First Grade!

Hi Internet!

So my big boy Ragnar is turning six years old this year and in Iceland six year old's (this year all children born in 2004) start first grade. Which means that now is time to pick a school for him, we don't have the whole private schools with uniforms vs. public schools with Graffity and gangs, we just have nice public schools that go by different methods and such so it's difficult to pick, do I pick the nearest school (next street over, he can walk without crossing roads) even though there are a few things I'm not really happy about with their curriculum and ways of teaching. or do I pick the school in the other end of town, which is in a not so great environment (big street very close by) but goes by the discipline method I prefer and also is an Olweius (sp?) institution (it's a method against bullying) or do I pick the one stationed right next to a river but is also a Olweius (sp?) school? then there is the one school with the age differing class units, the school focuses on individual studies and isn't age divided like the regular grade system but kids within a 2-3 year age difference are joined up in study groups and classes with two or more teachers per class (as opposed to the one teacher per classroom in other schools) - they do have a similar discipline method as we do (like the school that is closest to us) but they don't have a special anti-bullying program (the school next to ours has a weird system against bullying that I think is a big wad of BS In my humble opinion)

Now I must also take into account that my son is in the preschool right next to the closest school and most of his buddies and friends are going to go there, and he has allready worked a lot with that school in a program called "walking over the bridge" refferring to the big change between a pre-school and the school that goes from 1st-1oth grade. So he would be very confortable in his skin going to that school with his friends and being close by home and we could walk him to school (his sister is next door in the preschool) but then again I have heard bad things about it *sigh* this is a big and difficult decision so I really wonder if I'll make the right one....

Well I'm going to a meeting where they will have presentation for each school, tonight and next week the school's will have open house for the parents to see how they work in action and such so that should be interesting....*sigh*

Thanks for listening

-Zi