Moving right along....

Mr 7 had his follow up appointment with his paediatrician and he has grown 3 cms and put on 1kg ..so much for the growth stunting side affect Ritalin is supposed to induce. We discussed his speech pathologists re testing for research purposes and his paediatrician was all for a paper being written on the effects of ADHD meds on children with auditory/expressive/ receptive delays...especially since Mr 7 had all the required interventions and tests prior to commencing formal education and his improvements in the areas can be attributed to the medication and not external factors. Try and convince someone who is being paid nicely and works their own hours to co author such a paper....snowballs chance in hell. Anyhow, his aide ( read guardian angel) and I spoke tongue in cheek about her coming with us to his next speech appointment, as it turns out, this is a very common occurrence as R, the speechie; has little to no time for school visits because of her increased and high demand workload. She even has a waiting list that he feels personally responsible for. So next appointment, Mr 7's guardian angel comes along too.

Mr 5 attended a session at school yesterday, for just over an hour he drew and did I don't know what in a classroom with 5 other newbies and the rest of this years preps whilst the parents were given a run down on the "You Can Do It" program and other things programs the school.. Here I was hoping to by pass that and sit in the yard and read...but no chance.

Now there is a study that shows that children diagnosed with ADHD catch up academically to their peers in about Yr 5...roll on then, He's turning into a whiz now with his nmemoinc skills what would he be like when he can retrieve and use all that stuff....bit like Supamum, socially inept and able to spout useless facts in a single sentence.

The school start money given to Victorian students commencing in Prep or Yr 7 by the State Government looks to be a fiasco in 2008. Instead of mailing out cheques from the Education Dept. they have opted for vouchers issued by the schools and able to be cashed after January 14,2008 at the POST OFFICE. Nice to let the schools know that DET have cited the initial contact if a problem arises to be the school..talk about passing the buck. And apparently the PO staff knew nothing of this....they do NOW!! And there is the little issue of DET "paying" schools and initial fee of $35 and a pro rata fee of $2 per voucher processed to cover the administration costs. Apparently this $$$ is not being passed on to the individual Catholic schools by the Catholic Education Office...nice little earner there for the CEO whilst our schools suffer.

Childrens lives and adult angst

Oh, to be a child again, with little concern but the perception of too much homework, not enough play time and having to get up early for swimming. As I often tell my three...Don't wish to grow up too quick or try and be older than you are; you are only a child for a little while but being grown up lasts a LOOOONG time.

The eldest two have commenced Milo cricket and whilst it is good, Mr 7 always groans about attending yet has a brilliant time throwing himself bodily on the ball. Miss 10 with all her softball skill, shows up some of the boys her age, but batting with the bat to the ground is just so WRONG! Now if only some of the parents would stop treating it as a Friday evening piss up...bringing eskies and beer, it's set a better example for the kids.

The year is nearing an end and Mr 7's speech pathologist has retested some cognitive receptive stuff from the CELF 4 ( Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, 4th edition) as a research into whether the Ritalin has increased his concentration spans, at a glance this was obviously a contributory factor as his progress looked remarkably different from a few month ago. We are under ongoing review by his pediatrician as the side effects can be varied and static so I am happy for regular follow ups.

My baby, turned 5 last month, he's a big boy now and goes to school next year. He is so independent and fun filled I actually enjoy having him at home, whereas with Mr 7; I relished the quiet time of his kinder time. A remote control truck was the order of the day for this birthday and although we did not get the requested talking version of Cars: Lightening Mc Queen or the Tonka truck with a plane, he has a wonderful time zooming the truck about the yard with Mr 7's remote control truck in pursuit. His grandpa's and uncle and aunts monetary contribution allowed him to go to the local toy shop and get his truck with a boat ( better than a plane) and of all things, a collection of plastic horses. He was allowed to pick what he wanted for a birthday dinner and he choose pizza, so we lobbed at a La Porchetta restaurant on the way back from some shopping...after checking the menu, no, he does not want dinner here. The conversation went something like this:

"But you wanted pizza and this is where they have pizza"
"No, I don't want pizza now" By now we have ordered drinks for three thirsty children
" Well, what do you want?" It's his birthday and he can push the envelope a bit
" Not pizza"
"Well, what do you want?" Envelope is tilting slightly to the red side now

" I dunno"

We eventually ordered pizza and pasta, and moved on to the ice cream place up the road for dessert. My little boy is growing up, no longer a baby in the physical sense but always my baby in the ideal sense.

Miss 10 is developing a wicked sense of humour and irony, she often creates nonsensical songs and ditties which her brothers copy with glee. She has been asked on a "date" by classmate and declined, too shy and shocked to accept. Apparently a 'date" in senior primary school consists of hanging about together...nothing new there; Miss 10 has about three male friends she hangs about with at school that I know of. She attended a senior leadership course a few weeks ago and now has aspirations of being a school captain. She becomes a senior buddy again next year to a prep child and the principal has realised that the youngest sister of Miss 10's own senior buddy ( who is now 18) will be starting in Prep, and Miss 10 hopes that history can repeat and she can be buddied with that child. It would be providence in a way.

I don't want to be the over zealous parent but really do not want Miss 10 o have the same teacher as this year for Yr 6. This teacher is all groovy and cool with the kids, often cranky and strict, gooey eyed for the male parents and tries the false empathy with the mums...it's a crock of shit. She is lazy and limited in her abilities to teach outside the curriculum, no library time has been allocated for this class all year and I wonder how the children who do not have Internet access at home, reference books at home or public library access got heir assignments done this year. "Not a teachers bootlace" is an expression that comes to mind. I also want Mr 7 to have a particular teacher next year and plan to make that request soon; I have asked this teacher if they are OK if I request Mr 7 to be placed with them and they are OK with it. A quandary now emerges, do I take the bull by the horns and also ask for Mr 5 to have the irrepressible, Mrs R, for his prep teacher? Taking my request to a "pick the teacher " style of parenting I really do not like to prescribe to. Methinks, I will ask for Mr 7 to be placed with the preferred teacher and leave the rest to chance.. I can always ask for a swap of Miss 10 once class assignments are made. WHO knows, she might get one of the new, whizz -bang, here to impress teachers who were interviewed last week.

What a turncoat.....

What a spectacular display of political horse shit Peter Garrett has shown. With the spinelessness of an amoeba, the spin doctoring to rival Monicagate and the loyalty of a hungry dog...he has single handedly destroyed any belief that the ALP will do any thing much for the environment if elected despite any promises to the contrary. Even Bob Brown has forgone his mate in greendom due to his lack of support to fight the pulp mill which is to be built by Gunns. Has Mr Garret forgotten the Franklin Dam issue of 1982/1983 when both the Opposition and Government supported the building of the dam but public outcry, protest and pressure won and the project was dropped? Does he forget that in his then profession as a lead singer of "Midnight Oil"; who were the musical personification of the environmental protester; he showed great disdain for the mechanizations of politics and associated environmental blunderings which he now seems so adept at. Give back your OA and your Australian Humanitarian Foundation Award, both for services to the environment...you don't deserve either now.

Funny about that.....

Some thing I noticed lately that would be of interest to local readers only ( sorry to the not so local viewers). There is a group touting them selves at Sunbury Residents Association or SRA. They don't advertise their meetings and which seem to be held in camera. No one knows who the membership involves or even if there is a membership! There seems to be one member only who rallies forth about supposed "residents issues" which always seem to be political issues. The minutes nor AGMs are not published ( to my knowledge) and there is no address to join...after all we are all residents of Sunbury and should be able to access an association which claims to be for the residents. Strange enough, when a certain faction of local councilors or individual councilor votes for or against a local issue, this mob of so call "residents" attempt to challenge the decision via various modus operandi. Including but not excluding, putting forth objections via the VCAT and writing amateur attempts to question some elected local representatives decisions on the issue. Seems a pattern here, a very revealing pattern.....if an openly affiliated political party member/s vote on a local matter the SRA and their wanna be cronies get involved. HMMMM could be the SRA is really a politico-support, party funded group in the guise of an 'advocacy' group? IF their membership is restricted and not publicized, where do their members come from? And where do they get their money for VCAT challenges against elected council officials decisions?

My little radical protester

Two weeks ago, 2IC was handed a pamphlet and Miss 10 wanted to read it..it was a info page about the Anti-Work choices march today. Miss 10 asked some questions about it and read some articles in the papers and heard first hand the issues her older cousins are having which requires them to work two or three part time/casual jobs instead of being employed full time..she decided she'd like to go and protest. Now, you might say that she has been "taught' this mindset by her parents and family; but no, we rarely if ever discuss politics around the children as many dinner table conversations revolve around school, sport or "eat your dinner!", "sit down" "leave the Lego alone"ilk. So this has manifested itself from her own views and opinions and a want to have a say. We explained to her the right to protest as being a democratic right and why the people were protesting. She decided that she wanted things to "be fairer and to be same for her as they were for us". So today is a daddy/girl outing to the march, The Ian Potter and the NGV as well as some prenegotiated stops at two "girly" shops and a look at some softball bats.
All in all, I am proud she has come early to the realisation that not every one enjoys the same rights and there is an outlet for that and a method to effect change.

What a winner!

Miss 10 arrived home from school last Thursday to an envelope from a print media competition page she regularly enters. It appears our budding artiste had again won a competition which gave her adult passes to Tesselaars Tulip Festival
As kids are free anyway plus she received a bonus of a free pot of tulips card too. We often attend this magical and wondrous place each spring and having a freebie was icing o the cake. It's a lovely drive and they have days dedicated to many nationalities including their own as well as three children's days with special activities for the children. The masses of flowers and the amount of work put into not only the farm but the retail operation and then to run this festival is awe inspiring. The place is a family home and each generation has built on the land or adjoining tracts, it's a family and community business and many new hybrids are named after employees and family members

WIN, WIN

It pays to complain if something is not right, really it does. I have been ont he phone to Telstra/Bigpond who have changed their billing system and now want almost 2 and 1/2 months of Broadband fees up front because of the new system which "98% of customers wanted" ( I must be of the 2% who weren't consulted) Disatisfied with Bigponds response I went to the TIO.
Two days past and today a lovely lady from Telstra calls to tell me the new system sucks and she's in the same boat and she credits our bill over $200 placing us in credit for a month also because we have been long standing customers with never a bill on arrears!!! HOWZAT!! Thank you, Dianna.
Win no 2 came about with our private health insurer, I called to check if Mr7's recent audiology exam was covered to be told the provider would have to be registered with the PHI and I would have to ask the provided to register with the fund. "Not my job, that's your job" I tell them. "No, you must use providers who are registered with us", they say. "That's restriction of trade", I tell them and "I will not do your job for you, I pay to have expenses reimbursed not to run about for you". Ask to speak to a manager and get told they will call me back, 10 minutes later a call comes back to say they will cover the claim as we have been with them for many years ( 7 years) . It pays to stay where you are if you are happy with the service, because when you aren't happy the years in, pay off.

Softball, PSGs and weekends away

Well, Miss 10's softball team did very well indeed. I was roped into umpiring two games for the girls team and looking out for them so rarely got to see Miss10 play as she plays on the mixed team. But when I did, well, the practice payed off...she caught one out when she played 3rd base and was savvy enough to tag a runner on a sneak at 2nd when the baseman there forgot. She bats like a Gatling gun too. As for the rest of the team, I had one boy come late to the team...by late, I mean that morning because we were short and he proved to be a great copy for pitching and took to it like a duck to water. The kids all played as I taught them, encouraging each other and the other teams, our catchers even handed bats to new batters, and our waiting batters stopped balls for the fielding team sometimes. All in the spirit of good sportsmanship. I did not teach them some of the subtitles of high level softball, the psychological pressure a pitcher/catcher team can apply, nor any of the nastier elements I know. This was; after all; a nice social round robin of 3 out/all in games or was it? Next year if I coach again, I will be teaching the teams a few choice tricks of the trade, nothing nasty or unsavory; just a few skills that they can use to enhance their already brilliant game. And as for the teacher who thinks she knows softball...I called her on not one , not two, but three occasions when she ruled against my team...seems the only way that team gets a win is her "make it up as you go along" rules..well, this time round she met her match and I stood my ground. It pays to be loud, know the game and carry a big copy of the rules!!!!

PSG's ...forget them, last one was Term 1, missed term 2's for god knows what reason, then term 3's was to allocated without consultation..you get told this is your time for your PSG and it was Mr 7's paediatricians appointment so we had to reschedule, that was over 6 weeks ago!! I have left 4 messages with the DP for times I am available for the PSG, to no avail. Now on the cusp of the end of term 3 with term 4 upcoming, I think know is the time for all good mums to make a call to the CEO( again) DET does not allow PSG minutes to be late nor to be held over so why am I waiting for my term two and three PSG still?

Weekend away, well, it was interesting but cannot say too much as what happens away stays away, don't ask, don't tell and all that . Suffice to say, if I ever hear the name "azzopardi" I will cry laughing.

No longer quarantined

Well, it appears most in the not so supa house are healthy again. Mr 7 who had a bad ear infection has recovered, Mr 4 had a croup like throat infection, then I got my usual throat infection, Miss 10 got a cold which affected her asthma and 2IC got pneumonia. All in all, some one( or two) was home sick every day for over TWO WEEKS!!! It also appears that Mr 7's grommets have come out and as they were present less than 12 months ago, the fact that he has an ear infection after being without infections for 5 years, may be indicative that they need to be replaced. All in all, he is doing well on Ritalin and astounded his teacher and aide a few weeks back with suddenly grasping the concept of 10's and units and creating his own maths equations with bundles of ten matches and singular ones. Result of Ritalin or placebo effect on us???

We've had a birthday, totally forgettable and unmemorable. The boys have a birthday party next week end as my pal, A; has bitten the bullet with her usually great and wondrous kids parties ( her two kids birthdays are only days apart so they have a share party)and under doctors orders is taking it easy with her sons birthday being at Mickey D's...hardly think the kids will mind, A. And the weekend after is her daughters Cafe Craft party, great idea and is being hosted by her craft orientated friend and her sister is doing the catering...smart move sending out menu options with the invite, so you only buy and supply the food you need. And I have my inaugural girls week end away coming up, we have a house for gratis, courtesy of one of the girls parents and whilst we are forgoing the massages and facials and pedicures and all that goes with it...we will be sans spouses and kids which in itself will be restful!


I have been coaching the softball teams for the Summer Round Robin at the kids school. Some very good players to be had and even more gutsy, "give it your all" players on both teams. Bit hard to take them from tee ball to soft ball in 5 weeks but they are in with a chance as they have an excellent understanding of the rules...only hope the rules apply unlike a certain teacher from a certain local school during tee ball who made up the rules as she went along. No matter anyway, the batting order is designed for some big hitters and small shockers; we have several pint sized dynamos at bat and some even faster pitchers, throw in a left handed batter who hits a home run every time and pitchers and catchers who have been taught to signal instead of call a "sneak" and you have two teams who will give the others a run for their money even with the sledging and "make it up as you go along rulings". Only this time, no more standing for it, if the rule is valid and not adhered, I will say so...one team lost due to runs being continued after an overthrow back to the catcher last time..no more Mrs Nice Now.

Post Secret

Dear Mr Shithead..............

Some folk really need their heads read, they need a dictionary and a course in English comprehension also but then again it might be like trying to make a potato into a banana, same plant life, different species. If people don't understand social justice entirely, they should refrain from commenting on it.

Well let me assure you that it wasnt me and I condem any idiot who does things like this. Trouble is if anyone dobbed them in Sue would complain about their social justice being impinged.I trust you reported it to the Police
jacko | 08.06.07 - 11:49 pm | #

Dear Mr Shithead,
Were you a troubled child.
Did everyone dob on you?
So now you need to tell tales too
Dear Mr Shithead
Do you feel that you have to be the VOICE
because no one ever listened to you?
Do you feel you have to speak for the police because you wanted to be one too?
What do you think of when you're defeated all the time?
Do you really believe that all crimes the same?
What would you do if your kid was in trouble today?
Would you be the one to send them to prison forever and a day
Or would you hang them..like you want to every one else?
Dear Mr Shithead,
You will never understand
What social justice is
Because you don't want to

**With apologies to P!NK

Funding and Ritalin

Well, it seems not even the CEO know what they are doing when it comes to funding. Several weeks ago the VP at Mr 7's school told me Mr 7 was up for funding renewal in October this year and new reports would be needed. Having just completed and handed over a CELF report in February I asked if that report would suffice if an addendum was included. No,.. new reports were needed apparently...GREAT, the last one took up 5 therapy sessions so there went Term 3 speech out the window unless we took on extra sessions and alternated between one therapy session and one testing for the whole term. Mr 7's S/P could not understand it and we tried to find out what reports they needed as the last test was valid for two years after the test date. And lo and behold, the CEO now concurs that Mr 7 has ongoing funding until 2010. Not that I can complain but it would've been nice if the criteria is somewhere accessible for all, when I asked the VP about this; he admitted it was not anywhere or on any guideline format. Mr 7 is doing great guns and is now in reading recovery also. His last visit to his pediatrician came as a bit of a shock as she states we are doing all we can fro him with therapies, speech, classroom assistance and such, he's been in formal education for over 18 month now but his concentration levels have not increased ( if fact his aide was away for several weeks and noted on her return that his concentration seems to have lessened) His pediatrician suggested a well know drug to help increase his concentration levels and for the first time ever mentioned ADHD as a possible diagnosis. Interesting. I have read all the associated hype and concern about this drug and we have agreed to a one month trial and if he shows any of the many side effects, he's off it because it is not worth his well being for an extra 10 minutes of concentration. This was a hard decision to make and will be made even harder if he continues to show change as he has being doing; because then we will be looking at long term use of it. Devil and the deep ,blue sea time.

A quiet weekend....not a sound to be heard

It would be interesting to take a poll of how many people were reading over the weekend. HP 7 arrived and we ventured to the city to see the fun and frolics..of which there really was none by 11.00am. Every one was home with the latest tome or curled up somewhere devouring it. Kids were reading it in the bookshop whilst parents browsed, I sat an read the first chapter whilst 2IC took the terrorists to the toilet, grownups read it in coffee outlets ( sorry to the guy behind us a Gloria Jeans who left after the umpteen stage whisper of "he's reading Harry Potter, it's for kids!!!", all in all it was a bit of a non event.. apart from the suitable attired Dymocks staff noting much about to see. I also bought Eragon, yes, I know it's also a kids book but I saw parts of the film the other night and sort of thought it would be a good read and unlike Rowlings he wrote Eragon at 15. I find that interesting in itself.
HP 7 is the sort of book you have to read, having read the others and enjoyed them for the most part but it is hardly literature in the realm that Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Plath, Green, Grass, et.al are deemed. But you have to wonder if any one had the savvy, marketing nous and ideas of the guru who thought up the embargo idea and the printing at different printers and all the hooray that went along with it..if any other book would make the splash the HP series had in the book world.

It's snowing in the hills

Took Mr 7 to his speech appointment this morning and there was snow as far down as Macedon Rd overpass on the Calder Freeway. Heavy snow on Black Forest Rd and surrounding areas.. we spent 40 minutes and most of his speech appointment time in car whilst one car at a time was allowed to enter the down slope to Woodend. It was lovely and white and peaceful and apart from the wait and calls to his speechie, we had a good time and even got out to have a look about. After 1/2 and a talk with the local police officer on traffic duty, I decided it was not worth waiting god knows how long to get to a late appointment, so turn around and drove back. It was a laugh to watch the guy in a Territory pass me and lose it on a bend a travel sideways to the other side of the road..a word to the unskilled, drive slow in low gear on slopes not fast just because you have 4 WD on you car somewhere LOL

Footy as it used to be..........

Many know I despise footy, I do believe that this sort of spirit truly personifies sport in the true sense. During the WW2, two teams joined to form one and played a grand final, then separated to become part of a larger league. Years later, some one thought to celebrate that melding of men and created the Bell Challenge they also thought to celebrate the teams members and their contribution to the sport in that amalgamation of players. My dad was one of the players( him and half his bloody relos) and is one of the players still about t. He was very proud to have been recognized in this way....Go Da!!!

School Hunker down days

Well, school hols are upon us again and it's wet (yah) and cold( hmm, ok). After school reports interviews last week ( total waste of time really) it was time for a break from school, speech, swimming and all thing time controlled. Monday, we were just going to stay in and do some stuff. Mr 7 and 4 have a new Lego Stars Wars PS2 game I picked up cheep at the JB HiFi sale. Miss 10, well, what can I say...she was one of 25 national winners of a Nancy Drew prize pack which included 4 free tickets to the movie, a t shirt, stickers, and 6 books so she's pretty set for the long haul. SO Monday, Miss 10 was making truffles and a friend dropped by and stayed for 4 hours so there went that day and the truffles. Tuesday, 2IC was home so we went to look at a Holden Captiva as we are looking at a new car, I still like the Misubishi Outlander but 2IC is not convinced about the 2.4 engine yet, the 3.2 is available in the US but no one here seems to have one available for a test drive yet. So Tuesday cruised on by. Yesterday, Miss 10's friend who moved out of town last year arrived for a sleep over and her mum is taking them to the movies today. Miss 10 is utilising two of her freebie tickets today and taking T to the movies and later next week will take her other bestie, K , to the movies.


Which brings us to the two male children in the lounge playing Lego Star Wars after a brief respite for lunch ...do I stop a good thing ( good for me) and risk the wrath of the junior male ego? Or do I do what the books and know all tell me and make them finish the game for fear they will enter society with Lego created saber swords cutting a swath of "ouches" and leaving a trail of Lego parts? I know which I worry about more..................

It was long ago and far away, until today.....

Today I was returning to my car after placing some books on lay by for Santa ( he appreciates the help. Oh ;and by the by, Dymocks don't do layby but will "hold" books for you, BIG HELP)
Anywho, I was returning to my car when some one called my name, my full name......with my maiden name not married name, them they called me by my nickname from school. I looked about and saw a woman waving crazily at me from a car I'd just passed. I vaguely knew the face but the name escaped me for a second...then it dawned on me. It was L, a girl I'd gone to school with and studied drama and dance with. She was ecstatic to see me and I wondered if a) she were on drugs or b) she had my name mixed up with some one else. But no, it was me she remembered, which was strange I recall her as one of those girls who wore make up, smoked, swore and went out weeknights; not in my group, nor me of her clique. We were only ever together during dance or drama and I think she was in an English and Legal class as I recall her and her friend ridiculing people at times. I played sport, she smoked behind the convent; I read a lot and I dunno what she did. Turns out ,she admired me and would've like have been better friends but stuck with the group she was with because I was a "goody". ( IF only they knew, I was just good enough never to get caught!!!LMAO).Turns out, she always thought I was smarter than some of the teachers and she recalled a time I challenged a teacher to prove the existence of God; this was a Catholic school and the teacher was a nun. Turns out she and I attended uni at the some of the same places and she bypassed teaching to after qualifying. Funny how life comes about...
Oh, and how did she recognise me..apparently I "still look like I did when I was 17". Hey, compliments I'll take them as I get them.

What do our kids teach us?

We are supposed to be the teachers of our children, their mentors, their life guides but it bodes well if we can sit back and look at what they can teach us. Like how to laugh at ourselves, children do it so well or laugh at an embarrassing/bad situation. For example, last night at dinner Mr 7 was getting by Dad about something or other( he was in trouble and I can't even recall what for). Mid lambasting Mr 7 states;in a matter of fact tone.. " I farted" and well, no one could have kept a straight face after that. 2IC was hiding behind his hands and I was choking on my drink. What can you do? Laughing in the face of being told off for a misdeed..what an ace.
It made me wonder if I'd have the patience and knowledge I do ( in fact the whole family do) if Mr 7 did not had additional needs. Sure, there are drawbacks and I would love for him not to have to struggle but for what we have gained from it as a family I could not begin to list.


AS for Miss10, well "out of the mouths of babes" they say. She has one of the wickedest senses of humour I have seen in a child her age. Together with her "whatever Major loser" completed with hand signs..it takes a lot to try and be serious. Her little ad lib impersonations of teachers,friends, personalities in her own scenarios. Well, they are imaginative.


Then there's my baby, Mr 4 who's "cutie boy face" could make you forgive him
anything and whose idea of non physical retaliation is to tell his brother or sister that they are not his brother or sister anymore. If only disowning ones family members was so simple, I'd have undertaken this mantra several times over.
What your children teach you takes time and reflection to realise, I think. It's something you need to look for ,like a child who is read to a lot does not realise they are formulating their sight vocabulary for later education. I enjoy learning what they teach me.

Who the F*%# do they think they are?

I truly have to wonder about the ideals of some people pontificating to be so called educators, they must think all and sundry are stupid or that the vast bastions of the religious education system will protect them as it does other dalliances and illegal activities. I cite this as I was relayed a most disturbing story about a special needs child who was funded by the Catholic Education Office who's family either owned school fees or Thanksgiving monies ( read: membership dues)or whatever. Allegedly; the principal WITHDREW the child's aide from the classroom with the comment to the aide that the family does not support the school financially. Now, this is not Mr 7, let me make that abundantly clear, nor is it anyone I know personally...it is one of many episodes of bullying and totalitarianism I have heard tell of this school and its principal. To add further fuel to the fire, the child was told that his aide was removed because he was a naughty boy and would not work for his aide. WTF!!! Now this is bullying not only of the family but of the child also. This person needs a solid lesson in why Catholic schools were originally created...hello....they were set up to educate the poor and those who could not afford to attend school. Now we have a leap of history to make non secular schools unobtainable for the average person? Not only that we have megalomaniacs such as this person who believe they are above the law, above Department of Education guidelines, and a law unto themselves removing "State funded assistance" from a child who qualified for it because the the child family allegedly does not support the school financially. We also have this same principal, allegedly,telling another parent of a special needs child that the school could not possibly have that child in the school for five days a week but suggested a split between that school and the special school. Somewhere an investigation needs to be undertaken, too many times I have heard the local Catholic schools attempts to coerce parents of special needs or additional needs children into not enrolling in the school, too many tales of a "they'd be better off elsewhere " and "we'd not get any funding" which seems to being rumored into the common knowledge that the Catholic schools don't want additional needs kids. This investigation needs to be carried out by and external party not the CEO, it's needs to encompass the employment of aides, their duties and the vast amounts of monies these schools receive for such children, and what they do with it. Accountability and transparency, regardless of it being a non Government school...it's taxpayers money and our kids.

This past month.....

Nowhere, really. just doing the same old, same old.
Have been to coach/umpire at Miss10's Winter Round Robin Sports last week..that was fun and entertaining. Would've been nice if some other schools had bothered to familairise themselves with the rules first. A ball outside the foul line is a "Dead ball" and those on the bases move only one base...not run three home runs whilst the ball is retrieved!!!! The kids had a ball, I had the mixed team and they were great. A bunch of kids who just enjoyed the game for what it was...a game. The girls team won all their games, the mixed lost all theirs( I think, I had to miss the 2nd match as I had to collect Mr 4 from kinder) but they tried really hard and talked in the field. Get them some more speed and distance in their decisions and throwing and they will be a force to reckon with come summer softball. I hope to be able to help with their batting work in the lead up to the Summer Round Robin.
Mr 7 has been to speech therapy still and his speechie is happy with his progress, helps when he has an aide who wants his speech book after each session and copies stuff from it to work with him. That's an hour a week on top of the four or five I do with him. He has actually gone up TWO levels in readers in a month and that was after I found he was seeing the literacy recovery teacher but only for assessment. Apparently, the other Gr 1's are at a higher standard of reading than expected level for Gr 1, so on paper he is behind, but for benchmark levels he is on par...go figure.
Mr 4 is having a ball at kindy and we have had our obligatory interview for school next year. He's a given for acceptance under the sibling rule. He's happy at kinder which make a nice change after the year from hell Mr 7 had. Fund raising at the kinder is going well and we hope to have plenty of money so the kinder can buy some big ticket items the staff want.

I opted out of the herding workshop that is on this weekend, one was I felt a bit frivolous spending money on myself ( I don't do that well) and two was it was a two day thing and I would travel back each evening and have the car all weekend. Would've loved to go but I think Lawson needs some more work offlead...he has selective hearing if he's on a chase, not a bad trait if you are a working dog of experience but not ideal when you are still on your "L"s.

My friend, A who had a stroke like episode last year, now has someone looking into her and her older sisters similar episodes. A had her stroke like incident at 40, her older sister, D, at 41 and recently A and D's younger sister, K had a similar incident at 39. K's was diagnosed as hematologic migraine but with seizure/unconsciousness and now all three of their medical records have been seconded so the specialists can look into why it has affected all three of them in their 40's. Hope some one can shed some light on it for them as it was scary enough when it happened to D but when it happened to A last year but no one cared enough to listen about it happening to D also, it was bad but now they are interested because it has occurred x3.

FIDO....Run in front of a truck maybe

It takes an complete non entity to launch into diatribes not related to a subject, the sign of a truly challenged person. Attempting to foist their issues and insecurities; via so called public awareness and pretend political star jumps; onto others. Prove them wrong on a point of fact, they resort to personal attacks, prove them wrong on a point of law; they pretend the question was never raised, prove them wrong on logic and common sense, they travel off topic...seeing a pattern here. Great debaters need small outlets to practise against those not as proficient in the art of debate and counter argument, because those who have no skills whatsoever in this realm resort to such "tactics" in an effort continue an already lost cause thereby giving seasoned professionals the added comedy of not only factually, intellectually and logically proving a valid point but the added extra of showing the invalidity of the argument and cause. Game,Set and Match FIDO.
Incidental.....

(ba) publishing on the Internet or by an e-mail or other electronic communication to any person a statement or other material—

(i) relating to the victim or any other person;

Crimes Act, 1958, S21a,subsection (ba)

According to some........

THIS IS ME AND I AM STUNNING!!!

I'm not going to say it................

BUT I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!

The system of funding and the Government withdrawal of funding for kids with SLDs was wrong, misconceived and was implemented for all the wrong reasons. The withdrawal of SLD ( severe language disorder) came about at the commencement of the 2005 school year, children who had previously been funded under this criteria were no longer funded, kids who were starting school that year with expected funding, were without. Their parents in a quagmire of bureaucratic BS, the schools at a loss and the teachers expected to become a quasi speech therapists in class time. The current system was conceived by John Munro ( Melb U) who himself touts that

To foster effective learning, we need to
• understand how learners learn
• implement teaching that fosters effective learning.

So it appears that the system a so called, educator of educators, helped put into place and develop, does not do as he claims effective learning should. In fact it has "serious shortcomings" "particularly for children with the language disorder program". I have claimed this from the onset and despite my misgivings with regard to funding in the non State system, I was savvy enough to fight for funding under the guise of alternative criteria. I think it is harder to do so within the Government school system as staff at many school directly and indirectly run interference when you are trying to get funding for your child. I know this first hand from my friends experience in trying to have her childs autism tutor allowed into the school ( who will not fund the child) to observe and see the child in her school environment so to create adaptive therapies and learning modes. So much for Prof. Munro's fostering of effective learning.

I can only hope that other parents take to heart to the fight that has been put before them by Rebekah's brave family and argue for their child's right to have a full education regardless of the adaptive measures, individual learning programs and extra aide time required. They have a voice and have a right to be heard, if not their own then we need to be their voice for them.