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Sunday 3 February 2013

How the kids are doing

Hi all, well we've been in seaside town for a week now so I thought I'd give you an update on how the kids are getting on.  It's taking me ages to do as we still have no broadband, and I've run out of internet on my 'phone.  I'm now stealing Kenny's, which is pitifully slow.  Grrr.  Also, this is the fourth time I've written this, so who knows what's going on with Blogger!?  Do you have these problems too?

So, the topic in hand: the children.

The two big kids started their new school on Monday last week. They've got their new uniforms, and they're getting new school books and new routines.


They are getting the hang of having to pay cash for their milk and their lunches, although that's been a steep learning curve!  I think it's a good learning experience for them to pay for their lunches, but it seems a bit tight to me to ask kids to pay for their milk... I'll just blame the Tories (works for most things).  It's a bit of a nightmare finding change all the time too, but we're getting into the swing of things.

The boy has gone into a composite class wherein most (if not all) people are younger than him.  He's finding some stuff easy, but mostly it seems about right.  And it's good to have him in a class where's the reading is a bit more interesting (their old school didn't focus so much on the reading, and had them on Biff, Chip and Kipper for aeons!).  He's doing a topic on Romans, which he's really interested in, and he's thrilled to bits that he's going to be going to school in a toga one day this week!

The big girl has gone into a big P1 class with two teachers.  Unfortunately, due to illness and bereavement her teachers have been out of the classroom a lot during her first week, which has been hard for her, and she's been crying quite a lot.  I feel really bad for her, but I know that she'll get through it.  I've spoken to one of her new teachers who isn't worried about her academically, or socially, but she has gone up two stages in her reading books so as to catch up with the others in her class (she's reading the book fine, but is feeling a bit phased by the gear shift), and is having to learn a three verse Scottish poem for next week's poetry competition, which is really blooming hard!  Mostly she is missing her friends.  The girls in her class are making her wee pictures to bring home, and they are trying to include her, but she's feeling shy and sad.  She'll get there.

At the moment she's crying her heart out when she gets to school in the morning, and not wanting to let go of me.  I have been walking her to the nearest playground supervisor, handing her over and saying goodbye.  I don't want to encourage her being daft, but I don't want to make it worse than it need be.  I was thinking of saying that this week I will stay and see she gets someone to talk to before I go (rather than walking her in), and gradually shifting away.  How do you think I could help her get over this morning wobble?

Other than that she says she gets worried and sad in the day while she's at school (and she's certainly wiped out at night).  I've asked her to talk to the teacher, but she is again feeling shy, and she says they're busy.  If you know her you'll know that when she's sad she shuts down, and kind of folds in inside herself, and that often seems to go unnoticed, but when I spoke to her teacher she mentioned that she sometimes goes quiet and that seems to be when she's upset.  They're trying, but it's so hard without all the fantastic transition stuff.  Have you got any ideas how we can help her enjoy school again?

That's enough for now I feel, I'll give you an update on how the little girl, Kenny, and I, are doing next time.

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