Does your MCPS elementary school post class lists or send out postcards?

[Anonymous]

Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

[Anonymous]

Our school is a "Posted it on the Door" ; the PTA asked about postcards or email and Principal said no way. Too many changes, rumor has it to many parents are in the MCPS system then spread the news about Johnny, Jane and Jack's class assignment thus causing too much drama from school admin.

[Anonymous]

I am a Somerset parent too and I think the postcard method makes sense. There's plenty of other times during the school year to get together and get your 'party atmosphere'.

[Anonymous]

Our school is switching to the postcards this year and I'm really happy about it. Last year we had the lists on the front of the building at open house and it was chaos. It's a large school and there were hundreds of people and kids cramming in to see the lists. This makes much more sense for the size of our community. They said the full class roster will be posted on the classroom doors at the open house too.

[Anonymous]

We receive postscards. It's easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

Why is it ridiculous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

Ahh the old fantasy football draft approach!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

Why is it ridiculous?

Because the kids are 5. They are not middle schoolers. Kids that age do better knowing what to expect. K is already too long of a day (our K kids don't get out until 3:57, get off the bus at 4:20) and it's a demending day. Any K teacher will tell you that the expectations put on these 5 year olds is too much. But additionally, it's benefitical for the incoming K kid to know beforehand who will be his teacher. And to actually meet that teacher and talk to him/her. It helps parents to talk about how 'Larlo, you'll be in Mr. Green's class' with Larlita and Benny. Mr. Greene has a fish in the classroom. This will be your desk.'

When they rotate the kids around, there is an additional week of instability/adjustment for the incoming K kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

Why is it ridiculous?

Because the kids are 5. They are not middle schoolers. Kids that age do better knowing what to expect. K is already too long of a day (our K kids don't get out until 3:57, get off the bus at 4:20) and it's a demending day. Any K teacher will tell you that the expectations put on these 5 year olds is too much. But additionally, it's benefitical for the incoming K kid to know beforehand who will be his teacher. And to actually meet that teacher and talk to him/her. It helps parents to talk about how 'Larlo, you'll be in Mr. Green's class' with Larlita and Benny. Mr. Greene has a fish in the classroom. This will be your desk.'

When they rotate the kids around, there is an additional week of instability/adjustment for the incoming K kids.

And then the rest of the school year is spent in classes made up by teachers who had better knowledge of the incoming K kids. Is it worth it? Evidently the teachers/administration believe it to be so. If I were you, I would not immediately assume that it's not.

[Anonymous]

the teachers at my child's mcps school last year wouldn't even post class lists. They claimed it violated privacy laws, as per the principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

Why is it ridiculous?

Because the kids are 5. They are not middle schoolers. Kids that age do better knowing what to expect. K is already too long of a day (our K kids don't get out until 3:57, get off the bus at 4:20) and it's a demending day. Any K teacher will tell you that the expectations put on these 5 year olds is too much. But additionally, it's benefitical for the incoming K kid to know beforehand who will be his teacher. And to actually meet that teacher and talk to him/her. It helps parents to talk about how 'Larlo, you'll be in Mr. Green's class' with Larlita and Benny. Mr. Greene has a fish in the classroom. This will be your desk.'

When they rotate the kids around, there is an additional week of instability/adjustment for the incoming K kids.

And then the rest of the school year is spent in classes made up by teachers who had better knowledge of the incoming K kids. Is it worth it? Evidently the teachers/administration believe it to be so. If I were you, I would not immediately assume that it's not.

Not at our ES. Several of the K teachers at our ES have commented that they don't like it. Teachers don't have much of a say as far as I can tell. Administration made the decision last year and it is not done this way at all of the ESs in MCPS so it's obviously not widely accepted practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

Why is it ridiculous?

Because the kids are 5. They are not middle schoolers. Kids that age do better knowing what to expect. K is already too long of a day (our K kids don't get out until 3:57, get off the bus at 4:20) and it's a demending day. Any K teacher will tell you that the expectations put on these 5 year olds is too much. But additionally, it's benefitical for the incoming K kid to know beforehand who will be his teacher. And to actually meet that teacher and talk to him/her. It helps parents to talk about how 'Larlo, you'll be in Mr. Green's class' with Larlita and Benny. Mr. Greene has a fish in the classroom. This will be your desk.'

When they rotate the kids around, there is an additional week of instability/adjustment for the incoming K kids.

And then the rest of the school year is spent in classes made up by teachers who had better knowledge of the incoming K kids. Is it worth it? Evidently the teachers/administration believe it to be so. If I were you, I would not immediately assume that it's not.

Not at our ES. Several of the K teachers at our ES have commented that they don't like it. Teachers don't have much of a say as far as I can tell. Administration made the decision last year and it is not done this way at all of the ESs in MCPS so it's obviously not widely accepted practice.

We've done it this way for a few years and I'll admit I was extremely upset with the decision initially. I didn't think having kids rotate daily for a week would help us get to know them any better. In the end, it really helped ensure we made classes that were balanced and we all got a chance to know the entire grade level and just not the kids in our own classrooms. We actually look forward to it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school does the ridiculous thing where they rotate the K classes with all the teachers so they can pick out which teacher gets which students. It's crazy.

Why is it ridiculous?

Because the kids are 5. They are not middle schoolers. Kids that age do better knowing what to expect. K is already too long of a day (our K kids don't get out until 3:57, get off the bus at 4:20) and it's a demending day. Any K teacher will tell you that the expectations put on these 5 year olds is too much. But additionally, it's benefitical for the incoming K kid to know beforehand who will be his teacher. And to actually meet that teacher and talk to him/her. It helps parents to talk about how 'Larlo, you'll be in Mr. Green's class' with Larlita and Benny. Mr. Greene has a fish in the classroom. This will be your desk.'

When they rotate the kids around, there is an additional week of instability/adjustment for the incoming K kids.

And then the rest of the school year is spent in classes made up by teachers who had better knowledge of the incoming K kids. Is it worth it? Evidently the teachers/administration believe it to be so. If I were you, I would not immediately assume that it's not.

Not at our ES. Several of the K teachers at our ES have commented that they don't like it. Teachers don't have much of a say as far as I can tell. Administration made the decision last year and it is not done this way at all of the ESs in MCPS so it's obviously not widely accepted practice.

We've done it this way for a few years and I'll admit I was extremely upset with the decision initially. I didn't think having kids rotate daily for a week would help us get to know them any better. In the end, it really helped ensure we made classes that were balanced and we all got a chance to know the entire grade level and just not the kids in our own classrooms. We actually look forward to it now.

As a parent, this has been our experience as well. I was very skeptical at first but talking to other parents has made me more confident that this will be a good system for when my youngest child reaches kindergarten age.

[Anonymous]

Our school promised to mail the postcards (haven't received anything yet), and, in previous years, it was both postcards from the teacher and class lists inside the school during Open House. Not sure what's going to happen this year, our Open House is next Thursday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:4:00 pm the day before the open house lists get posted. Two weeks before school starts you can go to a fund raiser and find out. Fund raiser has been at Chik Fila from 5-8 pm. No lists - you get a card with the teachers name so you only find out if you go.

What do you think of this? I have several friends whose kids attend this school (Stonegate, right?) and when they posted on Facebook about it, I didn't like the idea. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth that those who are willing/able to pay by attending a fundraiser (even a cheap one like chick-fil-a) get this info early as a benefit. Not my school so not my problem, but curious how parents there view it.