First day of school in Australia. How was it for you?

[savoycabbage]

We have been in Melbourne for a month now. My dd is 5 and she started at school in prep yesterday. My dh had seen the school before the holidays but I hadn't as the dc and I didn't get to Australia until after Christmas. We went in last week to meet the teacher and look around but the classroom wasn't set up.

When I took her into the classroom yesterday for the first day I found it all very uninspiring and I was just wondering what other people's experiences of Prep and Kindy were.

There was no role play area, like a home corner or a shop or dressing up. There was no painting or play-doh. No sand or water. No crafty activity. The only books that I could see for the children to access were on the teacher's chair.

There was threading, drawing, fuzzy felt, a big puzzle and Mr Potato head.

This morning there was, a train set, alphabet lacing, drawing and number snap cards.

We are having out parent/teacher meeting tomorrow and I don't really know what to say or think as I don't know if this is the norm or not. We were told that there is a focus on play in prep but to me there didn't seem to be much to play with!

I can't get any information out of my dd either about what she has done.

If it's anything like South Africa when they start school in grade 1 it is proper school not like reception/yr 1 in the UK. They are given morning tasks when they get in and can choose then get on with. It is very different from UK schooling - more formal as they tend to start school later than the UK.

I think it depends on what Prep is meant to be. From memory it is different to prep in queensland which is very much play based and we still had home corner and all sorts of different play areas.

It sounds more like our grade one where dd1 does different activities each morning - colouring in, today was playdough at their desk or puzzles on the floor waiting for others to arrive prior to school.

It may be that those activities are just for students to do whilst waiting for the whole class to arrive. We have a 15 minute window from 8.30 when children can go into the classroom to 8.45 when school starts properly. They do activities etc in that time.

Play based learning is a lot different to play as we would understand from kindergarten and play. It can be very directed and with specific outcomes.

Ds is five and started school last year in Kiwi year 1.

They play with lego etc. from arriving at school until the start of the school day - to my knowledge there is then no play activities (unless you count having a large sandpit at lunchtime).

My ds started prep last Tuesday. I am in Queensland.

His classroom is lovely. Full of colourful posters and things hanging from the ceiling. There is a home corner, dressing up, blocks, books, puzzles, painting set up out on the verandah. They do set literacy and numeracy type activities in the morning and the rest of the day is play based. They also attend music, physical education, computer and library lessons once per week with various teachers.

We have a parent information afternoon next week that will let us know how it all works. Do you know if you have a parent information afternoon in the next few weeks? The classroom might be a little dull at the moment as the teacher may intend displaying the children's work as the year progresses.

mymamma - how did it go?

My dd1 is now in year 1 - full time mainstream and I have dd2 in kindy here in QLD.

It went well eids. He is loving it. I am loving it. He is my baby so my days are now free to do housework and washing flit around.

How did dd1 go with her first day?

she did really well but she is so tired at the moment. She needs to build up her stamina again.

Hey Eidsvold was wondering how your DD was getting on. Hope she enjoys it!
My sis is emigrating to Oz by the end of the year with her 9-year-old so that will mean none of my family left in the UK.

Thankyou for your replies. We have had our meeting with the teacher yesterday. Things seem to be done in a different way over here and as long as I know that what she is doing in the norm then that's fine by me. I am going to see if I can find the Victorian Curriculum on the net and have a read of that.

I love the way that everything is Victorian.

We had our first day at new school in grade one.. its was good rest of teh week went a litlle rougher.. hard to make friends didnt know anyones name etc... home work started this week she is in a class of bright kids and was a bit dissapointed the sighte words were very simple, however been assured its going to be a steep climb here on in! poor dd! gthis week has been better on the friend front just on incidednt where a friend has been asking her for money for tuck shop! ????? nearly gave it becasue i though dd wanted to give her something from tuck shop not that it was being demanded!heyho!
Glad a good start eids.. dd has been so tird to and the shock of homework to me and her.. maybe more to me! just bought her a dictionary! so she can spell her own words...lazy mother