Our one 'appointment' of note today was back at Merewether Heights school, where we met with the school councillor this time. Actually it was a bit of a waste of time as she didn't have much to say about the school and without actual enrolment there wasn't much we could go on, but once again we appreciated how nice the school surrounds are - green and several very palpable degrees cooler than down in Hamilton South. And stunningly quiet and serene, despite our arriving at the supposed peak rush-hour of 9 a.m.. No idea how they do it. Returned back home to further scratching of heads. Not much of an idea how we'll solve this one. The one school is definitely a better environment, and less boring surrounds to buy a house in. The other, we suspect, might be better academically but we don't actually know this. It's just the feeling one gets - the results on paper are almost identical of outcomes for both of them. Hmmm. Have to decide pretty sharpish, though. Luckily, hopefully whatever we go for will be quite a good school.
After this, Ian went off to work quite soon and then we settled down to home-stuff of all sorts until 3:30. Maths becoming less of a terror very gradually, the more we break it down and go slooooowwly slowly on absolutely everything. English we barely look at really - I'm becoming slightly alarmed at the prospect of how many years she'll be sitting there in class wondering why on earth people aren't reading things and writing properly. We just finished the spelling book for years 6-8 today (according to the cover - I really start to wonder about whether it's aimed quite right) - and I noticed with equal alarm that the library book she finished in one sitting yesterday had a little slip on it saying 'reading challenge years 3-4' on it... it really isn't so advanced at all, I mean 3-4, come on. Which is a little why I'm a bit keen to see her in somewhere that's interested just a little in academia as well. So difficult to tell. In the meantime though I think even the maths should be OK, certainly for her age. No doubt something we'll just have to keep on plugging away at until she can safely drop it, just as I did.
At 3:30 we decided the heat of the day was abated somewhat and applied sunscreen and sallied forth. Now on Mondays the Ocean Baths are closed, and today the tide was up to an enormous degree again and we'd been hearing the loudspeakers of the lifeguards warning people that they were off duty today as the surf is too rough, of you want to swim do so at your own risk but we strongly advise you not to do so, etc etc. So we had decided to go for 'an explore' again, up the beach and onto what the Littles has named 'Ash, Ree and Rock' (three separate areas down from Merewether Baths). Today we saw numerous Anchylosaurus eggs on the beach (rocks worn round by the waves) and busily gathered them up in nests along the way to Ash. On our return, we failed to find all but one of these nests, so surmised that the baby Ancylosauruses must have hatched and had retreated to to private part of the beach to frolic and play Baby Anchylosauraus games, instead of coming back home with us for a barbecue. Another slightly unusual thing we spotted was a recently-dead sea-bird of some sort - and the coroner Mistress Non pronounced immediately that the bird had expired of a surfeit of pepper. Apparently it's very common in this type of bird. (????!!!???) No idea, don't ask me. Pepper, as in, salt and. So may birds go that way these days, it's terrible.
Talking of barbecue, the Mr made us a lovely one of a joint of beef today, very nice. Lovely thing about the barbecue, I think one is always tempted to cook large joints of meat quite rare, as the outside tends to get quite crispy - delicious. You should have seen this thing. Lovely. Mmm.
It's Tuesday already tomorrow and really have to start deciding on which school we're going to put this girl into. Not at all sure how we're going to do it. After deciding got to do a whole load of applications and so on, it's just the start of a process, got to get it all going. Really don't know, very tricky stuff. Anyway, you've probably got most of the tidbits by now, so I'll clear off and let you all be. Lots of love to all and hope you're doing well, Vxxxxxx
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Thanks: the only thing I can add to your choice of school is my own experience, as you say that the one in Hamilton is probably better accademically.
ReplyDeleteI went to the C of E primary school in old Amersham, and was very happy there, as it was away from the traffic and backed onto fields. I walked to school across the fields beside the river, and enjoyed gardening, digging a small alotment in my last 2 years there. I don't think it was that good accademically, and I certainly didn't have the support of the headmaster, who told my mother, when she came to complain about Dickie's lack of progress, that I would never get in to Grammar School. She soon put him right and told him she had come to talk about Dickie. I also found it very hard to concentrate in class in the heat in the summer at Grammar School. Now whether the better surroundings and cooler air cancel out the better accademic record only you can decide. By the way which one does the Non prefer, as that will be important too.
There are so many unknowns when choosing a school. For instance when we chose Whitchurch for the Camel and the Pflea, no-one knew that the headmaster would give Keith one on one tuition on spelling, which helped him considerably, even leading to an A in English O level. Probably Mr Grieves only did this very rarely, and this extra teaching wasn't mentioned before until he clearly needed it. Perhaps flexibility is another point to consider: from your brief visits does one score higher?
I can only suugest that if you can't decide you rate each school on a set of criteria from 1 to 10, which is what we did when choosing Asolo over other houses to move to in 1975.
Anyway choosing between 2 good schools is a great problem to have.
Love to you all,
Whale
Thumbs up for the Merewether one! Reading this in the morning and have to rush to school- heartily agree with all the Whale said - and they spend so much time there in the end, especially when they start extra things as well- so much better to be in nice surroundings, well at least I know I would want to- and many people have told me in the US as well that "excellent academics" (grades on paper) is not quite the way to choose a school; obviously only know about them from your reports, still, (AND Lara likes the M. one- now that's huge, since it's her that's have to spend most of her day there) - considering those lovely pics too definitely siding on the Merewether one!!! (before I go I have to just add that I PISSED myself at the poor bird having died of a pepper overdose, with all those books she really does have an excellent imagination and ideas, Leo is as hopeless as I am at naming things and thinking out situations - beautiful Non!) - anyway off I go and (also thought of stopping off at the supermarket to get some LARGE quantity of meat, all your barbecue stories have forced early morning saliva to moisten my shirt) XOXOXOXOXOXOS
ReplyDeleteTalk about spelung! Have you seen this one in Merewether Heights, for $499, comes with its own Christmas tree, pool, and 3 beds. http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=106225230&f=20&p=10&t=res&ty=&fmt=&header=&cc=&c=23499503&s=nsw&snf=ras&tm=1265664792
ReplyDeleteLove,
Whale