The mummy network does it again.
Was chatting with a kindy mum today and she asked if we were going for the Heathdale enrolment info session tonight. Her son M and Miss J are kindy classmates and she has enrolled M at Heathdale for Prep in 2012.
What enrolment session, I said.
"You didn't get the letter?"
That made me panic slightly, so I called the school.
Yes, they were running an info session for parents who had enrolled their children, and there would be two other sessions. Hadn't I received a letter?
When I said no, the admin lady started going through her file.
She couldn't find Miss J's application...until I mentioned that I could drop by with a copy of the application as I had another child at the school.
"Oh Prep sibling!" she exclaimed.
The light dawned.
Apparently sibling applications receive different treatment (priority treatment actually), so no wonder Miss J's name couldn't be found in the list of first-time applicants.
If you already have a child attending Heathdale, you don't have to attend an info session because you already know quite a lot about the school. You just need to sit tight and wait for the letter asking you to bring your child for an enrolment interview with the Junior School principal.
We've been told to expect our letter sometime next term.
Which will lead to the other important question: HCC or GNLS?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
The trouble with utilities providers
The doorknockers representing various utilities providers descend on our street once every quarter or so, trying to persuade us to switch loyalties.
They usually begin by claiming that some of the neighbours have called them to complain about rising rates and they "just" want to make sure we're getting the discounts we deserve. (Humph)
Then they annoy you by asking you for your latest utilities bill (so they can see which company you're with and how much you paid I suppose) and present you with info claiming potential savings of x% or $x if you sign up with them today.
If you're agreeable, they fill up the form on your doorstep (I've only once let in a salesman, and only because he claimed he needed to use the loo and I wasn't home alone) and put you on the mobile to the company so their colleague can verify and record your consent to the transfer of provider.
We've gone through this so many times, sometimes saying yes, sometimes saying no thank you. It's such an intrusion, especially as it tends to happen in the evening when you want to sit down to dinner and some undisturbed family time.
The tricks providers use to snatch each other's customers are amazing, but the last one is worthy of an Oscar.
The salesman gave me the impression that he was acting for the provider for our area, not the retailer, and spoke with such confidence and authority that I didn't realize he was simply doing what the other doorknockers do: getting me to switch my account to his company (let's call it C).
The irony was: I'd just very recently switched from Company A to Company B on the internet after using one of those websites that help you make savings comparisons, but before I could start to really enjoy my savings, C came along and I ended up signing with C without knowing it. If I'd known what was going on, I would have stuck with B as a matter of principle.
The ultimate was when C called today (from NSW!) to allege that B was trying to steal my electricity account without my knowledge/consent. They put me on the line to B to confirm that I intended to switch to C so that C could legally block the transfer from happening.
This is the first time I've been called in to take sides. All the previous times, the transfer has taken place smoothly between the providers. I was annoyed - and said so.
All this he-said-she-said stuff that happens because utilities providers compete for business from the same pool is simply unethical, a waste of time and causes inconvenience to customers.
We deserve fair, transparent treatment from individuals and companies we can trust.
They usually begin by claiming that some of the neighbours have called them to complain about rising rates and they "just" want to make sure we're getting the discounts we deserve. (Humph)
Then they annoy you by asking you for your latest utilities bill (so they can see which company you're with and how much you paid I suppose) and present you with info claiming potential savings of x% or $x if you sign up with them today.
If you're agreeable, they fill up the form on your doorstep (I've only once let in a salesman, and only because he claimed he needed to use the loo and I wasn't home alone) and put you on the mobile to the company so their colleague can verify and record your consent to the transfer of provider.
We've gone through this so many times, sometimes saying yes, sometimes saying no thank you. It's such an intrusion, especially as it tends to happen in the evening when you want to sit down to dinner and some undisturbed family time.
The tricks providers use to snatch each other's customers are amazing, but the last one is worthy of an Oscar.
The salesman gave me the impression that he was acting for the provider for our area, not the retailer, and spoke with such confidence and authority that I didn't realize he was simply doing what the other doorknockers do: getting me to switch my account to his company (let's call it C).
The irony was: I'd just very recently switched from Company A to Company B on the internet after using one of those websites that help you make savings comparisons, but before I could start to really enjoy my savings, C came along and I ended up signing with C without knowing it. If I'd known what was going on, I would have stuck with B as a matter of principle.
The ultimate was when C called today (from NSW!) to allege that B was trying to steal my electricity account without my knowledge/consent. They put me on the line to B to confirm that I intended to switch to C so that C could legally block the transfer from happening.
This is the first time I've been called in to take sides. All the previous times, the transfer has taken place smoothly between the providers. I was annoyed - and said so.
All this he-said-she-said stuff that happens because utilities providers compete for business from the same pool is simply unethical, a waste of time and causes inconvenience to customers.
We deserve fair, transparent treatment from individuals and companies we can trust.
Friday, February 11, 2011
When the floods came to VIC
Last Friday (4 Feb), we finally got a tiny taste of what others in QLD and country VIC have been experiencing.
It began with the heaviest downpour we'd ever seen.
Before long, the dip in the road outside our neighbour's nature strip was a long muddy ditch.
Then in the middle of dinner preparation, water started pouring through the kitchen ceiling, through the skylight and downlights.
Hubby got out a couple of large plastic containers and placed them strategically under the leaks.
And we got on with dinner.
On Sat morning, I got a call from Beth's music teacher saying he was cancelling the class as the roads in his area were flooded.
Then we got to Chinese School in Point Cook, and saw how the storm had transformed Skeleton Creek and the wetlands near the library. A guy stood on the bridge taking photos of the flooded creek and semi-submerged trees.
We met some friends at the school and learned that their 2 y.o. Porter Davis-built house had been a victim of the storm too. They'd had to lay out pots and pans around the rumpus room to catch the rain. Luckily most of their house is tiled.
They told us of a house in Williams Landing whose roof had collapsed.
At kinder this week, the kinder assistant told of how her kitchen roof had caved in at 3 am and she'd had to move to her daughter's house until the roof could be fixed.
This morning, a school mum told of her backyard and laundry being flooded, and of another family who had to be rescued by SES when their roof and alfresco collapsed. Theirs is a Porter Davis-built house too (hmm...), and they are now in talks with the builder, insurers and building assessors.
This week's Wyndham Leader has photos and stories of people and property and their encounters with last Fri's storms. Really makes you aware of the environment in a new way.
It began with the heaviest downpour we'd ever seen.
Before long, the dip in the road outside our neighbour's nature strip was a long muddy ditch.
Then in the middle of dinner preparation, water started pouring through the kitchen ceiling, through the skylight and downlights.
Hubby got out a couple of large plastic containers and placed them strategically under the leaks.
And we got on with dinner.
On Sat morning, I got a call from Beth's music teacher saying he was cancelling the class as the roads in his area were flooded.
Then we got to Chinese School in Point Cook, and saw how the storm had transformed Skeleton Creek and the wetlands near the library. A guy stood on the bridge taking photos of the flooded creek and semi-submerged trees.
We met some friends at the school and learned that their 2 y.o. Porter Davis-built house had been a victim of the storm too. They'd had to lay out pots and pans around the rumpus room to catch the rain. Luckily most of their house is tiled.
They told us of a house in Williams Landing whose roof had collapsed.
At kinder this week, the kinder assistant told of how her kitchen roof had caved in at 3 am and she'd had to move to her daughter's house until the roof could be fixed.
This morning, a school mum told of her backyard and laundry being flooded, and of another family who had to be rescued by SES when their roof and alfresco collapsed. Theirs is a Porter Davis-built house too (hmm...), and they are now in talks with the builder, insurers and building assessors.
This week's Wyndham Leader has photos and stories of people and property and their encounters with last Fri's storms. Really makes you aware of the environment in a new way.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Introduction to competitive swimming at school
Sports has never been a big part of my life, except as a reminder of how physically inept I am (too slow, too uncoordinated, too timid, too weak). PE was always a humiliating time: I would be the one that dragged down Yellow house and at secondary school and JC, I would be lucky if I passed the physical fitness test.
Beth has inherited my bookish tendencies. Her sports experience has so far been limited to swimming after school (Wyndham Leisure Centre and this year, Paul Sadler), one basketball clinic, the 8-week swim program at school, and the annual JS Sports Carnival.
Contrast this with her best friend, who has been swimming in a squad for years, plays basketball and netball, and is an excellent student to boot.
So it's refreshing - and a bit of an eye-opener - to get an actual insight into what parents of sporty kids do to support them through sports carnivals and meets.
This year, Beth decided to do something different: she has set her sights on the Hoppers Crossing Primary School Swim Carnival on 2 March. Selection trials are on 22 Feb, and 4 training sessions have been scheduled every Tue and Thu starting today. The sessions are from 7 - 8 am, whic means getting up at 6+ and getting out of the house by 6.45.
Beth is not a morning person, but this new challenge has motivated her to rise without too much complaint, and to actually be excited about getting into her bathers (brrr!) at an hour when she would still be snoozing.
Poor Miss J had no choice but to come along in her PJs, half asleep on my shoulder and unhappy about the cold (must remember to bring blanket for her next time).
It was amazing to see so many mums and dads at 7 am at the poolside (Werribee Outdoor Olympic Pool), all here for the same purpose. Most of them look like they have been there done that. They're the calm relaxed and organized ones, swim bag and uniform on one arm and handbag in the other hand, chatting amiably with each other and/or the coach, or wandering off to grab a coffee to fend off the cold. At 5 to 8, they start getting their kids out of the pool so there's enough time for a quick shower and change into school uniform, maybe breakfast in the car, and the drive to school.
After observing Mr Z ordering Beth to the side to rest, it was quite clear that she has a lot of work to do if she wants to get up to competitive level like her peers, who were stroking effortlessly up and down the pool.
Afterwards, Beth was really tired but she also said something interesting: that this morning activity has energized her for school.
It's a good start and I look forward to watching my little bookworm develop into a well-rounded child.
Beth has inherited my bookish tendencies. Her sports experience has so far been limited to swimming after school (Wyndham Leisure Centre and this year, Paul Sadler), one basketball clinic, the 8-week swim program at school, and the annual JS Sports Carnival.
Contrast this with her best friend, who has been swimming in a squad for years, plays basketball and netball, and is an excellent student to boot.
So it's refreshing - and a bit of an eye-opener - to get an actual insight into what parents of sporty kids do to support them through sports carnivals and meets.
This year, Beth decided to do something different: she has set her sights on the Hoppers Crossing Primary School Swim Carnival on 2 March. Selection trials are on 22 Feb, and 4 training sessions have been scheduled every Tue and Thu starting today. The sessions are from 7 - 8 am, whic means getting up at 6+ and getting out of the house by 6.45.
Beth is not a morning person, but this new challenge has motivated her to rise without too much complaint, and to actually be excited about getting into her bathers (brrr!) at an hour when she would still be snoozing.
Poor Miss J had no choice but to come along in her PJs, half asleep on my shoulder and unhappy about the cold (must remember to bring blanket for her next time).
It was amazing to see so many mums and dads at 7 am at the poolside (Werribee Outdoor Olympic Pool), all here for the same purpose. Most of them look like they have been there done that. They're the calm relaxed and organized ones, swim bag and uniform on one arm and handbag in the other hand, chatting amiably with each other and/or the coach, or wandering off to grab a coffee to fend off the cold. At 5 to 8, they start getting their kids out of the pool so there's enough time for a quick shower and change into school uniform, maybe breakfast in the car, and the drive to school.
After observing Mr Z ordering Beth to the side to rest, it was quite clear that she has a lot of work to do if she wants to get up to competitive level like her peers, who were stroking effortlessly up and down the pool.
Afterwards, Beth was really tired but she also said something interesting: that this morning activity has energized her for school.
It's a good start and I look forward to watching my little bookworm develop into a well-rounded child.
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