

MrsCricket - I'm devastated as well....although the way she has behaving lately...lol

oh boy...I'm getting nervous!

[Beach Mama]

We are heading to the open night at our local school tonight too. I'm a teacher and am finding it hard to choose when it comes to my child! Happy to give others advice though I will be looking st social skills, what specialist program's they have, how they deal with bullying, how up to date their ICT resources are, if their prep focus is play based/ I quiet based or very academic, and after all that gut instinct!

[Beach Mama]

Double 5 hrs later - silly phone!

[~~Snoogans~~]

Double 5 hrs later - silly phone!

lol say what now???

[~~Snoogans~~]

The principal was nice.

Answered the questions I asked (thanks girls!) well.

Showed interest in us, as a family. Asked a few things about Miss H. All, I guess, the usual things a principal would do?

The school was small, which I LOVE!

But...

Am I a snob??

The classrooms were really messy. You cld barely see the desks for crap piled everywhere. The floors had stuff EVERYWHERE!
Now I understand that there would be some mess due to having class rooms full of kids! but, it just seem excessive..

The sick room (for want of a better description) had a bed in it, with the covers half hanging on the floor and half on the bed. There were boxes piled haphazardly in the corners and some had fallen across the floor.

The teachers, well, they seemed to be going through the motions. The prep teacher, again I could be expecting too much, But she looked like she had just rolled out of bed. Her hair looked as if it hadn't seen a brush in at least a week, and her clothes, well they were really *sloppy, daggy, creased* ?

I'm only going on what I remember from my teachers, and they were always dressed well. While not in designer gear, they were still dressed in things that were clean and ironed.

arghhhhhhhhhhhh I am coming across as a real snob! and yet, I'm really not....I don't think.

Gah, typing this out I know I am probably going to get people thinking I am...but I really just don't know what I should be expecting in the public school system in the year 2012!

[Beach Mama]

Double post haha my phone posted the same post again a few hours later - sort I wasn't very clear!!

As for the school hun - was it an open night or just a normal day?? I don't think any of the things you have mentioned are the norm? I mean, we can wear jeans for e.g. at our school but it would always be neat with a blazer, nice top, heeled boots or ballet flats etc? and our Prin talks from time to time about presentation even though most people dress really nicely all the time anyway. Blabbering on but as for the rooms, schools can be cluttered places with lots of resources but it sounds like they have no system for storing items. I would be put off as well hun and be looking at other options TBH but that's just me!! Could be a great school and how they dress and keep the rooms although not a true reflection, do show some sense of how much pride they have in the place and themselves itms = how small is small??