School Days

We have entered the third week of school in Australia for the girls. There have been relatively few incidents (other than falls, wasp stings and hurt feelings) so I consider the past 2 weeks a good accomplishment. The school is an easy 30 second walk down the street so I only drive on rainy days (hahahahhaha).

All school kids in Australia (public and private) wear uniforms to school. As a parent, I have to say that this is the best thing ever!! No arguments in the morning, no rushes to wear the right shirt with the right skirt. It's good old brown and gold! Yep - brown with a bright yellow polo shirt or the plaid brown dress. At first they sound horrific, but honestly, when you go to the school and find a wave of kids all wearing the same colors, it's not so bad. In term 1 (Jan - Mar) and 4 ( Oct - Dec) a hat is a requirement. The sun is incredibly hot during these summer months so if you are caught NOT wearing a hat outside you are sent to sit in the shade. I walk to the school to pick up the girls and every child is wearing a hat. It's funny to see.

The uniforms

The school is made up of a bunch of buildings on one lot. The office and some classrooms are in one building. The toilets (that's Aussie speak for bathrooms) are in another building. The gym is separated from all the other buildings and then there are 2 rows of portables. There are 3 separate playgrounds which a trusty source (thanks Kennedy) told me are separated for different age groups. All the buildings are centered around the basketball courts, which is huge with the kids at the school. During sports (PE) they are also used for cricket. Kindergarten, which they call Prep, is an all day thing here so Rhiannon goes to school from 9 til 3:30 with the other girls.

The girls all love their teachers. I have met them all and I can honestly say that they are really nice. Alex's teacher Miss Rickard is a total "ice" hockey fanatic. She cheers for the Oilers and the Phlegms, er, Flames. That was an interesting conversation. We set her straight. Kennedy's teacher, Miss Marshall is young and hip and has a bright red streak down one side of her otherwise dark hair. Rhiannon's teacher, Mrs Attard is fun and down to earth. She has the patience of a saint and always has a smille on her face.

Rhiannon with Mrs. Attard

What I find interesting is that there are different teachers for all the subjects outside the basic curricuulum. Frau May teaches them German, Miss Nells teaches them sports and Mrs. Johnson teaches them art. Can you imagine the budget that goes into that! I don't think that would be possible in a Canadian elementary school.

The first day of school was a tough one. Alex was tearful, which of course made it really difficult for her mother to keep a dry eye. Her teacher was fabulous and just took her by the hand and said "I'll look after her". She has met some new friends, so things are a little easier now. She has taken to talking with an accent though. I don't have the heart to tell her that she sounds more British than Aussie. Kennedy, in her typical fashion, had a best friend 5 minutes after we got to the school and they have been inseparable ever since. Now we are trying to map out play dates, birthday parties and overseas visits (ha!). Rhiannon goes about her day also with her typical attitude. She remembers nobody's name, has no clue what she did all day but when I ask, has had the best day ever!

I wasn't really worried about the school thing when we got here. I figured that once the girls had a routine they would feel more settled. It seems like they have settled in nicely, the other kids like talking to them so that they can hear the girls accents. They are getting tired of explaining that they are not American though. All in all it has been an easy transition. The school, teachers, and kids are all great. They have made the change easy for the girls. I think that they will remember this forever and, I hope, have some good friends for that long too.

At the school. Kennedy's classroom is behind the girls.

The car in the photo is parked at the school. I'm standing in our driveway. could it get any better?