Transition day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader reported that the full day was just too long for an orientation type day. Based on his report, it sounded like the activities basically matched what was done before (I have an 11th grader, as well), but that the time for each one was basically doubled. I agree and think that a half day is just fine for an introduction to a new school. I would think this is even more true for kindergarten students, who can better ease into the new environment with a shorter introduction, and 6th graders, most of whom have shorter attention spans than 9th graders. I do hope Dr. Taylor and the BOE consider this going forward. Everyone would have been better off to do orientation last week and to start this week off fresh with the first real day of school.

Strongly disagree re date. Doing it today allowed many families to take their vacations last week when child care and camp options have dwindled. That was such an annoying set up (and the date was never confirmed until very late in process).

DP. The date was always the Thursday before school started. It was optional -- families that preferred going on vacations could do it.

Schools refused to confirm it, which was poor form. And I guess you don’t want to be inclusive? Almost everyone could do it today. What compelling reason is there to do it the week before?

[Anonymous]

It seems ludicrous that they wasted an entire day with bussing, teachers, and admin on a noninstructional school day. My kid found it painful and too long. In addition, some of the teachers said they would have to repeat the information given in class on Tuesday because there were sophomores enrolled as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader reported that the full day was just too long for an orientation type day. Based on his report, it sounded like the activities basically matched what was done before (I have an 11th grader, as well), but that the time for each one was basically doubled. I agree and think that a half day is just fine for an introduction to a new school. I would think this is even more true for kindergarten students, who can better ease into the new environment with a shorter introduction, and 6th graders, most of whom have shorter attention spans than 9th graders. I do hope Dr. Taylor and the BOE consider this going forward. Everyone would have been better off to do orientation last week and to start this week off fresh with the first real day of school.

Strongly disagree re date. Doing it today allowed many families to take their vacations last week when child care and camp options have dwindled. That was such an annoying set up (and the date was never confirmed until very late in process).

DP. The date was always the Thursday before school started. It was optional -- families that preferred going on vacations could do it.

Schools refused to confirm it, which was poor form. And I guess you don’t want to be inclusive? Almost everyone could do it today. What compelling reason is there to do it the week before?

To have the required 180 days of school plus more than 1 snow day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader reported that the full day was just too long for an orientation type day. Based on his report, it sounded like the activities basically matched what was done before (I have an 11th grader, as well), but that the time for each one was basically doubled. I agree and think that a half day is just fine for an introduction to a new school. I would think this is even more true for kindergarten students, who can better ease into the new environment with a shorter introduction, and 6th graders, most of whom have shorter attention spans than 9th graders. I do hope Dr. Taylor and the BOE consider this going forward. Everyone would have been better off to do orientation last week and to start this week off fresh with the first real day of school.

Strongly disagree re date. Doing it today allowed many families to take their vacations last week when child care and camp options have dwindled. That was such an annoying set up (and the date was never confirmed until very late in process).

DP. The date was always the Thursday before school started. It was optional -- families that preferred going on vacations could do it.

Schools refused to confirm it, which was poor form. And I guess you don’t want to be inclusive? Almost everyone could do it today. What compelling reason is there to do it the week before?

To have the required 180 days of school plus more than 1 snow day.

That’s a broader issue. But I’d happily start a week or two earlier and add a fall break.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If there’s a discrepancy in messaging between a particular school and Central Office, I sure hope the teachers at that school have some idea what they’re going to do with any students who show up.

Every school had to submit a plan to central office that included that contingency. The plans shared with the community are rudimentary in comparison.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was a pretty good idea but it required the school to kind of duplicate her in some cases triple the same effort. For example, we normally have open house on the Thursday before the school year starts. My principal decided to move open house to transition day but that meant the kindergarteners would not get to meet their teacher prior to the beginning of the school day. So the compromise was that parents were allowed to walk their children in but some parents also asked for open house on the Friday before school started.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader reported that the full day was just too long for an orientation type day. Based on his report, it sounded like the activities basically matched what was done before (I have an 11th grader, as well), but that the time for each one was basically doubled. I agree and think that a half day is just fine for an introduction to a new school. I would think this is even more true for kindergarten students, who can better ease into the new environment with a shorter introduction, and 6th graders, most of whom have shorter attention spans than 9th graders. I do hope Dr. Taylor and the BOE consider this going forward. Everyone would have been better off to do orientation last week and to start this week off fresh with the first real day of school.

Strongly disagree re date. Doing it today allowed many families to take their vacations last week when child care and camp options have dwindled. That was such an annoying set up (and the date was never confirmed until very late in process).

DP. The date was always the Thursday before school started. It was optional -- families that preferred going on vacations could do it.

Maybe at your school but ours was Friday last year. So no it's not always clear when you start planning for summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems ludicrous that they wasted an entire day with bussing, teachers, and admin on a noninstructional school day. My kid found it painful and too long. In addition, some of the teachers said they would have to repeat the information given in class on Tuesday because there were sophomores enrolled as well.

I agree it was not really useful for HS in part because so many classes are not just freshman. And it didn’t do anything to alleviate my kids anxiety about HS—it made it significantly worse because all the teachers used it as an opportunity to just talk about rules and how much homework there will be. Having an entire day with person after person telling you what not to do and how much work it will be does not lessen anxiety, if that was the goal for transition day. Maybe other kids experienced it differently but for our family, I’d say it was not super successful. Wonder what the teachers thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems ludicrous that they wasted an entire day with bussing, teachers, and admin on a noninstructional school day. My kid found it painful and too long. In addition, some of the teachers said they would have to repeat the information given in class on Tuesday because there were sophomores enrolled as well.

I agree it was not really useful for HS in part because so many classes are not just freshman. And it didn’t do anything to alleviate my kids anxiety about HS—it made it significantly worse because all the teachers used it as an opportunity to just talk about rules and how much homework there will be. Having an entire day with person after person telling you what not to do and how much work it will be does not lessen anxiety, if that was the goal for transition day. Maybe other kids experienced it differently but for our family, I’d say it was not super successful. Wonder what the teachers thought.

Yes my 9th grader also came home anxious -- all they did was introduce themselves and then teachers talked about the cell phone policy over and over again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader reported that the full day was just too long for an orientation type day. Based on his report, it sounded like the activities basically matched what was done before (I have an 11th grader, as well), but that the time for each one was basically doubled. I agree and think that a half day is just fine for an introduction to a new school. I would think this is even more true for kindergarten students, who can better ease into the new environment with a shorter introduction, and 6th graders, most of whom have shorter attention spans than 9th graders. I do hope Dr. Taylor and the BOE consider this going forward. Everyone would have been better off to do orientation last week and to start this week off fresh with the first real day of school.

Strongly disagree re date. Doing it today allowed many families to take their vacations last week when child care and camp options have dwindled. That was such an annoying set up (and the date was never confirmed until very late in process).

DP. The date was always the Thursday before school started. It was optional -- families that preferred going on vacations could do it.

Maybe at your school but ours was Friday last year. So no it's not always clear when you start planning for summer.

The date for secondary students to do the 1/2 day with bussing was always the Thursay before school started. If you are talking about ES sneak peak events (to meet your teacher), those varied (and still do).

[Anonymous]

The day went well for my 6th grader. Middle school is such a big transition from elementary, it was good for my kid to have a day to learn how to navigate between classes, practice their locker combination, learn how to ride the bus (was a walker for elementary), see a sea of new faces and adjust to the grade being much larger with a lot of new faces (but without the entire 7th and 8th grades also in the building).

[Anonymous]

The people complaining about transition day are the same ones complaining on social media constantly that their kids are at home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems ludicrous that they wasted an entire day with bussing, teachers, and admin on a noninstructional school day. My kid found it painful and too long. In addition, some of the teachers said they would have to repeat the information given in class on Tuesday because there were sophomores enrolled as well.

I agree it was not really useful for HS in part because so many classes are not just freshman. And it didn’t do anything to alleviate my kids anxiety about HS—it made it significantly worse because all the teachers used it as an opportunity to just talk about rules and how much homework there will be. Having an entire day with person after person telling you what not to do and how much work it will be does not lessen anxiety, if that was the goal for transition day. Maybe other kids experienced it differently but for our family, I’d say it was not super successful. Wonder what the teachers thought.

Yes my 9th grader also came home anxious -- all they did was introduce themselves and then teachers talked about the cell phone policy over and over again.

This teacher thought it was a waste of a day for 9th graders. Transitioning means introducing the school to kids who are new. This can be accomplished very effectively through a half day orientation that happens the Thursday prior. It felt very long for students yesterday and very redundant today. It would've felt better for everyone to come in on Monday to officially start the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 9th grader reported that the full day was just too long for an orientation type day. Based on his report, it sounded like the activities basically matched what was done before (I have an 11th grader, as well), but that the time for each one was basically doubled. I agree and think that a half day is just fine for an introduction to a new school. I would think this is even more true for kindergarten students, who can better ease into the new environment with a shorter introduction, and 6th graders, most of whom have shorter attention spans than 9th graders. I do hope Dr. Taylor and the BOE consider this going forward. Everyone would have been better off to do orientation last week and to start this week off fresh with the first real day of school.

Strongly disagree re date. Doing it today allowed many families to take their vacations last week when child care and camp options have dwindled. That was such an annoying set up (and the date was never confirmed until very late in process).

DP. The date was always the Thursday before school started. It was optional -- families that preferred going on vacations could do it.

Schools refused to confirm it, which was poor form. And I guess you don’t want to be inclusive? Almost everyone could do it today. What compelling reason is there to do it the week before?

The irony is that parents used to complain that the Thursday before school started was inconvenient, even ruined family vacations. Now that it’s the following Monday, that is also an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems ludicrous that they wasted an entire day with bussing, teachers, and admin on a noninstructional school day. My kid found it painful and too long. In addition, some of the teachers said they would have to repeat the information given in class on Tuesday because there were sophomores enrolled as well.

I agree it was not really useful for HS in part because so many classes are not just freshman. And it didn’t do anything to alleviate my kids anxiety about HS—it made it significantly worse because all the teachers used it as an opportunity to just talk about rules and how much homework there will be. Having an entire day with person after person telling you what not to do and how much work it will be does not lessen anxiety, if that was the goal for transition day. Maybe other kids experienced it differently but for our family, I’d say it was not super successful. Wonder what the teachers thought.

Yes my 9th grader also came home anxious -- all they did was introduce themselves and then teachers talked about the cell phone policy over and over again.

Mine is in 10th but said that happened today, too, and it made for a very negative first day of school. Double whammy for the ninth graders. My kid, who is a positive, high-achieving student, just came home angry and disappointed. She was ready to learn and just got lectured repeatedly all day.