It's one of every parent's worst nightmares -- learning your child is being bullied. We've all witnessed it before, or worse, experienced it ourselves -- and just pray that it won't happen to our own sweet babies.
Justin's school is very serious about equipping students with skills to confound bullies to keep them from being victims. To that end, the administration brought in an expert therapist with years of experience working with both children have been bullied, and ones doing the bullying. This past week, assemblies were held all day on Tuesday with all students from kindergarten on up to teach them strategies for protecting themselves and preventing future bullying.
The best part about this was that there was also a workshop held for parents to cover the same material, and understanding what to do and not to do if you discover your child is being bullied by another. The speaker was phenomenal, and very relatable. He gave some really practical advice on how to follow through on the training at home, as well as cautioning parents on what NOT to do should bullying become an issue for their child. The information actually transcends more than school students -- bullying, unfortunately, occurs all throughout our lives. It happens in our neighborhoods, our social circles, even the workplace. The speaker said it even occurs in nursing homes, and he wasn't kidding. Learning how to control our reactions to intimidating children (or adults) who perform verbal, physical, or social bullying is empowering to those on the receiving end of such abuse.
My husband and I both got a lot out of the session we attended. It made us feel good to know that there are things that can be done to stop and prevent bullying. And it reflects highly on the staff at the school that they take this widespread problem to heart and are working to do something about it.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
In search of the Holy Grail
God bless kindergarten teachers. Well, all teachers really. But God bless especially those teachers that have my child in their class. He's a high-energy, stop-at-nothing class clown that loves attention. He makes life interesting, no doubt. And I know it must be a real challenge to do your job with him as a student.
Over the years, children have been given grades on their behavior in school. It goes by several names.......conduct, citizenship, deportment, social development.....but it all boils down to the same thing. How does your kid behave in the school setting? Do they make good choices?
We are 6 weeks into the school year now and it's been a roller coaster ride to be sure. Justin's school uses something called a clip chart to track students' behavior throughout the day. It has five colors on it: blue, purple, green, yellow, and red. Everyone starts on green at the beginning of the day. It looks something like this one, except his doesn't have the orange level:
Students have the opportunity to move up or down the chart based upon the choices they make during the day. In addition to that, each child's take home folder has a chart in it where they color in a block with the corresponding color they ended on that day. Justin's spent a fair amount of time on the bottom half of the chart, although his good days have so far outnumbered the others. Every time he ends up on red, a note comes home discussing what occurred to land him there.
Most of the time, it seems as if Justin's struggles are that he just spends too much time talking when he shouldn't be. He doesn't raise his hand, he talks while the teacher is talking, he talks in the hallway, or quite often, he spends time chatting it up with his friends rather than doing his school work.
It's been really frustrating for us as parents. For me, in particular, because I just don't understand this type of behavior. I was a really shy kid growing up and I didn't misbehave in school. I had typical first child characteristics: I craved the approval of parents and teachers, and strived to do everything right. His dad was much the same way. We want so badly for our kids to do well and not struggle in school. It's as if some of our self-image as parents is tied into the behavior charts and the notes home, so it provided some comfort to me that one of my friends who also has a kindergartener was on the receiving end of this:
My sister saw this in the newspaper, and saved it for me. It probably sums up how Justin feels about the whole thing.
This last week ended on a particularly bad note for Justin, though. In addition to talking too much, he was deliberately breaking crayons, taking his classmates' papers, and then bragging that he wasn't going to have to move his clip because he can "do whatever he wants".
After that performance, his dad and I decided that part of his penance should include writing a note of apology to his teacher.
We also thought it appropriate that Justin give up a few privileges over the weekend. It included giving up his Nintendo DS, playing on the Wii, and watching TV. I did tell Justin, however, that if he behaved himself well, he'd have the opportunity to earn some of those things back. Around 1:00 on Saturday afternoon, he looked out the window and said, "When will it get dark?" He's noticed the days getting shorter, so I naturally assumed he was concerned there wasn't much daylight left. I assured him that it wouldn't get dark for several hours yet. To my surprise, he groaned. I said, "What's the matter?" He said, "How much longer do I have to be good?!" I guess he was looking for permission to lose his sense of decorum for a little while. It must be so hard to be five years old and have your whole day stretched out in front of you, confronted with the daunting task of having to be GOOD!
I suppose I need to find a balance between my own feelings of embarrassment, my struggle to figure out the best way to parent this issue, and understanding how much of what is happening is just Justin learning to navigate school. I know he will eventually get it - or at least I hope so. But proper classroom behavior seems to be a problem as old as time. Googling "I will not talk in class" renders images of blackboards with that sentence on them multiple times. This one reminds me so much of Justin:
It's going to be quite the year. I might as well ask my doctor for the prescription for Valium now.
Over the years, children have been given grades on their behavior in school. It goes by several names.......conduct, citizenship, deportment, social development.....but it all boils down to the same thing. How does your kid behave in the school setting? Do they make good choices?
We are 6 weeks into the school year now and it's been a roller coaster ride to be sure. Justin's school uses something called a clip chart to track students' behavior throughout the day. It has five colors on it: blue, purple, green, yellow, and red. Everyone starts on green at the beginning of the day. It looks something like this one, except his doesn't have the orange level:
Students have the opportunity to move up or down the chart based upon the choices they make during the day. In addition to that, each child's take home folder has a chart in it where they color in a block with the corresponding color they ended on that day. Justin's spent a fair amount of time on the bottom half of the chart, although his good days have so far outnumbered the others. Every time he ends up on red, a note comes home discussing what occurred to land him there.
Most of the time, it seems as if Justin's struggles are that he just spends too much time talking when he shouldn't be. He doesn't raise his hand, he talks while the teacher is talking, he talks in the hallway, or quite often, he spends time chatting it up with his friends rather than doing his school work.
It's been really frustrating for us as parents. For me, in particular, because I just don't understand this type of behavior. I was a really shy kid growing up and I didn't misbehave in school. I had typical first child characteristics: I craved the approval of parents and teachers, and strived to do everything right. His dad was much the same way. We want so badly for our kids to do well and not struggle in school. It's as if some of our self-image as parents is tied into the behavior charts and the notes home, so it provided some comfort to me that one of my friends who also has a kindergartener was on the receiving end of this:
My sister saw this in the newspaper, and saved it for me. It probably sums up how Justin feels about the whole thing.
This last week ended on a particularly bad note for Justin, though. In addition to talking too much, he was deliberately breaking crayons, taking his classmates' papers, and then bragging that he wasn't going to have to move his clip because he can "do whatever he wants".
After that performance, his dad and I decided that part of his penance should include writing a note of apology to his teacher.
We also thought it appropriate that Justin give up a few privileges over the weekend. It included giving up his Nintendo DS, playing on the Wii, and watching TV. I did tell Justin, however, that if he behaved himself well, he'd have the opportunity to earn some of those things back. Around 1:00 on Saturday afternoon, he looked out the window and said, "When will it get dark?" He's noticed the days getting shorter, so I naturally assumed he was concerned there wasn't much daylight left. I assured him that it wouldn't get dark for several hours yet. To my surprise, he groaned. I said, "What's the matter?" He said, "How much longer do I have to be good?!" I guess he was looking for permission to lose his sense of decorum for a little while. It must be so hard to be five years old and have your whole day stretched out in front of you, confronted with the daunting task of having to be GOOD!
I suppose I need to find a balance between my own feelings of embarrassment, my struggle to figure out the best way to parent this issue, and understanding how much of what is happening is just Justin learning to navigate school. I know he will eventually get it - or at least I hope so. But proper classroom behavior seems to be a problem as old as time. Googling "I will not talk in class" renders images of blackboards with that sentence on them multiple times. This one reminds me so much of Justin:
It's going to be quite the year. I might as well ask my doctor for the prescription for Valium now.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Money, money, money
Fundraisers.
School pictures.
Spirit wear.
Scholastic book orders.
Lunch account.
MONEY! Everybody wants it!
I was a student once. I know I asked my parents for money. I know they remember it. I remember having to sell stuff. I didn't realize at the time how often we had to ask for money for this program, that extracurricular activity, or just to buy lunch. And I honestly believe, even though I went to school a long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), that there weren't fundraisers in kindergarten.
Both Justin AND Tyler came home from school the very first week with these huge packets for the magazine sale fundraiser. Preschool?! Really? Anyway, I get that this is a profitable fundraiser for the school -- they receive 45% of the funds from every subscription. I just wonder how many subscriptions are sold by the kids in the lower grades. I was prepared to ignore it for my kids, but the first turn-in day for orders was last Friday, and darned if Justin didn't come home from school saying, "Mommy, I want to sell magazines. I get PRIZES!" They must really be pushing them to push the almighty subscriptions. Oy.
School pictures were today. The kids get their pictures taken regardless of whether or not you order them, and I wasn't sure I wanted to. As Forrest Gump pointed out, you're just never really sure what you're going to get. With school pictures, you pay upfront. You just have to count on the fact that your kid is going to cooperate and be cute and smile for the camera. But holy shit! (Sorry, I know this is a Catholic school blog but I couldn't help myself) School pictures are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. There are 8 different packages, ranging in price from a low (ha ha) $21.00 to $65.00. There are 13 additional "options" to nickel and dime you further, including calendars, magnets, keychains, etc., even teeth whitening! There are five more add-on packages to get additional pictures, or you can purchase a class photo for an extra fifteen dollars. I asked my husband if he thought we should buy the school pictures, and his answer was "Of course!" So we forked over $66.00 for two CDs, no prints. Yipes.
Then there's spirit wear, otherwise known as clothing with the school name or logo on it. Every other Friday is spirit wear day, and kids really look forward to it because it's one of those days they don't have to wear their uniform shirt. Justin was crushed last Friday when he didn't have a school shirt to wear and keeps asking me when he's going to get his. Orders were turned in last Friday and I guess he thought that he'd get his stuff the same day. I will say, the spirit wear is reasonably priced, but there isn't an opportunity to buy this stuff all year long, and you can't buy it in a store like you can with some of the public schools. Because they're not having another sale until the spring, I felt like it was necessary to buy him a couple of tee shirts and a sweatshirt to last him through the winter. I really wanted to get a couple shirts for me and my husband, but it was just going to be too much with all of the other money flowing out, so I restrained myself.
Next on my agenda is to tackle the Scholastic book order. That's due tomorrow. I can't decide whether to share it with Justin or not. He loves books, I mean really, really loves them. His trips to the library are huge highlights in his life. I just think if I show him the order form, his eyes are going to glaze over and he won't be able to limit his list of wants to what I consider reasonable.
It used to drive me nuts when my parents would say things like "I'm not made of money" or "Money doesn't grow on trees". I guess repeating the things your parents did and said once you have kids of your own is pretty much inevitable. I'm sure the day will come when Justin and Tyler get involved in scouting, or sports, or the performing arts, and there will be additional "opportunities" to spend and donate money. I just hope I can keep my "Money doesn't grow on trees" comments to a minimum.
School pictures.
Spirit wear.
Scholastic book orders.
Lunch account.
MONEY! Everybody wants it!
I was a student once. I know I asked my parents for money. I know they remember it. I remember having to sell stuff. I didn't realize at the time how often we had to ask for money for this program, that extracurricular activity, or just to buy lunch. And I honestly believe, even though I went to school a long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), that there weren't fundraisers in kindergarten.
Both Justin AND Tyler came home from school the very first week with these huge packets for the magazine sale fundraiser. Preschool?! Really? Anyway, I get that this is a profitable fundraiser for the school -- they receive 45% of the funds from every subscription. I just wonder how many subscriptions are sold by the kids in the lower grades. I was prepared to ignore it for my kids, but the first turn-in day for orders was last Friday, and darned if Justin didn't come home from school saying, "Mommy, I want to sell magazines. I get PRIZES!" They must really be pushing them to push the almighty subscriptions. Oy.
School pictures were today. The kids get their pictures taken regardless of whether or not you order them, and I wasn't sure I wanted to. As Forrest Gump pointed out, you're just never really sure what you're going to get. With school pictures, you pay upfront. You just have to count on the fact that your kid is going to cooperate and be cute and smile for the camera. But holy shit! (Sorry, I know this is a Catholic school blog but I couldn't help myself) School pictures are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. There are 8 different packages, ranging in price from a low (ha ha) $21.00 to $65.00. There are 13 additional "options" to nickel and dime you further, including calendars, magnets, keychains, etc., even teeth whitening! There are five more add-on packages to get additional pictures, or you can purchase a class photo for an extra fifteen dollars. I asked my husband if he thought we should buy the school pictures, and his answer was "Of course!" So we forked over $66.00 for two CDs, no prints. Yipes.
Then there's spirit wear, otherwise known as clothing with the school name or logo on it. Every other Friday is spirit wear day, and kids really look forward to it because it's one of those days they don't have to wear their uniform shirt. Justin was crushed last Friday when he didn't have a school shirt to wear and keeps asking me when he's going to get his. Orders were turned in last Friday and I guess he thought that he'd get his stuff the same day. I will say, the spirit wear is reasonably priced, but there isn't an opportunity to buy this stuff all year long, and you can't buy it in a store like you can with some of the public schools. Because they're not having another sale until the spring, I felt like it was necessary to buy him a couple of tee shirts and a sweatshirt to last him through the winter. I really wanted to get a couple shirts for me and my husband, but it was just going to be too much with all of the other money flowing out, so I restrained myself.
Next on my agenda is to tackle the Scholastic book order. That's due tomorrow. I can't decide whether to share it with Justin or not. He loves books, I mean really, really loves them. His trips to the library are huge highlights in his life. I just think if I show him the order form, his eyes are going to glaze over and he won't be able to limit his list of wants to what I consider reasonable.
It used to drive me nuts when my parents would say things like "I'm not made of money" or "Money doesn't grow on trees". I guess repeating the things your parents did and said once you have kids of your own is pretty much inevitable. I'm sure the day will come when Justin and Tyler get involved in scouting, or sports, or the performing arts, and there will be additional "opportunities" to spend and donate money. I just hope I can keep my "Money doesn't grow on trees" comments to a minimum.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Necessary details
I'm a little short on words tonight.....the last few days in kindergarten have been rough ones. However, I'm sure people wonder, "What on earth do they do in all day kindergarten? Why, when I went to school, kindergarten was only a half day." One of the things they do is eat lunch! I have found school lunches to be pretty reasonably priced. I think they might even be cheaper than what I paid for lunch when I was in high school many moons ago (back in the 80s). There's been a lot in the press about how school lunches are under a lot of scrutiny, and there have been calls to make them healthier. I thought I'd share what's been on the menu the first month of school.
Justin loves buying his lunch, which is good for me -- packing lunches is one of my least favorite things to do. It's hard enough to decide what I want to eat for lunch, let alone decide for someone else! I'd say the jury is still out on the healthfulness aspect, however.
This week, Justin's teacher sent home a copy of the daily class schedule. Their days are jam packed. It's actually sort of funny, because when we ask Justin what he did at school that day, he invariably says, "I don't remember." Looking at his schedule, I kind of understand. His days are so full, it would be hard to pick one thing out and talk about it. He'd rather talk about Mario. So for your pleasure, here's what his schedule looks like. It's pretty daunting, not at all like the kindergarten of yore in my hazy memories.
And finally, I decided to throw in a copy of the school calendar for the year. I'd heard over the years that Catholic/parochial schools got more days off, because of the religious days that they take. I've found that to not really be the case. I'll admit, I don't know what the calendar looks like for the public school, but the only date that jumps out at me is November 1, All Saints Day, that public school students do not get. That being said, who can blame school administrators for not wanting to have school with a bunch of kids hopped up on sugar from Trick or Treat the night before? ;)
Justin loves buying his lunch, which is good for me -- packing lunches is one of my least favorite things to do. It's hard enough to decide what I want to eat for lunch, let alone decide for someone else! I'd say the jury is still out on the healthfulness aspect, however.
This week, Justin's teacher sent home a copy of the daily class schedule. Their days are jam packed. It's actually sort of funny, because when we ask Justin what he did at school that day, he invariably says, "I don't remember." Looking at his schedule, I kind of understand. His days are so full, it would be hard to pick one thing out and talk about it. He'd rather talk about Mario. So for your pleasure, here's what his schedule looks like. It's pretty daunting, not at all like the kindergarten of yore in my hazy memories.
And finally, I decided to throw in a copy of the school calendar for the year. I'd heard over the years that Catholic/parochial schools got more days off, because of the religious days that they take. I've found that to not really be the case. I'll admit, I don't know what the calendar looks like for the public school, but the only date that jumps out at me is November 1, All Saints Day, that public school students do not get. That being said, who can blame school administrators for not wanting to have school with a bunch of kids hopped up on sugar from Trick or Treat the night before? ;)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
To PTO or not to PTO
When I was growing up, my parents were not terribly involved in things that my siblings and I did in school, other than to chauffeur us around and write checks. They were certainly never involved in the PTA/PTO (otherwise known as the Parent-Teacher Association or Organization). I always kind of wished they'd done more to get us involved, so despite the fact that I'm not much of a joiner, I decided to check out the PTO at Justin's new school.
The first PTO meeting of the year was last week. I thought there was a rather large crowd of people there, as there were at least 50+ in attendance. As the meeting was called to order, the PTO president said that there normally is a much larger group, but there was a sporting event also taking place that night, so their numbers were much less than usual. The meeting covered a lot of topics and lasted almost 90 minutes, although I think some of the lengthiness was probably because it was the first meeting of the year. All of the officers were introduced. Then, the assistant principal gave an update. The time allotted for that was 5 minutes, but at least 15 minutes were spent discussing all of the things the school was able to purchase and/or accomplish with money raised by the PTO last year. That was an interesting topic and provided good information on the priorities of the PTO and the school administrators.
Following the principal's report, several other members gave updates on the various fundraising efforts that the PTO undertakes each year. There were signup sheets available for parents wishing to volunteer their time to the different activities. A financial update was given, and then finally a discussion of the upcoming important dates and events.
I really didn't know what to expect when I decided to attend the PTO meeting. I'm not sure yet how involved I will be, or what I might volunteer for this year or next since my kids are so young. But, it's clear to me that the parent-teacher organization at this particular school is a thriving, integral part of the school and its ability to sponsor fun events for students and their families, as well as provide funds for important things like technology. The meetings are a great way to meet other parents and administrators and know what's going on in the school since the PTO is so connected. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to attend at least every other month, just to stay abreast of what's happening.
The first PTO meeting of the year was last week. I thought there was a rather large crowd of people there, as there were at least 50+ in attendance. As the meeting was called to order, the PTO president said that there normally is a much larger group, but there was a sporting event also taking place that night, so their numbers were much less than usual. The meeting covered a lot of topics and lasted almost 90 minutes, although I think some of the lengthiness was probably because it was the first meeting of the year. All of the officers were introduced. Then, the assistant principal gave an update. The time allotted for that was 5 minutes, but at least 15 minutes were spent discussing all of the things the school was able to purchase and/or accomplish with money raised by the PTO last year. That was an interesting topic and provided good information on the priorities of the PTO and the school administrators.
Following the principal's report, several other members gave updates on the various fundraising efforts that the PTO undertakes each year. There were signup sheets available for parents wishing to volunteer their time to the different activities. A financial update was given, and then finally a discussion of the upcoming important dates and events.
I really didn't know what to expect when I decided to attend the PTO meeting. I'm not sure yet how involved I will be, or what I might volunteer for this year or next since my kids are so young. But, it's clear to me that the parent-teacher organization at this particular school is a thriving, integral part of the school and its ability to sponsor fun events for students and their families, as well as provide funds for important things like technology. The meetings are a great way to meet other parents and administrators and know what's going on in the school since the PTO is so connected. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to attend at least every other month, just to stay abreast of what's happening.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
This is not your mother's kindergarten
Wow, kindergarten is not like I remember it. My fondest memories of kindergarten are the new red shoes I got; the giant playhouse in the corner with all the kid-size appliances and accoutrements you could ask for; my own little mat to "rest" on; and my beautiful, blonde, sweet teacher, Mrs. Albright. I'm sure there was more to it than that, but in my hazy memory, school didn't really feel like school until first grade.
School started last Tuesday, and on the second day, a note came home in Justin's folder saying that he hadn't been following directions, and had been telling his teacher "No" when she asked him to do things. It was really quite a shock to be on the receiving end of a note like that on only the second day in kindergarten. We had a long conversation that evening before, during and after dinner about the right and wrong way to behave at school. The rest of the week passed uneventfully, thank goodness. This past Monday went fine too, so it was easy to imagine we'd turned the corner.
Well, ha ha, not so much. Yesterday, another note came home in the folder that our little firecracker was talking in class while the teacher was giving instructions, he didn't finish his work during class time to had to use free play to finish it, and wouldn't stop talking and be quiet in the hallway even when reminded. As a parent, it's just so disappointing to be on the receiving end of such information. The poor kid is wiped out after he comes home every day, and it just seems mean to chastise him about what happened earlier in the day when he's so exhausted. Still, he needs to understand that certain choices that he makes have consequences, and to also know that what happens at school doesn't stay at school. But honestly, not finishing his work and having to use free play to finish it? This isn't the kindergarten I was expecting!
I like this era for all of the communication vehicles available to teachers and parents. We are able to email and text messages back and forth, and receive grades online via the web. There is a newsletter that comes home every Thursday via email. I've been corresponding back and forth via email with the kindergarten teacher to discuss these issues as they arise and it's nice to receive that immediate feedback. I just hope the immediate feedback to our son results in more orderly behavior in kindergarten. Onward and upward!
School started last Tuesday, and on the second day, a note came home in Justin's folder saying that he hadn't been following directions, and had been telling his teacher "No" when she asked him to do things. It was really quite a shock to be on the receiving end of a note like that on only the second day in kindergarten. We had a long conversation that evening before, during and after dinner about the right and wrong way to behave at school. The rest of the week passed uneventfully, thank goodness. This past Monday went fine too, so it was easy to imagine we'd turned the corner.
Well, ha ha, not so much. Yesterday, another note came home in the folder that our little firecracker was talking in class while the teacher was giving instructions, he didn't finish his work during class time to had to use free play to finish it, and wouldn't stop talking and be quiet in the hallway even when reminded. As a parent, it's just so disappointing to be on the receiving end of such information. The poor kid is wiped out after he comes home every day, and it just seems mean to chastise him about what happened earlier in the day when he's so exhausted. Still, he needs to understand that certain choices that he makes have consequences, and to also know that what happens at school doesn't stay at school. But honestly, not finishing his work and having to use free play to finish it? This isn't the kindergarten I was expecting!
I like this era for all of the communication vehicles available to teachers and parents. We are able to email and text messages back and forth, and receive grades online via the web. There is a newsletter that comes home every Thursday via email. I've been corresponding back and forth via email with the kindergarten teacher to discuss these issues as they arise and it's nice to receive that immediate feedback. I just hope the immediate feedback to our son results in more orderly behavior in kindergarten. Onward and upward!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
First day of school
I never realized how hectic the first day of school is for parents. I remember as kid having various degrees of nervousness and excitement. As an adult, I was but a casual observer, annoyed with the increase in traffic and headaches in getting to work due to back to school hubbub. As a devoted aunt, all I had to do was admire the pictures of my nieces' and nephews' glowing faces and wish them well. Even daycare and preschool dropoffs pale in comparison to the "real thing".
There is orientation/Meet the Teacher to attend. There is a mountain of paperwork to complete. A multitude of checks to write. And to top it all off, you have to figure out the best time to wake up in order to perfectly time getting dressed, having breakfast, mediating disagreements, cajoling children, and buckling car seats. Today we had to build in time to take pictures on top of all that nonsense.
We managed to do it with time to spare today, but I was ready for a nap by 8 AM. WOW! What an ordeal!
We did not receive the information about the bus schedule prior to the start of school today, so I drove both kids to school and then returned twice more today to pick each of them up. Tyler was done at 10:45 AM, and dismissal was quick and orderly. He came running out to see me, wearing a crown he made in school today with his stickers that he chose to stick and his name on it. His teacher said he came into his classroom, just sobbing his heart out. That really tugged at my heart, but she said he settled down after about 10 minutes and had a really good day. He said he had a good time :)
Justin got out of school at 3:00 PM. I left a little early because I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there. I ended up getting there with about 15 minutes to spare, but it was a good thing because there was an incredible sea of vehicles waiting for exiting students.
The school kept things orderly, but it was kind of confusing for this first-timer. It was cute watching the kindergarteners come out hand-in-hand with their teachers, looking for their moms and dads. Just as they walked out the door, the skies opened and poured down rain on everyone. Not nice, Mother Nature. What was that all about?
Justin reported that he had a "great" day. I asked him what he did, and in true tween style, he said, "I don't remember." When we got home, his dad asked him what he did in school. Finally he said, "I learned. That's what I did. I just learned!"
Tomorrow, he will ride the bus both to and from school. That's going to be a little intimidating for both of us, I think. I'll be glad when this first week is over and we have a little experience under our belts.
There is orientation/Meet the Teacher to attend. There is a mountain of paperwork to complete. A multitude of checks to write. And to top it all off, you have to figure out the best time to wake up in order to perfectly time getting dressed, having breakfast, mediating disagreements, cajoling children, and buckling car seats. Today we had to build in time to take pictures on top of all that nonsense.
We managed to do it with time to spare today, but I was ready for a nap by 8 AM. WOW! What an ordeal!
We did not receive the information about the bus schedule prior to the start of school today, so I drove both kids to school and then returned twice more today to pick each of them up. Tyler was done at 10:45 AM, and dismissal was quick and orderly. He came running out to see me, wearing a crown he made in school today with his stickers that he chose to stick and his name on it. His teacher said he came into his classroom, just sobbing his heart out. That really tugged at my heart, but she said he settled down after about 10 minutes and had a really good day. He said he had a good time :)
Justin got out of school at 3:00 PM. I left a little early because I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there. I ended up getting there with about 15 minutes to spare, but it was a good thing because there was an incredible sea of vehicles waiting for exiting students.
The school kept things orderly, but it was kind of confusing for this first-timer. It was cute watching the kindergarteners come out hand-in-hand with their teachers, looking for their moms and dads. Just as they walked out the door, the skies opened and poured down rain on everyone. Not nice, Mother Nature. What was that all about?
Justin reported that he had a "great" day. I asked him what he did, and in true tween style, he said, "I don't remember." When we got home, his dad asked him what he did in school. Finally he said, "I learned. That's what I did. I just learned!"
Tomorrow, he will ride the bus both to and from school. That's going to be a little intimidating for both of us, I think. I'll be glad when this first week is over and we have a little experience under our belts.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
And so it begins
Our son's journey to kindergarten was a bumpy one for my husband and me, for various reasons. The biggest reason is that I'm a huge procrastinator. I kind of thrive on the theory that if I purposely don't think about things, they won't happen. Not so much when you're talking about kindergarten. Kids grow up, whether you want them to or not, and my firstborn heads off to school this year.
Justin was born in early August. As soon as he arrived, I started worrying about kindergarten. My sister has three kids, all born in the late summer, and she and my brother-in-law made the decision to have their two boys wait until they were six to start kindergarten. My brother's son also has a summer birthday, but he started kindergarten when he was five years old, and has struggled in school. I wanted to learn from their examples and mistakes. So true to my usual fashion, I buried my head in the sand and told myself I had years to figure out whether to enroll him at age five or six, and promptly forgot about it.
Aside from deciding whether or not to redshirt him for kindergarten, I didn't figure I had many decisions to make. I'd always planned on public school education for our children, just like my husband and I experienced. I grew up attending a rival district from the one where we currently live, and I always sort of thought we'd be living somewhere else when my kids started school. I didn't want them to attend the public schools here just because I still carry the rivalry that I remember from my high school days. As it happens, we didn't win the lottery and we didn't move to a bigger house in a "better" school district, so there was another wrinkle in my unwritten plan, hidden in the back of my mind. No matter, I thought, the district is still rated "Excellent". Enter the tough economy....and suddenly, school levies weren't being passed by the voters, programs were cut, teachers and administrators laid off, etc. For each levy that failed, another blow fell that resulted in something being cut or eliminated, and I started to worry whether the schools would be able to remain "Excellent" without so many resources.
"Never mind for now," I told myself, "he's not going to kindergarten till he's six. We have lots more time to think about it." Even at his four year well check, I declined the vaccines he'd need before kindergarten, still thinking I had some time to finalize the grand plan.
Well, my son Justin is quite the firecracker. Things very rarely go as planned when it comes to that child. He's a very spirited, imaginative little boy, and he gets in trouble as often as I blink my eyes. It's worse when he's bored. He's been attending some form of daycare/preschool/pre-kindergarten since he was an infant, because he needs stuff to DO. He's had his fair share of trouble-making at his school over the past 5 years, and his dad and I have had several "talks" with his teachers and director about how to best keep him challenged so that he will behave. I finally had the epiphany that it would be in his best interest to start school at five. My husband agreed and then we looked at the calendar and realized that it was late February, and registration takes place in March. Procrastination wins again! I had less than a couple weeks to decide WHERE the best place would be for Justin to attend kindergarten.
Conversation with neighbors quickly enlightened us to the changes made to the kindergarten program in our public school system. Rather than attending half or full days 5 days a week, cuts in the budget called for a creative solution. Kindergarteners would be divided in two groups, with half of them attending full days on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the other half attending full days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There's some kind of funky formula for which group attends on what Fridays. It was all much too convoluted for my overtaxed brain. We quickly looked into the four Catholic school programs closest to us for their offerings. The information was really overwhelming; there were so many things to consider. Because we don't currently attend church on a regular basis, we had to become okay with a religious-based education for our kids if that was the type of school we ultimately chose. It became clear pretty quickly which programs we could afford and which ones we didn't want to pursue.
Ultimately, we narrowed it down to two choices: the public kindergarten, or the St. Veronica parish school. Since we'd already eliminated the other three Catholic schools, cost wasn't a factor in our final decision between St. Veronica and the public school. We compared the kindergarten curriculum offered by both programs, the school schedules, and considered the opportunities and programs available for students as they move up in elementary school. The right choice for us, especially for Justin, became readily apparent. After we made up our minds, we had to scramble to get the registration packet completed and turned in for consideration. We sweated a few bullets as we waited for an answer whether or not he'd be accepted into the program, and what we'd do if he wasn't. Thankfully, we got an acceptance letter a week or so later. It was one of those moments when you feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders -- we had made the right choice.
Justin was born in early August. As soon as he arrived, I started worrying about kindergarten. My sister has three kids, all born in the late summer, and she and my brother-in-law made the decision to have their two boys wait until they were six to start kindergarten. My brother's son also has a summer birthday, but he started kindergarten when he was five years old, and has struggled in school. I wanted to learn from their examples and mistakes. So true to my usual fashion, I buried my head in the sand and told myself I had years to figure out whether to enroll him at age five or six, and promptly forgot about it.
Aside from deciding whether or not to redshirt him for kindergarten, I didn't figure I had many decisions to make. I'd always planned on public school education for our children, just like my husband and I experienced. I grew up attending a rival district from the one where we currently live, and I always sort of thought we'd be living somewhere else when my kids started school. I didn't want them to attend the public schools here just because I still carry the rivalry that I remember from my high school days. As it happens, we didn't win the lottery and we didn't move to a bigger house in a "better" school district, so there was another wrinkle in my unwritten plan, hidden in the back of my mind. No matter, I thought, the district is still rated "Excellent". Enter the tough economy....and suddenly, school levies weren't being passed by the voters, programs were cut, teachers and administrators laid off, etc. For each levy that failed, another blow fell that resulted in something being cut or eliminated, and I started to worry whether the schools would be able to remain "Excellent" without so many resources.
"Never mind for now," I told myself, "he's not going to kindergarten till he's six. We have lots more time to think about it." Even at his four year well check, I declined the vaccines he'd need before kindergarten, still thinking I had some time to finalize the grand plan.
Well, my son Justin is quite the firecracker. Things very rarely go as planned when it comes to that child. He's a very spirited, imaginative little boy, and he gets in trouble as often as I blink my eyes. It's worse when he's bored. He's been attending some form of daycare/preschool/pre-kindergarten since he was an infant, because he needs stuff to DO. He's had his fair share of trouble-making at his school over the past 5 years, and his dad and I have had several "talks" with his teachers and director about how to best keep him challenged so that he will behave. I finally had the epiphany that it would be in his best interest to start school at five. My husband agreed and then we looked at the calendar and realized that it was late February, and registration takes place in March. Procrastination wins again! I had less than a couple weeks to decide WHERE the best place would be for Justin to attend kindergarten.
Conversation with neighbors quickly enlightened us to the changes made to the kindergarten program in our public school system. Rather than attending half or full days 5 days a week, cuts in the budget called for a creative solution. Kindergarteners would be divided in two groups, with half of them attending full days on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the other half attending full days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There's some kind of funky formula for which group attends on what Fridays. It was all much too convoluted for my overtaxed brain. We quickly looked into the four Catholic school programs closest to us for their offerings. The information was really overwhelming; there were so many things to consider. Because we don't currently attend church on a regular basis, we had to become okay with a religious-based education for our kids if that was the type of school we ultimately chose. It became clear pretty quickly which programs we could afford and which ones we didn't want to pursue.
Ultimately, we narrowed it down to two choices: the public kindergarten, or the St. Veronica parish school. Since we'd already eliminated the other three Catholic schools, cost wasn't a factor in our final decision between St. Veronica and the public school. We compared the kindergarten curriculum offered by both programs, the school schedules, and considered the opportunities and programs available for students as they move up in elementary school. The right choice for us, especially for Justin, became readily apparent. After we made up our minds, we had to scramble to get the registration packet completed and turned in for consideration. We sweated a few bullets as we waited for an answer whether or not he'd be accepted into the program, and what we'd do if he wasn't. Thankfully, we got an acceptance letter a week or so later. It was one of those moments when you feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders -- we had made the right choice.
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