World Book Day, 6 March 2014

Today is World Book Day and Connor's school celebrates it.  Every child was given the option of arriving dressed as their favourite literary character or in any costume they like.  At the end of the day, everyone gets to go home with a book voucher.  Nice.

Connor went as Darth Vader.  Why?

Because:
1.  We have a Darth Vader costume on hand
2.  Mummy didn't have time/energy to make a proper literary character's costume


At 1:45pm, they had a parade of all the Nursery-P3 kids in the playground and parents were invited.  I went and it was quite fun to see all the little ones.  There were a few Fantastic Mr Foxes, one Naughtiest Girl in the School, one splendid Harry Potter and a few Cats in the Hat.  There were loads of pretty princesses, more than a few recycled Halloween costumes and ONE Darth Vader.  Funnily enough, Darth Vader's class had Darth Maul and a stormtrooper as well.... so you can say the P1/2 class had quite a bit of the dark side of the Force.

The best bit was the teachers all dressed up as well.  The Best Teacher's Costume had to go the P1 class teacher who came as The Book Fairy.  That's what it said on the plaque on her front.  She had wings, the cover of a book taped to her wings and pages from a book made pretty pleats on her skirt.  I'm thinking back to my school days and it's really hard imagining... oh... Mrs Gan say.... coming as a Book Fairy.

Well done, everyone!

St Andrew's Day, Nov 30

The Aberdeenshire council is responsible for the running of the schools in our area.  One of the areas they're pretty good at is school lunches.

Connor generally eats the lunch that school provides.  We buy him a book of school dinner tickets and then he exchanges them for a meal at school.  The food's pretty good too.

I have since discovered that the council takes its job very seriously.  It doesn't just provide a hot meal.  They also try to take into account celebrations and change the menu accordingly.  For St Andrew's Day, the school lunch menu was haggis, mince, neeps and tatties.  I took one look and told Connor before we left for school that day that he should opt for sandwiches that day at the school dinner hall.  My son doesn't like beef and potatoes.  And I was pretty sure he would hate the haggis.  Best to eat tuna sandwiches.

Unfortunately, my little boy didn't pay attention to me.  So he lined up for the haggis option.

It was SO predictable what happened next.

My son came home at 3:30pm starving as he'd been completely grossed out by the haggis and had refused to eat anything on his dinner tray.

"What did you have for lunch today, Connor?"
"I had haggis!"
"Did you like it?"
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It smells terrible!"

After I'd stopped laughing my eyes out, I fed my son.

Now if he's naughty, we threaten to feed him haggis.  Hahahahahahaaaaaa......

Connor at school

Everything was going swimmingly at school at first.  Connor was happy to go off every morning to play with other kids and Mummy was relieved to have one less little person at home to mind for a few hours at least.

Then it started.

I was called aside by a teacher who told me that Connor was very disruptive.  He was constantly on the move and would refuse to obey anything she said.  The surprise on my face must have told her his behaviour was out of the ordinary.  Connor is generally a good, calm boy at home.  He has his moments when he has meltdowns and gets hyper-excited but by and large, he's quite easy.

I had a sit-down talk with Connor about it and he seemed fine again at school for a few days.  But then, the bad behaviour started again.  It was also spilling over into his behaviour at home.  I found him increasingly rude and hysterical at home.   It got to a point where I was having chats with his teachers every week about his behaviour.

Finally, I got The Call.  It was from the headmistress herself.  He had been sent to her as he had been Really Naughty that day.  I almost fainted.  In all my years at school, I had never even been sent to detention, let alone been sent to the head. My son, who had been at school for barely two month, had been there, done that.

She told me that he had been very disruptive from Day One but today was his worst.  He had told teacher that he didn't like school and wanted to go home.  When she said he couldn't, he started screaming and hitting other children.  That was when she decided he had to go to the head.  When the head asked him why he was behaving like that, my son explained that he thought if he behaved badly enough, they might let him go home.

I was gobsmacked.  One - that my usually good natured son would behave so.  Two - that he was actually clever enough to hatch up a plot.

Something had to be done.

That night, we let Connor know how terribly disappointed and sad we were with his behaviour.  After many, many questions, it finally came out that Connor thought school was an option and that he could quit it any time he wanted to come home and play with his toys.  I told him firmly that it wasn't and if he'd escaped from school and walked home himself, I would march him back into school.

We also decided to implement the same reward system that school was using.  Connor lost all his iPad and tv privileges immediately.  Good behaviour was rewarded with stamps and he would have to collect 10 stamps to redeem one hour of iPad/tv time.  If he behaved badly, he would be cautioned up to a max of 3 times before being sent to stand in a corner where he had to stay and think about his actions.

When Connor realised that school wasn't an option and that all the adults were on the same side, guess what?  His behaviour improved immediately.  Teacher reported that he stopped throwing tantrums in class.  He started listening more attentively.  Work improved.

And one day, my son came home proudly waving this.

Connor's certificate for good behaviour

We were so proud of him!  I pinned that up in the kitchen and we all celebrated that night. 

I was so relieved.   For a moment, I thought I was raising a juvenile delinquent.  You can't imagine how stressed out I'd been, wondering if this would impact his chances of an Oxbridge education some 10+ years from now.  Sorry... I like planning ahead.  Hee...

There were a few things I noticed about this experience.  One was that he responded when all the adults were consistent in their behaviour and in setting the rules.  Once he knew he couldn't manipulate any adult, he stopped doing so.

Two was I noticed his behaviour improved when I limited his iPad and tv time.  In the summer, he had been allowed the iPad.  He was on his last holidays before proper school, I was stressed out trying with Anders and other family matters and I have to admit I let him play more than he should have.  When he had unlimited iPad access, his behaviour deteriorated.

Thirdly, owing to the peculiarities of the Scottish school system,  Connor entered P1 aged 4.5 years.  Some of his classmates were 6+ years old.  At this age, the gap of almost 2 years is telling.  It shows in the thinking and behaviour of the children.  Although Connor was behaving badly, I felt that his age and relative immaturity had to be taken into account.

He has since settled in well.  I don't get called aside regularly by the teachers anymore.  We still continue with the system of rewards and time-outs at home as it's still working for us.

With time, maybe he'll earn another certificate and we can pin that one up too.

Connor's costume for the school Christmas play

The P1, P2 and P3 kids are putting on a Christmas play this year.  Connor is a snowflake in the play.

About three weeks ago, I received a note from the school informing us that we would need to supply Connor with a black tee and snowflake decorations for his costume by Dec 2.

Piece of cake, I thought.

I looked up "How to make snowflakes" online and it looked really easy.  Snip, snip and ta-dah!  Snowflake!

Image from http://www.highhopes.com/snow3.jpg

Yesterday I suddenly remembered the deadline for his snowflake costume and hurriedly purchased some craft materials to make the snowflakes to stick on his black tee.  I opened up the snowflake how-to website again on my iPad and skimmed through everything.  Grabbing a piece of paper, I thought about how creatively funky Connor's costume would be once I was done with it.

Easy-peasy.

After I'd finished snipping, I unfolded my creation triumphantly only to find this...

I was always shit at crafts anyway.

HELP!

Connor starts big boy school

Connor, aged 4.5 years.  Picture taken 21 Aug 2013

Connor started school on 21 Aug.  A few days before, I ironed his newly bought school uniforms - white polo shirts and grey trousers.  I remember my mum doing the same for us until we were old enough to iron our own uniforms.  We'd just returned from a long weekend away in Liverpool where we'd bought his black school shoes and the plimsolls for gym at the Clarks outlet store in Cheshire Oaks.  I packed his green school bag with a snack box and his PE kit bag.  Being Malaysian, I am accustomed to school bags bursting at the seams with books so I was a little doubtful when I realised there was not much else to go in his bag.

The next morning, I woke up at 6am to get everything ready.  Breakfast for my little man was toast with Nutella, a mug of hot chocolate and a half-boiled egg.  The half-boiled eggs are a complete mystery to my husband but they mean a lot to me.  My mum would make us half-boiled eggs every morning before we went off to school.  It was her way of saying "I love you".   And so I make them for my little boy every morning before he goes to school, just like my mum did for my brothers and me.

I took this pic on our front doorstep before we got into the car.  Connor doesn't realise it but this is effectively the end of carefree childhood for him.  From now on, this is serious school.  You can't just skip a week because Mummy and Daddy want to take you for a fun trip to Barcelona as you can in nursery. 

At school, there were plenty of parents armed with cameras and smartphones, ready to record this moment.  Our little ones ran about in the school playground while we parents stood around and chatted about how our summer holidays went.  

Finally, the school bell rang and all the older kids, who'd been through this before, ran up and lined up patiently.  Our little ones however were perplexed.  I guided Connor into one line and gave him a goodbye kiss and hug.

The teachers all came out and we had a little welcome back speech from the head.  Then class by class, our children all marched off into school.

I watched my son walk off with the rest.  I caught it on video.  He was carrying his bag and he seemed happy enough to follow everyone else.  I felt proud and happy that he wasn't nervous but at the same time, I felt really emotional.  It didn't seem that long ago that he was holding my hand learning to walk in the compound of our housing area in Kemang, Jakarta.  I still remember that day, he was about 10 months old or so and I had decided to take him out for a walk.  He was cackling away with glee at being allowed out and I remember I had to lean over a little to hold his hand because he was so little.  It was such a happy day and such a happy memory for me.  

When I watched him walk away, I knew he wasn't just walking into school.  I knew he was also walking away from his babyhood and I knew I would never have those times back again.  I felt like a part of me walked away into school with him.  

I'm so glad I was lucky enough to have spent the past 4.5 years having him all to myself.  I got to see every milestone, I got to kiss away every tear.  It was just Mummy and Connor for so long.  I was there for everything and he was my whole world until his little brother came along and my whole world expanded.  

Goodbye my baby.  I know you'll love school.  

Be a good boy, listen to teacher and have fun.

And when school ends, Mummy will be right out here waiting for you. 

Connor can read: Biff, Chip and Kipper books

I happened upon the Biff, Chip and Kipper book set in our local Costco one day.  I took them, had a flip through and saw Level 1 was exactly what I was looking for - simple, 2-3 word stories for a beginning reader.  Just like my old Peter and Jane Ladybird books that I had as a child.

So I thought "Let's try them out."   This was after I discovered Connor could read simple words after learning phonics off the iPad.  Connor loved the books because he could read them by himself.  He can easily read Level 1 and Level 2 and they're quite easy for him.

I've then invested in Level 3 and have just ordered the boxed set of Level 4-6.  I discovered long after we started on the books that these books are also used in his local school so I hope I won't overdo it at home and then have Connor get bored at school because he already knows all the books.

They're contemporary British versions of Peter and Jane.  I think that's how to describe it.  As they're written for UK schools, the stories are based on UK life.   So the settings are familiar to Connor as they mirror his current life experiences and he enjoys seeing them in print.

Having him read the simpler books all by himself has shown Connor that much pleasure and information can be gained from reading.  He now spends a lot more time with his books and asks more often now to be read to.  Starting him off with something simple has given him confidence to try out the more complicated words.  

If you'd like to try a few out, you can get them off eBay for a pound or so per book.  There are also used boxed sets up for sale on eBay, usually in quite good nick for half the price of a brand new set and definitely worth a look.  

Connor can read: Phonics and Reading with McGuffey

Sometime ago, my friend who runs a blog called Figur8 wrote about an app called Phonics and Reading with McGuffey.  I clicked on it and saw it was free for a limited time period.  So I figured what the heck... and downloaded it onto the iPad for my little man.

Now, I had wanted to start him on reading last year but with his speech therapy, I was advised to put that on hold.  Why?  Because we had to work on his understanding of language first before teaching him how to recognise the symbols for that language.  Gotta learn to walk before you can run.  So I put aside all thoughts of teaching him to read and focused on teaching him how to talk properly first.

A year later and now-we-can't-shut-Connor-up later, I decided to try reading again.  I dunno if it's just my inadequacies as a teacher or something but Connor was NOT interested.  At all.  Luckily the app appeared.

I tried the app out first and found it utterly BORING.  It was so dreary.  The flat voice-over almost killed me with boredom.  Bleh.  I handed it to my son anyway.  Who of course found it the most amazing, absorbing, interesting app he'd ever had.

He played with it a lot.  I don't mind him playing with educational apps.  And of course the inevitable happened.

Connor somehow taught himself to read with the help of the app.

Ta-dah!

How did I know?  Well, because he began reading out things to me.  I was SO thrilled!  Dear Hubby and I thought they must have been teaching phonics and stuff at school.  We thought what he learnt at school + the iPad app = him reading

Until today that is.   I was asking Teacher how Connor was doing and she said he's doing fine.  She then asked me, "Are you teaching him to read at home?"  I said, "Oh not really but he has this phonics app on the iPad that he really enjoys.  Why?" "Because he can read.  We don't really teach phonics now in Nursery, just letter sounds for a few letters but not whole word phonics.  So I was surprised when he could read."  She went on to describe the times Connor would read stuff out in class after sounding it phonetically himself.

And you know what?  I felt really happy.  Utterly relieved.  My son, who could not talk properly a year plus ago, can read.  And he taught himself how to do it.

When we first started seeing Mario for speech therapy, I had worried and worried if Connor was slow and would need help in school later.  Mario was surprised I even thought that, he said no, it was obvious Connor was quite bright.  Just not talking.  Not talking is not the same as un-bright.  Not talking just means not talking.

So now at night, my son reads me a bedtime story before he goes to bed.  It used to be just me reading to him.  I pick books geared at beginners and he reads them to me.  He needs help on more complicated words but he's working on it.  I still read to him of course... I read him the more difficult stories.

Try this app if you're looking for a phonics app for your child.  It really helped Connor and he really enjoys it.

Schooling in Scotland: Connor's Technology homework

Connor's Technology pack homework:  (L-R, clockwise) Instruction sheet for model, list of items in the pack, Learning Outcome sheet, book, model kit, parent feedback form

Well, as promised, here's a sample of the homework packs that we receive at school and that Connor can expect to be doing throughout Primary 1. 

This week's pack is titled "Technology" and came with a kit to make a motorbike.  Tell you what, it wasn't easy to make it and I don't see how a 4yo with limited attention span such as my son could be expected to complete it on his own.  If it had been a Duplo set, I think it would have been more appropriate.  This one had screws and washers and god knows what else.  The parent is supposed to guide and offer pointers but let the child do most of it.  Well, I ended up doing most of it myself!   Maybe it'll be better for him in a year's time.

Connor loved the book though.  It's a simple book about how forces help things work.  For example, we push the pedals of a bike to make it move and we pull the oars to row a boat.  He can read simple words so he enjoyed the reading bit. He'd taught himself phonics off some app I downloaded onto the iPad.  When I tried the app, I thought it was the dreariest thing on earth.  But Connor loved it and played with it everyday and the next thing you know, he can sound out words phonetically and read the simple ones.  I was amazed, considering that at this same time last year he had been diagnosed with a speech delay and was undergoing speech therapy.

So there you go, a sample of what we get at school here in Scotland.  

UK Curriculum P1 Mathematics Homework: Our sample

During the P1 Induction Night briefing, we were told that our children would start coming home with homework packs to familiarise themselves with P1 life.

It's ALREADY started.

Connor arrived home last week waving a Mathematics homework pack.   It was a ziploc baggie containing various sheets of paper.  One was the Outcome sheet.  It was for us parents and explained what the homework aimed to achieve.  For Maths, it was to familiarise our children with numbers in their lives, not just as numbers on a page.  The aim was to show them that numbers mean different things in different context.

There was a book to read together on numbers, a number hunt around the village, some song sheets and a feedback sheet for the parent to fill in.

Connor enjoyed the number hunt most of all.  It was a laminated sheet of various signs around the village - the speed limit sign, the bus stop sign, the hotel sign, the road signs.  We went hunting for them one morning and he really enjoyed it.  Coincidentally, he's very much into signs now and he's always asking, "What does this sign mean, Mummy?"  So it was very easy to explain to him that the "30" on the speed limit sign denotes how fast Mummy can drive while the 6am - 9pm sign on the village mini market means that's the hours that the shop's open.  Different numbers, different meanings. See?

Pretty good activities and once you're done, you pop everything back into the ziploc baggie, fill up the feedback form and pass everything back to the Nursery teacher.  The way the activities are structured means Mummy and/or Daddy has to get involved too.  This means if your child has any difficulty with the activities, YOU the parent know it and you can get involved early.  Not happy blur-blur and wait till the teacher calls you for a private chat.  By then, your child may have started disliking school simply because he can't understand what's going on.

I forgot to take pictures this time but I'll remember when we get our next homework pack.  I saw a parent come in with the Science pack today and golly, it looked complicated... had rocks and leaves and flowers and stuff.

Can't wait!

Primary 1 induction night

Last night was the Primary 1 induction night for all the parents of children who will be starting P1 after the summer holidays.  That includes yours truly.

As the head teacher wryly acknowledged last night, the transition from Nursery to P1 can be exciting and a little scary for our children but by and large, they are fine because they are used to the school setting and teachers.  It's really us PARENTS who have the heebie-jeebies.

And she's right.  Connor can't wait to go to "big boy school".  He has no qualms about it.   I, on the other hand, am fretting about his readiness.  Can he hold a pencil correctly?  Will he be able to understand what's going on in school?  How will he fare vs his older peers as he will be almost a year younger than some of his classmates?  I am so glad we got his speech therapy sorted out while we were in KL because his Nursery teacher says he's talking and communicating fine and she doesn't see any problems with that.   Will he sit down and eat his lunch?  SO many questions!

So schools in UK have Induction Nights where anxious parents of soon-to-be P1 kids are taken through what awaits their precious ones in school.  Teachers and staff are on hand to answer any questions we may have.

In Connor's school, the Nursery kids will be given taster sessions of P1.   They will join P1 classes over this term so that they can get a feel of it.   Activity packs and homework will be given.  Samples of the packs were available for us to inspect and I had a look at some for writing.  One pack had a piece of paper with several chunky crayons in it and the child was asked to write the letter M in various sizes and colours.  After that, the child had to evaluate which M they liked the most.  Also included in the evaluation sheet was a section for the parent to comment on the activity.  Looks like Mummy's getting homework too.

We then took a look at the term activity for the P1 class we were sitting in.  This term, they were organising a circus and there was a circus tent in one corner, a ticket booth in another.  Actually they were learning words, numbers, colours, shapes etc... and the circus bit was just a ploy.  But at the end of the year, they get to have a Circus Day and all the parents come in and charged an entrance fee to watch.  Cool or what.  I didn't have that in Darjah Satu when I was in primary school!

After looking at the activities children are supposed to do in P1, I'm a bit more relaxed.  For example, Connor has taught himself quite a bit of phonics off this app I downloaded on the iPad and that's similar to what they're teaching in P1.  It's quite amusing to be woken up by a 4yo in the morning and to be told, "Mummy, I want a kiss.  K is for kiss. K-k-k-k-kiss!"

He already knows his numbers and is doing some writing, all stuff they will be doing in P1.  Connor's biggest problem is his lack of discipline in class.  Unfortunately, he's inherited some of my less desirable personality traits.  One of them is the tendency to try and get away with it.  Some children just don't have that trait, they're just naturally obedient and good.  I wasn't.  And he isn't.

We parents all went home with an info pack to read.  I really appreciate that they did this as it's really made me feel more at ease about P1.  I don't know if the international/private schools in Malaysia do this as well.

I've been told by more experienced parents that the school also organises a School Lunch night where parents are invited to come in and try the school meals that our kids will be eating should they choose to buy school meals.  I tell you what - I've been to the school when they're preparing the meals and it usually smells really good so I can't wait!

I believe the curriculum used by the British-based international and private schools in Malaysia are similar so if any of you are wondering what a P1 child is supposed to do, this might give you an idea.

Life in the UK: A different educational approach for children

Every school in the UK gives out a handbook to prospective parents.  Connor's school is no different and I was amused to read a line which goes 

0. 
   

We embrace outdoor learning and would appreciate it if you could consider the changeable nature of Scottish weather conditions and provide your child with the appropriate jacket and footwear. 

Other parents had told me to take that warning seriously so Connor is always sent off to school with a proper coat, hat, scarf, gloves and an extra jumper.

When I arrived at school yesterday to pick him up, it was snowing.  And guess what the Nursery children were doing?

They were all suited up in their winter gear and were each given a square container box.

Then they were all ushered outside into the play area with a teacher supervising play and the children were encouraged to catch as many snowflakes as they could.  Or they could shovel up snow into the containers and make little snowcastles.  Just like sandcastles... but made from snow.

They could also pack the snow into little square snow cakes or snowballs and asked to observe the difference between the snow falling from the sky (soft, powdery) and the snow that had melted on the ground and packed into ice (hard, slippery).

It was National Science Week and the children were learning about the changing nature of water. They were learning the water takes on different forms at different temperatures.

I stood there, watching and smiling for a moment because this is perfectly normal for most UK schools. As long as it's not going to kill the kids, the kids are all chucked outside when possible and encouraged to learn from their surroundings and experiences.

Compare this to my own childhood in Malaysia where I was forbidden to take part in most outdoor activities because:
1.  it would make me far too dark and that's terribly ugly for a girl (but then again, I was born darker skinned than most Chinese girls and no staying away from the sun would ever make me white!)
2.  sports and going outside was a waste of time.  My job was to stay indoors, study, pass exams and get into Uni

So that's why Connor's class was out in the snow, having a great time and not knowing they were actually learning something.

I was smiling because I was thinking of my mum and how horrified she would have been if she had been the one to pick her grandson up from school.  "NO!  GO INSIDE!  THEY'LL ALL DIE OF PNEUMONIA!"

Connor's going back to school!

Guess who's starting Nursery on 18 Feb?

In the UK, children attend the local school if they are in the school's catchment area.   You can request to be placed at another school out of your catchment area if you wish but that means you'll be lower on the priority list for enrolment.  As we are currently in temporary accommodations, I was unable to register Connor for any school as I knew we would be buying our own house and moving there.

Fortunately, we have finally bought a house and using our new house address, I was able to register Connor for the local school.  While children within the catchment area are guaranteed places for Year One, they are not always guaranteed places in Nursery.  We were lucky they had a place in the Nursery class for him because if they didn't, I would have had to hunt for another school/playgroup for him.   I'd wanted him to attend Nursery at the local school as he will also be starting Year One at the same school later this year and it would be easier for him to settle in if he's already familiar with the place.

This picture was taken sometime last week after we'd returned from an initial visit to the Nursery class so that Connor could meet his new teachers and new friends.  That's his new school sweatshirt which he'll be wearing to school every day from now on.  I'm a big believer in school uniforms.

Dear Hubby asked if I was happy with the school and what it looked like.  I said yes, I was happy and that it looked like a budget version of Alice Smith in KL.  Almost a year ago, we had paid a visit to Alice Smith KL as we were looking for a school for Connor if we were to remain in KL and I had fallen in love with it. 

His new Nursery class was set up just like the one in Alice Smith and employed the same teaching philosophy so I was quite happy.  I can't complain about it being a budget version of Alice Smith as we would have been paying RM11,000++ per term for Alice Smith while this school is funded by the local council.

School is on mid-term break right now and next Monday, it's back to school for Connor!  Hurray!

Connor get his reward

Oh wow.  When I picked Connor up from school yesterday, I asked his teacher how he was doing.

Teacher said Connor had been a very good boy at school that day.  He had sat down and had finished all the worksheets for the day.  In fact, he'd behaved so well Teacher rewarded him with an Angry Birds sticker and Connor proudly showed it off to me when I asked him to.

I was so proud of him!

Especially so as he's usually the shit stirrer in class.

Australian International School KL Open Day, 6 Mar

I just found out from Time Out KL the Australian International School is having its Open Day on 6 Mar 2012.  This is a preview for their junior school (age 3-10).  It says on Time Out KL that it starts at 10am and will end at 11:30am.  I thought that's quite a short time to be doing a preview as we started ours at Alice Smith at 11am and only left past 1pm.  AISM is not on our list of schools for Connor simply because we wanted Connor to study a UK curriculum in case we have to return to the UK to live and it would be an easy transition for him.

Contact details:
Australian International School,
22 Jalan Anggerik
The Mines Resort City,
Sri Kembangan

Tel: 03-8943 0622

Click HERE for their website.

Alice Smith International School KL: Open Day, 29 Feb

Yesterday was the Open Day at the Primary campus of Alice Smith International School KL.  The campus is located in a quiet leafy suburb near the old Istana (not the new one in Sri Hartamas).

Dear Hubby and I suited up for the occasion.  As the fees for Reception year are in excess of RM10,000 per term (approx 2,000++ quid), we thought we should look like we could afford at least a term at the school.  Hee...

I missed the turn-off to the school and for the first time in my life, did the Malaysian thing.  I reversed back along the road to the turn-off.  *facepalm*  This was with Dear Hubby's encouragement.  Don't try this anywhere else, I knew it would be ok doing it there as there is very little traffic and what traffic there was drove very slowly as there were many road bumps.  The only good that came out of it is that now I know I can pass the UK driving test which has a section where you are required to reverse up a hill.

We were met by an admissions team member who explained the application and admissions process.  She also talked about the fees, the all-important topic for most parents.  Alice Smith is a non-profit school and all the money they need to run the school - paying salaries, maintenance, buying of materials, books, toys, games equipment - is generated solely by the fees paid.  It teaches the UK curriculum which was why this school was on our list.

The Asst Principal for Pastoral Care, Mrs Alison Nadarajah, took us on a guided tour of the campus.  She's a Brit who has lived in Malaysia for 20 years and I'm extremely impressed she's still retained her original accent.  Unlike... you know... the Malaysian who goes to UK for a 10-day tour and suddenly comes back sounding like the Queen....

All I can say is - can *I* enrol in the school instead of Connor?  The classrooms look bright and cheerful and very stimulating.  We looked into a pre-school class (for children aged 3+) and they were having a show and tell session.  They were all seated on a mat in front of the teacher and eager hands were raised during question time.  That is something I definitely want to see.  I am a product of the Malaysian school system and my instinct is to look at the floor when it is question time and pray I'm not called upon.  That is not what I want for my son.

They have 2 pre-school classes and 5 Reception classes.  Starting from Year 1 onwards, there are 5 classes per year with about 20 children in each class.  There are about 800 children on the campus.  I was very impressed by the discipline of the children.  There was absolutely no shouting and screaming or mad running around and yet there was no head teacher walking about with a cane enforcing good behaviour.  The environment was calm and friendly.

Each class is organised into groups of perhaps 5 children.  They do their work in groups and teachers do their best to ensure each group consists of children of mixed abilities and backgrounds.  There were plenty of creative materials and toys in the lower classes.  In one Reception class, I noted at least 5 tables, each with a different theme.  One had a  space rocket and space toys, one had a castle and knights, one had a pirate ship and pirates, one had a garage, one had a dollhouse.  Children were clearly encouraged to use their imagination and creativity.   They were encouraged to think and not just sit down and memories times tables.

There is also serious work going on.  The Reception children were working on phonics when we visited.  One class was doing maths exercises on the computer.  One more was busy doing arts and craft in groups.  Alice Smith has a web-based homework and assignments site.  Students use it to access their work and parents can check on it.  Dear Hubby said "Well, no more 'The dog ate my homework!' excuses then!"  They are also given homework diaries and parents are expected to check that daily.

They have 2 libraries on campus - one for Early Years and another for the older children.  It's not like the staid libraries of my youth.  These were bright and inviting.  Books were placed at a height that is easily accessible for young children.  There were cushions and bean bags alongside chairs and tables.  There were also soft toys and other toys so you can use them to act out the scenes you'd just read.

The best part has to be the swimming pool.  It's shallow, water level came no higher than the hip of the teacher standing in the pool.  Swimming is compulsory.  Sports is a big thing, students are sorted into 4 sports houses upon enrolment and  I was absolutely delighted to hear that.  There is a large playing field and a four-storey gym.  I came from a school with a proud sporting history and remember many happy days cheering on my school team.  I am glad to note Alice Smith has a similar emphasis on sports.

We met other teachers when we poked our heads into their classes.  The older children were all in the school hall, having a singalong so the teachers had some free time.  I noted they were pleased and proud to welcome visitors, they were happy to answer questions and show us the work their students had been doing.  One class had a more traditional seating, everything was lined up.  Their teacher explained she gave them a choice of sitting in circles or lines and the class voted for lines.  One of the kids had said gleefully, "It feels more grown-up and it's like going back to the old days!"  Thanks, kid.  Now I feel wrinkly!  Teachers are employed mainly from the UK on two-year contracts.  Most stay at least 4-6 years and that's what you want, you don't want a school where teachers are constantly coming and going.

As for school lunch, you can either pack from home or order from the school cafe.  The school cafe menu looks very impressive, a far cry from the mi sup and karipap of my school days.  You can check out a sample of the menu on their website.

Now for the scary part - the school fees.  You can check their website for a more comprehensive look at the fees so I'll just give termly fees for preschool (age 3+), Reception (age 4+) and Year 1 (age 5+) for a feel of what you'll be paying.  Preschool costs RM8,420 per term, Reception RM,11855 and Year 1 RM12,450.

If you are an expat working here and the company is paying the school fees, please check with your company on their policy.  Most companies will only bear the fees from Year 1 onwards.  There is a hefty non-refundable enrolment fee of RM20,000 from Reception to Year 11 so bear that in mind when you are looking to enrol your child(ren).  Tuition fees are inclusive of all books, materials and resources.  From time to time, the children will have field trips which are paid for separately.  If you are selected for say, choir or swim team and have to go to a meet, that is borne separately as well.  If you prefer your child to take the bus to school, there are bus services to most areas in KL/Sgor which are popular with expats and you pay bus fares to the bus operators.

I was extremely impressed by the campus, by the staff, by the resources available to students, by the facilities.  I was also impressed by the behaviour of the children.  We did not see any broken toys anywhere, materials seemed well taken care of, some looked spanking new.  Children were well-behaved and were participating in their classes. I can't wait to enrol myself... er.. I mean Connor.

What else can I say except... Bye-bye Birkin, Hello Alice Smith.


The Alice Smith School
2 Jalan Bellamy,
50460 KL
Tel:  03-2148 3674
Click HERE for their website

International schools in Kuala Lumpur: Alice Smith School

Alice Smith is one of the schools I'm looking at for Connor once he starts Year 1.  Fortunately it's still a few years away so we have some more time to put money into his school fund.  Have you seen the fees!!!

Anyway, they're having an open day on Feb 29 for primary school and Mar 1 for secondary school.  I'm definitely going just to check the school out as I have only seen the website.

We have friends who send their children to the secondary school and they can't stop raving about it.  Another friend of ours has done her research and has declared once her son turns 5, she's enrolling him into the school.  

So mark those dates on your calendar if you're interested!

Crocodile Creek backpacks are awesome!

Connor's Skip Hop zoo backpack was starting to fall to pieces so I started looking around for another.  Check these Skip Hop backpacks out, they are so cute!  We own the zebra design.

This was when I discovered it's virtually impossible to find a kid's backpack in KL that hasn't got Ben 10 or Thomas or Buzz Lightyear on it.  I didn't want to buy a backpack with a cartoon character on it as Connor's not overly big on any one particular cartoon.  If I bought Buzz now, he might just decide at age 4 that he doesn't really like Buzz anymore and refuse to use the backpack.

I searched online and found this - Crocodile Creek backpacks!  WAH.  So cute.  But they don't sell them in Kuala Lumpur.  Fortunately, I tracked down an online shop in Singapore called Little Sunshine that sells them.  They sell mainly to distributors and retailers but I thought I'd write in anyway and find out.

And yay! - I got me one!  I picked the jouster design as a nod to Connor's English heritage (King Arthur and his knights, anyone?).  This design is no longer available on the official Crocodile Creek website.

Auntie Beetrice was kind enough to help carry it back from Singapore on her weekend trip (THANK YOU AUNTIE B!) and I got it last weekend.  I am so thrilled.  The bag is very sturdy, the zippers are strong and chunky, the colours are wonderfully bright and we can fit in a whole lot more into this as it's much bigger than the Skip hop bag.  In truth, it's probably too big for Connor to carry now but I'm aiming to have this bag last him till Year 2 at school.

The bag!  It comes with a mesh pocket at the side for a water bottle.  That was one of my main criteria for a kid's backpack and it was amazing how many kid's backpack lack mesh pockets at the side.

See how much it can hold?  A storybook, spare change of clothes, pack of wipes, wash bag with his swim gear and towel... and space for more!

The front pocket has a handy label where you can write his name.  I know of many schools who insist parents label all their children's belongings to avoid mini-wars at school.

Even the side lining has jousters all over them.  A nice touch.

Connor with his new backpack this morning just before we left for school.  Cute bag or what!

Very pleased with my purchase, two thumbs up for sure! 

Connor at school: Happy Deepavali!

When we got to school on Tuesday morning, there was a notice saying that there would be a Deepavali dress-up day on Wednesday.  For those of you not in the know, Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights, the celebration of the triumph of good over evil.  While I was delighted there was going to be a dress-up day at school for Deepavali, I was also left wondering where I could find a costume for Connor at such short notice.

Fear not.

Enter Auntie M, who while not Hindu, was in possession of an Indian boy's costume.  I rushed over to get it that very day.  Yes!  Mission accomplished!  Now to just put it on Connor next morning and we're set.

What I had not bargained for was my son's burgeoning fashion sense.  A toddler boy's fashion sense generally revolves around wearing shirts featuring his favourite cartoon characters.  Toddler girls tend to be more sophisticated, choosing pretty dresses and shoes, some plumping for tiaras.   And so Connor was FURIOUS.  He wanted to wear his Thomas shirt to school and was bitterly disappointed when Mummy made him put on this strange shirt.  He hated it.

Fortunately for Mummy, I bribed him with his Thomas shoes.  Okay lah.. can't get the shirt but at least got the shoes.  I secretly packed his Thomas shirt into his school bag so that he could change into it once we'd snapped all the pics and he'd at least been in the spirit of things at school.

This is what Connor looked like in the outfit.  I thought he was so cute!

THANK YOU AUNTIE M!

Connor at school: Term 4

This is Connor's last term for the year.   I have just received the activity list for Term 4 and imagine my delight when I saw the item for Nov 25 - it's the Annual School Concert!

YES!

I can't wait for that day.  I'm going to be one of the many proud parents on that day, armed to the teeth with cameras and video cams to record our little ones' performance.  I called Dear Hubby up right away, demanding he apply for leave now and he sighed "Darling... November 25 is a loooooong way away."  "Well, you better make sure you're free for the day or I WILL KILL YOU."   "Yes dear."

Shopping for school supplies

It's the start of a new school year for a lot of the children living in our apartment block as they are mainly French and go to the French school nearby.

I've been reading what mums have been doing to get ready for the new school year and stumbled across this post on new school supplies for a French school (in France, not here).  Check out the post for the funniest, most unexpected thing to find on a school list (for us English-speakers) and then after you're done laughing, scroll down to read the comments and find out what it REALLY is.

Have fun!