Dylan's First School Field Trip

September 9, dawned bright and early though too early for Dylan who was used to waking up at 8am :)  It's his first school field trip, and let me tell you, he was really excited for it.  He didn't give me a hard time when I had to wake him up at 5:30AM because they had to be in school at 6AM :)






Their first stop was at the SM Megamall branch of Pizza Hut.  Here's Bus #1 and Dylan walking on the overpass to get to the other side :)  Obviously, he was very excited and can't stop jumping while walking on the way! :D

At Pizza Hut, they were told the story of how Pizza Hut started and what other food chains are its sister companies (of course, that's more food for thought for the adults hehe).  The kids can't wait to start making their own pizzas although the organizers also planned a few games, like "Bring Me"and the "Longest Line" to get the kids in the groove :)  Participants get to win prizes too!

They got really amped up when they were given their chef hats and their aprons which signaled that they'll be cooking next!  It became even more chaotic when the servers brought out their ingredients.




They were making Hawaiian Pizza and those who can make it as close to the sample pizza will get a prize ;)  Dylan was so focused on  putting his ingredients that he was really oblivious to what's happening around him.  He was doing it slowly but surely despite other kids (and their parents) were rushing to finish the job :) I let Dylan do all of it by himself! :)  Next, they fell in line to put their pizzas in the oven and went back to their seats to wait.  Drinks were distributed so that the kids can eat their pizzas as soon as they came out :)

After Pizza Hut, we all headed straight to Goldlilocks along Shaw Boulevard.  Here only the kids and their teachers were allowed to tour around the cake factory.  They were instructed to wear hair nets and they were able to see how the cakes were made.  After that, they all trooped to another part of the building where they experienced decorating their own cake.  Unfortunately, I fell asleep in the waiting room (I must have been really tired, imagine having to wake up so early when we slept so late), and didn't have a chance to see how Dylan fared.  He did good though when I saw what he did and he must have been hungry still because the box was already half-empty LOL The funny thing was, we almost got left behind because Dylan had to poop! LOL It's kind of a ritual with him that after he eats, he poops hahaha Fortunately, the others were taking their time buying some Goldilocks products so even though they all left the building they still hadn't boarded the buses.  Whew! LOL

The last stop in the field trip was the Fun Ranch playground at Tiendesitas.  Though we had plenty of time to go around and have lunch at the Tiendesitas food court, we brought our own lunch.  But Dylan wasn't really hungry (blame it on the pizzas and cake) and he was more interested in getting to the play area.  He's been here before so he knows what to expect hehehe

Since we finished early, we took our time taking pictures and just walking off our lunch :)  Here are more pictures:

They had 2 hours of playing time in the Active Fun indoor playroom.  I can guarantee that it was tiring for him but more so for me!!  See, with as many as 40-50 kids running around and bigger kids having a tendency to bully their way through the area, you want to protect your kid, right?  Of course! So there I was following Dylan wherever he wanted to go.  I climbed, slid, crawled, got my butt stuck in a small crawl space, got stepped on by kids and that was the last straw.  I left him to his own devices and just monitored him from a safe distance LOL  After about an hour of playing, he soon got tired and wanted to leave.  So, I thought that was good because perspiring that much wasn't really good for him.  I changed his clothes, got him refreshed and we went outside and strolled around the area.  He rode the bumper cars, the plane ride but I drew the line on the carousel because that's a scary one!  It spins so fast you're going to get dizzy! LOL

It was a very fun but tiring day but it's a day that I don't regret because it gave me a chance to bond with Dylan.  It gave me lots of wonderful memories to look back on.  We took a lot of pictures not because we're required to create a scrapbook out of the experience but because I would have done otherwise even without that requirement :)  It's good that kids get a chance to play because they're kids!  It's also a chance to get to know your classmates to have fun with them!

I hope to have more of these as the kids grow older :)

Dana's Family Day in School

February 20, 2010

I posted an entry about Dana having an ongoing school fair in school.  As part of the week-long celebration, the final day of the fair, there was a family day which was participated in by the whole school.  The kids were required to wear shirts to show which team they belong to.  Dana's grade level was supposed to wear yellow.  We also bought Dylan a yellow shirt because members of the family attending the event were encouraged to wear the same color shirt too.

As you can see they both look good!

I'm proud to say that Dana was active in participating in the games.  She volunteered to participate in the sack race and here she is!  Unfortunately, in her excitement a few hops from the starting line, she fell. Here's the video, if you want to see it.

Still, she got up and still went on.  Go Dana!

After that, her classmates all went to her and asked her how she was.  They're a tight-knit group of friends :)




During breaks or when it became too hot outside, we all sought refuge inside Dana's classroom hehehe It was airconditioned and the perfect place to rest.  Dylan occupied himself with reading the books in their reading nook.  It was a good chance for us to see how he likes being in a classroom setting.  It was nice! but maybe it was because Dana's teacher has such a rapport with kids :)



It sure was a tiring but enjoyable day!

Dana's Card Grades

Well, the time is now to see Dana's card grades. To be honest, I wasn't really worried or anything because I've already seen the results of her exams. I was actually more worried about her Filipino (learning to speak and read Filipino class) because as you know, English is her first language.

But lo and behold, her Filipino is higher than her Math grade!! LOL It's not that she's not brilliant in Math. I saw her exams and I asked her why she didn't answer the test questions correctly because I know she knew the right answers. She told me, she was getting bored from having to answer all of the questions and she didn't read any of the instructions anymore LOL That is quite understandable seeing as this is her first time doing tests like this in school. I did tell her that the first time is the only "excusable" time.. the next time, I won't be so forgiving (hmm.. that sounded ominous) LOL

Anyway, the red numbers are the actual grades that she got.

Dana's first day in school

June 15, 2008 is a milestone in Dana's life (and come to think of it in ours as parents too). This was the first time that our daughter first set foot in the hallowed halls of learning :) Wow, that sounded so serious it's as if it wasn't me talking LOL

Well yeah, Dana is now 5 and she's now in Kinder II. Actually, their first day was supposed to be on June 08th but because of the A/H1N1 virus (swine flu to others), classes were postponed to give time for families to quarantine themselves if they've gone outside the country for a vacation. At first, we didn't know that the school moved the date of start of classes. Dana and I still went and when we reached the school, we were surprised to read the announcement. She was a little disappointed but kids bounce back so easily. She took it in a stride :)

I was still a bit antsy if I got everything that she needed and that I wasn't missing anything. Pre-school jitters are normal I guess especially for a first-time school parent hahaha This is kinda funny because I've done this school routine for my brother (you know this is true, Allan) and with my niece Den before. It's just that it's been so long and I'm kinda nostalgic that I'm now buying school stuff for my own kid.

On to June 15th. Dana had no problem waking up at 5:30am to get ready for school. She ate her breakfast (cereals) and her milk and then took a bath. She didn't have a uniform yet because the school ran out of it (weird!) so she was still in civilian clothes. Patrick and I were bringing her to school together. So, here she is in her classroom :)



We were finally able to buy her one set of uniforms by chance. So here she is :) Patrick brings her to school everyday because it's on his way to work. It's a good compromise because he gets to the office early and he can leave early too hahahha



I know that she's enjoying her time in school because by the time I pick her up and we walk home together, she can't stop talking about the things they've done. I know she even dreams about the activities when she sleeps hahahaha

Preparing for Dana's first time in school is making me teary-eyed

Yep, you read it right.. cheesy and corny as it sounds, I was teary-eyed at the mall when we went buying Dana's first supplies for school.

I remember I used to do this with my Mom when we bought school supplies for Allan, my brother and then for Den when she was younger. Although come to think of it, Den and I still buy school supplies together but college needs are different from preschool most definitely LOL

It's funny since we hadn't bought any school stuff for elementary aged kids in a long time I wasn't sure what their needs were even though I have a list LOL I was wondering about how big the bag would be and I wanted to buy a big one just in case. Den just raised an eyebrow and said, "that's way too much, she can't even pull that, much less carry it" so I settled for a smaller one, of course, Dana chose a Lightning McQueen bag (Lily, sagot mo to! don't worry less than P1K LOL). The salesperson did say it was suitable for preschool kids so I guess that should be alright :)

Then we bought notebooks, pencils, art supplies, shoes, socks, undergarments, etc. We haven't bought the books yet because they still weren't complete and her uniforms too because there weren't any sizes available for her.

I'm glad that Dana is excited to go to school. We have an orientation on June 8th. I'm nervous and excited too hahaha

Dana Aces her Entrance Exam!!

Over the course of the previous days, we have spent them preoccupied with the room renovations - buying the materials, watching them lay the fixtures and tiles, painting the room and cabinets - that sometimes our heads are spinning with all that's happening.

But the good news is that Dana aced her entrance exam! I have posted a while back about the search for a school. Patrick and I have decided that our priority is somewhere close so that the kids won't be tired from the travel as early as this. So, we thought that maybe Sta. Catalina College may be a good choice because that's where I'm from and so with all my siblings and cousins. Even Den graduated from there. There's also the added plus that they still know me and my family so that's something good going for Dana (we think). In terms of standards, they're still pretty high because if not, then Den wouldn't have been able to pass her entrance exam to UST before.

Anyway, Dana went with her Ate Den to the school because it was raining and I didn't want to bring Dylan out too. So, they were just supposed to submit the requirements to the school so that they'll be able to schedule her for an entrance exam. But to my surprise, Den sent me a text message saying that Dana was already taking her exam!!! I was so nervous for her but at the same time I was confident too, pretty confusing, huh? ahhahaha An hour passed and I called Den, asking why there's no update yet. It turned out that while they were checking Dana's paper, she remained inside the room playing with the other teachers there and she was talking to them too hahaha

When they finished checking, she got 92/100!!! and they were all surprised because she was one of the highest and she was more advanced than those who have had previous schooling experience. They'll place her in Kinder 2 (which is still Prep), but she skipped Kinder 1 already. When Den started out, she had to pass Kinder 1 because of age requirements.

Anyway, just wanted to share this milestone in Dana's life.. Now, it's just a matter of paying the tuition and buying the school stuff :)

In search of a school

April 1st - Happy April Fool's Day!

What a great day to look for a school or so I thought. School has been on my mind since my daughter, Dana, turned 3. I knew kids as young as 1 were already put in preschool/day care/nursery or whatever you call it. Though I didn't put her in school, I did teach her at home and by 2 she already knew her alphabet, her numbers, her colors and shapes. She can even express herself in clear, concise sentences. Though that's probably normal for other kids :)

Well, now that she's 5, I thought that's the right time to put a child in school. So we, my aunt and I and the 2 kids, went to nearby schools to check for their admission requirements and to check whether Dana liked the school.

The first school we went to don't admit kids her age if they haven't been to a preschool. They preferred that the children who are enrolling in their school are already adjusted to the school scenario.. well hooray for them (and I mean this sarcastically) Just because a kid didn't go to school yet doesn't mean he can't adjust to school life.. and if he can't yet, then shouldn't the school do everything in its power to help him adjust???!!!

And the funny thing was when they said that if Dana hasn't been to school maybe she'll have a hard time with the mode of instruction, which was English! Well helloooo.. news flash!! my kid speaks English because it's her first language!!! To cut may rant short.. that school was out!!

Next school. They accepted kids without having previous school experience. Great!! but there was a catch. She'll be demoted !!! I was like, you're not even going to test her? No. They said. They placed kids based on age and not intelligence.. well, needless to say, that school was out...

Talk about frustration!!Where have all the good schools gone? I remember it was just Kinder and then Grade 1 when I was young. When Den went to school, she had to go through Kinder 1 and Kinder 2 before Grade 1. Now, it's becoming a requirement to go through all 3 stages - Nursery, Kinder, Preparatory, before you reach Grade 1. Imagine the cost of education for parents!! We're talking P15K at the least and some even go as high as P60K for these preschool years. Won't kids get tired of all this schooling??? I wonder..

Now, I'm looking at schools that will test your child and then make the determination for which grade level she should be in. They may cost a little more than other schools but it's better to start right, right?

College is so Expensive!!

Oh my gosh! My niece, Den is graduating from high school this coming March 28. She's been looking at colleges and universities for quite some time now. At first, we were thinking she'll continue with UST (where she is right now) because she passed her entrance test for the IT course there. But, we just saw the table of fees and it costs almost P40K for one sem! At first I thought that was for one year already... was I mistaken.. hahahaha

Now, we're looking for an alternative school because her educational plan seems pretty useless compared to the amount of money involved.. Seems like educational plans now don't really help.. considering the cost of education..

Wish us luck! :D