paulry

I suspect they've had that already

JackTheLad

Well I can't really research schoolgirl uniforms! I do know the girls who wear lime green uniforms go to Somerville, and they are angels. If it was more convenient, I would send my girls there, because whatever they teach them really works. They are so polite on the train, always offering their seats to old/pregnant people.

The other ones though, hmmm, they get on at Morningside and Wynnum I think. Don't care what school they go to, but they're trash.

JTL

Kim67

It's Somerville I was referring to about getting in trouble at assembly for no hats and no shoes. Good to know they're still behaving because the girls will got back there when we return home next year hopefully.

JackTheLad

Well the Somerville girls restore my faith in the next generation, especially on the train. I actually feel sorry for them, because they all look like they're carrying a months worth of camping equipment on their backs!

Who'd report them for not wearing their hats When you've got some other schoolgirls not so furtively smoking on the train?

We've got our girls enrolled for Moreton Bay, just because its alot closer to us (and yes, it is second best to Somerville, but whats a few percentage points).

JTL

Kim67

It's usually "old girls" that report them for not wearing correct uniform outside of school. The old dears don't like to have their school come in to disrepute.

Moreton Bay is a good school too. I know a lot of Moreton Bay girls and they are lovely girls too. A lot of the kids my girls dance with in Brisbane go to these two schools.

ozzieeagle

No Uniform at the school, which is reputed to have the longest consistent record of performance of a State school in Australia.

Top ten of any school private or state for the education of Girls.


So wonder how they do it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Univers...ool,_Melbourne

JenniGee

Thanks for that....interesting read

PamE

I was sent to live in Spain with my father when I was the same age as your daughter. It was a horrible, horrible experience at first. But that was largely because I literally left Scotland overnight, no goodbyes to friends, nothing. Also of course the language barrier. In time I made settled tho and was lucky enough to have an amazing experience out there which while very tough at times changed the direction of my life completely, and opened up so many more opportunites and horizons than I would ever have had in the UK. Most likely your daughter will thank you when she is older. And if she doesn't like it, well in 2 years she can work out how to get back to the UK. I bet she settles tho. At 16 everything is so damn DIFFICULT for some kids, they feel misunderstood and everything seems tragic & unfair, all emotions are hightened and of course they can't see past their mates and the latest boyfriend... I don't have any children - am sure some will say that disqualifies me from this dicussion - but I remember very well being a rebellious teen like your daughter, and I know what it's like to be forced to move at that age. I feel bad for you that you are getting a hard time from some people on here who clearly have perfect parenting skills
All the best to you & your family and I hope your daughter gets out of this nasty phase before too long. Took me a good few years (ok maybe say about a decade) to get out of mine but I'm a good upstanding citizen now And I'm so glad I had that opportunity to broaden my horizons at such a young age, even tho it hurt some at the time. My parents only ever wanted the best for me and I'm sure your daughter will realise one day that's all you wanted too. Good luck!

JackTheLad

No doubt. But how do you get into the catchment area? What are their fees? Or Academic standards?

We can all throw links about great schools. (not necessarily in Australia). Why that one? Is it public or private.

JTL

JackTheLad

I think I survived my teenage years by learning from other teenagers' mistakes.

At high school, a 16-year-old girl was on spring break holiday, camping on the beach with some friends. Got drunk, vomitted in her sleep, choked herself to death. Another girl, a very popular, seemingly happy 17-year-old hung herself in her parents' garage during another spring break. Imagine sitting at your first morning assembly after the holidays, your principal telling you one of your schoolmates was no longer coming back?

Did I have to do something stupid to learn my lessons? Unfortunately other families and their children did it for me. I still remember the shock of those two morning assemblies vividly to this date.

Mrs JTL

CEM

That's a coincidence. My eldest daughter's new best friend came from MBC. She and her little sister are the most gorgeous, polite, engaging girls. Their parents would have them back there in a flash, if only they didn't have to live here.......
My daughter went to visit there when she went to Brisbane with her friend and said it looked like a great school and the girls were really friendly. She said she'd forgotten what it was like to be with 'normal' people! She loathes her school here (as do her sisters and the 2 MBC girls!) and to be honest we're not all that impressed either. I'm having to start looking again, which is very disheartening.
If my friends girls are anything to go by, you've made a good choice!

ozzieeagle

Reason I mentioned it, is it's close to our house. Plus it's a very high performing school without a uniform policy.

The fees for the Public State schools around here are very expensive.... Start around 3,000 bucks on average per year, without the extra cirricular activities, like Music.

Public, very small high cost housing catchment area, Carlton/Parkville/Brunswick with entry approval for high performing students from close by municipalities.

A lot of schools in this area, dont have a uniform..... reason being it's Pinko/Greeny/Academic central for Melbourne.


Costs us a fair bit just to send our two to state schools. Our Daughter goes to Northcote which also competes with Private schools, she got in on Music ability, her Brother will get in because of sibling rules. We've got him doing private french lessons, as a back up in case they tighten the restrictions. (Northcote and Uni High are the only schools in our area that have French on their cirriculum )

LouiseR

That is quite extreme, I'm not saying you need to die in order to learn a few life lessons.

Can you honestly say that you made NO mistakes during your teenage years? I'm not saying it needs to be sordid or reckless but surely you did something wrong and learnt from it... if not I think I feel a bit sorry for you...

JackTheLad

The stories aren't extreme at all. If the incidents didn't happen to the girls at my school, they would have happened to other teenagers at a different school or in a different city, and I would have read the stories anyway.

If you really really want to know, here's how I spent my boring teenage years.

I studied, trained twice a week in squash and tennis, went to Christian fellowship every Friday night, attended church every Sunday morning, member of Duke of Edinburgh Awards program, member of Model Parliament at high school (Canadian political role play for students), member of Model United Nations at university, Junior Achievement member (business entrepreneur club for students), helped younger students at my high school with homework, taught maths and sciences to disadvanted kids in West Philadelphia, had classical singing lessons once a week with a mezzo-soprano.

I went to some discos and clubs in Toronto with friends a handful of times. Didn't like the noise and if I had stayed longer than 1/2 hour, I was certain I would have lost my hearing completely.

I don't smoke, don't do drugs, was never, am never, and will never be interested. Didn't like staying out because of other acitivities which I enjoy doing and need time and energy for them.

The only thing that might have been illegal was that I had beer with cream soda and ice-cream during dinner with my family, and I was definitely underage then.

Oh yes, something exciting I did during my sophomore year (2nd year at uni) - many a weekend night, staying up looking after stupid drunk freshmen (1st year students) who lived in my dormitory. Making sure their parents weren't losing their precious children who were having a fantastic time.

Please don't feel sorry for me, not even a bit. You don't know what a great life I've had so far and how grateful I am for everything I've got. That's all I want for my kids as well.

Mrs JTL

LouiseR

Well no one I knew ever died of alcohol poisoning. So to me and the social circle I was in, it is quite extreme. I don't know about where you grew up but I still imagine that deaths from alcohol posoining and girls taking their own lives aren't "common".

I'm not saying you need to do anything illegal or reckless to have fun and learn lessons. If you feel you have lived then wonderful, I'm very happy for you. But the point I'm trying to make is that your teenage years is the time to make whatever mistakes you might make, when else in your life are you not going to have any responsibility?