Miss Fine end-of-year question review

Miss Fine

It's been a year since the the previous questions to the nearly 9 year old. This week Miss Fine is celebrating her 10th birthday. We are so proud of her. She has done so well at school, and it seems she knows who she is and what she wants.

Mon asked her a few questions, and I wrote it down as is. Thank you for the honest answers. We learn more from you, than you from us.

Tips for parents for Grade 4 Exams

Miss Fine

We are beginning to breathe. The end of the Grade 4 exams are in sight. Friday will be the last subject. I read my previous posts about Grade 4 exams, and realise we go through the same motions each time. But it gets better!

I was really worried about these last exams. We did not prepare as much as we would love. Notice the "we" as the parents were still greatly involved in the process of learning. We both stepped in, and tried to help. It is not always easy when you try to help, and the recipient of the help knows better most of the times.

Amazingly, Miss Fine found her groove. It helps that she gets to stay at school (we don't have any other choice). She summarizes her subjects at school, and then we are able to check her knowledge at night. We are so impressed with her!
Here I was dreading this week, and when I pick her up I hear that she has gone through her work at least once! *Happy dance!*

I am so proud and so relieved!
Grade 4 was difficult! But she made it!

I have picked up some tips on how to cope as parents when helping a Grade 4 preparing for exams.

6 Tips on how to survive Grade 4 exams 

For parents of Grade 4 learners

• The earlier you start, the better. If you have difficulty in convincing them to start early, don't sweat it. The work can be done in two one day.
• Help, but also take a step away. They are supposed to start doing it on their own.
• Take turns as parents to help. It keeps frustration at bay.
• We set some goals. Do a page, and then we give you something/a surprise to do. Such as exercises, or jumping on the trampoline. (This really worked)
• Pull up your own exam papers for them to complete. It gives you insight in how much they know, and helps them to feel better about an upcoming subject.
• Give the responsibility back to the kid to learn. They may surprise you. 

Well done, Miss Fine!
You are so fine!

Photo at Kwenyani Guest house this past weekend. We attended a wedding in Roodeplaat on Saturday.

The first exams are here

Da face

To say that I am scared is an understatement. I am scared of Grade 4 exams. Grade 4 has been a culture shock, and we are still reeling.

LIfe is a choice, not an excuse

Study course notes

We signed up for a study course, and this past weekend was the weekend that we could fit it in. Grade 4 is a culture shock! More for the parents than the kids, it seems! :-) The extra subjects, tests, exams and projects are a lot more than the previous grades. The parents need to help manage, AND time manage, AND help the kids to learn.

We are so glad we signed up for this! We got a couple of telephone numbers to phone from the Grade 3 teachers last year, and the lady who phoned me back is from a Tina Cowley Reading Centre. The course was from a Friday afternoon, followed up by the Saturday afternoon. It was more than a good six hours of learning how to learn.

Grade 4 is a culture shock, but mostly for the Mom

Grade four is a total different ball game here! The children start changing between classes and they start writing tests and exams. The pace is also much faster than the previous grades. Miss Fine has been taking it all in her stride, but we (the parents) feel a little bit overwhelmed.

We have to make sure that we are abreast of her calendar and her homework, A standard request each day is to immediately take out her homework book so that we could check if there is something new. I am writing this down for future reference. We feel like we are doing grade four for the first time, but our grade four, way back when, surely did not involve as much as this? Even 15 years ago with the eldest it was not so tough!

Miss Fine

New school year and new friends

I think we worry too much! The anxiousness got penned down two weeks back in How to cope with the first day back at school? Miss was expressing some worries about being able to cope with Grade 4. The parents' meeting last year did not help to ease our worries, but exacerbated it! (Yikes! We already signed up to a study course for the family and the online Studiemeester is on the budget). The thoughts were around Miss and her being young for her grade...

Wordless Wednesday #344 - First day in Grade 4

How to cope with the first day back at school?

Holiday memories

This has been the longest school holidays ever! We did not do all the Johannesburg Staycation Wish-list things we wanted to, but it was awesome taking a break. The children are only going back to school tomorrow. It's already past the half-way mark of January.

We will miss the relaxed days of holidays, and not sticking to a fixed routine. Miss loves going to bed later, and sleeping until the sun is in the 9th hour quadrant already! We also love sleeping later (at least 30 minutes later), and not having to dodge the early morning traffic. Tomorrow it's a thing of the past! "Sigh!"

But, sticking to my "positive" word of the year, I have to grab this year by it's Grade 4 horns. Miss is apprehensive about this year, and after a school meeting with the prospective Grade 4 parents, we are also worried aware of the challenges! (Help!?)