Abby is in a combo class with 4th, 5th and 6th year students called the Challengers. Walker is in a combo class with 2nd and 3rd year students called the Voyagers. The school is rather small with only about 170 students in all.
What we have learned on their first day is that shoes are optional. The kids LOVE this. It's not a joke. I walked in to the office and the principal was not even wearing shoes. It was awesome. They swim each day for P.E. and so they wear Togs or what we call swim suits. They wear uniforms and part of that standard uniform is a hat that is mandatory when they are outside. They are serious about the sun here in NZ.
Campus is completely open to parents. They just let you walk around, check out the class, stop by to see how your child is doing, bring them snacks during recess/snack time and bring lunches. No need to bring anything to the office to drop it off. No "visitor pass" or signing in or out. They just said, "go ahead and walk on in to the class." The encourage parents to come to assembly's and morning gatherings. So welcoming and relaxed.
School is from 9-3 with lunch at 1. This was a pretty late day the first day for Walker. He even asked his teacher if they sleep there at school. I bet he was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to go home.
Their homework policy is that homework is something they like to teach as a habit and not extra school work to be done at home that the teacher should have to monitor and keep after the children to do. With that, homework will be kept to a minimum of 20 minutes a night. HOLY COW! What are we going to do with the other 2 hrs and 40 mins of homework time we've been doing every night?
Again, I think leaving NZ is going to be a hard adjustment in more ways than one as we are quickly learning.
4 comments:
Loving your updates!! Sounds perfect! So excited for your family to be having this experience!! Live it up.
I want to go to school there!
So glad things are going so well! It sounds like a wonderful place to be!
WOW! This is going to be an AWESOME experience for all of you. I can hear the kids now when they get back here "In NZ we didn't have to wear shoes to school! In NZ we got to do this blah, blah~ But the bottom line is they are always going to look back at this time and say what a great time that was! I have been reading to Traci all your posts and we just are so envious of you! I will give her your blog address today, I think she is under the impression that she has to be on FB to see your blog! Here's to Happy Adventures for the next 3 months! You all are not going to want to come back :)
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