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The touchy part about it is that this school in particular has a lottery process from which they draw disadvantaged students. This population has kids that are in public housing, receive food stamps and have another language other than English spoken at home.
Does that change things?
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@looch: I think it is something to make note of. But then the head teacher should be told that the needs are too great and should reevaluate the projects that are expected to be completed. There are 6 kindergartens and all of the money should be pooled for all of the projects and projects should have the budget of that for the year. There are really neat things that can be made from basic construction paper. Or recycled products that those without the means to provide financially or go out and buy could make. So I would personally push back against the head teacher. Or make appropriate modifications to the project for your class. Could it be card stock instead of foam?
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@looch: too late for this now, but we took this into account when we ask for our donation list. We know not everyone can/will participate.
I think at this point you can send out a request/reminder but let everyone know that parties will be limited from here on out. Maybe still fun like games or coloring sheets or something but not elaborate crafts.
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@MamaG: I think it's a combination of several factors, including finances. And some people think that the schools should provide all materials.
@T.H.O.U.: we tried to account for that as well, but I wasn't prepared for how much the materials would actually cost!
@brownie: I agree, they should pool the funds. I will let the head teacher now, she probably already is aware, but I do think an end of the year "round table lessons learned" is appropriate to kind of put it all out there on the table.
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@looch: I would just let the head teacher know what you have and let her figure out something else they can make. Just for reference, our school is title 1 so they are very careful about asking parents for contributions. We had a long school supply list at the beginning of the year but other than that, the only thing they have asked for are snacks to contribute to a class party. All of their holiday projects have been made out of construction paper, toilet paper rolls and coffee stirrers.
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I like your idea of a debrief at the end of the year. Because limited finances are a real issue for parents, in the future years, it will help to plan only with the money pooled at the beginning of the year and set the budget. Teachers need to step up and plan materials/projects according to budget. You definitely can not keep absorbing difference of the cost of multiple projects when you have already paid the materials fee. Another solution is to have a quick and easy mid-year fundraiser like sell apples for a dollar each. Again, at the end of each donation request, send out a donor recognition message to all and maybe that can encourage participation for the next one.
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@Baby Boy Mom: I think that so many things can be skipped, like this craft is for something for the kids to collect their valentines in. We could have folded envelopes out of paper, done so many things! I wish they would ask us, you know?
@808love: Thank you!
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@808love: Totally agree. I really think it is so important to keep all families needs in mind (which is sounds like @looch: was doing). Maybe $5 or $20 isn't a big deal to some, but it means giving up something else for others. If in the future you continue by collecting money at the beginning of the year, I would make sure the teacher is aware of the amount available and plans accordingly.
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@looch: absolutely!
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@looch: I had another idea this morning. Does your school have a PTO? I know our PTO has a pot of funds to help cover fees for students who can't afford them. Maybe contact them and see if they have any suggestions?
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@looch: Also, have you thought about seeing if any businesses would do donations? I know thats more work for you, but even to see if Staples (or even any local business office) or somewhere would donate large envelopes.
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@looch: at this point I would just buy the bags - get a 50 pack of brown paper lunch bags from the dollar store and instead of foam hearts - just have them color on them with red and pink markers/crayons
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@T.H.O.U.: Yes, our school has a PTO, and they do a ton of fundraising. Right now, the spend is on field trips, but at our next budget meeting, I am going to raise the issue of the funds for the class projects.
@Mamaof2: I sent out an email reminder last night and two more parents signed up. All that is left is the stickers, which I am happy to contribute from the Target dollar section at this point.
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@looch: fantastic!
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@Mamaof2: I just don't want to be a jerk, you know? I have no issue buying the materials, but I've already spent over $100 of my own money in addition to the $20 materials fee.
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@looch: it's absolutely not fair to you. I wouldn't wait until the end of the year to let the lead teacher know that this is an issue. We are at a Title I school as well, and we did have a school supplies list at the beginning of the year but no materials fee, and the teacher has asked for very little from the parents. She recently asked parents to send in cereal boxes for a project. I understand that the teachers shouldn't have to spend their money on classroom materials, but on the other hand, neither should you. Glad that it seems to have worked out this time.
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@looch: It sounds like a really flawed process. You don't get to decide the crafts/supplies but then you are limited and have to cover for the gap from your classroom.
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@T.H.O.U.: It's the first year the school is open, and I think a lot of the teachers never dealt with an economically disadvantaged population, so I am trying to cut them some slack. But it does need to be addressed!
@Pancakes: Thank you!
So, has anyone bought a book for the teacher to sign at the end of the year? I don't want to do the expected Suess book.
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@looch: Since we have a first year teacher we are thinking of doing a foot stool or a plate of some sort for the kids to sign.
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@T.H.O.U.: We did a framed print for preschool last year, I am thinking a handprint or thumbprint platter would be cool.
I am also thinking about a book for my son, one where each of his teachers would sign.
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Yes, I have the Suess book for my girl. We started it last year since we were in a full PreK program.
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We just got yearbook forms. I may do the Dr. Suess book (one book) rather than a yearbook every year.
It would be cool if they had a DIY scrapbook where you could put the students photo, the class photo and a message from the teacher. Maybe like this? https://www.amazon.com/School-Memories-Keepsake-Scrapbook-Picture/dp/B008DWG59C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486398614&sr=8-2&keywords=student+scrapbook+by+grade
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@looch: I have one I got for preschool but never passed it around except at LOs bday parties. I am planning to use the same one for teachers.
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We also ordered the yearbook. LO has hers from last year and loves to look at it. I'm sort of a nut about pictures though.
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Has anyone else's LO had a report card or progress report? My son had evaluations during January and came home with a 40-point assessment last week. They don't give grades but just say whether a skill was acquired or needs work. They also included "civic and moral instruction" in addition to academics. Both of his teachers also made comments. It was all very positive and I was happy to see that what I perceive at home lines up with reality in class.
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@lamariniere: the end of the 2nd marking period was about a week ago - we get progress reports Wednesday
Glad your LO got such a great report! -
@lamariniere: We get report cards every 6 weeks and there are 6 reporting periods across the school year. We just recently got our mid-year report card (#3). We are on a 1-3 scale (1- experiencing difficulty, 2- making progress, 3- meets expectations). We are struggling with "Characteristics of Successful Learners" which are things like follows directions consistently and uses time wisely/stays on task. They tend to be items where LO struggles due to her outgoing nature and some social immaturity. I love getting the report cards though as they are a good check in of how she's doing.
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@Mamaof2: oooh, hope it goes well!
@MamaG: every 6 weeks! That's amazing!
We did get the test booklet so we could compare the test to the assessment. I thought that was a good idea so we could concretely see what they were tested on and how they were tested.
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We are already nearing the end of the second marking period. We got the first round of report cards in December.
They are assessed on certain math and literacy skills, my son scored great on all of them. As expected, his biggest development item is behavioral...he needs to manage his expectations and deal with disappointment or frustration in a more productive manner. -
Ok, I have this issue that's been bothering me and I'm wondering how you would handle it. At the beginning of the year, DS's class had 15 kids (7 boys, 8 girls). These kids were placed through our DOE lottery/placement. In November, they added 5 more girls to the class, and in December 3 more. So when we went on break his class had 7 boys and 16 girls. The other girls came from other K classes at the same school and were presumably moved into the class because they were "ahead".
Now generally speaking I wouldn't be bothered so much by the fact that his class got bigger, even though it obviously makes it harder for his teacher, but now that we've been back a month I've been feeling like the class dynamic has really changed for the worse (DS complaining about the girls whispering secretes, tattle-taling, and conversely some of the boys acting out). I don't think I can actually DO anything about it, but I would like to make it known that I'm displeased with the situation. Suggestions? -
@Baby Boy Mom: Wow, what is the normal class size?
Also do you think the change in dynamic is maybe due to the teacher not handling the extra students?
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@Baby Boy Mom: is it the class size or uneven mix of sexes that is bothering you? Or both?
What are the state ratios for class size to teacher? Did they add a paraprofessional? What about the other classes?
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@Baby Boy Mom: Maybe you could state your concerns and the teacher can address it in class or via counselor program.
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@T.H.O.U.: They are allowed to have up to 25 students per class. There are 3 other K classes, but placement in them was through zoning mostly, so I think they were at or close to the full number.
@looch: I guess both, but mostly it's the uneven mix, although it's hard to say definitively without observing the class myself. As a parent it feels like the principal was making the other classes smaller to the detriment of ours. I can see it from their point of view, that the other classes have more students with a range of abilities, including many English language learners, so it "makes sense" to move some students. But...as a parent I feel like I need to advocate for my own son, and this was not a positive move as far as I'm concerned.
There are no new aides as far as I know.@808love: I do plan to talk to his teacher soon anyway so I will definitely bring it up. She had mentioned that this might happen when I met her near the beginning of the year, but said that it is totally out of her control.
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We received second quarter grades and portfolio of some work, including class writing pieces yesterday. It was so fun to see how her writing has developed and what was on her mind throughout the past few months. I also liked looking at multiple pieces so I could correct simple spelling pattern that I saw.
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@Baby Boy Mom: I guess the hard part is what do you want to happen? There are probably parents/teacher of the other class advocating for those students that need smaller classes. And they aren't likely to move the girls twice.
My guess is it's just odds that there are more girls added. But maybe that's not a terrible thing. It could be a bunch of rowdy boys
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@T.H.O.U.: You're right. I'm not expecting them to move the girls back. I do believe they are all girls because girls are generally just more adept at school at this age. But I guess this is where the nuances of our huge school system come in. Getting into the schools is a whole city-wide system, but once it's all said and done the principals do have quite a bit of leeway with registrations.
Anyway, getting back on point, I guess what I would like are two things. 1- to complain (because their class will move up together and in first grade they are allowed up to 31 students) 2- To see what can be done to improve the dynamics in the classroom for the remainder of the year.
And thanks for the question. It was just what I needed! -
Ugh, they shut our schools down for illness for two days. Too many teacher and student absences. Anyone else dealing with this?
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@Mrs. Yoyo: Interesting. I had four girls out of my class for flu like symptoms and another teacher who has a bunch of siblings in my class had 10 out!!!! We clorox wiped the desks today. Not sure what else to do.
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@Mrs. Yoyo: wow! Is this a public school? I have never heard of them shutting down the whole school!
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