need advice: registering for aussie school in ozland
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hi, i need some advice here from singaporean dwelling down under...
basically i had enuf of the singapore school system and decided to pack my kids to melbourne to study there. they are in primary school currently.
i have checked the various sites on victoria schools etc, but i am keen to hear from you guys on the real life experience on what to prepare and what to avoid. i will probably settle for public school for them for now. we will weigh our options once the kids are more settled.
my initial game plan is as follow:
a. move in november 08 after the school term in singapore ends (yes, we have PR granted last year)
b. settle and rent a place quickly, likely an eastern suburb in melbourne. (my wife will live with them. i will remain here in singapore for the time being. i am likely to stay put for another year before joining them if life is good there for them)
c. apply for a school there within the vicinity,
my questions are general:
1. is it generally easy to get into primary school there?
2. what are the things to do/avoid when applying for the school?
3. is there anything we parents can do to help the kids settle quicker?
4. anything else that i need to be aware of?
thanks!
p.s. i am not here to discuss the merit/demerit of the singapore education system. you guys can have a go at it but i will not respond to comments/replies other than queries i have above.
Cheers!
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have you consider abt jobs there?
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Do bear in mind that Australia is starting to become a white supremist country..meaning they pride whites and asians get not as perfect treatment.
How about moving to Scandavinia? The Vistas there is breathtaking and i do recall Swiss Air has cheap flights there
PS:And oh,please ignore Lionnoisy here,he's bent on discrediting Australia with various topics,mostly political
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Ceecookie:
Do bear in mind that Australia is starting to become a white supremist country..meaning they pride whites and asians get not as perfect treatment.
How about moving to Scandavinia? The Vistas there is breathtaking and i do recall Swiss Air has cheap flights there
PS:And oh,please ignore Lionnoisy here,he's bent on discrediting Australia with various topics,mostly political
I think you're being a bit harsh here.
All countries with a racial majority will always have the upper hand, and naturally the respective countries' will have policies that affect the majority.
The most important thing is that they protect and look after their citizens/prs and minorities.
This is something Singapore doesn't do. Anyone who gets a job in Singapore, or a PR, gets treated like a 'citizen', basically they can do anything they want so long as they are in Singapore.
There is little protection afforded to Singaporean citizens and they're just expected to suck it up.
Racial minorities don't get that great a treatment either. I've had Singaporean Malay and Indian friends from Junior college being shooed out of the room by the landlady because "Malays/Indians are all drug addicts", etc etc.
Racism happens everywhere.
Even Singaporeans get pissed off seeing workers from China/India coming to Singapore to 'screw' up the place.
So can we say that Singapore is some "rogue, racist Chinese colony"? Would it be fair to say that?
Australia is a wonderful place with equal opportunity for all. I may be treated a bit differently in the far out, ulu type of places because they do not have much exposure to outsiders, but most of the metropolitan areas are quite friendly and accepting of all races.As long as you're a citizen/PR, you are protected and afforded rights within the country even Singapore does not afford their citizens.
Welfare and pension to start with already demonstrates their commitment to Aussies/PRs. We're not just some cheap workhorse of society expected to work until we're old and shriveled and expected to have miraculously saved up money to spend until our death, or else just work at Mcdonalds until we're dead. Or too sick to move, and tossed into some C class ward to die - no air conditioning, and 6 bedder hell.
At least in Australia they have free medicare.
RedDust I'm not sure if I can adequately answer all your questions, but a good friend of mine and her brother have children and they've constantly discussed problems with getting into a school in Australia.
1. It is quite difficult to get into your choice of school here, and the schools here give preferential treatment to people who live in close proximity to the school. You have to register early to get in and apparently it seems to be in a queue basis.
2. I'm sorry, this I'm not so sure. However, it would be prudent of you to register into several suitable schools instead of just one.
3. My friend's brother has young children who came into Australia at around your children's age. As children adjust quickly, the best way they can adjust is by setting a daily routine for them to follow.
When the initial excitment of going into a new country disappears they might be homesick.One good way to help them adjust is to enrol them into school activities as well as helping them get to know their fellow classmates.
Go to school gatherings, birthday parties, hold house warmings, parties, get to know your neighbours (good especially since they can be very helpful in helping to look out for your family/house/kids).
Basically, get to know as many people as you can to create a reliable support network of parents with kids, so your kids can quickly integrate into the environment.
4. Bullying I think might be a bit of an issue. Aussie kids can be quite assertive and rough, compared to what we're used to in Singapore. They generally are more outspoken and 'naughty', so you'll have to prepare to teach your children to stand up for themselves and not be afraid to speak out. Also, get into a habit of asking your child how their day has been and knowing their friends because Aussie kids come from many cultural and family backgrounds, much more so than Singapore (which is mostly just Asian style upbringing), so there is alot more clashes and conflicts which could happen. Get into the habit of having open communication with their teachers as well.
A case in particular which happened was that a friend of the child called her a 'chinky chinese face' (or something to that effect) which upset her greatly because the other kids seemed to have sort of ganged up on her to point and laugh.
While the possibility of this could happen (don't forget your child will be 'different' from the others who will be mostly white Aussies, as children do pick on differences they might be picked on) don't worry so much about this, just give your child alot of positive reinforcement and don't be afraid to take it up with the parents and teachers of the child as one thing I have noticed personally, friends included is that here Asian modesty doesn't go along way, they react better and appreciate assertiveness and a slightly more aggressive way of doing things. Don't be afraid to demand an apology, mediation and maybe a forgive n' forget handshake from the two kids supervised by parents.
Also, one thing you should be aware of is that corporal punishment on your kids might be a problem, if you do smack your children. Here in Australia there have been some cases of parents being charged with 'assaulting' their children when it had merely been a case of disciplining their children.
The lines between this is quite blurred so I would advise if you do smack your children, not to make a big fuss in public and to do so discreetly.
My friend's brother's child had fallen and gotten scruff marks on his legs, and his teacher summoned the parent to school to interrogate the parent over those marks!It can be quite frustrating, so do be aware that many Aussies do not smack their children and find it offensive when you do smack yours. it might not be any of their business but it wouldn't be good if they made a big fuss and tried to report/threaten you over it. This doesn't happen often, rarely, actually, but its good to be aware of this.
Hope I've provided at least some of the info you need.
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Originally posted by GameGoddess:
RedDust I'm not sure if I can adequately answer all your questions, but a good friend of mine and her brother have children and they've constantly discussed problems with getting into a school in Australia.
1. It is quite difficult to get into your choice of school here, and the schools here give preferential treatment to people who live in close proximity to the school. You have to register early to get in and apparently it seems to be in a queue basis.
2. I'm sorry, this I'm not so sure. However, it would be prudent of you to register into several suitable schools instead of just one.
3. My friend's brother has young children who came into Australia at around your children's age. As children adjust quickly, the best way they can adjust is by setting a daily routine for them to follow.
When the initial excitment of going into a new country disappears they might be homesick.One good way to help them adjust is to enrol them into school activities as well as helping them get to know their fellow classmates.
Go to school gatherings, birthday parties, hold house warmings, parties, get to know your neighbours (good especially since they can be very helpful in helping to look out for your family/house/kids).
Basically, get to know as many people as you can to create a reliable support network of parents with kids, so your kids can quickly integrate into the environment.
4. Bullying I think might be a bit of an issue. Aussie kids can be quite assertive and rough, compared to what we're used to in Singapore. They generally are more outspoken and 'naughty', so you'll have to prepare to teach your children to stand up for themselves and not be afraid to speak out. Also, get into a habit of asking your child how their day has been and knowing their friends because Aussie kids come from many cultural and family backgrounds, much more so than Singapore (which is mostly just Asian style upbringing), so there is alot more clashes and conflicts which could happen. Get into the habit of having open communication with their teachers as well.
A case in particular which happened was that a friend of the child called her a 'chinky chinese face' (or something to that effect) which upset her greatly because the other kids seemed to have sort of ganged up on her to point and laugh.
While the possibility of this could happen (don't forget your child will be 'different' from the others who will be mostly white Aussies, as children do pick on differences they might be picked on) don't worry so much about this, just give your child alot of positive reinforcement and don't be afraid to take it up with the parents and teachers of the child as one thing I have noticed personally, friends included is that here Asian modesty doesn't go along way, they react better and appreciate assertiveness and a slightly more aggressive way of doing things. Don't be afraid to demand an apology, mediation and maybe a forgive n' forget handshake from the two kids supervised by parents.
Also, one thing you should be aware of is that corporal punishment on your kids might be a problem, if you do smack your children. Here in Australia there have been some cases of parents being charged with 'assaulting' their children when it had merely been a case of disciplining their children.
The lines between this is quite blurred so I would advise if you do smack your children, not to make a big fuss in public and to do so discreetly.
My friend's brother's child had fallen and gotten scruff marks on his legs, and his teacher summoned the parent to school to interrogate the parent over those marks!It can be quite frustrating, so do be aware that many Aussies do not smack their children and find it offensive when you do smack yours. it might not be any of their business but it wouldn't be good if they made a big fuss and tried to report/threaten you over it. This doesn't happen often, rarely, actually, but its good to be aware of this.
Hope I've provided at least some of the info you need.
GG,
thanks for the feedback. they are very useful.
i have been told about the proximities to school help. hence, we are anxious to lock in our `permanent address' there first as that is the first criteria for school registration. we shortlisted a few suburbs in eastern melbourne, where there are a few schools we can consider. i was also told that for primary schools, there is really no need to be (that) selective. most will have the same state curriculum.
your points about bullying and other points to note are indeed things i overlooked. i will need to prep my kids and guide them on how to manage `situations' in school. i guess bullying is everywhere, only to what extent. also, i think diversity is fast becoming a norms down under altho for kids, they may not see that as obvious; so the white aussie kids may feel impeded here. regardless, it will be a growing and learning process my kids will pick up. my take is, the less we `shelter' them, the faster the growing up. we just need to make sure that their basic well being is there and that they have a good and positive growing up environment.
thanks again!