Johndoe Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Just interested in which school they are at ? Brizzy..............St John Fisher Bald Hills(catholic girls), St Patricks College, Shorncliffe (catholic boys), Mt Maria College petrie (catholic mixed with 25% kids with disabilities).......less than 300 pupils with class sizes of 12 to 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 It's hard to have an outdoors lifestyle when it is over 40 degrees outside!!! We have had a lot of really hot days here in Adelaide and more predicted for the weekend. You are effectively stuck indoors with the a/c on, even getting in the car (if it isn't parked undercover) is torturous. The other day I had to go to the dentists and when I got in the car the temperature reading was 47 C degrees !!!! Swimming in the sea is OK but the sand burns your feet. Also the grass (here in SA) isn't like UK grass, it gets really dry and it's a battle to keep it alive. It gets all scratchy in the summer, is not nice to walk on with bare feet, you have to watch out for 3 corner jacks and of course ants which are everywhere. My daughter has tried to practise her handstands/cartwheels in the garden but has given up because the grass (in our rental) is so horrible. 10 days above 40C in January so far, the highest on record since about 100 years ago (if I heard them correctly) they were saying on the radio this morning. The car side of things is crappy for sure. I foil up the windscreen when we leave then when we get back run the engine for a bit so the aircon has time to cool before we get in. It's not nice but thankfully within a couple of minutes it's cooled down. I've not found it overly limiting so far with my son tbh. It's not good out in that heat in the middle of the day so we've headed down the beach for a couple of hours early in the day (kept thongs on till we reached wet sand) had a lovely time splashing round, home by 11am and then do indoors stuff or head somewhere with aircon for the afternoon. So long as son has had time outside or run energy off he is happy to do stuff indoors for a bit then. A couple of times we headed to the cinema, another day we hit the aquatic centre at Marion or arranged play dates. Late afternoon/early evening a few times we've hit the beach again to cool off. If it went on for weeks on end it would not be good but that doesn't seem to be the pattern at present so can live with it I find the worst thing is night times trying to sleep with only a fan in the bedroom. That is the worst part for me for sure. Son sleeps regardless of the stuffiness and it being hot but I hate that surrounding temp above body temp feeling. Roll on our own place and aircon in the bedrooms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Having read this thread with interest, I'm now slightly concerned about how my children will fit in! My eldest (boy, 7) is not at all sporty (he scores own-goals in PE!) but is very gifted academically. He is top of the class, reads encyclopaedias in bed and loves making paper aeroplanes. He's only just learnt to ride a bike, isn't into scooters (though he has one) and we stopped his swimming lessons as he just wasn't improving and it was a waste of money (I should point out that we intend to save up and invest in short-term, intensive private lessons this spring / summer as it's imperative that he learn to swim before coming out!). Will he get bullied at school?? No reason he would. My son has autism and although he loves sport he struggles with co-ordination so finds playing anything tough. He didn't get bullied and had a great bunch of friends at school that he keeps in touch with now. He got extra help the whole way through school, as did a few of his friends with learning difficulties. My middle child (girl, almost 5) would love to learn ballet but we can't afford it. She's a bit clumsy and quite introverted, and didn't inherit her brother's intellectual genes. That said, she's just the sweetest little girl with a huge heart who comes out with some very sensitive observations at times. Quite random, too - the other day we caught her staring at the pots on the drainer and when we asked her what she was doing she remarked "the cups are very quiet, aren't they?" !!! Will she be left to fester at the bottom of the class, or do less-academic children get helped out, like in the UK? Our youngest (girl, 3) is very, very bright but also jolly mischievous. She is confident, funny and loves being the centre of attention. No concerns at all there (although she is a redhead so I fear she may get teased...? Or sunburnt, at the very least! <- joke). Thanks guys I-F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 That'd be nice!Degrees are king in Aus, even more so than UK I think and trade qualifications aren't that easy to come by or aspired to. The education system differs from state to state with considerably more rigor in some than in others. A good proportion of kids at HS level go to private schools (over 50% in ACT a couple of years ago) and I think that points to a degree of parental dissatisfaction with the state offerings. I wouldn't put my kids in a state HS TBH. Primary - ok. I don't think any of the Aus systems are any more or less likely to turn out kids who want to put their education to practical use. I know that both my sons were very disappointed with the quality of their uni courses from a top Aus uni. Most kids grow up to be independent and self sufficient regardless so I'm sure your kids will be fine. The trade quals might not be very aspired to in Canberra Quoll but in WA it's a different story. My son is earning a lot more than his friends who went to Uni and will probably keep doing so. In the meantime work have paid for a number of useful courses and qualifications. Trade qualifications and apprenticeships are not easy to come by but if you want an apprenticeship there seems to be enough around. I don't know one kid that wanted to do a trade and didn't get in. My son had the choice of the two he went after. Electrician or plumber, he chose electrician. My eldest went to a local public school and my youngest went to private, because of learning difficulties/autism and they had a dedicated stream. Nothing at all wrong with the local state school and my youngest would have been there too had he been "normal". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Brizzy..............St John Fisher Bald Hills(catholic girls), St Patricks College, Shorncliffe (catholic boys), Mt Maria College petrie (catholic mixed with 25% kids with disabilities).......less than 300 pupils with class sizes of 12 to 14 Interesting heard very good things about St Pats guess that is where they are refered to as Mr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Having read this thread with interest, I'm now slightly concerned about how my children will fit in! My eldest (boy, 7) is not at all sporty (he scores own-goals in PE!) but is very gifted academically. I-F I think it very much depends on the individual school and that is very hard to assess unless you are "on the ground" and talking to others with experience of a particular school. My 8 year old grandson attends a state school, is not the slightest bit interested in sports and is a right proper little nerd.:wubclub: He's been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome - and space is his subject. :biggrin: His social skills are also behind his peer group. His school has been wonderful and there has never been a problem with bullying. However it is the type of school where the chess club is no less important than the football team. I also don't think you should worry about you middle child. There is much emphasis in the early years on social skills, motor coordination, creative and artistic development and maybe less on academic skills than you are used to. I don't have experience of Victorian schools - and education is administered by each state government - but all primary schools I have known have had special tutors for remedial literacy and numeracy if required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Interesting heard very good things about St Pats guess that is where they are refered to as Mr Yes, very good pastoral care and don't seem to miss a (boyish) trick. None of the kids I had, or have, are catholic btw. St Pats actually got a couple of kids through to yr 12 who are doing fine as adults, whereas they were well out of control at other schools when they came to us. They seem to place emphasis on turning out "fine young men" and not so much on academics. Lots of tradies send their kids there. Edited January 29, 2014 by Johndoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Yes, very good pastoral care and don't seem to miss a (boyish) trick. None of the kids I had, or have, are catholic btw. St Pats actually got a couple of kids through to yr 12 who are doing fine as adults, whereas they were well out of control at other schools when they came to us. They seem to place emphasis on turning out "fine young men" and not so much on academics. Lots of tradies send their kids there. Really is a case of making the school "fit the kids" not the kids being made to "fit into the school" just because a friend goes there or mum or dad went there. Hard though if you are in a catchment/zone for a school you are not happy with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 It's hard to have an outdoors lifestyle when it is over 40 degrees outside!!! We have had a lot of really hot days here in Adelaide and more predicted for the weekend. You are effectively stuck indoors with the a/c on, even getting in the car (if it isn't parked undercover) is torturous. The other day I had to go to the dentists and when I got in the car the temperature reading was 47 C degrees !!!! Swimming in the sea is OK but the sand burns your feet. Also the grass (here in SA) isn't like UK grass, it gets really dry and it's a battle to keep it alive. It gets all scratchy in the summer, is not nice to walk on with bare feet, you have to watch out for 3 corner jacks and of course ants which are everywhere. My daughter has tried to practise her handstands/cartwheels in the garden but has given up because the grass (in our rental) is so horrible. We get up early. I get up around 5:30 and go to the beach for some exercise and my wife usually comes down a bit later with the youngster. Even on 40+ days it's beautiful until around 11:00am. Then after around 3:30pm it's great again. Usually cooled down and the sea is very inviting. Followed by a couple of beers looking over the ocean at sunset. I know it's hard to grasp for a lot of UK people but it's actually worth getting out of bed early in some places in the World. Don't worry I've spent many an hour laying in bed in the UK, waiting for opening time.:wink: It's different here. Try growing even UK grass in 40 degrees, I think it would turn out pretty dry too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I used to complain about Aussies getting up early and going to bed early. Then I realised, time is just a number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) I used to complain about Aussies getting up early and going to bed early. Then I realised, time is just a number. I've heard a lot of complaints from UK people about getting up early and going to bed early. I go to bed about 10:30, so not what you'd call early. Don't know what's so good about stopping up late anyway, not as if there's much on TV to watch and we've got past going to the pub every night. When my wifes sister and BIL came over we went to Rottnest. They have 2 girls the same age as our 2 boys. The kids me and the wife used to wake up early, as soon as the sun came up. The apartments on Rotto are basic to say the least so I would take the kids out fishing or just down the beach for an hour or two. We would wander back about 9:00ish to find the SIL and BIL still in bed. Then they would get up and complain that the kids had "been a bit noisy this morning".:laugh: Edited January 29, 2014 by Paul1Perth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I've heard a lot of complaints from UK people about getting up early and going to bed early. That, and the complaints about it's too hot to go outside. It makes me wonder whether those Aussies working on hot tin rooves and Tarmac are some kind of alien being, the way you hear some folk complain about the heat. The husband of a PIO member installed 20 "whirly birds" on a colour bond factory roof last week. He said it's the worst conditions that he'd ever worked in with him feeling the heat htrough his workboots. Nevertheless, he wasn't complaing and in good old geordie accent said that it was a "piece of plss" considering the money that he was paid to do it. The same guy was a cabinet maker in the UK and not finding work in 2 months since his arrival had him setting himself up doing roofing and guttering............a real goer and one who hates the sun but you won't hear him complain 'cause he's compensated for it by the money and the lifestyle that the money affords him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Still not going to be as hot as changing a reddler conveyor paddle in the burner house of an acid plant, or working on the coke oven tops where we had to wear clogs for both jobs as boots just melted. Anything was better after 12 years of that JD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Pitstop Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Not complaining, just saying that an outdoors lifestyle (especially for kids) has to be put on hold when it's so hot. Adelaide forecast for the next few days is 37, 40, 42, 43, 37, 40, 42 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Not complaining, just saying that an outdoors lifestyle (especially for kids) has to be put on hold when it's so hot. Adelaide forecast for the next few days is 37, 40, 42, 43, 37, 40, 42 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! The beaches here are full of kids in those kind of temps, as are backyard pools...................you learn to live with it, just as you wrap up for the cold in the UK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 The beaches here are full of kids in those kind of temps, as are backyard pools...................you learn to live with it, just as you wrap up for the cold in the UK Problem when you dont have a pool or a beach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina2 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Not complaining, just saying that an outdoors lifestyle (especially for kids) has to be put on hold when it's so hot. Adelaide forecast for the next few days is 37, 40, 42, 43, 37, 40, 42 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Echuca 41, 42, 41, 43, 40, 39 You do realize we will now upset the chap on here who said he didnt want to hear any more about the heat :biglaugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamy Fish Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Damn phone, last post didn't take. Would anybody please be able to let me know the cost of a general weekly grocery shop for a family of 5 (three kids 8, 3 and 1). Including the cleaning stuff but not worried about baby groceries as hoping the littlest will be well on her way to using the bathroom by the time we get out there! I am going to have a hunt around and look at mortgages, utilities and fuel costs but if anyone has links or websites that'd be great :-) x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 The beaches here are full of kids in those kind of temps, as are backyard pools...................you learn to live with it, just as you wrap up for the cold in the UK Don't think I've ever seen an Aussie beach that could be classed as full.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Bondi...omg :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 No weather is perfect. In a hot climate sometimes it will be too hot. In a cold climate sometimes it will be too cold. I would have thought it would be more about the percentage of good vs bad days over a whole year rather than whether a place has bad weather sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Don't think I've ever seen an Aussie beach that could be classed as full.. I have, but fish beat me to it......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlew Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 for us part of the lifestyle element for our kids will be the sense of adventure, experiencing something new, and the appreciation when they're older that pretty much anything's possible if you put your mind to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Damn phone, last post didn't take. Would anybody please be able to let me know the cost of a general weekly grocery shop for a family of 5 (three kids 8, 3 and 1). Including the cleaning stuff but not worried about baby groceries as hoping the littlest will be well on her way to using the bathroom by the time we get out there! I am going to have a hunt around and look at mortgages, utilities and fuel costs but if anyone has links or websites that'd be great :-) x Your post did take but was split out from the thread as it was off topic and was given it's own thread. Check your posting history to find it. Replies to your question will be moved over to the new thread. ETA - Here is the link to it http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/household/204057-cost-weekly-shop.html Always worth starting a new thread when you have questions different from the original topic. Edited January 29, 2014 by Guest added link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamy Fish Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Ooh I've been managed, thanks loads Snifter. And there are even responses. Sorry I'm still like a kid in a sweet shop when it comes to talking people actually on the other side of the world :-) Thanks again, much appreciated x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.