First week in a new school

 The girls started school this week.  It has definitely been an adjustment for all of us. The girls have to wear uniforms now. It is a big change.  The uniform has a lot of pieces, and there is more than one uniform. There is a winter uniform (with a button down shirt, a skirt or dress, a jumper (sweater), a blazer, formal straw hat, play hat, and all black leather shoes. The summer uniform is similar, but without the jumper and with a different dress/skirt. Then there is a sports uniform for the days they have P.E.  I had to make a color coded calendar to keep track of who is supposed to be in what outfit on which day. Lauren somehow lucked out and was in her sports uniform all week until Friday.  Of course when I picked her up on Friday she was missing her hat and her jumper.  She and Caitlyn were able to locate the hat, but not the jumper. Thankfully I labeled all their clothes with their names, so hopefully the jumper will eventually make its way back to us.  It is a lot to keep track of, but I will say the kids (especially the really tiny ones) look really cute in their uniforms.  I just wish they were allowed to wear any pair of shoes they wanted, because their black shoes do not look all that comfortable. 

The other big adjustment is that it is an all girls school. The girls seem to enjoy that aspect of it so far. I guess I will leave it to them to tell you all more about the school itself and what is different, what is the same. What they feel is better and what they don't like at all. 

They already had a "athletic carnival" this past week were they all got on a bus and went to big sports complex to use their professional track to do different track and field events. It reminds me a bit of field day, but more organized and fancy (maybe because it is a private school). Oh, and they also have houses (like in Harry Potter).  The girls are in Chisholm house, named after Caroline Chisholm, who was known as the "immigrant's friend." She was appalled at the conditions of immigrant women in Sydney in the early 1800s when it was still a convict town. For the rest of her life she worked both in Australia and in England to improve living and working conditions for young female immigrants. Caroline Chisholm’s face was on the five dollar note for more than twenty years. The koala is Chisholm House’s emblem and its members wear purple.

Here's hoping the school year goes great.  Here is a pic of the girls on their first day of school:

Caitlyn is in the formal winter uniform, while Lauren is modeling the sports uniform.  I bet you can guess which one of them was more comfortable that day.....