He went in on Tuesday morning smiling and my only hope was that he came out smiling when we went to pick him up...and he was! He told us bits about his day, he had played with the cars, had tomatoes for his lunch (which he would never usually eat at home) with yoghurt for pudding, and had some interaction with other children in his class. That evening he said that his new school was brilliant! He took out 2 French books to read at bedtime and informed me that if you don't understand what someone is saying in French you just say 'pardon!'
Reuben starting school was a big factor in our decision to move out here. Although we haven't had a choice of school here (kids just go to their local village school,) the Parisot village school is a lot smaller than any he would have gone to in London. He has a male nursery teacher Arnaud, which is a rarity in London, who has his guitar set up in the corner and is introducing Montessori methods into the classroom which Reuben is familiar with. Having two boys I think it's important that they have good male role models in their school and home life. The school is so close we can leave the house at 8:58 and still make it in time for the 9 o'clock bell.
Reuben starting school was a big factor in our decision to move out here. Although we haven't had a choice of school here (kids just go to their local village school,) the Parisot village school is a lot smaller than any he would have gone to in London. He has a male nursery teacher Arnaud, which is a rarity in London, who has his guitar set up in the corner and is introducing Montessori methods into the classroom which Reuben is familiar with. Having two boys I think it's important that they have good male role models in their school and home life. The school is so close we can leave the house at 8:58 and still make it in time for the 9 o'clock bell.
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Reuben's 3 course lunch menu! |
School life in France...
To sign Reuben up for school, our first point of call was the mairie (mayor's office.) We filled out a registration form with our basic details. We were given details of what we would need to register him fully and the number of the headteacher who we arranged to meet the last week in August. We gave her...
We had to send Reuben in with a box of tissues and wipes for communal use throughout the year. He also has to take a cup, a change of clothes, and a daily snack box with fruit or bread and cheese, which they state very clearly is not a substitute for breakfast! He was also given a notebook which the teacher and parents use to communicate with each other. There have been various letters and notices stuck in it throughout the week and we've had Google translate out every evening. There have been parent detail forms, do we allow our child on school trip forms, when was their last tetanus injection, even though we'd already given them a list of his vaccinations with dates. It's been the first real test of my French!
We hope that Reuben continues to enjoy it, we will keep you updated about his French school journey. Have you had a child start school or nursery this year? How did their first day go?
Becky x
To sign Reuben up for school, our first point of call was the mairie (mayor's office.) We filled out a registration form with our basic details. We were given details of what we would need to register him fully and the number of the headteacher who we arranged to meet the last week in August. We gave her...
- a copy of Reuben's birth certificate
- a copy of all his vaccinations
- proof of our address
We had to send Reuben in with a box of tissues and wipes for communal use throughout the year. He also has to take a cup, a change of clothes, and a daily snack box with fruit or bread and cheese, which they state very clearly is not a substitute for breakfast! He was also given a notebook which the teacher and parents use to communicate with each other. There have been various letters and notices stuck in it throughout the week and we've had Google translate out every evening. There have been parent detail forms, do we allow our child on school trip forms, when was their last tetanus injection, even though we'd already given them a list of his vaccinations with dates. It's been the first real test of my French!
We hope that Reuben continues to enjoy it, we will keep you updated about his French school journey. Have you had a child start school or nursery this year? How did their first day go?
Becky x
Hi Becky, stumbled across this, lovely to hear how Reuben got on in French school...I'm Irish, married to a French man, living in Australia with 2 little girls...we might find ourselves in France some day...nice to hear all this! Thanks! Una
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