Most of my friends whose babies were born in 2008, I believed would have felt the same anxiety as me. I really, really felt the butterflies in my tummy as the date of the new term drew nearer.
But note that I'm not picking on parents who have done the below, infact, I really admired how those who have done it despite their really busy schedule including having to work full time as well.
Did I tell you that for a period, I was thinking to myself, am I belonging to the minority group - "BO CHUP" mums... ... Let me know if you belong to the same category as me !
1. I DID NOT register for any parent volunteer to try to get into any "branded" schools or those more popular schools in the neighbourhood.
2. I DID NOT join to be part of the Grassroots as well.
3. I DID NOT purposely hunt for another unit and shift there just to make ourselves nearer to that popular school.
I would emphasize more on character building than academic results. I would prefer he learns how to build up his interpersonal skills, to exercise his kindness, empathy, helpfulness and thoughtfulness to people around him and of course I would like him to enjoy the official schooling as long as he can with minimal stress.
My take in choosing a primary school, assuming all schools are equally good. These are my two top priorities when comes to choosing our choice of school;
1. Environment - It must be bright and airy.
2. Distance - We do have our own driving licence but we don't feel the need to own a car to add on to our expenses. Since we don't drive, distance of the school is best to be within 500m from where we are staying.
Alright, we were balloted out of our first choice. Hence, I visited Fernvale Primary School (FPS) which was just right opposite to where I stayed and visited Springdale Primary School (SDPS), which is about 8- 10 mins bus ride/ 3 LRT stops away, on the same day to register under Phase 2C Supplementary.
The decision to register for SDPS was it's environmental factor won me over with its bright and airy premises. I felt more "breathable" in their settings, even with their canteen lights off. I concluded since environmental factor is the main factor we were looking for, SDPS shall be our choice of school even if we have got to travel.
3. Sufficient sleep - Sleep should not be compromised due to the distance. Even if it is for that 15 mins, I would love Xav to sleep longer so that he will not feel tired that easily, given the fact that school hours are now much longer than before. Same goes the same even if he is to take school bus, should the journey be more than 15 mins, I would rather I send him myself.
The hunting of a proper school bag, school shoes (yes the daddy is very particular about the soles for the growing feet, especially when they need to run during their Physical Education days), buying of textbooks, new sets of uniforms, ordering of name tags, new wallets/ purse ...... the list goes on.
Wrapping books shall now be my annual affair ! So it has been three weeks since school has started and Xav is coping well at the moment and I hope he remains happy everyday !
Most of the mums I knew were like me, we labelled everything for fear of them coming back home having duplicates of the same colour of crayons or colour pencils or having to lose one or two colours from the set. or missing stationeries. So let us LABEL, LABEL and LABEL.
I got these bright orange labels from popular for the crayons and colour pencils and stamped with his initial "X"for him to spot if he has taken anybody's crayons by mistake and vice versa.
 |
| Labelled crayons. |
Feeling nostalgic ? When I was schooling, I used label my books with this. This gadget costs less than $8, can't remember the exact price though when I bought it like 2 years ago for my scrapbooking use. Now I used it for Xav's files which has a pretty slim space to stick on a name label.
Name stamp to make the task easier when I "labelled" his Mother Tongue flashcards at the back.
Even for his lunchboxes, water bottle as well as his shoes, I labelled them all using Stickerkid Labels for it's really lasting even when it is being washed repetitively. (Refer to my previous review here)
SAFEGUARD that wallet/ coin pouch with a "coil" by hooking it into the slit of the button on his shorts so that even if the pouch slipped out of the pocket unknowingly, the pouch is still "intact" on him in a way.
By the way, I love his school shorts ! Mainly because the size can be adjustable if the pair of pants is too lose, by the buttons.
PVC shoes - I am definitely sure that I would not want to go back like how I was in the past wearing canvas shoes and having to scrub the shoes clean and coat them with a layer of white liquid chalk over the weekends. We got Power brand for him with slightly bendable soles, just comfortable enough to walk and run during physical education. When it comes to the shoes being blackened by the end of the five days, all we need to do is to get a wet cloth and wipe off the dirt.
BENTO lunch boxes for recess. I failed the negotiation to prepare the boxes for twice a week, he insisted wanting it to be thrice a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Oh well, mummy gave in as long as he is willing to eat. For a start, I do not want to spoil my own market and set too high expectation for myself as am still struggling to adjust to the wake time -5.30 am ! For the past 6 coming to 7 years, I woke at almost 7am daily without fail. If the daddy is around, I would have the luxury to sleep in till 8 plus.
I went to hunt and brought out my bento kachang accumulated these years.
Coming up in the next few posts will be more on his lunch boxes for his recess. I made something simple for a start, kaya butter mini-wiches.
We are coming to the end of the third school week. Xav has been coping and adapting well to the new routine, new environment and busy making new friends.
Hope all the primary one goers have settled down to the new school life ! Not only to the kiddos, as well as to the mummies too for having to wake up much earlier than before to prepare their food. =)
Have a great Friday and the coming weekend !
If you have been reading our posts, do follow us on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for future updates !
No comments:
Post a Comment