Why the change of heart Ginger? You were so set on that school, if I remember rightly there's a whole thread where you raved about it?!
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Why the change of heart Ginger? You were so set on that school, if I remember rightly there's a whole thread where you raved about it?!
oohhh G, I LOVE the idea of outsourcing...especially when there is spit roast and salad! oh gosh, i want some roast lamb right now lol!
What reason did DH give for the change of mind??
it is a lovely school, there's nothing wrong with it...
dh just wants the kids to go through from p-12 at the one school- rather than having to be split from their friends at the end of year 6. it sort of seems kinder to do the split now.
there are other reasons too of course- it is a lot more convenient to my work for when i go back
to be the devil's advocate though...many of the kids would be split at the later stage no? and i would think that many would probably head for the same highschool?
you're right- they do all head to the same high school, but the problem is that it's not the one our boys will be going to.
i am going through a lot of turmoil over all this at the moment. can't sleep. why do these decisions have to be so hard.
can u guys help me if i tell you more?
I know that I will try to help you in my best way to nut out a solution :hug: i can't imagine having this stress so close to the end of year ITMS. Do you actually have time to change enrolment?
Fire away Ginger. Sometimes just putting it down in writing helps make the issue clearer, kwim? It is a big decision.
BTW spit roast etc sounds awesome!!
Allow me to add, sometimes it's a good thing when they all split up and go to different schools. Even though H went to the feeder high school for her primary school, a lot of the kids got sent to other places. There's a lot of social mobility in years 8-10 so not a bad thing for them to be mixing with other (new) kids. I still have really strong friendships with people i met in high school, we've been friends for so long that sometimes I forget we weren't at primary school with each other. And having to reassess your high school plans when they get to grade 5ish is good because you have a better idea of their strengths and which school will meet those. Just my 2 cents without knowing any of the other back story. :hug:
thanks guys :)
yes we have time to change the enrolment. have an interview at the new school on thursday and can get him in (he is number 21). they dont start any transition or info nights or anything until term 4 so we havent missed anything. just in the nick of time really.
ok, so school 1 is the local public primary. the facts are:
-cannot walk there, but about a 6 minute drive
-all his friends from kinder going there- also knows older kids going there. his 2 besties going there
-lovely school with good community links etc.
-wasnt overly impressed with the grounds, use of technology etc. but i guess thats normal in a public school?
-in an extreme bushfire danger area with huge mountain ash trees overhanging.
-20 mins drive from my work
-if there was a bushfire, the one road in would be closed and i would not be able to get to them.
- the feeder high school has a terrible reputation
school 2- private school. runs from kinder to year 12.
-10 mins drive from my house
-10 mins drive from my work
- is known as a alternative type of private school, the steiner of privates itms?
-a few of my friends went there for high school and absolutely loved it. has a great rep
-facilities are wonderful. on 32 acres of natural bush. perfect for boys. even has its own vineyard and runs a viticulture course!
-is extremely hard to get into at year 7 level
-if you are already in the primary school, you are guaranteed a place at year 7 so it would eliminate this worry
-he only has one friend there, she is in the year above (currently in prep) so would be in the same area. other than this, he would know no one.
- there is a bus that goes past our house for when they are at high school
-not in a bushfire zone. in the case of a fire i would be able to get there
what would you do?
also must add that i think part of dh's main push has been that he has some concerns about J and feels that J would be better suited to school 2's environment. L would do fine anywhere.
I agree with how hard it is G :hug: I can see your DH's point. Even though it's L starting now, you do also have to think about J and what his needs will be - it wont be that much longer and he will be at school too. The second school sounds lovely though and was that going to be the highschool you wanted them to go to anyway? The technology thing is really hit and miss from school to school - not only depends on if the school has it or not, but also if the teachers are prepared to use it. I know teachers who are really into it and use their smartboards all the time, and I know others who barely use it because they just aren't that interested technology kwim? But there is no 'better' way to teach and a teacher who doesn't touch the smartboard can be just as in-tune and just as effective as a teacher who does use it. Plus sometimes it's good to not use technology all the time and become reliant on it because they do stuff up and they do take ages to fix. I've just finished prac and not once in that whole time did the smartboard work - the problem was logged to be fixed two weeks before I got there and still isn't fixed. So that's a long time to be without it if you use it heavily in your lessons. Anyway I digress. I also understand what you mean about friends. When the first three went through preschool, all their best friends that they had all went to the catholic school and ours went to the public school. And they all had no trouble making new friends. L is going to be the same. He's a gorgeous boy with an awesome personality so I can guarantee he will come home on day one with new friends. Plus you said he hasn't missed the orientation days so there will be ample opportunity for him to start making friends during that period. And then all the other stuff does make sense. You want it to be easier for you, not harder and this school does sound like it will be easier for you to get them to and from especially once you start working yourself.
G, it is a really hard decision. I think made harder by the fact there is no right or wrong answer, just different choices. Without a crystal ball it is hard to see which is going to be best in the long run. If L will do alright at either and J would do better at the second then I would go for the second. L doesn't seem like a kid that would have any problems making new friends so it would only be an issue for the first couple of weeks then he will have a new bunch of besties.
Happy Birthday to Elisabeth, Katie and Noah!!
MD, the talking hampster has been pushed aside because A only wants to play with E's presents (and E prefers some of A's). A whole lot of scrapping going on here!
The big news around here is LAMBS!! So exciting! We picked them up yesterday. W has named his one Woofstin (he thought long and hard about the name and is quite happy with it!). A has named her one Boy. Trill, you are my go-to person for dumb lamb related questions now :) DH fed them double because they still looked hungry but they seem alright. (Ignore this Trill lol) They looked cold this morning and were shivering so I made them little jackets lol.
A couple more questions - can you catch anything from lambs? Like, just as an example, if your baby happened to drink out of the sucked on bottle while you weren't watching, could she get anything? And one of them has weepy gungy eyes - can we get bung eye from it?
G: option 2 would probably be a winner in our house...like Trill has mentioned, if L would be ok anywhere, but J would be better suited to the steiner, then i would be inclined to go with what J will need ITMS.
Does this steiner have good mentors? do you know any kids that have gone through? Do the costs freak you out?
Arte: awwww you have widdle wambs!!!!!!!
AFM: totally shagged baby. made bucketloads of cupcakes, a cake, party decorations, buttered the bread all ready for tomorrow and I tell you what i can barely keep my eyes open lol. unfortunately i was going to go the easy option on the cake and use marzipan instead of fondent...big mistake...tastes like crap :ROFL: so ended up chucking it all out and wasted a whole lot of white chocolate sourcream ganache :wall: now the icing job is really poor, but i figure there is enough sugar and colourant in it to keep the kids amused lol.
thanks for all your advice everyone. i do really appreciate it.
i guess i'll see how i feel after thursday. i should say here that it is not an actual steiner school. it is just not as conservative as some of the other privates so has a rep of being kind of alternative.
yes the costs totally freak us out, but with me going back to work in 2 years time it will definitely help. we are 100% on no more kids so this really helps the decision too.
hope youre having fun today cass!!!
Cass, they kids wont care what the cake looks like - but I'm sure it's not as bad as you're saying it is :lol: You're probably in the thick of things now though?
Arte, they wont get anything from the lambs like a mucky eye, but worms would be one thing to be careful of. Just make sure the bottles stay out of reach and that the kids wash their hands after feeding them etc and they should be fine. Keep an eye on the weepy eyes though in case it turns into pink eye, which is basically just conjunctivitis in sheep. you'll know if it gets that bad because their eye will get milky.
ETA - G, make sure your Dh goes with you on thursday if he can - he is the one pushing for the change and I think it's only fair that he goes with you so you can both be absolutely certain this is what you want. Don't worry about the fees - they are payable each term and sometimes they will let you pay weekly - I know our local catholic school does weekly payments.
Hello girls!
G: let us know how the meeting goes on thursday! You'll feel a vibe straightaway and no doubt that will be the factor tipping a decision either way IYKWIM. I am all for alternative schools, it was the reason that the girls are going where they are going as it was as off the beaten path that we could find (and afford). there is a gorgeous school that only has a handful of kids but it is $12k a year :( we just cant do that for 3 little munchkins lol.
Trill: you are so right! the kids LOVED the cake hahaha! i heard a number of them say that it was the BEST cake they had ever seen...i'm guessing that day hahahaha
AFM: well the Partay went really awesomely! :dance: 21 kids...
pin the wings on the dragon was a big hit as was (literally!) the pinata lol. i used sooo much persian fairy floss for all the cloud themed cakes and cupcakes it wasnt funny! but all was eaten...including the bowl of apples and bananas (see, some healthy stuff stowed away in there hahaha).
Well done Cass! Sounds like you pulled off the 5 year old party of the year!
Thanks Trill :) Looks like we might be up for a dose of worm treatment after the lambs are grown lol.
Tantrumville here. But I think that I have made the right call about starting school next year. I found a note in his bag the other day saying 'I love to go to kende [kindy] ok mum'. I doubt I would have been finding notes about loving school. He is also just getting his head around being 5, it seems to be a big adjustment for him.
will definitely let you know how it goes on thurs
congrats on the party cass. tell us more about pin the wings on the dragon. sounds great!!!
arte- awesome that you have made the right decision for him. this decision making thing is so damn hard!!!! i just dont know which way to turn sometimes
G: haha, nothing too exciting with the dragon...i drew a dragon on some butchers paper, unleashed the girls on it with some paint and voila! we had a dragon! then i cut some red cardboard for the wings for the kids to stick on (ala pin the tail on the donkey). IT WAS HILARIOUS watching them trying to find the right spot :rofl:
Arte: oh we have to swap tantrum stories hahaha. Miss M is really pulling off some beauties lately...Miss L has NOTHING on her.