Help! Choice of Gold Coast schools

[SandraDee]

Hi all,

I really would love your input in helping us to decide on schools. We have been offered places in 3 schools and now need to pay the enrolment fees to keep our positions open. It is far too costly to pay for 2 children at all 3 schools until we arrive and can see them for ourselves. I know this will only be your opinions but it may help us in deciding which one to discard for now.

A little background-

2 children - a son going into year 11 and a daughter going into year 10.

My son is very sporty with average academics and my daughter loves dance, very academic.

We do not have to be anywhere specific on the gold coast - except near a really nice suburb to live in!

Our choice of schools are-

Emmanuel

St Stephens

AB Paterson.

let the voting begin!!! Would really love to hear which ones you would choose (and why)

Many thanks!

[RYLC]

This is going to be a hard ask since only people with kids at ONE of the schools can answer and the rest will be opinion based on hearsay.

Here is my own system for choosing a school (based on moving schools three times to find one we like).

• My main "rule": Read the school newsletters (four or five at least from each school). Also read the prospectus and look at photos to see the facilities. Do a search of youtube for the school to see if they have posted anything that would help you see what it is like. Also check their Facebook page to see what sort of things they post. This sort of information will give you a feel for the school. Write down a score out of 10 for how you feel after reading / watching.
  

• The second "rule" I use is my own special quirk which has proved to be true LOL: I look at the colours of the school uniform and take schools off the list where they have a hideous uniform or they have colours that won't suit my children. So no yellow allowed in our case. Blues work well. Green is a 50/50 bet. Maroon (pronounced mar-oh-n in Queensland!!) would also depend on the climate because it is a hot colour. So a bit of a weird system as I said

[RYLC]

Perhaps also ask each school whether there any Saffa children already attending and whether there are any in your kids' years. Socially it would be good to have some instant peers who understand about migrating.

[Heather]

Ok, Emmanuel, excellent school, St Stephens excellent - AB Patterson, I only know one child who went there and she was happy there.( Three of my south african teacher friends have just recently left AB Patterson in the last term, they did not enjoy working there)

I volunteer as a story dog reader at Emmanuel and it is a beautiful school, the kids are amazing and well mannered, the South African teachers that I know who work there do not want to leave and very seldom does a position become available for teachers - only normally when teachers are going on maternity leave. I live across the road from the school and the school grounds, principal etc are all fantastic. I have three friends that work at St Stephens and they love the school, most of my friends who live in Hope Island all send their kids to St Stephens and rave about the school. Neither of these schools are very big sporty schools, for that you would want TSS (The Southport school as that is an amazing boys only sporting school, much like a Michaelhouse, the kids that go to this school have an amazing alumni when school is finished.) What type of sports is your son into, most of the kids here do some sport at school but most of their sport is done outside school with clubs. TSS offer a lot and have really good sporting results. I think your daughter would enjoy both St Stephens and Emmanuel, All Saints is an amazing school but the waiting list is so long but my school of choice, amazing academics and drama department. Emmanuel has a really good drama department and is up there with the academics. For Emmanuel areas like Benowa, Carrara, Broadbeach,Ashmore, Robina,Clear Island Waters and Merrimac are all close by. For St Stephens, Hope Island, Helensvale, Coomera Waters, Oxenford are all areas close by. Hope this helps you and doesnt confuse you anymore, you are welcome to PM me if you want some more information on these areas or if you want more information on the schools, I will be able to contact them and get it for you if you like. We have a wonderful ladies group in this area so when you arrive it will help you to meet people as with children your age, you hardly ever meet the parents.

Both Emmanuel and St Stephens have lots of South African teachers and kids. Love both the schools, Emmanuel has a waiting list so you were lucky to get offered a place there. Depends on where you are both going to work, if your husband is going to be working in Brisbane then I would choose St Stephens and live up that way as it is only 40 mins to Brisbane from there. If you are both working on the Gold Coast then either of these two.

[SandraDee]

Thanks Heather,

I spoke to both Emmanuel and St Stephens and both of them have offered to keep our places until we get there and see them for ourselves!! Such great news, then perhaps we can look for a rental at the same time too. I would love to meet up with you and your ladies group when I get there, we know nobody! I will pm you my contact details once we get there. We have rented a cottage on someones property for the first 6 weeks in Tallebudgera.

I really appreciate all the assistance so far!

[Heather]

Thats fantastic, when are you arriving? Let me know if you need us to pick you up at the airport or if you are going to hire a car then try APEX they are very very reasonable. Tallebudgera is lovely. PM me your details when you get here as us ladies are an awesome group and vary in ages but our lunches are purely friendship and support lunches and they really do help you to adjust.

[SandraDee]

We arrive at midnight so thank you for your kind offer to collect from the airport but I want to make new friends not lose them on my first encounter!! lol.

Thanks for the Apex suggestion, I will check them out - I havent booked a car yet.

We land 18 December so I am sure we will emerge from the jetlag fog around Christmas. Will get in touch with you after that.

Sandy xx

[Orphan]

Sandy,

If this helps, South African friends of ours have just come over, to take up a position on the Gold Coast. They have also followed the same route as you, trying to decide where to place their 14 year old daughter. After visiting a number of schools, they have selected Emmanuel as being the best for their child.