Friday 21 October 2011

In Trouble...

Ebi-kun starts school next April and before he starts he has to have a health and IQ check. It was yesterday BUT we thought it was done at the yochien, apparently not. I was supposed to pick him up before lunch and take him to the school and I only found this out when Ebi-kun told me when he got home that he hadn't had his check up but the other kids going to his school had!
So, around 6pm last night, the doorbell goes and it is two ladies from the school (with official ID tags round their neck) - a visit from the school before he even starts! Great! I ended up calling daddy-ebi and letting him talk to them, I could understand what they were saying but couldn't tell them what I needed to say - frustrating. They tried to arrange another date but the day they wanted to do it Ebi-kun has his yochien trip to the zoo so that was a no-go so it looks like we have to take him to the town hall and get his check done. Looks like this schooling lark is going to be a steep learning curve (for me!) at least we only have to do it once, I suppose it gets easier if you have been through it before though.

7 comments:

  1. There is so much stuff that goes on with the kinder and yochien system and it seems primary school is at least double that. I'm a bit bloody scared!! Definitely a learning curve and thankfully you are a year ahead of me so I can just learn from you so make sure you post them all :) Hope the check goes well. I'm sure Ebi-kun will blitz the IQ test.
    xxx

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  2. It's really shitty that the yochien didn't call you when you didn't come to pick him up. That of all things would have upset me the most.

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  3. GW - yes, feel free to learn from my screw-ups, no doubt there will be many!

    Vicky - from what I can gather only the kids from the school he is going to had their tests yesterday so the sensei might have thought he is going to a different school, it wasn't like he was sat on his todd with everyone else gone :o) I am sure they would have called then

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  4. Last year our yochien brought them by bus and we were to meet them "at the gate". Unfortunately they didn't say which gate and I went to the yochien gate (thinking moms were going on the bus too) while M had already been delivered momless and folornful at the shogakko gate. By the time I walked back home, drove to the school and found an (illegal) place to park she was pretty upset. AND I missed the speeches (dh thinks I did it on purpose). Too bad I couldn't be making all these mistakes with L who wouldn't mind so much. Anyway, it will work out. Hang in there, you are not alone.
    Xana

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  5. The procedures vary hugely depending on where you live. In our city, the school entrance health checks aren't held at schools, but in various health centers on different dates, and you can take your child to any center on whichever date is most convenient for you.

    It's a real maze, though, wherever you live, and good luck navigating through it! Can you find another mum at the yochien who already has an older sibling at the school Ebi-kun will attend? A friend who already knows the ropes can be an incredibly helpful resource!

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  6. Luckily the little girl down the road that Ebi-kun plays with has an older sister at the school, I have become more friendly with the mom now the kids play together each week, so I have been grilling her about what to expect - problem is that she only speaks Japanese, it is helping me practice my terrible Japanese, poor woman probably leaves each time trying to make sense of what I was trying to say lol.

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  7. School was easy compared to kindy Jo. The kids at ours are encouraged to be independent and take responsibility for themselves. It was a huge relief! You'll be fine!!
    I've just gotten the info from Kumon to start studying Japanese ... join me?

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