Have i made the wrong choice?
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Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=35524
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Topic: Have i made the wrong choice?
Posted By: Bizzy
Subject: Have i made the wrong choice?
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 3:50pm
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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! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: kiwi2
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 4:18pm
| I don't think it is unusual for a parent to have your concerns. I would ask for a phone chat with your childs teacher just to confirm how he is settling in. Do you have older children or is this your first experience with school? Kindy to school is a huge jump for the kids and the parents. Keep an eye on your gut instinct but let it have a bit more time before you act. Nothing worse than another change for your child if it can be avoided. If you are concerned send a note for a phone conference. |
Posted By: clover
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 4:19pm
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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. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: kiwi2
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 4:35pm
| double check the lunch thing. My sons school has 1st lunch and 2nd lunch. A bit different to morning tea and lunch like we used to have. If it is 1pm that is a long time for little tummies to wait. |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 4:35pm
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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. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 4:43pm
| I'd ask to set up a meeting and discuss things with the teachers or can you talk to them in the morning if the afternoon is difficult. What was the ero report like for the school.. how long ago was it? and what were the things mentioned in it that needed improving? |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 6:07pm
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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. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 6:13pm
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thanks guys.
they have a morning tea at 11 for half an hour then lunch is at 1-2. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: freckle
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 6:21pm
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  ------------- mum to 3 lovely girls :D |
Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 6:23pm
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I would make an appointment to see the teacher about any concerns you have. If schools don't get a lot of parental involvement to start with they end up exluding the parents. Maybe the new school is one of those ones. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 6:26pm
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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. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: kiwi2
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 7:01pm
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ok cool so it isn't an adjustment to big school type thing.
I think you need to go with your gut then. If the school isn't the right fit for you then you might need to reassess. Alot of your concerns seem to be with policy and process at the school which will be impossible to change. The actual teacher issue is probably the only thing you can change. If you still have a bad feeling about her after the interviews then I would change teachers or school. |
Posted By: arohanui
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 7:47pm
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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. ------------- Mama to DS1 (5 years), DS2 (3 years) and... http://alterna-tickers.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 9:15pm
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Thanks liz... i really appreciate that!
turns out i was wrong about the lunch breaks - they are 50 mins 1.10-2.
------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 31 August 2010 at 10:06pm
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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. ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 10:32am
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DS2 who started school this yr had a loveliest teacher ever but she left & her replacement does not come close to her. A few of the mums from that class are having a hard time adjusting to her...I am one....but DS2 does not seam to care so I am backing off. If he was to get her next yr or DS3 when he starts next yr then I will get them changed. She is hard to approach, does not have a friendly manner.
If he was unhappy then I would ask for him to be changed now, so I think it may be more how I feel about her. We had a notice come home a few weeks ago saying children are not allowed to play at school after it has finished without adult supervision as a child had broken their arm after school on the playground. Which is fair enough but I don't get why they would line the kids up before school finished & then march them out when it does...odd. |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 11:10am
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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. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 1:21pm
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never heard of brain food becks... i do know they have fruit for the kids, gabriel keeps bringing it home but not toby!
Apparently she is the only new entrant teacher but after a term if the kids are up to scratch they move them to a new class so they can keep the NE class small. My worry is if the teacher doesnt realise that toby is capable then he wont get moved. my husband is going to tell her to give him books to bring home on friday if he hasnt before then. I know hes a smart guy but i also know he can be a bit stubborn and if doesnt want to do something then chances are he wont. At home he has memorised the whole Monsters at the End of This Book story and can "read" it to his dad. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 3:38pm
| How many kids are at the school? With only 1 new entrant teacher it does sound small. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 3:51pm
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jazzy there is about 320 - 350 ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: jazzy
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 4:05pm
wow I am shocked we have about 300 at our school & we have 4-5 new entrance teachers. One of them takes the kids that start later in the yr. |
Bizzy wrote:Posted By: 4thtymlucky
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 7:05pm
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I teach High School students but we still have parents who worry about how their kids are getting on. Please do ring and make an appointment to speak with someone. I deal with parents all the time and as a parent of a teen myself I reassure them as much as possible that I'll do what I can to help out. There are no perfect schools though but you should definitely be reassured about the anxieties you are facing. All the best and don't be shy. List all the things you want to know. I still do it with my 9 year old's parent teacher interviews
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Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 01 September 2010 at 9:55pm
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I would be ringing or going in ASAP. Talk to the team leader if you're not comfortable talking to the teacher.
Those break times are way too late for littlies - 1.5 hour gaps is ideal (or split 2nd half of the day). Ask their reasoning behind that. And also for walking the kids to the gate - that's just weird. Most NE at our school aren't allowed to leave the CLASS unless their parent is there. As for organisation - yes I would be worried about a teacher having a messy room, esp a NE teacher. They usually have the neatest rooms in the whole school. |
Posted By: kiwigal
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 9:04am
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I would set up an appointment with his teacher and if you don't get anywhere then go and see the principal. Those are long breaks our school is 10.30-11 then 12.30-1.30 |
Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 10:35am
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I'm a primary teacher and think you have some valid point
Some schools have an induction class where the 5 year olds start which is what your son's class sounds like. They will be in that class for at least a term and when they are ready they will be moved into a NE class. This can work really well to transition littlies into school from pre-school/kindy/home etc. They do slightly different things to the NE as they are transitioning which is why I suspect he isn't bringing books home yet. However I do think he should be bringing books home even if he can't read them yet. As that will be a big part of his home learning once he moves on from that class. Bringing the kids out to the gate is a bit weird but I am sure that they'll have their reasoning. As for the breaks 11 is far too late (I would struggle with that!). Most primary schools have morning tea from 10.30is -11 then lunch 12/12.30-1/1.30. Mine has 10.40-11 then 12.00-12.30 then 1.30-2 as we have kids that get bored with a longer lunch and cause mischief. You may find that they have a 5/10 minute break in the middle of the morning for food/toilet which will make the 9-11 block easier on the kids. Organisation wise NE classes are usually tidy with lots of boxes/baskets to organise all the activities. Is the kids stuff messy or just the teachers? My desk was a dumping ground as the kids would put everything on there. I never worked at it so it wasn't a high priority to clean it as it was more important to keep the kids stuff organised. BUT I had older kids so they didn't mind, every couple of weeks we would desk clean which meant they would tidy their desks and I'd do mine! If it was overly messy I would be concerned. I can't remember if you had any other concerns but I would highly recommend meeting with the teacher. You could make a time through the office or try and catch her in the morning to make a time in the avo. You could also request a double time slot for parent/teacher interviews. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 06 September 2010 at 12:18pm
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well he is supposed to start getting books to read from today - if they have time cause it is photo day. i told her last week i wanted him to read books and she agreed it might help him. i dont think that she even thought about the fact it might be making him feel bad that everyone else was and not him!
And it looks like he wont be moving from the NE room at the end of the term like some of the others are. the teacher was giving out letters this morning and we didnt get one! Its a shame - he is doing really well at numbers and stuff and is just stubborn with letters! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 06 September 2010 at 12:51pm
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I think its a bit weird that she hadnt considered sending him home with books might help him
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Posted By: clover
Date Posted: 06 September 2010 at 1:07pm
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I agree, I think that is odd. Even bringing home books for you to read with him would have been beneficial I would have thought.... ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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