A thread for 2012 new reception starters?

[ApuskiMcClusky]

I'm feeling the need to chat to others about dc starting school in September - there are a few threads with tips about uniform etc, but I'd like a chinwag about it all too!

Anyone else?

DD1 starts on the 4th but we have requested 1/2day until feb half term because she is a 30th August baby.

My DS starts full time on 5th Sept. All the children start together and all start full time.

DS2 starts on 4th sept. He's doing 9-12 tuesday and thursday the first week. It's all really flexible and child led although I think they have to be in school full time in the term after their 5th birthday.

Can I join too?

DS2 starts in september in the same school that ds1 is already at (yr 2, will be yr 3 when ds2 starts). The school have agreed that ds2 can start on half-days in september 9 till 1pm, building up to full days as he has long standing eating problems caused by reflux and various allergies. He is very tiny for his age, only weighing 13kg so he seems much too small to be at school. He had his first visit today and whilst he said he liked it, some of the other boys called him a baby and said he couldn't be 4 as he is much too small, which upset him a bit. I am therefore worried about how he will get on and whether he will get bullied because of his size.

Hello, can I join too please? Am not on here that often since I can only use it at work .

DS starts 1st choice school 14 Sept - my PFB. A late Dec baby though, so he's ready, I think (hope?!). He still cannot entertain the idea of wiping his own bum though, must work on that! And is super fussy with food. I have had parents evening but still forgot to ask about lunches, no idea if they do school dinners or not.

We have a really staggered start. 11th Sept is a play session for an hour, and then 2 more 1.5 hour sesisons that week, and then from 14 Sept 8.45-11.45 until after the October half term. A nightmare for me in terms of pick ups and drop offs - we have no family nearby.

This thread and all the tips from mums who've already been through all this are really helpful.

He'll need to go to Breakfast Club (If anyone's kids have done this, do they actually EAT at this thing, or would that be expecting too much and I should try and cram food in him before?!) though since I have to work 5 mornings 8.30-12.30 and to drop off DD. Should be nice though since DH will walk DS to school and drop him off before getting on his bus to work.

DD is 16 months younger and ATM they are in the same pre-school. She doesn't quite 'get' that in a couple of months she will not be going with her brother. I made the mistake of trying to explain that when DS is at school, it will just be us two from 1-3pm when we have to go and pick him up - cue then, tears from DS wanting to know why he won't get to have 'fun hours'! Whoops...

Hello to all those joining - it all feels a bit closer now, doesn't it!

I thought I'd finished my uniform shopping apart from shoes, then realised I had completely forgotten about jumpers apart from the one logoed one I've ordered from the school. Hope the M&S 20% off is still going!

DS has some homework to do! Draw a picture of himself, and of all the people he lives with, and do some colouring in. The last bit should take him all of two minutes, he's not known for patient colouring!

Can I join too - my DS is starting. Have met his teacher and DS has as well at the school fair. She seems so lovely so very pleased. She is coming next week for a home visit and then we go in the week after for a school visit. Can't quite believe my baby will be going to school where has the last four years gone.

Grrr, was due a home visit this afternoon, and so we cancelled a hospital appointment that clashed, and the teacher was a no show! School office didn't know anything about her appointments or whereabouts.

That is not the best of starts Apus! I hope she has a bloody good reason!

You have also saved me a red face tomorrow when ds goes for his second induction morning tomorrow, I had totally forgotten he needs to give in his little booklet tomorrow, his part of it being a picture of his family. Guess what we will be doing after supper tonight lol! Not sure how it will turn out, ds is not one for putting pen to paper (the wall with a CD marker pen seems to be just fine though ) I have unlisted dd's help with labelling what we do manage to get ds to draw lol!
Ds is very exited to be spending another morning at big school and dd also has her ice breaker morning in Y3 although as she will be having the same teacher they had for Y1 not much ice to break but they are all looking forward to having a favourite teacher again!
Ds has a total meltdown last weekend as he couldn't understand why he is going to the same school as his idolised big sis but can't be in her class. You would have though we had just taken all he loved from him and shot the dog, he cried like is heart was broken for close to an hour, clinging to dd like she might disappear forever. Poor boy, I know he will be fine and not really give a second thought to not being in the same class as dd when he is actually at school and he will see her at at least one break times most days (reception has a small playground that KS1 sometimes join them in but they also go out back with the others as well, I guess it depends on how many supervisors they have), it is just the idea of it in abstract he was so upset with. He has been fine since, more then fine actually, before the first induction morning he has been waking with bad dreams a couple of times a week and his behaviour had been bad but since the induction morning my little boy has come back. I guess he was more worried about it then he had ability to verbally express. makes me sad for him but I can see he is going to be okay and will get all the support he needs. (ops gone on again!)

Hello, how are we all doing? I have school shoes for narrow-footed DD! And a systema twist water bottle and a Sharpie laundry larker - all recommended by mumsnet. She is still non-plussed by the whole thing.

Also after feedback on here and thinking about how I felt, I'm going to stick with my current 4 day week, so at least on friday I can take and colect DD from school and arrange for people to come for tea etc. Once I had made the decision, I felt a lot happier. And I get the best part of a day off on friday when she is at school!

The class socialising side of things has also been much improved by a closed facebook group that one of the new reception class parents has started - following on from a successful group from last years' reception class. There are already 30 parents in the group - (it's a village school and lots of the parents have more than one kid and/or have children at pre-school, so are already in touch with one another.)

So I can send messages to other parents and ask questions. DD's birthday is at the end of the first week and I wanted to know if people still took in cakes like they did at pre-school!

We'll have a week of half days for 4 days from the 5th I think, and then full time. The summer borns carry on with half days and can discuss with the school when they feel they are ready, which feels like a nice system I think.

Sorry. Wine.

laundry marker.
last year's.

I can't wait for dd to start nursery in sept (well kind of...might be a bit lost without her) and she is raring to go :) just hope she settles in, she is a VERY independent little girl (she is 3 going on 30 in fact I am pretty sure she has been here before ).

I'm struggling at the moment to find a uniform to fit her she is teeny tiny but I'm sure my mum will be able to do some magic with her sewing machine

Hello and happy summer to all!
How are people finding the summer? All has been quite calm in our household on the school front really, had high drama on the last day of school, ds finished pre-school on the Thursday but big school still had the Friday to go in, the Friday morning I was getting dd's uniform sorted for the day and ds went to fetch his big school uniform. He had got himself in a muddle, he knew that when he finished pre-school he would be going up to big school, he obviously hadn't really grasped the whole 6 week holiday thing as he though that he would be starting big school the very next day! We had quite a few tears as I tried to explain again that he would start after the holidays and dd had just one more day at school before the holidays started for her!
I have just ordered a set of ear defenders for ds and going to pick up the bits and bobs we still need slowly over the holidays to try and avoid one big back to school shopping day, thankfully we don't have to get too much. Ds was chuffed when I picked up some Olympic key rings for the book bags, he is just thrilled he is going to have a book bag to! When ever we pass the school out walking the dog he is referring to it as his school and hasn't brought up pre-school once, in the past when ever we have passed the village hall (which hosts the pre-school) he has always said 'my school' but hasn't done this once since he left, seems the message is sinking in.
Only 4.5 weeks left, the holidays are passing really quickly thankfully, we have been doing lots of walking with the dog, dd has been having a ball on he pony and ds has really perked up his interest in the ponies again and has been asking to ride so have started the first steps of teaching him some basics and then we have had the Olympics to keep us busy, they had last weekend with the grand parents and both really enjoyed being allowed to stay up and watch the opening ceremony (I don't think I would have let them stay up lol!), they have both been really gripped watching the three day eventing so today have been pestered into spending the day with the pony so they can plan their campaign to get our little 17 year old pony ready to compete in Rio!

What is everybody else up to for the holidays?

Hello!

Roadkillbunny, sounds like a great summer so far. We've been too preoccupied with house buying and me starting a new job to give much more thought to school recently, but these last few weeks will disappear too quickly! Still need to practice buttoning and unbuttoning his school shirts.

AuntieBulgaria, I have sistema drinks bottles and a sharpie pen at the ready too. Haven't done the school shoe shop yet, not really looking forward to that, maybe I can get DH to organise it!

We did eventually get a home visit from his teacher (well I say 'we', I was at work so I didn't meet her but ds and DH did), and she is very nice by all accounts so far - but not well known, as she is a NQT who starts at the school proper in September.

Oh I had forgotten about this thread!!!

DD is getting very excited about starting big school.

I have pretty much got all her uniform now apart from shoes which I will leave till the rush is over in sept as she does not start till 14th sept.

She had her physio appt last week and the physio said she is going to have significant difficulties at school but have a meeting with the HT the week before she starts so will mention my concerns.

Has anyone's child got homework for the holidays?? DD went to the nursery attached to the school she will attend and we have to do a scrap book about her (have been given headings to use ie favourite toys, fav food, her family and pets etc).

They are learning about themselves apparently when they first start in sept and will we showing the other kids in their class their scrap books in circle time which is quite sweet.

We're on the starting line - first half day tomorrow afternoon. Half days until Friday and then full time next week. Apparently, the local church hall is running a 'tea and tissues' session during the first school day. Good luck to all first timers over the next few weeks.

Hi Auntie! I've just dropped ds off for his first half day, and am now chewing my nails until I can go back and get him! He had his "I'm being brave" face on when he headed off into the building (we have to say goodbye outside) - but I didn't see any children crying.

Hope everyone else's dc's are starting well - good luck!

Hello all! So we are finally there after all the months of prep and worry! DS starts tomorrow, they are full time from the start so will be taking him as well as DD to school at 8.30 and there they will both stay untilled 3.10 and 3.15 for DD as she is now KS 2!
I just need to check everything for tomorrow is labled, pack spare cloathes in ds's bag and get up and out ontime in the morning lol! They are both having school meals on day one so I have less to think about!
The last week or so the children, DS particularly have made a huge effort to make going back to /starting school much easier for me by being more naughty more often then ever before, oh how nice for my darling children to think of me this way! At this rate I will be pointing in somewhat the right direction and drop kicking them into school before retiring to bed with a stiff drink!
Is anyone else having a hard week with behavior?
All truth is I am worried I will cry, he is my last baby, a huge stage of my life is over tomorrow morning, almost crying now with the hugeness of this milestone!

Hi roadkillbunny, yes we've been using the phrase "he's so ready for school!" quite a lot in the last couple of weeks, as he's been making his brother cry quite a lot and getting pretty stroppy! I had heard that they can act up more after they start school - I really hope his behaviour doesn't get worse, not sure I can cope with that!

Other most common phrase has been "they won't do this for you at school, you know!" when faced with requests to cut food, wipe bottom, fasten trousers, find shoes etc etc!

Well only 32 mins until I can get my baby back! She did amazingly bearing in mind she was only 4 on Friday! No tears from her but I can't say the same for me. Not helped by DD2 starting nursery today as well. I just sat in a coffee shop with my kindle and a coffee, I kept feeling like I had left something somewhere!

'Just playing.' was the summary review. She's happy to go back tomorrow.

DS1 starts today and I have been awake since 4.30! I am almost ashamed of myself! Any last minute tips about convincing a skeptical boy about the need to wear uniform?!

Well my DS started today :-o.
We were nearly late (road closures because of an accident) so it was a stressful rush. We ran from the car and I deposited him in his classroom. His teacher showed him where his coat peg was and then he ran off happily to find some toys and books. I had to go and find him to give him a hug and a kiss goodbye.

Only 12 more years of this to go then

It all feel very "odd".

And I'm actually really looking forward to picking him up again at 3:30

Hope things went well today MrsJamin. And that your ds had a good day Pipsqueak - was it a full day? My ds is shattered after only two half days. Oh, and he came out with a sticker, but can't remember what he got it for - or what happened this morning, apart from the fact that he liked his milk!