Luka is starting her first day of school in the Netherlands today. After having lived in Australia for the last three years we moved back to the Netherlands last month. With it still being summer holiday, the new school year did not start until today. Continue reading “First day of school back in our home country”
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”
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”
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.
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”
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”
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”
“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”
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?”
Two weeks ago, at the Essex Heights Primary School fun run, the nine fastest runners per age group got selected to be part of the school team. Today was the day where they got to compete against five other schools. Continue reading “District Cross Country”
europe2australia.com 