Schools: selecting a new School

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SELECTING A NEW SCHOOL
If you’ve been reading along, you should now be thinking about
So hopefully you’ve got a job lined up or are ready to join the many business operating here. If not as a first place of contact try Joanne Playbell, the economic Officer at Stanthorpe or her counterpartin Warwick. This region is capably serviced by the Toowoomba Office of State Development.

Where do I start finding a school for my child?
• Consider whether you will be sending your children to Private or State schools
• If your child’s current school is willing, ask them to assist you by recommending a school in the area that you’ll be moving to In Stanthorpe, there are …………………………….While in Warwick there is
• Contact schools, ask to get some information sent to you, or arrange to go there in person
• Check the phone book and browse the Internet for school listings
• Pay attention to recommendations – this is often the best way to make a decision

What aspects are important?
• A nearby school is a lot less travelling.
• Visit a few schools with your child so that they can get a feel for the environment
• Arrange to see the principal during school hours – this way you will see what the students are like, discipline etc.
• Visit classes during school hours; observe whether the children are attentive, bored or disruptive. Will your child feel comfortable attending this school?
• Does the school have any particular emphasis? If your child plays an instrument, a arts-based environment will be better
• If you are looking at secondary schools, have a look at the range of subjects offered in years 11 and 12 and student performance levels. Your teenager will want a wide selection to choose from, and relevant ones to what they want to study at university

Found one?
• If possible, get your children to meet their teachers beforehand. Knowing a few faces will make things easier
• Buy necessary stationary items and books as soon as possible
• Send school records to the new school. Double check all paperwork and other details are taken care of before the children start
• If your child is taking any medication, or has any special needs, let the teachers and principal know
• Buy bus passes

For the first day
• Are uniforms compulsory? Get a uniform if they need one, and if the other students don’t wear them, don’t worry. But, there is nothing worse than being the new kid in the wrong clothes!
• Choose a safe route to school and set a day aside to show them the route. Walk to the station, bus, or tram stop with your child, and travel together to the new school
• Let your kids pick what they’d like to take for lunch. Having some control of the situation will make them feel better
• If you’ll be picking your children up from school, arrange where you’ll meet, and devise a plan for what the procedure will be if you’re running late
Other issues.

• Make sure you attend parent-teacher interviews each term.
• If your kids are in their last years of primary school, find out which secondary school most of the students will go to, and enrol them there. Avoid sending them where they will have to make a new group of friends yet again


Good luck! We hope you make a successful move to our region and look forward to meeting your storage needs.☺