Neue Stifte, neues Maeppchen: new German school thread

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Am starting in positive manner as we're 7 weeks into the new school year and all 3 of mine are settled and happy.
Well, d won't be if she does have head lice and has to stay off because she loves school so much.
S1 is in the second year of secondary & still thriving. Is class prefect for the first time which was a great ego boost.
S2 is in Y4 & has been doing better in class but his test results are still lousy (unfortunate choice of phrase if we are lice-ridden) and his teacher is convinced it's the language issue. He's trying harder which is a good sign. He lost the prefect election by 1 vote to his best friend and was chuffed to bits to be his "deputy" and that so many voted for him.

Had forgotten how wonderful the "erste Klasse" is.

I think in the IS he'd have 2 more years in the lower school., then 3 years in middle, then upper school, so it's quite different. But we just can't afford it. the reason to swith now also is for a years taste of the system before we have to really commit. if it really doesn't work out, we can still move back to UK with minimal disruption.

I spoke to and American mum who came over and put her 11 year old (not a word of German) in german school, gymnasium I presume. She, both mother & dd seem v. happy. I have made an appointment with a woman at the Munich Internationales Bildungsberatungzentrum. I spoke briefly and she was very nice & positive and hopefully can give us lots of help & advice. Apparently the can have 'guest status' in the school for 6 months possible extended to a year, never heard of it, so will wait to see what she says and also to try and have proper convo with american mum.

I'm making a list of concerns/points for discussion, so all the things you've raised are on the list & very helpful, thanks.

Also good to know I must really pull my finger out and improve my own german - would the kid's homework help with that (crap at ending etc, the swiss just didn't bother!)

I know I can't speak for what it'll be like in the south of UK but I compared the work that my niece is doing and she is in the top level of her class and ds could easily do it now even though she's 2 years ahead of him. That's at a good school but the national curriculum is set for the whole of UK. They don't seem to push the dc to their limits like here and the SATS are OK as they aren't tests that the dc have to worry about revising for or bringing home to be signed by the parents - they are at the end of the year to evaluate the school and teachers really so not the same stress that all the German school testing causes.

You could try and order some books to practise the work - it's not too difficult. I bought ds a book for maths and English (KS2 is up to age 10-11 and KS3 is the next level)and he enjoys doing it just a half hour each day is enough.

If you stay you will have to get a tutor to check German homework atleast, if the dc are good at maths they should be OK without a tutor until year 7 depending how good your maths is! I can just about follow ds's maths and help hime for year 5 and 6 (we have the book from Gymnasium) but I was crap at maths so will struggle after year 7

as admylin says the whole testing mania has a different purpose. In the UK the testing is for the govt to assess the school and provides in part the basis for school reports that dp can use to gauge the performance of a school.

In Germany, the testing follows the teaching of a particular unit wihin the curriculum. So after a topic is introduced and worked on , the dc have to sit a test on it. At the end of the school year the average from the yearly testing is the basis of the grade they will be given for that subject.

So my friend whose dd is in year 1 Gymnasium says her dd had 12 tests at the end of last year for instance. Each of which counts so that is a lot of testing and a lot of swotting. In a way the logic behind it is to try to have some means of grading a pupil which is not determined by whether a teacher happens to like them or judge them in a particular manner. If it is all down to tests, it may seem fairer IYSWIM. Also the dc are being tested on what they have just covered and learnt. Therefore in theory, they will swot for those tests and thus better retain what they should have learnt before moving on to the next topic.

This system is stressful on the dc in the years where the yearly grade is used as an assessment tool to judge what type of secondary school they are capable of sucessfully completing. So in Bavaria I think this would be year 4, the grade will determine whether the school recommends they attend a Haupt-, Realschule or Gymnasium. The first half year in secondary counts as a trial period so the same stress applies to the dc. They must achieve a grade which permits them to stay in that school and not be moved down to a lower achieving school type. AFAIK once that is behind you, you stay in the school even if your grades are not brilliant but there is generally no gliding through school and mad panic at the end to pass the exams after all.

I suppose the positive side to this is that a dc is kept on their toes through-out the year and through-out their school-life so when big exam time comes, they are not suddenly having to swot for the first time ever and finding they have huge gaps to fill. The negative side is that they can be made to feel like failures very early on in life if they are unlucky.

Well, some interesting points for sure. To be honest, some things do concern me a lot, but some things appeal or seem to make more sense. Having to be organised, disciplined, school stress don't appeal. But more challenging work and selection do appeal. Like I said, ds2 esp was doing harder stuff in CH last year. He's totally unterfordert in IS, I think both ds1 & 2 would really benefit from more difficult work. A concern about English comprehensives (and their ££££££ IS) is that it caters for the middle of the class, and also a lot for the bottom, but the brighter kids just aren't being challenged at all, well ds isn't that's for sure. Admylin, you said "I compared the work that my niece is doing and she is in the top level of her class and ds could easily do it now even though she's 2 years ahead of him." - that tbh concerns me a lot, unless he went through hell to get there, but don't you see the next 2 or 3 years being really boring for your ds, if the kids in 2 classes ahead are doing stuff he can easily manage? Is he not just going to be bored silly? Still, I guess with adapting to working in english, that will keep him busy for a while.

Another plus for D over E - the flexibility of the year groups. Here I can keep ds in the year group best suited to him, whereas we had to rule Kent out completely as they were totally unwilling to even contemplate allowing him to stay in the current year group.

mind you, the depressing scary strictness is a concern, so while I might see positives now, I might be eating my words in a few months.

Hi ernest, I forgot to say that the school ds will attend have a gifted and talented section and they do look after the top stream too. When the other dc are learning German, ds will be able to go into another class and he'll be able to sit his German GCSE in year 7 if he wants. That's alot more flexible than the Gymnasium getting him to sit through English and being bored and told to speak like the teacher even though he knows better!

yes, I agree, that is stupid. In ch, ds didn't have to sit in english lessons.

Can any of you help me with a couple of letters for school? I have told the teacher at ds's school that he will be leaving probably in May and he said we have to cancel the contract with the music school and with the head teacher for the trumpet lessons and the instrument. So 2 letters for that. What is the correct wording again? It has to be official but I haven't got an exact date so would ungefähr Ende Mai sound OK?

Liebe Schule

wir sind weg fahren, um dass die Kinder eine bessere Schule in England besuchen kann. Gott sei dank.

mit freundlichen Grüßen
admylin

Lol, I so want to write somethng like that! Glad we'll be out of it all soon.

How about this sort of thing:
Sehr geehrte Frau E. Wir verlassen Deutschland am Ende Mai und mussen den Vertrag mit Ohnen bezüglich Instrumenten ausleihen kündigen. Ich werde einen Rückgabe Termin mit ds's Lehrer vereinbaren sobald ich ein genaure Datum kenne und verbleieb mit freundlichen Grüße,A.

Sehr geehrte Musilschule,
wir verlassen Deutschland am Ende Mai und möchten den Vertrag für Musikunterricht am Schillerschule kündigen. Sagen Sie uns bitte Bescheid wie viel wir noch an Gebühren bezahlen müssen.Danke im voraus, mfG, L.

Could do with correcting and both sound wrong but I can't do any better.

You would so love to write that wouldn't you NN?

Admylin, they are understandable when you correct the odd spelling mistake, I wouldn't worry too much. They just need something written for the records, that's all. You can follow it up with a phone call or hand them in personally and clear the whole thing up then.

I would just give them a definite cancellation date though, otherwise it is too vague to be much use to them. Say : ich möchte den Vertrag bis zum 31.5.2009 kündigen.

Actually that's a good idea isn't it, if I write 31.5.09 then I can just keep the dc at home even if we haven't left by then and if we do leave before then we'll just hand in his trumpet and go. I'll write it like that then. My mind is all confused, where do I start, how quick can I be away (sooner the better really) and have I forgotten anything.

what is to stop you just packing a case and going tomorrow? OK, having a mad week packing boxes and going next week. If dh is still there, it's not like it matters if it turns out you forgot 1 thing. IME jobs expand to fit the amount of time available.

Just decide when you want to go and go then. all can be sorted. can we help?

I know ernest, it should be like that but h is so not on this planet, he would end up getting Sperrmüll and throwing most things and I think the dc need to have the option to keep the most precious of their memories and toys and books (done books today, phew!) but dd is one of those hoarders and she goes all flushed and stressed when we sort out. We managed one big bin bag of stuff today to go but when you look in her room it has piles and boxes and 'things' every where.

Yes, please help me keep my head straight and tell me what to do next if I can't think. I'm so ready to get out of here, usualy when I come back from UK, although I don't like Germany, I usually atleast like to be back in my own 4 walls but this time, I wasn't at all, no feelings and it didn't even 'smell' like home (do you all know what I mean by that?) but my books - sob, should I realyl get rid of them all?

can't your books be stored inthe cellar of dh's new flat and moved over gradually with time or indeed when he moves at a later date. Your BIL could go across more than once if need be.

OK, so infact I should bring all the boxes up from the cellar and just start sorting the best ones into them and see how many I get in? See what I mean about my brain being in Energie spar modus, I can't think straight.

Just been sitting thinking about what Ernest said, most people can rely on their partner to help but I can't rely on any help from anywhere so that makes me put pressure on myself then I get stressed when I shouldn't be.

I think you have to do what the Germans call "erstmal ankommen". Just take a day to unwind a bit and then get into things. Like take tomorrow when dh is at work and the kids at school and spend a day relaxing. Then Tuesday get cracking on it all.

Agree, Monday just make a few lists and decisions, plan your escape then relax and recuperate. Tuesday get cracking.

How is your move going to work? Are you gettting a removal van and bringing say half your stuff, given dh still needs stuff here? Or is most of it staying or going into storage? Are you wanting to bring all kids stuff or leaving some for visits? Will you ever visit, or will you never cross the border again?

How much can or will the kids help?Dou you want to put your lists and time plan up here for our help?

Gab - how did your mum's birthday go?

Well, dc back at school. Dd seemed quite happy, looking forward to seeing her friends and handing out a couple of pressies from UK. Ds abit fed up but I sent him in with his note to say he was late back becaus ehe was enrolling at his new British school (he missed two days)

If he really can't bear it I'll tell them he's going next week and let him stay home and work on his English school books that I bought him to practise.

if you take him out, you may also have to register him as having left Germany already at the wherever-it-is-you-go - Rathaus or Bürgeramt or whatever it is.

ca you lot help me mull over the when should I move them conundrum?

Hd planned to do it at end of year/start of new, ie finish school year at IS, start in September at local school.

Hmmm

school ends at IS 26th June, starts locally 14th September, giving them 11 or so weeks off. Concern is they'll have so long lying around they'll be bored, get scared of new school, get big shock when they have to suddenly work had.

But ds1 due to have 1st residential trip with IS in May. He'd probably e disappointed to miss (tho ds2 will be jealous he doesn't get it at all).

Have thought maybe they can do a month in German school after IS finishes, but then they might have 4 shit weeks and not want to go in September. If they make friends tell not see them over the summer anyway, as we'll be away for most of it.

hmm what to do?

think I would probably leave it till the beginning of the new school year because it would be quite difficult to join an established group so late in the year and they will just be winding up so may not be doing much of anything in class really. They will also be with teachers for such a short time and then have to change after the break.

Can you sign them up for some summer workshops to break up the long holiday?

What are you going to do if they go to the new school for those 4 weeks and say they hate it?

It might be an idea to use that time to get the boys to learn German cursive handwriting which will be requisite. You need to check with the school which form of Schreibschrift they use, they can recommend a book to you.

At school they will have to do dictations so if you wanted to (ha ha), you could even get a small book on those relevant for their age group and do 1 a day. In all maybe half an hour a day, i wouldn't overdo it but might make the transition a bit easier on them (and therefore also on you).

Thinking about it , might be a good idea to sign them up for the last few weeks at their new schools as they usually do alot of day trips to parks, forest, outings, swimming trips etc in those last few weeks, sommerfest might even be on then they can get to know some of the neighbourhood dc maybe and make the rest of your summer holiday more bearable for you.

The teachers might have a bit more tim efor them than at the beginning of term as they usually have stress over new timetables and getting the class sorted at the start in September.

It's just that 11 weeks sounds a long long time to have all of them at home under your feet.

that's a good point admylin

Suppose my own impression of German schools was quite negative, so I'm thinking postpone it as long as possible! But doing some trips and the pressure being off at the end of the year (if that was the case, can't remember) might be to your advantage ernest