Reception starters September '08 -- anyone want to chat?

[flack]

Is there a thread already?
DS not even 4 yet, so bit mind-boggling to think of him off to school soon.

Ds has also had to wear a 'uniform' for nursery for the last year and is a bit weary about all this talk of reception and staying for lunch. I wanted him to have school dinners but he is insisting on packed lunch so have agreed to ease the trauma and have just bought him a much coveted ben10 lunch bag so he is excited about that. Have also started this week buying a couple of bits of uniform[so far 1 trousers and 2 shirts] but nobody seems to have his size in stock so must be the over eager mums of receptioners..lol We have a meeting on the 18th june about what class he will be in and what uniform exactly he needs including pe kits etc..eek think I am going to cry as he seems much too young but more than ready

Oh, I'm looking forward to it ... and am obviously one of the over-eager mums as DD has all her uniform now bar a cardigan. Nursery has been lovely so I'm sorry that she'll be leaving, she is looking like she's ready. Not for school as such, we just tell ourselves that because it IS school next, isn't it? But for something else, she's been in the same room at nursery for over a year, the little ones coming up from the room below are only just three, the gap is starting to show.

I have it planned - school is about three minutes walk away, so I don't have to hold it together for long, walk her there, wave her off, and sob pathetically all the way home.

Just caught up with the thread.

Mrz! A child pooing his pants every day OMG At least in yr1 you could give instructions through the toilet door (wipe your bottom, step out of your clothes, put them in carrier bag etc). With reception aged children I might have to be more hands-on. EEEK!

Some pointers that might be helpful for children having packed lunch -

Check they can actually open and shut the lunchbox themselves.

Name it clearly on the front not the bottom.
If children have identical bags or boxes then it doesn't have to be tipped up to identify it. (Unsealed drinks/mess scenario)

Also have food they can open themselves. Think of sandwich containers, crisps, Frubes, cheesestrings, oranges, bananas, drinks cartons - all need a bit of dexterity. Obviously dinner ladies will help but it may take them a while to get round. When the other children all finish and go off to play your child may still be waiting for someone to open his yoghurt.

HTH

another one here
don't get the buying uniform now though, surely they will have outgrown it by sept?

Well, I've thought of that, obviously - it's in age 5-6. Although I have long suspected that DD actually grows in response to being given bigger clothes, so it probably won't fit.

I'm leaving shoes till August, now that's going to be an absolute joy.

My ds (pfb, and one and only) starts in September. He seems to be looking forward to it, but doesn't actually know what it will be like but we've been 'bigging up' big school for ages now . He hasn't been for any visits yet, or met his teacher. We've got the 'new parents' meeting in a few days, so I expect they will fill us in then. I do know they do a series of play sessions in school for the newbies in the last half term, and I think the teacher does a home visit.

I had a quick look in M&S yesterday for uniform bits and bobs, and nearly all the age 4 and age 5 stuff was GONE! Does that mean I'm a slack first time school parent? Have you all been in and cleared the stock already??

I was a Reception teacher in a previous life, so I sort of know what to expect and the sorts of things I should be encouraging him to do, but I still feel rather desperate about the whole thing. He's my baby! Just like bobbynog I used to be slightly at the sobbing mums, but now I just want to shout "I'm so sorry - I didn't understaaaand". I will be trying hard not to cry.

Wouldn't it be a case of M&S not having restocked for September yet? Iirc, they start doing the 'back to school' promos in July.

(I hope so anyway, because we haven't had a uniform list yet.)

OMG riven, I can't even remember dd3's clarinet once a week . With things like nappies and clothes can't you provide a supply once a fortnight or something? I'd never remember all that.

The soup can go in a flask and will be fine at lunchtime

blimey riven lot to remember on top of the norm..is there anyway can do double ups of communication aid/meds etc. Dd1 only has inhalers at nursery but I asked GP for a second prescription so that I could leave them in teh locked cabinet and they were fine with it.

I thought back to school promos were july but have seen some sites doing them already so maybe panicking a little. Also know I need at least 3 of everything as ds has a tendancy to wear out clothes at the moment being a lovely little boy with a talent for sliding on his knees whether it be on smooth floor or gravel

sorry riven twas stupid of me..just some communication aids I have seen used are quite basic and not that costly obviously different aids for different needs

well hope you manage to get what you need for your DD.

After I dry my eyes will be going home to with my 2 and 1yr olds as usual..lol Wouldnt mind but for DS first couple of weeks they only do half days anyway so will let me work up to him being in all day!!!

Plans for post-sobbing - cup of tea, start MN thread entitled 'Who else's tiny ickle baby has just started school?' or something to that effect. Or more likely join in someone else's (takes me a while to make a cuppa, I get distracted).

Or perhaps a post entitled 'who's Reception child has the most prolonged and complicated settling-in period?' DD's is 3.5 weeks of alternating mornings and afternoons, then another two weeks of the same BUT staying for lunch after each morning session, THEN all the reception children do a week of mornings plus lunch, and then finally she goes full-time. 6.5 week settling in period, where the afternoons are all of two hours. I'm going to be spending hours programming my phone to tell me when to take her and (more importantly) when to pick her up.

DCMB all in time for them to break up for half term then I 'think' Ds only has 2weeks of half days..I hope so anyway..lol

DS very excited. School nice but operates in a 1950s backwater.

Just discovered I'm one of 2 'working mothers' who won't be there to collect everyday at the gate, we two also happen to have the only pfb starting in Sept, all the rest are siblings who have attended the preschool.

This probably explains why dc's first official visit to have a look at reception is for half an hour in the middle of the day - sigh.

I'm not sure what I'll do......probably the same as DontCallMeBaby (although I'll do very strong coffee, and probably some sort of cake). A close friend who lives a couple of doors away has her pfb starting with mine, so maybe we'll do it together.

I don't know about the 'settling in' period yet. The school ds nearly went to (our 3rd choice, and the first offer of a place we got before a later reshuffle got him into our 1st choice) does a week of one hour visits (), followed by a complicated morning/afternoon/lunch swapping malarky for a fair few weeks. I hope it's simpler than that. Not that it really bothers me as I've nothing better to do, but if you work it must be a right palaver.

Riven - glad the school seems to be flexible to meet your dd's needs. Long may it continue!

Exactly Nemo - a week fulltime and then it's half term. Half-term also turns out to be a week later than I thought it was (argh).

It's not there any more, but I'm sure the school prospectus used to point out that while they recognised this was inconvenient, it was in the children's best interests ... it does seem a bit extreme! It'll take DD more than four days to rack up the equivalent hours of a day at nursery ...

Meanwhile, I'm taking at least five, possibly seven, weeks off work to deal with it all. and a bit

my ds starts 8th september, 2 days b4 his 5th birthday and he is really looking forward to it. i think he will have a great time.

DD's settling in period consists of starting at 10am on the first day...er..that's it Seems to work IME, so I don't know why other schools make such a meal of it. Reception do start 2 weeks after the rest of the school, which makes a difference, because everyone else is settled back into the routine.

Hmm sorry to be thick, but when the school term dates suggest a start date for term, does this not apply to reception year?

And that once they first start it is not full days?

Hmm confused.. can anyone clarify?