School

Our small local primary school has been a positive experience so far.  We walk to and from school each day with our next door neighbors.  The kids both like their teachers and have quickly made friends.  There are some fun and interesting differences in the education system here.  First, they start formal schooling with a rather academic agenda at age 4, and it's strictly based on birth dates. (There's no red shirting here).  Zeke is in Year 3 rather than 2nd grade and Lily in Year 2 instead of 1st.  The academic expectations are different, and both teachers have been great at communicating with me as we discover some of that together.  Second, after a couple of confusing days, the kids figured out that they were earning house points just like at Hogwarts...but without the magic of course.  The whole student body is divided into 4 houses, and they earn house points for positive behaviors.  Points are added and the children are rewarded by house at the end of each term.  Last but not least, the terminology is a bit different.  Lily eats "hot dinner" at school while Zeke brings his "sack lunch."  If she eats all of her food, she can choose a pudding (dessert) which is almost always some sort of scrumptious cake with a yummy sauce on top.  Both kids study maths (yes, with an s) and literacy which is pronounced "li-tri-see".  And the kids will be learning joined writing this year once they master printing with little "flicks" at the bottom of certain letters (d, l, m, n, a, etc.).  It looks like printing Fancy Nancy style.  Here are the kiddos on their first day of school in their uniforms...