But The Parking Sucks!!!

It's been a tough week, not so much for me but for the people who have had to hear about how fantastic the changes in our lives are going.

Like Claire said after our move from Germany,  "oh oh oh, the weather is nice all the time and the beach is great and....."

Lori added.  "uh, some of us still have to live in Europe you know, so please tone it down a little."

So that, out of respect, I am going to tell you all how much the parking sucks at our new school.

Never mind that the staff is so organized that they were telling ME about report cards at the end of term, ten weeks away, on the first day of school.  Both teachers. 

The boys were on the weekly "Show and Tell" roster within three days of showing up.  They had homework the first day back.

I have their school books ordered for January.

I've had the author visit permission slip for Andrew, the swim forms for the twins, receipts from camp and a back-ordered pair of shorts from the uniform shop all delivered to the classrooms and taken care of immediately. 

Although I do have to park a block away to pick them up in the afternoons.

Mornings, there are over a hundred children sitting quietly on benches in front of the Tuck Shop until the bell rings at 8:30.  Then they are allowed to play handball quietly.

There is a woman with a bull horn enforcing this.

If I get there early enough, I can sometimes park close enough to the school so that I don't have to walk up the hill.

Kurwongbah DOES appear to have students from a higher socioeconomic group than our old school.   (Hiding behind the big words, always hiding behind the big words!)  Some.  There are plenty of us from Lawnton there too!

But I don't think that's why the school has such a great reputation. 

They have higher expectations.

And they enforce them.

It helps that they have over 900 students.  They have more resources, more teachers, more money, more programs.  They even have a school song!!

The uniform code is more stringent.  (I meant, honestly, if you are going to have a uniform policy, enforce it.)

Discipline, organization and communication.  I am happy.

I dropped into our old school this week too, to drop off some things we had managed to take home with us.   ( I was able to park right at the school entrance.)

It was hard to walk in, the way it sometimes is when you return home after a long time away.

But once there, I felt among friends.  I do miss the staff from our old school.  It is like going from a Thanksgiving dinner with family (with all the dysfunction that accompanies it but also all the love) to being part of a well-oiled corporation.

Leaving was so hard just because our old school was family.

But just think of all the friends I am going to make circling that two block radius around Kurwongbah, marching up that hill and down, twice a day, five days a week.

Rest assured folks, the parking sucks!!!