Have i made the wrong choice?

I am worried i have made the wrong choice for the kids school. I picked it because it basically was the closest but it also didnt have a bad reputation and has a smaller role.

Bsically though there seems to be very little communication between the teachers and parents and it is really hard to talk to them. Silly things are bugging me like the fact that they have lunch at 1pm... at the end of the day the kids have to line up outside the classrooms by 2.50 and then leave at 2.55, but they are all escorted to the gates by the teachers so no chance to have a chat and make sure your kid is doing as they should.

I am also really worried about toby. Last night i noticed he wasnt holding the pencil correctly to write his name, and he is still writing it the same way he did at kindy... he also hasnt brought any books home to read but some of the kids in the class have...apparently they like the to know some words before they send books home. the teacher is a bit messy and her class looks like a dumping ground for all sorts of papers and books and i cant help think that if her environment is this cluttered how clear can her mind be....

or am i just worrying for nothing and it will all turn out right in the end...

Argh! its so annoying especially since i agonised over schools so much!

Edited by Bizzy

I have no experience at all in this, but could you set up a meeting with the principal to discuss your concerns?

1pm for lunch is really late.

Deb, when I turn FB chat on again talk to me cos I can't remember the school you sent the boys to once you moved and I can see from my side if you should be concerned.

What time is morning tea time for the kids? If it is 11am they might be doing 2 hr breaks?

As for the mess on the teachers desk I personally am not bothered by that as long as there is art/work around the room by your child & the children.

I think it is odd that they are walked out of the school grounds by the teachers & would be asking the principle the reason behind that. Is the school fenced off? Do they have a problem with undesirables hanging around? What about the kids that are left at the gate if parents are late?

If you have a problem with the teacher for any reason I would talk to the principal & see if he can be changed.

If it is school policy you will have a really hard time changing them but if you have support from other parents it may be possible.

I would talk to other parents & get there views also.

Golly those break times seem very late for little ones I think 9-11 is too long to expect a five year old to keep going without a break and a snack...

I also think it a little weird they walk all the kids out... would make me feel like I wasn't welcome in the school... I remember when my oldest was a new entrant and we'd all wait outside the class til the bell then if we wanted to go in and see what they'd be doing we could...

I think it's a good idea to talk to other parents and see how they're feeling... it could be a great school that have a few weird policies

oops interrupted by kids...

they have parent teacher interviews coming up so i suppose i will be able to talk to the teacher better then. its funny they are having it in the school hall... a bit weird i thought. and normally i dont mind mess either, but there are piles of stuff all over the room - in complete contrast to the very spartan room next door.

kiwi2 he is my 2nd child at school, but we moved in the holidays so they both started at the new school. i suppose i have got used to being able to talk to the teacher and the principal pretty much when i wanted, they were always available after school and the principal had a very open door policy too.

You need to make an appointment as soon as possible with the classroom teacher. Make bullet points of your concerns, or even send a letter with Toby before hand outlining what you would like to discuss. When is the parent interviews? They're usually only 1O mins so you will prob need a separate meeting too, whether it be in the weeks before or the weeks after the interview. Also with it being in the hall, it won't be all that focused. One school I worked at had them in the classrooms, the other in the hall. The hall was partly a safety thing.

Classrooms should be open to the parents. You should be welcome to chat briefly with the teacher, and to make an appointment for a more indepth conversation about how things are going. He should be taking books home. You're right to trust your gut here!

If you have no luck with the teacher, ask to meet with the principal. If no luck with the principal, write an official letter to the Board of Trustees.

Feel free to talk with me about anything and I'm here if you need someone on your side.

Our school does those breaks too. I think it's cause they do most of their structure learning first thing in the morning when the kids are fresh. I thought it was aweful to start with but makes sense now that she's got in that routine.

In the n.e/yr1 class if they were hungry & restless the teacher did allow them to break before the rest of the school.

I think that it's really weird that the kids are no allowed to play in the grounds after school.

I would be making another appointment with the teacher so you get time to chat to them, you don't get much in that 10 mins as it's just too short.

Do they do "brain food" in the morning? Andrew has that.

As for parent teacher interviews in the hall, I know my primary school did this as one teacher was attacked in her classroom by a parent and noone knew about it till after the attack had happened so to make it save for all teachers they moved them in the hall.

How many kids are at the school? With only 1 new entrant teacher it does sound small.