The First Week of School

New country, new house, new school...

I always thought the first day of school was so bittersweet. This was especially true this year. We were thrilled when the children got into the Singapore American School. It's an amazing facility. The grades go from preschool through 12th - with 5 different campuses clustered together one one VERY large compound. The curriculum is first rate and the teachers are outstanding - from all walks of life. Each teacher gets an aide so there are 2 adults for every 22 kids.
V started on Monday and was very responsible (as usual) about setting his own alarm and getting up to get ready. He took extra time to comb his hair nicely and was ready to go. S didn't start until Wednesday, but didn't want to miss any of the action, so he got up with his brother, brushed his teeth and had breakfast with V.

It was time to go out and wait for the bus (which comes at 7:00 am). The buses are city buses and each have a "bus aunty" on them to make sure that the kids are strapped in and follow the rules.
With V out of the house - S was mighty bored by 7:30am. So until he started school - Mommy was the prime entertainment. I didn't realize what a great babysitter his big brother was! I was nice to have time alone - just the 2 of us. Vishal came home after the 2nd day of school and announced that he was going to play the violin.

When S starts a new school - it's always an adventure. With all of the health issues he faces, the schools need to set up protocols for if he ingests something that he is allergic to, etc... With most schools, I send in benadryl, nebulizer meds and an epipen. In the case of SAS, they had me come into the school to have a meeting with his teacher, his counselor and the 2 nurses on campus. They filled out a sheet complete with his picture and benadryl stapled to it. A copy of this sheet with meds (that they provide) is given to his teachers (main, art, PE, music, mandarin). A copy also goes to the lunchroom, to the bus driver and one stays in his backpack at all times.

When S started kindergarten and 1st grade, I was called by the nurse the very first day of school. He never completed a first day. Well, no surprises this year when the nurse called and said that Shyam had thrown up and I needed to come get him. It turned out he had had a headache for most of the day and never told anyone - which for him means eventually vomiting.

The rest of the week went without a hitch...

A few interesting facts:
The kids wear uniforms to school and on every third day wear their PE uniform to school.
They are learning to speak Mandarin.
The cafeteria offers 5 different choices at lunch: hot meal, Asian meal, vegetarian meal, sandwiches and a la carte options.
The kids get a snack in the morning (brought or bought)
The teacher make sure that they are getting enough to drink during the day.
You do not have to buy school supplies, they are provided (although tuition is a small fortune)

I missed them terribly this week - but have to admit, the quiet was bliss!!!