Off To School

This past Monday we did yet one more thing we have never done before.  We sent our eldest off to school.  Katie has completed her first week at Presbyterian Ladies College and not only survived it, but enjoyed it and is excited to return next week.  When I pressed her for details just now, she insisted that she liked every single aspect of school, and that she could think of nothing negative.  That doesn't make for a very interesting blog post, I am afraid, but when I consider that the opposite could so easily be true, I am grateful.  

 

The School Motto, shown on the blazer below:  "The law of God is the lamp of life."

The whole process of enrolling a child in something other than a state school here has been an interesting, if difficult, process.  We have been asked repeatedly, almost insistently, since we arrived about how we are going with finding schools for the children.  This seemed a bit strange to us, until we eventually began to realize that the choice of "which school" is a much bigger issue here than in the U.S.  The number and variety of private schools is far greater, and it seems much more common, at least at the secondary level, for parents to choose private options.  As I began to go on school tours, I would see families with very young children already researching secondary schools.   The day we toured Presbyterian Ladies College, there was a woman who asked if her unborn daughter could be placed on the list (she was advised that she would have to wait until the actual birth for the name to be added).

 I had made it about halfway through the list of schools provided by our relocation agency when we happened to sit next to a year six teacher at an Anglican church that had been recommended to us.  She told us enthusiastically about PLC, introduced us to the principal who happened to be sitting nearby, and they both encouraged us to come to the school tour being held in three days' time.  This we did, and as Katie and I liked the school, Ross and I began to consider whether this might be a good place for our daughter.  My main concern at the time was the driving time required to get her there and back (about 20-25 minutes one way depending on traffic).

The next Sunday we decided to go to the much smaller Presbyterian church just around the corner from us.  There we met some wonderful people and discovered that out of the handful of ten or so children who regularly attend, one girl was in year six at PLC, and another plans to start next February for the beginning of year seven.  The daughter already there was not only Katie's age, but lives just three doors down from us.  Her mom, the minister's wife, was able to tell me more about the school and was quite excited at the prospect of having someone with whom to carpool.   We came home that day grateful beyond words for both the school connection and for having been so warmly welcomed into this church body.

Entrance to the Junior School at PLC:
Just about to enter for the first time:

The girls in Katie's class eagerly welcomed her and along with their teacher did their best this week to make her feel comfortable and a part of things.  We are immensely proud of her for how she has handled this new adventure.  To go to school for the first time, in a new country, nearly three quarters of the way through a school year, requires courage and fortitude, both of which she has shown this week.

Comments

[Leslie Doyle]

You can be so proud of her! We are glad that the Lord directed you to the right place. Going to school is huge for both child and parent, especially after homeschooling. Is everyone else off to school or staying home?
Abby says thanks for preparing her so well. Spanish 2 is going very well!

[Deborah]

Awesome! If she is anything like Brianna with those great firstborn strengths, she will not only like it, but flourish there. So glad the Lord opened the door for you. Katie looks so grown up, and positively happy. What a great kid!

[Linsey Smith]

Yay, Katie! We didn't doubt for a second that she would handle this well and enjoy doing it. Thank you for sharing this with us.:)

[Shanda]

Katie looks so pretty in her school clothes and doesn't look worried a bit. I'm so proud of her, and thankful that the Lord led you guys to such a nice school.