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Primary education

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Original poster

Wondered if hand holding for Sept newbies would be nice?

990 replies

treedelivery · 19/06/2009 16:50

Just that really. Like an antenatal thread but for parents of children starting primary in Sept.

We have our taster afternoon in a couple of weeks - it all feels so alien. Haven't felt this out of it since I bought my 1st pack of nappies and got the giggles at the checkout!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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dotty2 · 17/07/2009 19:57

Just catching up. Hello everyone - finding this all very reassuring re. the trivial anxieties I shy away from sharing with anyone in RL.

Ha - pigswithfludon'tfly lol at the non-praying hands. The thing is I am a christian and a church-goer, but have never taught DD to do the praying hands thing because it's a nonsense (from my point of view - obv. a diff sort of nonsense for you!): as if god can only hear you if you do a special thing with your hands. But I realised the other day that this would make her look odd in her church school...Am actually quite uncomfortable with school religion as I expect it is all a bit black and white and simplistic and probably taught by people who don't believe a word of it anyway.

Original poster
treedelivery · 17/07/2009 20:32

Yes I have the oinks, thank you for asking

It's not physically too bad, though mentally with a 6 month baby it is!

LAst day of preschool today - so had to make an uncomfortable phone call to the leader and several mums saying 'er...you know I hugged you good bye today...well.....er.....'

I felt fine this am!

So we got no report on dd1 as such, we didn't get to hear how they assessed her and whatthey sent up to the school. So am a bit about that as I would like to kow tbh. Ah well I guess there will be lots of opinions on her coming my way shortly. I want to know as I love the staff at the preschool, I would value their opinion so much.

I also am a bit with the new school. We got a piece of paper to write a bit about dc on, in response to some questions. I don't know when they want it. Well, they have broken up now so I guess they will be reading it after meeting her.

I find the lack of info a bit worrying really. SHape of things to come I guess. I'll have to relinquish some control to the school or be dammed to a life of stress and reading between the lines!

DD going to a RC school - I am Catholic and would like dc to experience the church culture as it was such a happy place for me as a kid. I'll take her to friends who have other views, and to services at alternative places of worship too. She's very probing, so she may reject the whole church thing quite early on, I think she will tbh. I can't see her 'buying' it. Not God, the church. Who knows which way the God thing will go. Interesting, this living with a little individual. So much to get to know about them. It's lovely watching it all pan out .

Lets enthralling trying to find plimsoles to fit....

OP posts:
golgi · 17/07/2009 21:48

Tree - sory to hear that you are oinky, hope it's not too bad for you.

We have bits of paper to fill in with information too, they want them at the beginning of term as far as I can tell.

Information does seem a bit sketchy, I am a bit of a control freak and like to know the details of everything. Luckily my parents are friendly with a neighbour who has a son in year 1, and she knows everything, or seems to. So I would suggest finding someone who's been through it already!

I didn't even try son's plimsoles on, he wasn't with me when I bought them. I figure for a couple of hours a week it doesn't really matter if they fit perfectly (bad mummy).

Aranea · 17/07/2009 22:21

Tree- what is the advice if you have a baby and the flu? sorry to divert from September topic but I have a baby too and am in a flu hotspot!

We've had pretty much no info from the school beyond start dates. It feels a bit strange and unsatisfying, though actually I don't know what I want from them really. I don't suppose there is anything else I need to know - it would just feel comforting to have wodges of paper to cling to.

We haven't even been told if they are supposed to have plimsolls.

ChocHobNob · 17/07/2009 22:43

Thanks Golgi, I'll try Monday. I don't know any other parents unfortunately.

I do know though, that ours start full time as soon as they go back. I need to find out what times though as I don't even know that! lol

swissmiss · 17/07/2009 23:07

Tree - hope you're doing ok. I've been sitting here this eve with a brewing sore throat/cough and the thought of being ill with a baby to look after, plus 2 other DCs is making me feel worse! Time for another glass of vino blanco methinks!

Aranea - I spoke to my GP on Thurs about this as all 3 DCs are under 5, during my appt for something totally different, she basically said that in under 1's there is no conclusive proof of its effectiveness but would advise it based on hopefully reducing chances of complications for DD2, 9mths, if she were to get it. Consensus was prob. not to bother for DD1, 3, but get it for DS, 4, as he has inhalers for toddler wheeze.

Pigs - Village school with 18 starters, schedule is 2 weeks half days incl. lunch til 1.15pm and then full time. Wrt to the reports, one of the reasons DS's reports varied between the 2 settings is that they have to "grade" him on what they have observed. At the 2 settings he does different things so achievement levels vary. Here the full 13 page report plus a summary and parent comment page get sent to the school, we had to sign that they were allowed to pass on the info. I only got a summary, not the full thing.

Original poster
treedelivery · 17/07/2009 23:51

Feeling it a bit now I must admit, so off to my pigsty.

Had to laugh a handfull of paper being a comfort. That is so so so true! When in doubt buy a book. Thats what I need. A book about starting school, written for my dd alone.

But yes a nice juicy wad of paper would help. We got a small one from the PTA with top tips in - quite cute and lovely of them. We had it all here in this thread already, but for the non mning mums shock the little pta book would be fab.

Think I want very specific info. Control freak. Bet all teachers who read this will be praying I am not a rl parent in their rl classroom!

Night all. Summer holidays start here!

OP posts:
Acinonyx · 18/07/2009 11:03

'When in doubt buy a book.' That is definitley my philosophy! Sorry you are ill tree - our CM just had it (but none of the kids).

We got hardly anything in the way of a report here - I wonder if there was some other checklist that went to the school that I didn't see.

Dd will do alternating half-days (nightmare for childcare - I will have to cover it) for 10 days then goes full time.

Original poster
treedelivery · 18/07/2009 13:42

Think that link to a shock was meant to be a

But here, have a link anyway you don't mn?????

OP posts:
pigswithfludontfly · 18/07/2009 13:55

That sounds crazy Acinonyx - why are they only doing alternating half days? Some of these arrangements seem really stupid to me when the vast majority of children have been to preschool and surely only need a week or so of part-time so they can have say half the class mornings and the other half in the afternoons to increase the ratios, or so they don't get over-tired.

I'm getting a bit of a bug bear about this issue!

At least it's only for ten days I suppose. I've got weeks of bloody 2.5 hour days.

Acinonyx · 18/07/2009 14:20

It is crazy. Dd has had whole day 9-6 childcare days for years. There is no way her CM can cope with these hours when she already does the normal school run so I will have to do it. Thank goodness it's only 10 days - but I imagine she will be pretty confused by the timetable (I know I am).

By alternating half-days I mean mornings alternating with afternoons .

simpson · 18/07/2009 18:21

Hi all

Just been on holiday for a week so getting this back on threads I'm on iyswim.

Am starting to worry about Ds starting school now

Funnily enough (well not funny but ykwim) while on holiday DS has developed fear of hand dryers

Need to go to his school on Monday as I have not got PE top for him (will buy from office) and also need to chase up welcome pack as they break up on Tuesday.

Tree glad you had a lovely girlie day with DD. Sorry you are ill

fatzak DS is 31st August so I feel your pain!! He was 2wks early too

Aranea · 18/07/2009 20:20

Tree - I do hope you feel better soon. Poor you. And yes, I do wish there was a book.... or failing that some sort of crystal ball actually, which would show me dd flourishing at school and socialising competently rather than relying entirely on invisible friends!

swissmiss - thanks for that info. Sounds sensible. Although I had read that tamiflu wasn't licensed for under-1s. I suppose that's what the gp means about no proof of effectiveness - I guess they haven't trialled it with babies.

teafortwo · 18/07/2009 20:39

We got a big envelope in the post on Friday... inside there were lots of forms that involve visiting the doctors to get things signed again (???), going to get Milk's photo taken again (???) and a card with Milk's teacher's name on it!!!!

.... Asking around she seems to have got the teacher everyone thinks is more than rather wonderful!

Horray!!!!

Aranea · 18/07/2009 20:52

I have big envelope envy now.

teafortwo · 18/07/2009 21:00

I am seriously considering putting all the forms into a big envelope and posting them to Aranea to fill in for me!

Aranea · 18/07/2009 22:06
Original poster
treedelivery · 18/07/2009 23:10

I only have one side of A4 to fill in.

OP posts:
Aranea · 18/07/2009 23:27

But I haven't got anything...

Aranea · 18/07/2009 23:28

Oh god what am I still doing here? Why aren't I in bed?

Original poster
treedelivery · 18/07/2009 23:31

I don't know

One night we'll all have to stay up late sewing cash's labels on and eating olives and drinking wine.

Rock and Roll!

OP posts:
Aranea · 18/07/2009 23:34

night night

TeaMonster · 19/07/2009 08:34

Morning all

We have had a week of holiday here and DS1 already wants to go to school. He misses preschool loads and wants to be there.

One of the hardest things at the moment is dealing with his general wingeyness

pigswithfludontfly · 19/07/2009 13:38

There's another thread about the news story that some schools might stay closed in September for a while due to SF. Imagine. All the build-up tothem starting school and it might not happen anyway. Don't know what to think as obviously if it is important as a way to limit the spread of SF so be it but it would be a shame for our little people to have to wait.

teafortwo · 19/07/2009 13:59

It is the last day of nursery for Milk on Friday... (the last nursery girl kiss)

... I am throwing ideas around for thank you presents for the 'Nisssshhh laaaydiiies'at nursery as thanks to them Milk is ready to enter into French school quite smoothly as she has lots of French now that is useful at school. I am leaning towards a little flower you can buy in packs and split like a Busy Lizzie or Marrigold each and getting Milk to decorate some paper to wrap around the bottoms.

By the way TeaMonster what a 100% genius plan to have a name wih 'tea' in it!!???!!