sheli0508

Hi

I would really appreciaet some guidance. We are hoping to move out to Queensland in Aug/Sep this year. We have 3 children. An 8 year old that will have just finished year 3 - a 5 year old who will have just completed her first year in Reception - and a 3 year old who will have just had 7 months of Nursery(mornings only).

What will happen when we move. I am guessing that the 8 year old will continue in year 3 until the end of the year but what happens to the other 2. Should I bring work from her old school to keep her going until she starts in January (if I've read everything right this seems to be the earliest she can start - she's 6 in November)

What happens to the 3 year old - apart from long strolls on the beach with mum?

I'm confused.

Shelley

Anjibabe

Hi Shelley, 3 kids also, 12, 10 and 6. In Scotland they were primary 7, 5 and 2. Here they went into year 6, 5 and 1. Summer starts in December so holidays from Dec to end of Jan. Because of different summer times, the cut off date is different to determine which year they go into. I would guess, 8 y-o (year 3), 5-y-o (year 1) and there is also prep school but don't know if you pay or free. Head teacher will sit with you and go through it all with you. So don't worry and kids will settle fine

bethandneil

hi there
we are moving to brisbane in september when our son will be 4 and a half and daughter will be 2 and a bit, the school year works something like this!
If child is 5 between 1st july 07 to 30 june 08 they will start prep in january 08
If child is 6 between these dates they will start year 1 and so on!!!
Prep is essentially free if at state school, small fee for books i think?
Whereabouts are you thinking of going?
hope this is of some help, if not try www.ourbrisbane.com they have alot of info on schools and links to government sites.
good luck
Beth

as for the 3 year old i'll jion you on the beach with my 2 and a half year old!!

snappy

My daughter just turned 8 last Friday and is going back to school in year 3 at the end of Jan. My youngest is 5 (6 in March) and is starting off in year 1 at the end of Jan.

This year is the first year of prep school and Beth has pointed out is based on the dates of birth.

The youngest could go into kindy or day care to give you a break but there is usually a fee for this. You can get help though if you are lookign for a job via Centrelink and if you haven't reached a certain amount of income so that might be something worth looking into when you get here.

They will be fine though as my two have just bloomed coming out here and love school...had to drag them kicking and screaming in the UK.

Sasha

sheli0508

Hi all thanks for the replies.

It’s the middle one I don’t want to loose steam – she’s doing really well at the moment. As for Eden the eldest well another few months will probably be a help.

So it’s the beach for me – Sasha you are more than welcome to join me! I checked the website mentioned and it looks like I’m not going back to work until 2009 when Zax is 6!!! I’ve been told childcare is a nightmare….

We are hopefully heading for the Sunshine Coast. We have friends on the Gold Coast and it’s a bit too high rise for us and a tad pricey. Although looking at the job market – my Mitchell is a fitter – it will probably be North or South Brisbane…. Just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Once again, thanks for the info…

Shelley

snappy

Shelley

You will love the SC it is a great place for families and one place my hubbie wanted to live - just that I loved the rainforest of the North too much

You will find the middle one will have a ball as the preschool was more about play and teaching the basics of writing and reading etc but in Year one they start moving on quite a bit but at the same time it is very much still about having fun and enjoying themselves.

One thing I have found here is they get quite a lot of visits from touring companies who put on shows i.e. using circus tricks, robots etc to teach them about a topic they even had a creepy crawlie show which they loved with all the snakes and spiders etc and it taught them not to be afraid of these things but to respect them. Last month they had a talk on jellyfish all of which was done in a fun manner but afterwards they couldn't shut up about it and were a real fountain of knowledge when it came to jellyfish!

The school my two attend teach using the Thrass system which helps them understand the sounds of groups of letters so I was so shocked as to how easy it was for them to read very early on and spelling came very quickly behind it for my eldest one.

My eldest one when we first got here started out in September in Year 1 and it was good for her to have that few extra months as the system was different to what she was used to so those extra months enabled her to get up to speed with how things were done, plus get to a know a few people before the summer holidays which was fantastic.

All these things are what my youngest is about to go through and I know she will thrive as soon as she starts school this year.

I think the school system here has a great balance of teaching making it fun and easy for them to soak up their new knowledge.

For my youngest I put her in day care for a couple of days a week and she went to preschool for a couple of days (prep year starting this year will be full time though) I found a nice little part time job that fitted in perfectly around the kids and school so it got me out of the house and now they are both going full time I'm able to up my hours although I quite like working part time as the housework gets done in the week and the weekends are left for parties So I may just up my days to 4 days a week instead of 3 and as I work in a school my hours and holidays fit in great with their school times.

I would love to join you on the beach but I'm too far away from the SC although I do go down to visit some friends every now and then so you never know Although my favourite past time is the Sunhine Plaza when I'm down that way (even has a great pet store with cute little kittens and puppies to entertain the kids with!)

Sasha

sheli0508

You sound like you've just got the right balance Sasha.

Really depends on howour money pans out. Ideally I need something that fits round the kids but those jobs are like hens teeth. Just have to keep my fingers crossed that he can secure a reasonable salary which will remove any pressure for me to work for the time being. That said - I would have liked the opportunity, as you get chance to know people as Shelley, not just Eden's mum.....

Thanks again for the post - I'm just off to finish some amendments on the visa app and once we've had the docs certified on Monday were ready to post - fingers (and everything else!!) crossed..:scared:

Shelley

snappy

Good luck Shelley I hope it all goes well for you and you'll be enjoying the Aussie sun before you know it

Sasha

VikkiL

I will also join you on the beach with my 2 year old! We are off to Mountain Creek on SC in August (hopefully!).

See you there!!!!
Vikki x

mandtooz

Well with your middle one, the dates for new new people coming to the country are not as clear cut AND ARE flexible...........

You have to apply to the director of education in your area for your daughter to start school when you arrive in september. I would do this now whilst in england if you know which area you will move to and schools you want them to attend. Its a fairly simple process, writing a letter saying why you think your daughter should start before their time (i.e in education in uk!) and some time of evidence, like her report cards, and some works book (my director wanted reports only) . Then you get a letter stating ok for starting school !! I have done this, so i know it can happen and a friend of mine had also done this (it was her who told me to do it) and had success, i dont know anyone who has been refused. i will look on my computer, i wonder if i kept the stuff, i doubt it mate, im a chucker!!!

pm me for any further info, and goodluck

snappy

Flipping heck Mand I was so slack in comparision to you I just rang them up, popped in the following day and had a chat to the Principal who showed us around then my daughter started a week later. I did take in her old schoolwork and reports to show her teacher after she started so they had some idea as to what she had been doing in the UK.

I agree they are very flexible here as to what class they go into so if your child is bright they may go up a year or if they are finding it hard to adjust they may be kept back.

They are so used to people travelling around and stopping off for a week or two where they enrol their kids at the local school making it a very flexible schooling system.

Sasha

mandtooz

hehe

the school didnt want to know, they told me my daughter couldnt start PREP early, so i just dug a little deeper!!! i should add my daughter is young, she is only 4! so perhaps this is why i had a small battle!

goodluck