Gift closet 2016

[Lana]

At Dollar Tree I picked up several magnetic memo pads in the shape of canning jars. Normally every year I give one of these to almost everybody on my list. I am always on the look out for neat ones thru out the year.

Yesterday I placed an order with Lakeside for Christmas items.

I am done with a few people on my list.

 

[tanya]

I picked up a couple of calendars for DS and myself. DS's is about Cars (fast, sports ones!). Mine is on beaches.
I have pretty much decided that DS's big present will be a laptop. He has an ipad but most of his school homework is now done and submitted online. As he gets older, he needs it more and more. Its becoming a problem as I need to use mine at the same time he needs to. He does have a really old one of mine but it just wont work with the programs he needs for school. And as mush as I promote sharing as part of a family- I don't really like to share my computer!!

He has been hinting for a while that he needs one but I keep telling him its impracticable as he will get one from school when he is in high school and that Im not prepared to get one for only a year- He goes to high school in 2018. His high school leases laptops to all boys as they have to have them for class. They all get the same. So the trick will be to get one that is good enough for now but not too good as it will only really be used for a year.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Good luck laptop shopping!!!

I picked up a couple of outer space themed playsets, small ones, at Meijer on clearance for DS. Tucked them away upstairs!

 

[tanya]

I picked up a DVD today as part of our share present- Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. We saw it at the movies and both really enjoyed it.

I also got DS another drink bottle- no idea why he needs so many? I think its a boy thing! And a travel coffee cup for me- on sale for $2 each down from $14.95 and $8.95. They may not make it out this Christmas but I have them stashed away for either next year or birthdays etc...

 

[luludou]

Received the Eloise at christmas dvd that the elves will be bringing.

 

[Lana]

UPS brought me the 4 shirts and a swimsuit cover up for Teigan for Christmas and also a Sheriff Callie activity book for her poster.

My order from Target came but not the iron board.

The corner in my bedroom is starting to fill in.

 

[FrostyShimmer]

I picked up a couple of calendars for DS and myself. DS's is about Cars (fast, sports ones!). Mine is on beaches.
I have pretty much decided that DS's big present will be a laptop. He has an ipad but most of his school homework is now done and submitted online. As he gets older, he needs it more and more. Its becoming a problem as I need to use mine at the same time he needs to. He does have a really old one of mine but it just wont work with the programs he needs for school. And as mush as I promote sharing as part of a family- I don't really like to share my computer!!

He has been hinting for a while that he needs one but I keep telling him its impracticable as he will get one from school when he is in high school and that Im not prepared to get one for only a year- He goes to high school in 2018. His high school leases laptops to all boys as they have to have them for class. They all get the same. So the trick will be to get one that is good enough for now but not too good as it will only really be used for a year.

It's awesome that his highschool leases him a laptop. When I took driver's ed lately, the laptop the teacher was using crashed. He asked if anyone knew what to do...and none of the kids (mostly age 16-18) knew what to do. One girl said to me "No one our age uses computers." The others all nodded. I asked how they do their schoolwork, and they told me they text message their work right to their teachers' phones. I asked them if they actually type out entire essays on their phones, and they said they don't do essays. They only do short answer type assignments that can be texted to their teachers. They're allowed to use their phones during class and are expected to use them to get their notes, etc. I was amazed at how much things had changed since I was in school. We weren't allowed to even bring our cell phones into the building.

 

[p.a.]

What province do you live in FS? My teacher friends in Ontario and Alberta won't allow cell phones in class. I know when my dds went to high school any assignments they did over the computer were sent to a specific site that the teacher had set up. Teachers have to have a 'copy' for records.

 

[FrostyShimmer]

What province do you live in FS? My teacher friends in Ontario and Alberta won't allow cell phones in class. I know when my dds went to high school any assignments they did over the computer were sent to a specific site that the teacher had set up. Teachers have to have a 'copy' for records.

I'm in NS. I'm glad to hear they aren't allowing them in Ontario and Alberta. The school system here is a joke. We're moving to Ontario and they told us to expect kids from NS to be at least 2 years behind. When I went to university I had a professor who opened with "If you're from NS, don't expect to pass my class." Don't get me wrong, I love this province, but the education leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[tanya]

Leasing is an expensive way to do it for us.
Over the time of high school DS will have 2 laptops. For what we pay in lease fees we could easily purchase one! But it comes with everything the kids need already set up, is covered by insurance for any accidents (I know someone whose daughter dropped hers accidentally in Sydney Harbour- don't ask!!!) and is fixed if it breaks, gets a virus etc..

There is no option to purchase outright though- they all have to be leased. He will have one for 3 years then get a new one for the next 3 years- we don't have middle school so high school is 6 years..his high school currently leases the kids whatever the latest Mac is... so they are brand new not old clanked out machines. Not sure what they do with them at the end of the 3 years but they all get upgraded to whatever the latest model is then...

Public schools here don't do this though- its only the private schools. Some texts are pre-loaded onto the laptop.

Currently most of his school homework is set via a google docs program that the class teacher has set up. He submits online and we get a confirmation that it has gone through. It also lets us know of anything is outstanding! So no way to avoid doing it.

 

[FrostyShimmer]

tanya - I hadn't thought about the cost of leasing. I was just happy to hear they still make kids use computers and write things out. It's too bad there isn't an option to buy, but it's good they're using up-to-date computers. Our computers at the school lab were always very old. I remember my father (who worked with computers) being really annoyed that we were being taught on systems that were so obsolete. At a time when most of us had computers that only had CD drives, our school was still using 5 1/4" floppy discs.

When I was in school we had a website we had to submit our work to, and it verified for the teacher that the work wasn't plagiarized. I remember reading something on the site saying that all work submitted belonged to the site, and I had planned at that point on being a writer, so if I thought a story I wrote was good, I wouldn't submit it and I'd write something much worse to submit. lol.

I didn't realize highschool was 6 years there either. Here it is 3 years. I think in most of the US it is 4. We have jr. high from grade 7-9 and high school from 10-12. Some places are bringing in the middle school model with grades 6-8 together and grades 9-12 together, which I think is a better fit.

Also, I don't mean any offense to the teachers here. I have quite a few friends who are teachers, and they are just as frustrated as the parents.

 

[tanya]

Yep we only have 2 schools here- Primary and High- primary is 7 years and high 6 so a total of 13.
Once upon a time (when I was at school) you could leave after the end of year 10 rather than go through to yr 12. This was the preferred option for those that for whatever reason did not want a university education- those that wanted to train as plumbers, builders, hairdressers etc. They would work part time and study at Tafe (kind of like a vocational training school) for 4 years before they were qualified. They had to do a certain number of study hours and complete an apprenticeship with a registered builder, plumber or hairdresser where they were learning on the job.
Now things have changed and kids must stay at school- they can take different options depending on if they want to go to uni or take up training etc after school.

And unlike the USA most that do go to uni don't leave home and move away- some do naturally but most live at home- unless they are living in regional areas and need to move.

 

[p.a.]

Tanya the more you discuss your school system the more I realize my province Ontario, follows the same system. A lot you have described regarding teachers policies, unions, school programs etc are similar.

I'm so sorry FS that the schools aren't regulated by federal government, then all the kids/teachers would benefit. The last few years that I was teaching a special course to grade 7/8 students in a Catholic school, I was surprised each student had an apple laptop the school had provided. They had gotten a grant from the government to purchase them for the school. Each class had a white board to use as well... But again different province. So crazy how Canada is so different province to province.

 

[p.a.]

Once upon a time (when I was at school) you could leave after the end of year 10 rather than go through to yr 12. This was the preferred option for those that for whatever reason did not want a university education- those that wanted to train as plumbers, builders, hairdressers etc.

Yup they stopped this the year I started high school here. The only difference was the students who took the vocational route didn't continue in an apprenticeship they were just done. Those that took the academic route went on to grade 12/13.
I think this so cool hearing about the similarities....

 

[tanya]

Yep pa- lots of similarities. I did not go but many of my friends have taught in Ontario and many of Ontario's teachers have taught here on teacher exchange programmes. Our systems are very similar.

Every single classroom that I know here has a smart board- from the poorest public school to the most advantaged private schools. They have had them for some time. I was in the trial program for them many, many years ago when they first came out- at one stage they were even testing desk top ones for the kids to have.

 

[FrostyShimmer]

Tanya the more you discuss your school system the more I realize my province Ontario, follows the same system. A lot you have described regarding teachers policies, unions, school programs etc are similar.

I'm so sorry FS that the schools aren't regulated by federal government, then all the kids/teachers would benefit. The last few years that I was teaching a special course to grade 7/8 students in a Catholic school, I was surprised each student had an apple laptop the school had provided. They had gotten a grant from the government to purchase them for the school. Each class had a white board to use as well... But again different province. So crazy how Canada is so different province to province.

Yes, I think there should be some basic provincial standards. I know people who have moved from here to out west and had their kids drop two full grades, including one family whose child was "gifted." That's why we're keeping DD5 out one more year. Doesn't seem fair to let her start school here and then put her into a school in the Spring where she'll be considered behind.

I could rant for pages and pages about the problems with our school system here. It's sad because I love this province, but everyone keeps telling us, "You've got to get the kids out of there once they're school-aged." As DH tells anyone who criticizes us for homeschooling, "We're products of the NS school system. We're not going to let that happen to our kids."

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Cleaned out my gift cupboard yesterday and wrote a list of things that I still need to purchase for stocking fillers.
DS came in while I was sorting and saw a coffee plunger that I had bought for DD, and he said that he would like one too.
Will need to go back to Ikea and get another one. I will make a little pack and maybe get the kids a new coffee mug, ground coffee and
special sugar to go together.
The stocking fillers are doing well and my mum and I will wrap them soon, which gives us time to find a few more things if needed.

 

[MrsSoup]

I haven't started any shopping really. The kids had their book fair at school last week so I picked up a book for DD and that's it so far. I have some ideas in my Gift List app though. You guys are so on top of it all!

 

[happy2bme]

I have a few gifts for K that have come in the mail this past week, but I haven't been able to open yet. I will do that when she goes back to work next week. I have to find somewhere to keep them all as I don't have much room right now.

 

[Lana]

Got Aunt Imogenes perfume for Christmas. My mom was out today and really really liked the LED lights I have on my sewing machine.....so I really think I will get her a set for Christmas.