School life after the lap

Ella is off to school camp this morning. It’s hard to believe that it’s her last week of Year 7. It feels like only yesterday that we made a hurried return to Sydney for her Year 6 graduation! 👩‍🎓
We are reflecting on the school year that’s been since slowing our travels and enrolling our 3 kids into schools. 3 different schools in fact...🤦🏼‍♀️ (We’re looking forward to cutting that down to 2 schools in 2019 as Noah starts Kindy!)
Ella’s start to high school was the main reason for us wanting to take up life in our new community when we did rather than continuing to constantly be on the move. We couldn’t be more pleased with how she has settled into high school and a whole new area, making friends at school and dancing and finding confidence that prior to travelling she simply didn’t have. She loves high school and so far it loves her back!
Travel has given her so much more than memories. It has moulded her into a well-adjusted, well-connected, confident teen who has (unexpectedly to us!) embraced many opportunities that have come her way in 2018.
While the school year has been a breeze for Ella, Year 2 hasn’t been without its challenges for Ava as she adjusts to a much smaller school community and school life without her bestie, Kenzii who she still misses terribly. She has had wonderful support from her teacher and the school but we are crossing our fingers that next year is her turn to settle in and spread her roots.🤞🏼She had a great year at dancing and has made some great friends at the studio as have all of our 3 kids... They love their dancing; it was the main thing they missed whilst we lapped.
As for Noah, he is counting down the days until he starts school and just quietly so are we! He is more than ready to spread his wings and take on ‘big school’.
We couldn’t really have predicted the year would go down the way it has. We are particularly proud of the way that Ella has navigated her way through her first year of high school in a new area where she knew no one. The school year hasn’t unfolded quite the way we thought it would but nonetheless we have absolutely no regrets about our rather unique way of life with a foot in both camps... full time caravanning, part time travelling.
Bring on school holidays and some full time, family time!