Piff Poff

so you should know, should is being optimistic, unless your micromanagement parents, overseeing everything. I've met very few teens that can organise themselves consitently on a daily basis, I'm surprised many of them organise themselves enough for 'hanging out'.

ann m

While the education may be free, the associated school fees add up. We have to find just shy of $1000 by month end. That's after about $400 for bus fees in August.

Kids, generally, are very expensive little humans!!

Tirytory

Wow I'm glad we chose Ontario now....they cost enough here without school fees!

rivingtonpike

We pay $320 a year bus fees for two kids. This is a 2 year old thing. Before it was free. Other than that it is $25 per kid for school supplies, but this seems to be an expected add on that isn't mandatory. If you dontbpay it they will still be taught (sort of).

ann m

It's all the "little" fees that add up, then muliply it by two. I'm glad I don't have four kids.

$60 for the outdoor education module, $65 for Art, $50 for drama, $250 musical instrument hire, $50 deposit for band uniform, $50 for text book deposits, I can't even think what else there is but it was about $400 for one child and about $480 for the other.

(And this doesn't take into account the after-school activities that total more each year).

I joke with my kids that I only go to work so they can go to dance. I think I'm only half joking!

Shirtback

To go back to the OP: which province?

Here in Qc, we paid all supplies (stationery, textbooks, art stuff), outings, etc., from kindergarten level onwards. Most sporting activities were extra-curricular, & cost $$.

It wasn't cheap.

S

The4BellsLondon

wow - in Vancouver I think I paid approx $60 a year for High School, increasing to $300 for Grad year .

gryphea

Wow Ann , that's a lot for musical instrument, ours is $100.

I work so our kids can ski! That's only a half joke too.

ann m

It doesn't help that we are on instrument 3. We already now own a flute and a clarinet if anyone wants one!!

I am NOT buying the alto sax that we're on this year!

gryphea

We went from clarinet last year to base clarinet this year, which is huge and the reeds cost a fortune..............

DandNHill

We were lucky that when son #3 went through a saxophone phase we had a friend who happened to teach and play and so he lent him one... we just gave it back to him when the phase ended!

BristolUK

I remember 10p for the "school fund" every term.

DandNHill

I remember getting 10p pocket money per week!

MillieF

I had a weeks charabanc holiday on that....

Actually, whilst it not be for every boy or girl, the Cadet programme is one of Canada's best kept secrets. The sea cadets...I think go from 8 years old, and the army and air cadets from 12. I could not afford to do all the things for my kid that he has been taught to do, and has become good at without cadets.

My son is going to the nationals for biathlon, they've taught him to ski and shoot, he's pretty proficient on a flute, and is doing the Duke of Edinburgh awards. He also happens to actively enjoy every moment of it. If you have a kid of the age to enter I would try them with one of the cadet programmes perhaps....my son was never a candidate....so I thought?

It is free, enhances their school work, and certainly in our case, provided the soil that allowed the planting of new roots in a strange country.

Piff Poff

100% Agree, can't say enough good things about Cadets