Where are you on sending your '05er to kindy this fall?

Alison · Guru

RE: Where are you on sending your '05er to kindy this fall?

apies · Guru

daisy wrote:

mctex wrote:

Alison wrote:

mctex wrote:

Alison wrote:

Tex, am I on crack or had you considered sending A to a Waldorf school at one point?

I've done some reading on Waldorf recently and it kind of frightens me, LOL. I was just wondering what your experience was with them.

Yes, we were looking pretty hard at the Waldorf school here in Austin.

The appeal for me was in their heavy play emphasis... like they really encourage imagination (talking about wizards and shit, which definitely freaked me out at first, LOL). But with this comes a strong exploration of the arts (all kids must learn how to knit, all kids must play an instrument), and that really appealed to me. The trade-off, of course, was that they postpone a lot of academic stuff... well, specifically reading, which they don't introduce until the second grade.

Personally, I'm willing to take hits on the academics (in the short term) to foster the love of learning, so that wasn't too problematic for me. (That, and Alexandra is already reading, so it's easy for me to say "put it off" when I know that's more than likely going to be one of her stronger areas overall, if that makes sense.) But they also have this "no media until junior high" policy that prohibits all TV, pop music, movies, computer, etc... and while in a quaint way, it sort of appealed to me, the reality is that it was not a good fit for our family overall. For example, when I went to visit the Austin campus for Grandparents/Special Friends Day, I overheard a conversation between third grade parents where one's son had asked for an iTouch (apparently, a kid on his baseball team had one), and the mother said that MAYBE if he kept on top of his chores for the rest of the semester that for his birthday she would select ONE game for him to play occasionally on her phone. Now switch to my house, where the day before Alexandra is so familiar with my phone that she had tried to download her own game (she already had like 20 she was bored with) and was asking for my password. (LOL!) So, yeah, I think we'd have a hard time fitting in there.

I will say that I was really impressed with the graduating seniors they had on a panel during that visit, and the unexpected diversity. Seniors are required to do a thesis on a topic of their choosing, and while you did have the sensitive guy who did his thesis on "capturing emotion in photography" and was going to some super-tiny liberal arts school after taking a gap year in Guatemala to shoe the homeless (whom I totally expected to see), there was also this huge football playing type who had done his thesis on some sort of nautical technology who was going to Texas A&M to start his career in the navy (whom I totally did NOT expect to see)... and next to him was the stereotypical looking Jewish kid who learned to fly during his thesis and was going to Georgia Tech's aerospace program (again, wasn't expecting that).

Overall, I came away with a pretty positive impression of it... but just wasn't sure it was the right fit for us.

Which part scared you? There is definitely a spiritual component that I think could be off-putting for some, particularly because it isn't well defined... it's hard to explain. Damon thought it might be a cult, LOL. I'm not sure about all that, but it's definitely a close-knit community (at least here in Austin), but I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

I totally get Damon's thinking it might be a cult! It just seems so rigid and strict, especially the aspects that spill over into home life.
Then I was led to this link, which I take with a huge grain of salt, but it was a bit unsettling: http://www.waldorfcritics.org/
And my interest in Waldorf was just pure curiosity - I never intended to send Mason to a Waldorf school, as like you, it just wouldn't be the right fit for him/us. But I have heard very positive things overall, and like any school or philosophy, there are going to be teachers/administrators that give a negative impression.

On the whole, I don't have a problem with anthroposophy, because I'm comfortable with a spiritual component to my kids' education. If they're teaching specifics about reincarnation -- which, in talking to current Waldorf parents, that doesn't seem to be the case -- I'm not cool with that. I'm not really so concerned about where something gets its origins so much as I am what it's like today.

I think the problem Waldorf has is that the holistic approach (i.e., the crunchy stuff) often attracts a particular type of family that is not into the spiritual stuff, so when they find out it's there, they flip. In fact, I think the first place I heard of Waldorf was from Hiker Jen here on MS... from what I remember of what she shared, I'm guessing the spiritual component would not be appealing to her. I wonder if she is still planning on sending her kids there.

But you're right about the rigidity, and once I really began to understand it, I realized it's pretty much counter to what I'm trying to find.

ever since hiker jen, i've been fascinated with the whole waldorf thing (but more just the dolls - lmao - i havent been fascinated enough to actually read anything about it).
i'm just wondering though, about the arts focus...i'm surprised that they'd "put off" reading and focus on stuff like knitting and a musical instrument, just bc developmental-wise, dont certain skills simply come first? i've always been taught that children who can already read have an easier time reading music (in fact i've been told a thousand times that you really shouldnt teach your child to read music until they *can* read words). and also, knitting before reading? really? rachel's been reading a while now but there's no WAY her fine motors are up to the knitting level!! the kid can barely get her socks on!! how do they figure out the timing of all of this? do you have a link? i'd love to see what sort of crafts they're doing with kids in K and 1st.

i'm quite sure waldorf wouldnt be for me - i'm SO traditional when it comes to education. traditional to a fault i'd say. however, i do plan to start my kids on an instrument in kindergarten (at home), and i plan to teach them how to knit and crochet and whatever other crafts i have up my sleeve as soon as they're coordinated enough. i think this stuff is super important.

um, i couldn't help but think about R's uniqua fascination when reading this part.

LMAO

daisy · Guru

apies wrote:
um, i couldn't help but think about R's uniqua fascination when reading this part.

LMAO

omg LMAO. i'm sooooo glad those days are behind us!!!

dorian · Senior Member

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

daisy · Guru

dorian wrote:

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

my advice is to trust your gut :)
so hard isnt it?! i dont think there's a right answer. pros and cons either way.
when i cant make a decision, i tend to choose the thing i think i'll regret the least.
i know that's not helpful. xoxo.

mctex · Guru

daisy wrote:

ever since hiker jen, i've been fascinated with the whole waldorf thing (but more just the dolls - lmao - i havent been fascinated enough to actually read anything about it).
i'm just wondering though, about the arts focus...i'm surprised that they'd "put off" reading and focus on stuff like knitting and a musical instrument, just bc developmental-wise, dont certain skills simply come first? i've always been taught that children who can already read have an easier time reading music (in fact i've been told a thousand times that you really shouldnt teach your child to read music until they *can* read words). and also, knitting before reading? really? rachel's been reading a while now but there's no WAY her fine motors are up to the knitting level!! the kid can barely get her socks on!! how do they figure out the timing of all of this? do you have a link? i'd love to see what sort of crafts they're doing with kids in K and 1st.

i'm quite sure waldorf wouldnt be for me - i'm SO traditional when it comes to education. traditional to a fault i'd say. however, i do plan to start my kids on an instrument in kindergarten (at home), and i plan to teach them how to knit and crochet and whatever other crafts i have up my sleeve as soon as they're coordinated enough. i think this stuff is super important.

Sorry, Kelly, I wasn't exactly clear. They do put off reading to focus on the arts, but the two specific examples I gave are things I believe come after the second grade year. (I know music, for example, starts in 3rd grade.)

I don't know exactly what art comes early on. Probably some wizard shit, LOL.

daisy · Guru

mctex wrote:

daisy wrote:

ever since hiker jen, i've been fascinated with the whole waldorf thing (but more just the dolls - lmao - i havent been fascinated enough to actually read anything about it).
i'm just wondering though, about the arts focus...i'm surprised that they'd "put off" reading and focus on stuff like knitting and a musical instrument, just bc developmental-wise, dont certain skills simply come first? i've always been taught that children who can already read have an easier time reading music (in fact i've been told a thousand times that you really shouldnt teach your child to read music until they *can* read words). and also, knitting before reading? really? rachel's been reading a while now but there's no WAY her fine motors are up to the knitting level!! the kid can barely get her socks on!! how do they figure out the timing of all of this? do you have a link? i'd love to see what sort of crafts they're doing with kids in K and 1st.

i'm quite sure waldorf wouldnt be for me - i'm SO traditional when it comes to education. traditional to a fault i'd say. however, i do plan to start my kids on an instrument in kindergarten (at home), and i plan to teach them how to knit and crochet and whatever other crafts i have up my sleeve as soon as they're coordinated enough. i think this stuff is super important.

Sorry, Kelly, I wasn't exactly clear. They do put off reading to focus on the arts, but the two specific examples I gave are things I believe come after the second grade year. (I know music, for example, starts in 3rd grade.)

I don't know exactly what art comes early on. Probably some wizard shit, LOL.

lmao. gotta love wizardry (have you seen the harry potter theme park plans for orlando!? holy cow i HAVE TO GO!!)

i imagine that a lot of the early arts stuff is material that can be done at home with your child. i need to read up on it, just out of curiosity.

mctex · Guru

dorian wrote:

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

FWIW, the only reason I am starting A in K is because her teachers straight up told me I'd be doing her a disservice by keeping her in Pre-K. Like, "lady, you're freaking crazy" kind of told me.

I can see why a Montessori would test poorly, and I don't think it would bother me at such a young age.

I'm not helpful. Sorry. :(

mctex · Guru

daisy wrote:

mctex wrote:

daisy wrote:

ever since hiker jen, i've been fascinated with the whole waldorf thing (but more just the dolls - lmao - i havent been fascinated enough to actually read anything about it).
i'm just wondering though, about the arts focus...i'm surprised that they'd "put off" reading and focus on stuff like knitting and a musical instrument, just bc developmental-wise, dont certain skills simply come first? i've always been taught that children who can already read have an easier time reading music (in fact i've been told a thousand times that you really shouldnt teach your child to read music until they *can* read words). and also, knitting before reading? really? rachel's been reading a while now but there's no WAY her fine motors are up to the knitting level!! the kid can barely get her socks on!! how do they figure out the timing of all of this? do you have a link? i'd love to see what sort of crafts they're doing with kids in K and 1st.

i'm quite sure waldorf wouldnt be for me - i'm SO traditional when it comes to education. traditional to a fault i'd say. however, i do plan to start my kids on an instrument in kindergarten (at home), and i plan to teach them how to knit and crochet and whatever other crafts i have up my sleeve as soon as they're coordinated enough. i think this stuff is super important.

Sorry, Kelly, I wasn't exactly clear. They do put off reading to focus on the arts, but the two specific examples I gave are things I believe come after the second grade year. (I know music, for example, starts in 3rd grade.)

I don't know exactly what art comes early on. Probably some wizard shit, LOL.

lmao. gotta love wizardry (have you seen the harry potter theme park plans for orlando!? holy cow i HAVE TO GO!!)
i imagine that a lot of the early arts stuff is material that can be done at home with your child. i need to read up on it, just out of curiosity.

See, I don't even do Harry Potter. So the wizard stuff scared me more than anything else.

I'm fairly sure that it can all be done at home with your child at an early age, can't it? LOL

happylib · Guru

dorian wrote:

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

Dorian I am so torn and struggling with this too. Frankly I just can't seem to get a good picture. I have no clue how Elizabeth will be by fall. On one hand I feel like maybe I should put her in because I am the one holding her back. Her friends are all going and I worry what that will do to her too. Then I think about how she has made progress in some of her motor delays but they are still not caught up to her peers. Pair that with her emotional maturity and her difficulty responding in group settings I think I would be crazy to send her. I am having such a hard time with the wait and see approach, which is what I am suppose to be doing. I am signing her up for both, but now I find myself analyzing all the dang time. confuse

As far as their explanation for testing scores, I don't buy it. I think I would be more likely to look at a few other things like the student population and how long they have had these types of scores. If there is a history of low scores, then what is the progress been in raising scores? Montessori and not teaching to the test still would not make the scores pretty much the worst in the district. Frankly I would be cautious if they are making that statement.

-- Edited by happylib on Monday 18th of January 2010 09:44:36 PM

dorian · Senior Member

thanks ladies. i'm sitting up at my office...need to get going home.

i'm going to look up historical test scores tomorrow and crunch the numbers, that's a good point elizabeth.

you girls are helpful, i'm just so frustrated with my *own* issues which this debate really seems to have brought up.

like Michelle said in an earlier post, i want Cole to love learning. that's what is MOST important to me...and *I* think that translates into confidence in his own abilities to learn as he does, which is something he really lacks...he hasn't quite found his footing when it comes to what it means to try at something he doesn't already know he's good at.

We are doing in class observations at the public montessori in a couple of weeks, and then also doing an in class observation of the bridge class at the Temple. It's times like these I wish I really had friends in my area, people who have BTDT and know the what's what of this sort of thing. :sigh:

Erin · Guru

Kiera will be in K next year. I would really like to put her in the K at her current school, but, it means more $$ than we are spending now, since she would be full time. Im not sure we can swing it, it has a been a tough year and we are really looking forward to free kinder. I know she will do fine in K at our public school. We are in a good district. But, she still isnt reading. No big deal, its not that she isnt, its that she has been THIS close to reading for almost two years. She had a change in teachers about 6months ago, and she doesnt get the one on one time she used to and I noticed a significant drop in her learning curve. She does not focus, she will read the first letter of whatever it is, and then just guess. It is maddening. I am afraid that if she isnt reading by K, she will have a tough time in public school kinder. Backwards right? Its that she is so bright, and gets the letters and sounds, etc, Iam afraid she will be ignored in favor of the kids that are much further behind. And without a teacher encouraging her, she will make no progress. I think she is a lot like I was.... lol.

Anyway, all that to say. She will be in K, most likely at the public school down the road, but, maybe still at her montessori like preschool.

daisy · Guru

mctex wrote:

daisy wrote:

mctex wrote:

daisy wrote:

ever since hiker jen, i've been fascinated with the whole waldorf thing (but more just the dolls - lmao - i havent been fascinated enough to actually read anything about it).
i'm just wondering though, about the arts focus...i'm surprised that they'd "put off" reading and focus on stuff like knitting and a musical instrument, just bc developmental-wise, dont certain skills simply come first? i've always been taught that children who can already read have an easier time reading music (in fact i've been told a thousand times that you really shouldnt teach your child to read music until they *can* read words). and also, knitting before reading? really? rachel's been reading a while now but there's no WAY her fine motors are up to the knitting level!! the kid can barely get her socks on!! how do they figure out the timing of all of this? do you have a link? i'd love to see what sort of crafts they're doing with kids in K and 1st.

i'm quite sure waldorf wouldnt be for me - i'm SO traditional when it comes to education. traditional to a fault i'd say. however, i do plan to start my kids on an instrument in kindergarten (at home), and i plan to teach them how to knit and crochet and whatever other crafts i have up my sleeve as soon as they're coordinated enough. i think this stuff is super important.

Sorry, Kelly, I wasn't exactly clear. They do put off reading to focus on the arts, but the two specific examples I gave are things I believe come after the second grade year. (I know music, for example, starts in 3rd grade.)

I don't know exactly what art comes early on. Probably some wizard shit, LOL.

lmao. gotta love wizardry (have you seen the harry potter theme park plans for orlando!? holy cow i HAVE TO GO!!)
i imagine that a lot of the early arts stuff is material that can be done at home with your child. i need to read up on it, just out of curiosity.

See, I don't even do Harry Potter. So the wizard stuff scared me more than anything else.

I'm fairly sure that it can all be done at home with your child at an early age, can't it? LOL

wait are you being literal about teh wizard stuff? what does that even mean? i imagine it's an outlet for imagination? (??)
i feel like preschoolers need NO guided imagination whatsoever. at least with R and C, it's nearly impossible to pull them OUT of their imagination, and it just happens naturally. when i get involved, i seem to ruin the whole thing. lol.

daisy · Guru

happylib wrote:

dorian wrote:

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

Dorian I am so torn and struggling with this too. Frankly I just can't seem to get a good picture. I have no clue how Elizabeth will be by fall. On one hand I feel like maybe I should put her in because I am the one holding her back. Her friends are all going and I worry what that will do to her too. Then I think about how she has made progress in some of her motor delays but they are still not caught up to her peers. Pair that with her emotional maturity and her difficulty responding in group settings I think I would be crazy to send her. I am having such a hard time with the wait and see approach, which is what I am suppose to be doing. I am signing her up for both, but now I find myself analyzing all the dang time.

As far as their explanation for testing scores, I don't buy it. I think I would be more likely to look at a few other things like the student population and how long they have had these types of scores. If there is a history of low scores, then what is the progress been in raising scores? Montessori and not teaching to the test still would not make the scores pretty much the worst in the district. Frankly I would be cautious if they are making that statement.

-- Edited by happylib on Monday 18th of January 2010 09:44:36 PM

really good point.
i havent heard anything about montessori schools in my area testing low.

Lucy · Senior Member

Joe will almost definitely going to our nearest public K, we are actually outside if the boundary for that district but only by 3 houses. It is A+++ and closest so I can't not send him to it. His pre k teacher said that he might benefit from doing their opk program (older pre k) from a maturity standpoint, he is ready academically but has trouble sitting still and paying attention during circle and he hates any kind of fine motor stuff. This school stuff is hard.

Alicia · Senior Member

sbucking wrote:

Just wondering....

If I were to send Kaylin to the public schools, our district has a Kindergarten building. All the half day kinders from the whole district are in one school. If the kids are going to full day K, then those classes are housed at each elementary school.

Anyone else's district set up like this? K, 1-5, 6-8, 9-12

Raven's school is preschool-K. There are 800 3-5 year olds there(and some 6). The rest of the grades are lined up like yours. Right now our elementary schools don't have room for the pre-k anyway. I love it this way. It is so nice having everything set up for just this age range.

crystal · Guru

mctex wrote:

crystal wrote:

mctex wrote:

gogona wrote:

mctex wrote:

Alexandra is staying at the International Baccalaureate school we currently have her in. We're pretty excited about it... I really love the curriculum and approach, and her comprehension of Spanish is pretty amazing (it's an immersion program). I wanted to hold her back a year (I was young for my grade, and was hoping she wouldn't be), but her teachers feel pretty strongly about putting her into K next year.

The public school near us is supposed to be fantastic... but the school is HUGE, with 21 kindergarten classes (each with the normal 21-ish students) and over 1,000 students in the elementary school. Does that seem crazy big to anyone else? (My elementary school had 2 kindergartens, LOL)

I am a little confused because I thought that IBs were programs that schools had. For example, my sister graduated from Jakarta International School that had an international baccalaureate (IB) program which basically means that the school has college classes incorporated during 12th and 13th? (if I remember correctly) grades and after the completion of the program, kids can skip the first years of college/university and jump into 3rd year of college.

The IB has a primary, middle years and diploma program. Alexandra's school is currently just a primary school, but the plan is to add the other grades as the years progress.

Here's the site for the IB...
http://ibo.org/mission/

...and here's the info on the primary program.
http://ibo.org/pyp/

The IB was actually founded to create a worldwide standardized education for people who travel a lot, so they could be assured that their child would be able to easily move from one school to another. You might want to check it out... the Washington International School is probably the strongest IB program in the country (although SUPER expensive). :)

this sounds a lot like mason's school. he goes to the International School of Amsterdam. it is great because he is in a class with 16 kids from 10 different countries. i love that.

i will say though, i'm not sure i would want him to be in it long term because the people leave all.the.time. he has already had 4 of the 16 kids in his class leave to go to another country. luckily it wasn't one of the kids that he plays with the most or he would have been devastated. i just don't like the constant in and out. is it like that at A's school? do you find that to be an advantage because it is getting them used to change? just curious

-- Edited by crystal on Monday 18th of January 2010 12:53:22 PM

A's school is just in its first year, so it's kind of hard to know what to expect.

While the curriculum was designed for portability, I think its popularity has grown for other reasons (there are quite a few public schools in the US that are rolling it out).

I'm not expecting A's school to be super transient... because Austin isn't a super transient kind of place. If it ended up that way, no, I don't think I'd like it. Assuming that we stay in Austin for the long term (a decision that is currently under review :) ), I'm not sure we'll leave them there past elementary/junior high, because I think a larger high school would probably be better preparation for the world that is college (assuming they choose to go).

But I do love the inquiry-based curriculum for the little ones... and Alexandra seems to as well.

Where does Efe want to move that he thinks would be good for his career? When is his program complete?

ita that a bigger high school would help prepare her for college. there are not many international firms in indianapolis, only a few. so, he would like to move some place that could better utilize the new skills he has gained from being over here. likely, a bigger city with chicago being in first place. his contract here is finished in september. we may have the option to do another year here, but efe feels like he has "tapped out" his learning here and is ready to get out of amsterdam. i can't believe how fast time is going by since getting here.

mctex · Guru

daisy wrote:

happylib wrote:

dorian wrote:

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

Dorian I am so torn and struggling with this too. Frankly I just can't seem to get a good picture. I have no clue how Elizabeth will be by fall. On one hand I feel like maybe I should put her in because I am the one holding her back. Her friends are all going and I worry what that will do to her too. Then I think about how she has made progress in some of her motor delays but they are still not caught up to her peers. Pair that with her emotional maturity and her difficulty responding in group settings I think I would be crazy to send her. I am having such a hard time with the wait and see approach, which is what I am suppose to be doing. I am signing her up for both, but now I find myself analyzing all the dang time.

As far as their explanation for testing scores, I don't buy it. I think I would be more likely to look at a few other things like the student population and how long they have had these types of scores. If there is a history of low scores, then what is the progress been in raising scores? Montessori and not teaching to the test still would not make the scores pretty much the worst in the district. Frankly I would be cautious if they are making that statement.

-- Edited by happylib on Monday 18th of January 2010 09:44:36 PM

really good point.
i havent heard anything about montessori schools in my area testing low.

I'm assuming you're talking about public Montessori schools, yes? Because private Montessori schools probably wouldn't be testing at all (and thus you would be unlikely to hear anything).

I'm curious to get Melissa's POV on this, but the way things are taught at this early age are pretty different in a Montessori program. For example, the sounds letters make are taught before the actual name of the symbol, math is taught using number cubes, etc. I'm not particularly familiar with the standardized tests at this age -- I have no idea what the content is or how they're administered -- but I would imagine this could potentially make a big difference.

In fact, we were cautioned in going into a Montessori program that if we didn't stay with the program for the whole 3-6 yo block, Alexandra would potentially be behind in some areas in school. (And now that I think about it, I seem to remember Chef commenting that she could always pick the Montessori kids out in her incoming K classes, but that might have had something to do with circle time, ICR.)

IDK, I guess I just hate to see people fired up about test scores, especially at such a young age. I think they're one piece of data to consider, but I wouldn't get too worked up about them. That's JMO, though.

CoffeeQueen · Guru

mctex wrote:

daisy wrote:

happylib wrote:

dorian wrote:

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

Dorian I am so torn and struggling with this too. Frankly I just can't seem to get a good picture. I have no clue how Elizabeth will be by fall. On one hand I feel like maybe I should put her in because I am the one holding her back. Her friends are all going and I worry what that will do to her too. Then I think about how she has made progress in some of her motor delays but they are still not caught up to her peers. Pair that with her emotional maturity and her difficulty responding in group settings I think I would be crazy to send her. I am having such a hard time with the wait and see approach, which is what I am suppose to be doing. I am signing her up for both, but now I find myself analyzing all the dang time.

As far as their explanation for testing scores, I don't buy it. I think I would be more likely to look at a few other things like the student population and how long they have had these types of scores. If there is a history of low scores, then what is the progress been in raising scores? Montessori and not teaching to the test still would not make the scores pretty much the worst in the district. Frankly I would be cautious if they are making that statement.

-- Edited by happylib on Monday 18th of January 2010 09:44:36 PM

really good point.
i havent heard anything about montessori schools in my area testing low.

I'm assuming you're talking about public Montessori schools, yes? Because private Montessori schools probably wouldn't be testing at all (and thus you would be unlikely to hear anything).

I'm curious to get Melissa's POV on this, but the way things are taught at this early age are pretty different in a Montessori program. For example, the sounds letters make are taught before the actual name of the symbol, math is taught using number cubes, etc. I'm not particularly familiar with the standardized tests at this age -- I have no idea what the content is or how they're administered -- but I would imagine this could potentially make a big difference.

In fact, we were cautioned in going into a Montessori program that if we didn't stay with the program for the whole 3-6 yo block, Alexandra would potentially be behind in some areas in school. (And now that I think about it, I seem to remember Chef commenting that she could always pick the Montessori kids out in her incoming K classes, but that might have had something to do with circle time, ICR.)

IDK, I guess I just hate to see people fired up about test scores, especially at such a young age. I think they're one piece of data to consider, but I wouldn't get too worked up about them. That's JMO, though.

Our private school is not Montessori for grades 1-3, so I cannot really say on the tests scores. I know we do ERB testing in grades 3-7, but the earlier grades do not do testing. I know with our school their test scores are high for national.

I think it is wrong to have test scores at such a young age. There is no testing done here, but they do placement testing for students entering. This is just to get a feel of what they know and how far they are when entering. This allows the teacher to better understand the child and what direction to assist them in. It also allows for us to pick up on any learning needs.

However, I am also really not into pushing reading and math at a young age either. In all of my reading on the brain and also talking to a few Dr. they do not advise pushing math in young students. If it comes naturally and a natural love for it, then so be it, but it is actually not good to push it young. That is a whole other topic, sorry.

We do not have public Montessori schools here that I am aware of. These schools are run by the same board as the other traditional public schools? I would be very leary of a school who has test scores like that and says it is because they do not teach to the test. That is a red flag to me.

daisy · Guru

mctex wrote:

daisy wrote:

happylib wrote:

dorian wrote:

Great thread, I’m actually a little surprised by how many of our kids are going into Kinder next year.

Though still not a final decisions, Cole will be going into a "Bridge" program next year at his current school. The class is designed for children who may need a little more time to mature before heading to Kinder. In some cases, the children come out of that program, well ahead of Kinder and go right into 1st grade.

The core of the class is building confidence, which Cole desperately needs (the class has 12 students and 2 teachers). He is very social and academically able, but is easily or intentionally distracted when challenged.

His ARD/IEP was last week with the public school we are zoned to (but have never attended). We had a terrible experience with Cole in this same district but at a different school this year, and we (read: I) are hesitant to have anything more to do with the public school system here. The thing is, his IEP team feels he is ready for Kinder, save for the modifications he qualifies for b/c of his "disability." They're recommendation to us is that we enroll him in Kinder next year. Our home school is a full Montessori school, so he would be in a PK3-K class for a full day, with 21 other students. This school has TERRIBLE test scores (TERRIBLE, some of the worst in the district) and when I asked them about that, they told me that it is because they don't teach for the test....and that they're kids did poorly b/c of the Montessori style of teaching. I'd love anyone else's thoughts on that statement....

So now Marc wants to put him in Kinder at the public Montessori while I'm still stuck on giving Cole another year to mature and grow (both in stature and ability) before throwing him to the wolves. I feel like, if everything evens out by the 3rd grade anyway, I'd rather Cole have more than enough confidence in his abilities than to leave him even more susceptible to what kids say/do to him.

Anyone? Anyone? I've been stressed to the max about this school business. In the mean time we have applied to every charter school lottery in our district...just in case.

Dorian I am so torn and struggling with this too. Frankly I just can't seem to get a good picture. I have no clue how Elizabeth will be by fall. On one hand I feel like maybe I should put her in because I am the one holding her back. Her friends are all going and I worry what that will do to her too. Then I think about how she has made progress in some of her motor delays but they are still not caught up to her peers. Pair that with her emotional maturity and her difficulty responding in group settings I think I would be crazy to send her. I am having such a hard time with the wait and see approach, which is what I am suppose to be doing. I am signing her up for both, but now I find myself analyzing all the dang time.

As far as their explanation for testing scores, I don't buy it. I think I would be more likely to look at a few other things like the student population and how long they have had these types of scores. If there is a history of low scores, then what is the progress been in raising scores? Montessori and not teaching to the test still would not make the scores pretty much the worst in the district. Frankly I would be cautious if they are making that statement.

-- Edited by happylib on Monday 18th of January 2010 09:44:36 PM

really good point.
i havent heard anything about montessori schools in my area testing low.

I'm assuming you're talking about public Montessori schools, yes? Because private Montessori schools probably wouldn't be testing at all (and thus you would be unlikely to hear anything).

I'm curious to get Melissa's POV on this, but the way things are taught at this early age are pretty different in a Montessori program. For example, the sounds letters make are taught before the actual name of the symbol, math is taught using number cubes, etc. I'm not particularly familiar with the standardized tests at this age -- I have no idea what the content is or how they're administered -- but I would imagine this could potentially make a big difference.

In fact, we were cautioned in going into a Montessori program that if we didn't stay with the program for the whole 3-6 yo block, Alexandra would potentially be behind in some areas in school. (And now that I think about it, I seem to remember Chef commenting that she could always pick the Montessori kids out in her incoming K classes, but that might have had something to do with circle time, ICR.)

IDK, I guess I just hate to see people fired up about test scores, especially at such a young age. I think they're one piece of data to consider, but I wouldn't get too worked up about them. That's JMO, though.

ohhh, ok got it. yeah the montessori's here are private, adn i guess they must not test - i havent heard anything about any testing. that explains it :)
i never looked into it bc the big draw to staying in this area was the public schools. private hasnt even entered my radar (and would be a financial impossibility, as long as we're living in this area).