Northern Beaches Know-How http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com Helping Families relocate to the northern beaches of Sydney Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:27:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Tips for relocating your children to the Northern Beaches of Sydney. http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/up-and-out-moving-your-kids-overseas/ http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/up-and-out-moving-your-kids-overseas/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:27:44 +0000 http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/?p=473

Moving with children

So all the entire contents of your house have been packed off in a container and disappeared down the street?

Reality has set in and you’re MOVING and ready to embark together on a new adventure in Australia!

One of the things we all worry about is whether our children will fit in and settle quickly

It can be an anxious time for everyone as well as an exciting one!

So today I have listed my Top 10 Tips for relocating with children. You may find one or two useful in your situation or you may have others to share.

Please do!!

My Top Ten Tips

1. If you are happy and positive about the move then the kids are likely to be also.

Encourage them to be adventurous and let them research alongside you. I always encourage my client”s children to ask me questions.

2. Kids love familiarity and routine and so moving can be hard for them.

Allow them to express their concerns.Work through it as a family.Talk through the Pluses and the Minus’.

Prepare them for the reality of moving but reassure them that they will see their things again!

3. When it’s time to move and pack up don’t be tempted to throw out everything!

Sure moving can be a great time for a declutter but allow your child to select items
to go into a special box to be shipped and opened in your new location.

My children always wrote a message  to themselves and popped it into the box

“By the time I read this I will be ………..

4. Look at the websites of at least four schools with your children.

Talk about things that look the same or different. Make a list of things to look for in schools.

5. Remember it may take a while for your possessions  to arrive so it’s nice to go out

shopping for a few different toys in your new country.

6. Once you arrive encourage your children to stay in touch with friends through social networking
and e mails.

However keep an eye on how long your children spend “talking”
to old friends…..it can create homesickness problems.

In my own family we have tended to cut ties with all but the very best friends and
concentrate on new friendships instead.

7. In your new house get the children’s rooms straight first.

8.  As soon as possible get the children into school..
Check on their progress with the class teacher after about a month.

9. Get into Sports…….
Join the local sports club so that your children meet other children in a team
situation and you will meet other parents

10. Be prepared for reality to set in after about a month after you have moved.

Once the excitement dies down some children ( and adults!!!) can experience  a bit of
an anti-climax.

Forewarned is forearmed . Think about how you are going to deal with this before it happens. Cut everyone some slack and give love and cuddles!                                           

Some children can become unsettled at school during this period.

AND LASTLY….think how much FUN you can have with all those shipping boxes!

I hope some of these tips are useful for you there are many others of course so don’t forget to post!

Northern Beaches Know-How (printables) on schools and choosing a place to live are family friendly and designed to make your move go smoothly.

Click here to go straight to them

]]> http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/up-and-out-moving-your-kids-overseas/feed/ 0 Swimming like a fish ……on the Northern Beaches http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/draft433/ http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/draft433/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:50:39 +0000 http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/?p=433

Seems like I have spent hours involved in swimming activities of one kind or another since I moved here to Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
 I happen to have a 12 year old who swims like a fish and has done so since she was two.
She basically jumped straight into the pool in the yard and has not stopped since. So this time of the year is one of her favourites. Its School Swimming Carnival time!
Every school on The Beaches (Primary and High) is likely to have a swimming carnival around this time of year . A day when all the school from year 3 and up (and their parents) descend upon the local swimming centre or ocean pool and race!!!
All children are encouraged to enter if they want to. There is a spirit of “get in and have a go”                                                     
There are races in all the different strokes (even butterfly!) and a relay.
For serious swimmers times are recorded as the fastest kids will go onto Zone to compete against other local schools.
You’ve got to be on your toes if you’re a timekeeper!’The occasional dispute can arise!
Some schools also put on novelty races and paddle board relays. Its a lot of fun!
When I  attended  my first Carnival  I was impressed with how capable and confident Northern Beaches children seemed to be .Swimming is a number one priority if you live here by the sea.

Here’s why they are so great @ Swimming!

1 Kids learn to swim from an early age and take regular swimming lessons

I have always thought that Australian Swim schools teach swimming very well from the smallest tots to teenagers (and the more mature amougst us!) working on their stroke development.
There are plenty of excellent facilities on the Beaches which will teach children to swim and swim well……to do laps, gain stamina and develop an efficient style.

2 Nippers and surf life saving

During the summer months lots of kids get involved in Nippers a surf life saving program for children.
You will see hundreds of them up and down the Beaches in their red and yellow caps on a Sunday morning.They learn the basics of life saving and gain a healthy respect for the ocean.

3 There’s always a pool nearby.

The availability of pools in people’s gardens and at the beach really does help kids develop into good swimmers.
Most summers my garden will have local kids playing in the pool .It’s a fun way to cool off after school and I usually end up feeding them too!!
Just mucking about in a pool increases a child’s confidence !
No wonder then that Australia produces great swimmers .
Like everyone else I am looking forward to watching Australia put on a terrific show at the London Olympics later this year.
Go Australia!!
Who knows I might be there myself in six years or so cheering on my own little swimmer!

Great places to learn to swim on the Northern Beaches

I’d love to hear about how your child’s school carnival went!

Drop me a line!!

]]> http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/draft433/feed/ 0 Back 2 School on the Northern Beaches http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/back-2-school-on-the-northern-beaches/ http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/back-2-school-on-the-northern-beaches/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:15:49 +0000 http://relocatenorthernbeachessydneyaustralia.com/?p=401

northern-beaches-24
This week NBKH has been visiting local Northern Beaches Schools and making enquiries for future clients.

We are now in Week 2 Term 1 and things are beginning to settle in after the mad rush of new enrolments and the newbies starting school for the first time (my! they look so little and their uniforms so big)

Every time I visit a local school I glean some more information and get to know Principals and their schools even better.

So what have I noticed whilst out and about this week?

SOME NORTHERN BEACHES SCHOOLS ARE BURSTING WITH KIDS!

Well most definitely there are a lot of children enrolling this year. Both private schools and public schools on the Northern Beaches are telling me their intake is up.

This fact will have implications on families who are on a temporary visitor visa (457) looking to enrol their children when they relocate to this area. You may well discover that the year your child was due to enter is full. All schools have limitations (usually lack of space) and when they are reached the Principal is well within his or her rights to advise you that they cannot take your child. All local State schools have a buffer but spaces for Permanent Residents and Australian Citizens will take priority.

So what should I do when I make contact with a school?

• PROVIDE INFORMATION

When you are initially contacting a Public (State) schools make sure you know what Year your child is eligible to enter and provide them with your child’s DOB.
Tell them you are on a TRV (Temporary Visitor’s Visa)

ASK them if there is space in this year for your child and tell them when you are planning to move.

• COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY

There is usually a designated member of the Office Administration who is
responsible for enrolments.
Try to e mail or speak to that same person every time.
REMEMBER THEIR NAME!

• PLAN TO LIVE IN THE SCHOOL AREA

When it comes to choosing a place to live (even temporary accommodation) live in the school area (zone or catchment).

It shows the school you are serious and you
want your child to attend that school over all others.

Of course if you are choosing to place your child in a local private school you do not have to worry about living in a school area. However many of them are heavily subscribed in this area and my advice to you is to plan well ahead. Make initial contact with the enrolment officer and place your child on their waiting lists as soon as you think you might be moving.

SHOULD I WORRY?

Finally don’t panic there are still plenty of places in the State schools at the moment.
Some schools in certain high demand areas are beginning to feel the pinch. Having spoken to Principals about this they still tell me they would still do their very best to get a family in. The buck stops with the Principal and they ultimately have the final say.

COME AND VISIT SYDNEY’S NORTHERN BEACHES

It’s always a great idea to come over for a look at schools before you move and I can’t recommend this highly enough. Try to visit all types of schools in the area you want to live.
Bring in school reports and examples of work …they can give a Principal an idea of where your child is and their capabilities

INFORMATION ON THE AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL SYSTEM.

Please visit my online resource page

 

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