Oh! Oh! My firstborn starts secondary school in September. Surely that warrants a support thread?

[Cadelaide]

Am I a bit too early for this?

I mean it's months away yet, isn't it?

He lost his wallet on the induction day (it was handed in with the cash intact ), but it's made me observe him more closely this summer and he is very scatty with his stuff. So I'm labelling everything twice and not holding my breath.

I've told him I will pay replacement cost for first lost item, 50% of next and after that he will have to pay himself.

dd lost 11 items of uniform in year 7.
I made her pay £100 out of her savings, as it was sheer carelessness.
Amazingly, nothing lost at all in yr 8

DD starts Friday at 8:40 for the whole day along with years 11 and 12.
She is going to walk there this morning. I'll go with her but at a distance.
Wonder how many times we should do the route. I've picked a straight forward journey but it involves several side streets to cross. She'll be fine though, I'm sure.

I still have to get her blazer adjusted, the arms are too long!

Is she going to walk with a friend kid?
Always helps.

Kid, how far does your DD have to walk to school? I would walk the route with her in the next day or so but come Friday let her walk by herself if she's happy, she'll be fine I'm sure. My Dd is going into Yr9 on Thursday and I remember the worries I had about her crossing the main road near us. DD on her first day went into a bit of a melt down and she suddenly realised she didn't know where she had to go once she got to the school. In the end her Dad took her and there where several other parents there.After that DD refused any parental company on the walk to school.

Good luck to all the Yr7 DC.

DD starts on Friday. It is just a Y7 induction day, and she will finally find out about her form and tutor! She is nervously looking forward to it, I think! DH is taking her in and picking up and hopefully she will be getting the school bus with friends next week.

Think I'm finally done with sewing in labels for her and DS, hurrah!

Dd will walk on her own until she makes friends. None of the children from her primary live near us.

I'm not worried about her not knowing where to go once she gets to school as staff meet children at the gate. She will also be assigned a buddy to help her settle in.

I'll time it today but guess it's a 20-25 minute walk. She could get a bus half way but if there isn't one coming, she'll be late!

I was all set to send the boys in to school on Monday. Fortunately I just checked the school website and they don't start back until Tuesday!

I don't know where I got my misinformation from.

ds is in for 2 hours on Tuesday and then normal hours after this. We are going shoe/blazer shopping tomorrow. (stress)

We tested the walk today and it did take 25 minutes at a slow stroll which will no doubt be how DD walks!

There are quite a few routes she could take but the one we did today will keep her on main roads and will also keep her out of the path of other secondary schools. I would like to think there would be no trouble but you never can be sure. I have seen some schools gang up on kids from another school and don't want that to happen.

She can even jump on any bus for part of the way, just 2 stops. As long as she is clear that if the bus is not there she is not to hang around waiting for it. I'd prefer her to get to school early rather than late.

I feel much happier now she knows the route and she will be doing it again a few times this week. I might leave her to do it alone and I'll drive down to the school to pick her up. She is so tiny though!

Ds needs to catch a bus and a tram which is literally around the corner from where the bus drops him off, the school is 2 stops on the tram and across a road. He'll be OK (worried) I'll do a few days with him, there should be boys on the same bus though (worried)

I don't know whether to collect him (for a little while) though as the bus coming home is on the other side of a very busy road?? Is it better to just give him a mobile phone and let him get on with it?

I think its better to meet him after school until you feel happy he can do it safely and sensibly.

How does he feel about doing the journey on his own?

He said he'd have to try it. I can't take him over, I won't have time. I know he'll be OK, he just has to walk around the corner and get on the tram.
He misses his friends from primary school so isn't looking forwards to starting. I hope he'll be OK once he's there. All I've had all summer is "I'm sad"

Ahh, poor thing. Hope he cheers up once he starts new school.

DD changed schools in November. It took her ages to settle and although she got on okay after a few months, she never really had the chance to make any good friends.

In a way, I am glad she is away from a certain circle of girls that made each day difficult for her. They didn't bully her or anything, but they didn't make her feel welcome either.

At least with secondary school, everyone is in the same boat. I know it was the right thing to move primary school, but I wish I didn't feel so guilty about it at the time.

I go back to work Wednesday, its gone so fast and I literally have to get everything ready tomorrow for DCs return to school.

Belle- I'd let him come home himself- he will probably have met other boys during the day who are going the same way home.
Ds would be mortified if I came to pick him up- I think he's looking forward to the travelling more than anything!
He is meeting up today and tomorrow with boys he met last week at the summer school the secondary organised- he got the numbers of 4 or 5 boys he liked, and they've been texting all weekend.

Just been to into primary school to drop off 4yo DS's things and say hello to his teacher. DD2 wanted to come, and various of her friends from last year were there too with their younger siblings, so the big ones ran around like old times trying to forget that they were all off to new schools on Thursday. Her favourite teachers were there too, she didn't want to come home

help my lovely DS, also my first born, will be starting at a London comp far from home on friday - his journey will take an hour and will involve a bus and two tube trains....only one other boy from his primary will be going....ofcourse i iwll take himand collect him on his first day ( a Y7only induction day) ...but what should i do after that... i think i am more nervous tha he is ...he will have to start playing
rugby...

Anyone seen this?

Nothing we didn't already know, really!

Belle-is he on the school bus from our end? If so I know 2 boys starting Y5 who will be getting on further along the route. The parents have recruited an older boy to get them to school for the first couple of days so I'm sure your DS could tag along?

He's decided the school bus leaves too early (7:12 from the football stadium) so would rather use public transport as it takes 25 minutes as opposed to the hour and a half on the school bus. I am very worried! I need to let go of the strings but I think it's too early. I can get him to the bus station here, he'll catch the red, walk around the corner and get on the tram for 2 stops, then get across the road. I think he'll be OK, I'm still worried though. I can collect him. I will take him for the first week and hope there will be an older boy I can bribe ask to just make sure he's OK.

He's alot happier now he's discovered that there's birds on the school emblem

My 10 yr old DS started secondary last week, a year earlier than he would have done in the UK (we're in Switzerland). The big plus is that he's stayed in the same school campus as his primary, just moved buildings.

But heavens, it's an administrative nightmare! I've had 4 different supply lists for various subjects, all of which turned up/ were due on different days, so I spent what felt like the whole of last week in the stationery shop in town, learning all sorts of interesting new French vocabulary. And now he's started getting proper homework (last week was just covering books, etc) and again, it's all turning up in a really 'all or nothing' haphazard fashion from his various teachers.

He's not the most organised soul, so has already picked up two 'I forgot stuff' marks by not turning up in the right room with the right books. Two more, and he'll get detention...

And he starts at 7.40am!!!

On the plus side, he really likes all his new teachers, and is quite starstruck that he now has MEN ones.