Hi it’s Luka here I have to apologize for not writing a blog-post in about a couple months. So my life has been pretty tough because I am leaving Australia. Continue reading “My Life So Far”
Category: School
Our eight and a ten year old are now going to a public primary school in Australia. They came here not speaking the language and so many things are different to what they were used to, wearing a school uniform, assembly, fundraisers, sports…
After one year we changed schools for the 10 year old. Why? Well, you will have to read our blog posts.
Very last day of Primary School
When I was driving Kai to school this morning I realised that this is the last time I will be driving him to Primary school. Ever.
After six years of primary school (and a year of prep) the time comes for a new chapter. Moving on to secondary school. Primary school in Australia closes off with graduation. I knew graduation from high school in America, which is a big happening, but I did not expect a big event for primary school. How wrong was I? Continue reading “Very last day of Primary School”
Showcase 2017 – Luka on Stage
With our one way ticket to Europe in our pocket, we have entered the ‘last time to…’ stage. Since we have two children in an Australian Primary School, this has played a big part in our daily life. Without a doubt one of the most memorable school experience is Showcase.
Showcase is the biggest event for Essex Heights Primary School and it is quite impressive. It is a very professionally run show, with all the children singing and playing instruments on a large stage. We are talking ages 5 to 12 year here. If you close your eyes, that is sometimes easy to forget. Don’t believe me? Close your eyes and listen to the performance of the Year 3-4 choir, roughly 160 eight to nine year olds:
Next to the regular curriculum that all schools have to follow, each Australian school has a focus on special area – whether that is in sport, arts and/or culture. This is what makes each school unique and different from the other. I guess this is what has impressed me most here.
Singing lessons are part of the curriculum and you can choose to learn how to play an instrument. In Year 4 they play the Marimba, so everyone gets to learn how to play an instrument.
Luka is in Year 4 and started flute lessons at the start of last year. She has lessons during school time and band practice before school. Because of this she ended up being on stage five times: Combined Bands, Marimba Ensemble, Year 3-6 Choir, Year 3 &4 Choir and the school song. So no doubt that in the run up before Showcase a lot of time went into the preparation. Quite an experience to be involved in such a large production, but since they do this from the start of school it is something that becomes natural to them, at least that is how it looks.
We will try to make a short movie with an impression of the whole night. So stay tuned.
Changing Schools – a year after
When people ask Kai what school he goes to he responds that he goes to a senior college. This is usually received by surprised faces, as he just turned 11 and Senior college starts in grade 10, so for 16 years olds.
Is he an extremely bright kid (of course he is, he is our son…duh…) that skipped five years? What is the story? Continue reading “Changing Schools – a year after”
Primary School Sport in Victoria
Melbourne is a city that hosts a lot of major sports events, so there is great enthusiasm in both watching and participating. That love for sports gets seeded very early on in Australia. Next to the normal sports hour in school, there are after school sport activities, sports days and inter school sports – competitions against other schools.
In the almost two years that we lived here, Kai has qualified for some of the school teams, so we got to see what the competition is like. Here is our experience. Continue reading “Primary School Sport in Victoria”
Grandparents day at school
Once a year Essex Heights Primary School has a day for grandparents and special friends. It is an important gathering, as it takes up half of the school day.
For Luka this year it was a very special event this year, as we have ‘opa en oma’ from overseas! Continue reading “Grandparents day at school”
Athletics Day 2016
Today was no ordinary school day for Kai, but a day filled with athletics. Since July, the start of this quarter, he is at his new school where the Athletics day is different from other schools. Since there are not many students at his Box Hill Tennis school they skip the school competition and all go straight into the District competition. They could choose two events that they wanted to participate in and almost all of them got to run in the relay at the end of the day. Continue reading “Athletics Day 2016”
Changing schools – part 2
As we posted previously we are considering a change of schools for our oldest. Kai was already bouncing when we first saw a glimps of him at the first ultra sound and that has not changed a bit after a came out. He just loves being active, so a sports school is right up his alley. Continue reading “Changing schools – part 2”
First day of school
“Do we have your lunch, two snacks, a water bottle, hat, a lock, an exercise book, a pencil case and a tennis racket? “Check! Today is the day where Kai starts his try-out week at Box Hill Senior College. Continue reading “First day of school”
Changing schools?
So why change schools? If you have to judge from our previous blog posts, it seems like we were quite happy with Essex Heights Primary School.
And we are! But sometimes there is an opportunity that changes your perspectives. And this one does. Continue reading “Changing schools?”
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