Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[BPDSurvivor]

Hi @ArraDreaming @MrsFahey @Bow ,

Just wanted to check in with you all since schools have re-opened. How are your children adjusting? Also, how are YOU adjusting to not having your kids buzzing around 24/7?

@Paperdaisy , I hear what you are saying. I see it from your perspective. It's like sending your kids out to a place that's supposedly safe? Sounds like you're from NSW? Here in VIC, masks are recommended for F-2 and mandatory from Year 3 up. However, our operations guidelines change on a weekly basis. So masks are only for the transition period.

I guess there's always cost/benefit to everything. What are the potential benefits of sending my child to school? What are the potential costs of sending my child to school?

As for letting schoolwork take a back seat, good on you! By our 6th lockdown here in Melb, teachers were receiving patents' work, not the kids' work. I ended up telling the kids to just go and enjoy the sunshine and outdoors. Meh?! They'll learn more that way than having their parents do their work.

BPDSurvivor

[Paperdaisy]

Hi @BPDSurvivor Going good so far. It's nice to have the peace and quiet back but afternoons are particularly noisy! 

I really like that about going out into the sunshine instead of parents doing work (pretending their kids are doing it). I think it's so important for kids these days and I don't know if I'm remembering correctly but Kindy was much easier back in my day. There seems to be such a high standard these days. Will keep you posted 

[BPDSurvivor]

Teachers were warned that when kids return onsite, we can't press the 'mute' button... so true @Paperdaisy 

I'm sure you are enjoying the quietness. I'm enjoying having the kids. Love seeing them onsite. I've been cooking with them and we are having our chicken hatching program at school in two weeks. The kids have been writing letters to the baby chicks.

[Paperdaisy]

@BPDSurvivor Your school sounds beautiful. I grew up in a small coastal town with lots of school trips to the beach less than 100m away. I really stuggle with the big city life and question if my kids are having enriching enough experiences. Something I will probably always worry about.

[BPDSurvivor]

LOL @Paperdaisy . My school may sound beautiful, but it's not. It's a big city school with over 2000 students. That's why I bring what I can into it to engage the children. But yes, we've been making pancakes this week, and the kids are loving it.

I wish kids could just go bush and learn that way 🙂

Hi @ArraDreaming @MrsFahey @Bow ! How are your children settling back into school life?

BPDSurvivor

[ArraDreaming]

It's just not happening for us @BPDSurvivor We have tried different options all year, thought we were making progress now back to square one and he is not setting foot in those doors even with either my partner and I there with staying with him (which has worked in the past) At a loss, looking at what else we can instead, for the rest of term. 

[pinklollipop15]

Hi @Daisydreamer 

1. yes my daughter was at home here for about 2 months

2. we made it a bit of an adventure doing more bushwalking and beach walking than normal. I enjoyed having her here most of the time although sometimes it was hard to juggle my study and helping her even though she is pretty independant. I feel bad for the mothers with more than 1 child or if they work as well. 

3. I felt a little sad actually but she has adjusted well as she missed her friends so much. 

4. I'm not sure except for the department of educations advice. 

[ArraDreaming]

Just wondering how everyone is going now that schools are back post COVID but also wrapping up for the year?
we had a win today, ours attended kinder though slightly reluctantly, but he asked my partner on Tuesday if he was still having “A kinder weekend” which is what we have been calling his little break so today I took him and we stayed for an hour, a bit nervous and I stayed with him the whole time, he kept asking me “dad you keeping me safe?” But we did it

[ArraDreaming]

Just wondering how everyone is going with their young ones this year with no lockdowns @Paperdaisy @Daisydreamer @pinklollipop15 @BPDSurvivor @MrsFahey 

Ours has responded really well to kinder this year and loves to go, asks every night is tomorrow is a kinder day, it took us a while but we have got to a place where he enjoys going, but we’re not having the same experience getting ready for school next year. Trying to not to introduce the concept too early but also give him enough time. 

[GrevilleaBlooms]

Hey @ArraDreaming , it sounds like you and your family have done such an amazing job in supporting your little person through those anxieties around going to kinder, it's so great that he's asking if tomorrow is a kinder day! Our youngest is starting school next year too, he mostly loves kindy but he does still ask when "the cowonavirus" is going away (I hear you, buddy!)-  there's been heaps of illness in the kindy this year too which I guess was to be expected. 

Does your primary school do school readiness/ introduction to school days? We have a few of those later in the year, where the kids do a few hours with teachers, get their school uniform and get to know the school a bit.I think that seeing where they'll be going helps make it seem like less of a scary, unknown thing- but I totally hear you on not wanting to talk about it too much, too soon