Back to School

Today was Nathan's first day of school in Australia.  Schools go year round here, so he he started out in the middle of Year One.  He has excelled in school so far and I assume he will be just fine, even if they are learning multiplication in Year One.  We worked on this a bit before we moved, so I don't think he'll be too far behind.

Brian had met with the school recommened to us on his last visit to Australia and was very comfortable after meeting with the principal.  Nathan had his interview/placement testing last Tuesday while we met with the principal and the head of junior school.  I was incredibly happy that we had chosen this school after our discussions were over.  The school seems very concerned with the individual student and doesn't have to teach to testing standards.  Also, there are quite a few ex-pats that attend the school, so they are used to dealing with overwhelmed children coming in mid-year.

Nathan has always loved school, but was understandably nervous about starting here.  We made sure to show up early so we could meet his new teacher and make sure he knew where his desk, cubby, and bin were placed.  This is what greeted us upon arrival:



Seems like an auspicious start

As an aside, the red car there is mine.  Told you I could drive here!

We went into the office to meet his new teacher, but not before I snapped a few first day pictures.

Shot of his full uniform

He ended up being very happy to start

I can tie a tie!

This is his uniform four days out of the week.  On Fridays he dresses in a sports suit for gym.  I'll take a picture of that uniform later.  All students must wear there hats when they are outside.  Once settled into class they are allowed to remove their jumpers and untuck there shirts.

When I left Nath, he seemed pretty happy.  Will, on the other hand, told me he was sad to leave "his best buddy."  Broke my heart in two.  I was doing ok until we got back to the condo.  That's when I started to panic knowing I had left my little guy in a place where he knew nobody, had recently moved him across the world, and he had never been to a full day of school.  I regrouped and knew he would be fine, but also knew that I would feel better after I picked him up.

I made sure to get to his class a few minutes early and peek through the window.  He was smiling and cleaning up his desk with the help of his two assigned "school buddies."  When he came out and I asked him how school went, his response was a resounding great!  His teacher said he did pretty well, but seemed a little lost, which was to be expected.  She said he would be fine - and I'm convinced she's right.  He's already looking forward to going back tomorrow.

And just because I can't leave you without another picture of the water, here is the marina where have eaten quite a few meals.  It's about a five minute walk from where we're staying.




Not a rough life

I promise to update on driving tomorrow.