The Good and Bad of School Hols

The school hols are upon me.

Yay to sleep-ins, lazy days with the kids, and no need to worry about what to pack for school lunches.

Nay to having the kids around me all day long, fighting with each other and driving me nuts with their endless need for interaction and entertainment.

This year, we are doing things a little bit differently.

First, we're not going away. That'll take some of the $ pressure off while I build my organics business.

Second, we're setting GOALS. For Beth especially.

My big goal for J is simple: getting her 100% off training pants by June. Shouldn't be too hard as she's already 90% there with her timing accuracy.

With Beth, I'm finding that she needs specific, measurable, achievable etc etc things to aim towards.

She's a bright girl with lots of potential. But we do need to work on her resilience, her attitude and her temperament.

So I've started listing some things for her to focus on in the new year.

Simple things like school awards, Principal's Reading Challenge, VIC Premier's Reading Challenge, knowing her times table by heart up to 12x12, playing through Books 1 to 4 of her Yamaha JMC in different keys...

Next year, she wants to take up gymnastics @ Gym Monkeys, which is run by one of the school mums (Zoe's mum Sue), self-defence and keep up with swim lessons, which she loves. She's doing really well under her swim instructor David who's from China. He is very firm with the frisky kids and very encouraging towards kids who display a positive learning attitude (like Beth and her pal Catherine, also from China).

We've also agreed on breaking up the hols with play dates, day trips and excursions to places that interest Beth, like Melbourne Museum/IMAX, Eureka Tower ... Beth has the list in her brown notebook.

Tomorrow is Bedtime Story Day/Dress-up Day, and Beth is going as Susan the Archer (Chronicles of Narnia). I got her a green T-shirt, green netball skirt, and Mandy kindly lent us a plastic bow and quiver of arrows and a lovely maroon velvet cape that can be tied around the neck. The Grade Ones get an icy pole at lunch as a special treat, and an afternoon snack while they watch a DVD.

CA and I often jest that we pay more school fees ($5k a year) and get less actual study (by Sg standards).

How To Spell HOMEWORK: F-U-N

Beth came home with a page of links from her teacher.

As part of her extension literacy and numeracy homework, the lucky girl gets to go online and do quizzes and play games, under the guise of learning grammar, spelling, reading and math.

She gets homework on Mondays and has until Friday to hand it in.

Life's good!

The Secret to Raising Kids Who Love School

We arrived extra early at school today because Beth's class was due to perform an item at Senior School assembly.

Just as Carmel and I were lingering on the pink concrete chatting, Jo came up and said she was going to ask Mrs V if parents were allowed to watch the performance.

It had never occurred to me to even ask such a thing. I was all geared up to drop J off at daycare, go to VicRoads then rush home to do my own stuff. When you have only three mornings a week to yourself, time is of the essence.

Anyway, I ended up following along and the four of us moms plus two toddlers rocked up to Werribee Baptist Church, where assemblies normally take place. The kids were SO excited to spy us parents.

And then it happened.

The Head of Senior School walked along the the row of Grade Ones and exchanged high fives with every single student. It reminded me of a coach or captain prepping up a footy team at the start of an important match.

Watching Beth and her classmates walk in two by two and sit quietly at the back of the hall, I felt such a surge of pride for all of them.

And then it was time to stand and sing the school anthem. J and I swayed and hummed along to the rousing tune. I thought to myself: can't wait for J to be part of the Heathdale atmosphere!

Then a Senior School teacher took the mike and announced, "We've got some special guests today. WHO WANTS TO SEE THE SPECIAL GUESTS???"

And proceeded to whip the crowd into a minor frenzy of cheers and anticipation.

Then Mrs V walked up the side, 27 little people following behind like so many ducklings, and they got on stage and belted out Who Is The King Of The Jungle alongside the Senior School rock band. The music was a bit fast, and the kids looked breathless as they struggled to fit lyrics and actions in. But they did really well, and you could see they felt pretty chuffed up there performing for all the older students.

When the performance was over, the Senior School teacher thanked 1V rapturously and got the older kids to cheer extra loud and long for the special guests. It was beautiful to see how the staff work so hard to engage students at all ages and to instil mutual respect and encouragement.

I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Senior School students were privately grumbling or getting bored. Who cares about a bunch of littlies singing when there are other things to think about: Facebook, MySpace, who's going out with whom, parties, assignments, exams....

And yet there they were, these tall, strapping Year 9s to 12s, doing their best to appear enthusiastic (as I'm sure many of them were) and encouraging.

Beth's class filed out and stood in a line near the entrance of the church.

And it happened again.

A lady teacher enthusiastically praised Beth's class for their fine singing, and then went along the line dishing out high fives and tens.

The Head of Senior School thanked the class for making the assembly time special, and said he had to come and visit 1V again because they looked like they were having so much fun everyday.

I could hardly believe what I was seeing and hearing.

Here were all these adults treating these 7 year-olds as special individuals worthy of their time and respect. Not talking down to them. Not patronizing them or telling them to go here and there and do this or that. Not rushing them back to their class. Just taking time out to make them feel special and important. And doing it all sincerely.

I tell you, I had tears in my eyes watching all this unfold before me. To think I almost missed a chance to be part of something very special.

It was a privilege in itself to see Beth and her friends perform, but to see how they were treated by the senior students and staff...

It makes me so grateful and glad that we sent her to Heathdale Christian College. The cost is dear, but it's worth it.

This is a school that really loves and respects the young ones who come through its gates, that takes seriously the task of nurturing and training and encouraging little people to become civic-minded, responsible and caring citizens and contributors to society 20 years from now.

Lest We Forget