Change in start times (in regards to Base School and APP Center)

[Anonymous]

I am a little surprised that the school district doesn't take into account bell times of base schools and APP Centers. I just looked at the changes for next year and the district further changed my base school and APP Center. They used to be 35 minutes apart, now it is a full hour. Do they not realize how difficult this makes it for parents who have children and both a base school and a center?

Next year will be our first year with this, how does everyone else handle it?

[Anonymous]

Our center and base school had the exact same start and end times and it was miserable because I couldn't make it between the two schools to pick both kids up before the kiss and ride window ended. Dd had to endure a 45 minute bus ride from a school that was only 15 minutes away because if I went to pick her up, I would miss her little brother's bus.

I would have much preferred to have any amount of time between the two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a little surprised that the school district doesn't take into account bell times of base schools and APP Centers. I just looked at the changes for next year and the district further changed my base school and APP Center. They used to be 35 minutes apart, now it is a full hour. Do they not realize how difficult this makes it for parents who have children and both a base school and a center?

Next year will be our first year with this, how does everyone else handle it?

We are finishing our third year of oldest at an AAP Center and youngest at a base school with start times 5 minutes apart. Not sure which is harder -- having to wait an hour between schools or having to be at two places almost simultaneously that are 5 miles apart.

[Anonymous]

We have a 10 minute lag between schools. Kiss and ride works out perfectly as the schools are about 10 minutes driving distance. The only time we have problems is when it is raining in the morning as all the walkers use the kiss and ride and it backs up at the first school.

[Anonymous]

So am I not in the norm to have both kids ride the bus? For us it is just going to make my work schedule almost impossible. Right now we have a Nanny that comes over in the morning when I leave and gets the kids ready and on the bus. I am lucky enough to get home in time to get them off the bus. But next year I am not sure how that is going to work since now the APP school will start a full hour later. Plus APP school wont end till 3:50, so after school activities are going to be difficult...how to shuffle kid one to practice yet be home/available to get 2 from school or off the bus. ACK LOL

Sorry, new APP parent freak out just trying to figure out logistics. I guess I wrongly assumed that if all schools started at similar times people would just use the bus and it would make life easier.

[Anonymous]

Oh and our base school and APP school are 15 minutes apart with no traffic issues

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our center and base school had the exact same start and end times and it was miserable because I couldn't make it between the two schools to pick both kids up before the kiss and ride window ended. Dd had to endure a 45 minute bus ride from a school that was only 15 minutes away because if I went to pick her up, I would miss her little brother's bus.

I would have much preferred to have any amount of time between the two.

We have this situation.

[Anonymous]

Ds1 is at a LLIV that starts at 9:10. He was there on NCLB opt out, and we lost our bus this year for him due to neighborhood school bringing up scores, so now we have to drive him. Ds2 is a walker and starts at 8:40. On days I have to do both(carpools have saved us as i also have a preschooler)we drop off ds2, and walk home and jump in the car to bring ds1. We are only 2 miles though, and it is only 30 min between . Afternoons are tough for ds2. All he wants is to go home and chill, but we have to go get ds1. We could send him to the center, and get him bussed, but with just 2 yrs left, we decided to suck it up.

[Anonymous]

Our AAP and base school are only 5 minute difference in start time and it has been very difficult. AAP school is only 8 minutes away but afternoon bus takes 70 minutes - yes 70. It is terrible.

[Anonymous]

If the school with the AAP center is not over capacity, you can also request a pupil placement of your other child to the same school. (Well, you can ask if the center is over capacity, but you won't get it.)

[Anonymous]

Our school allows children to come uo to 20 minutes before the bell rings. I thought something like this was standard at most schools which would alleviate most commuting between two schools. I have friends at other schools with the same allowance or close to it. Also, for the base school child, would it be possible for them to walk with another child living nearby?

[Anonymous]

Totally not responsive to your question but thanks for alerting to me to the posted bell times. I was so disappointed to see that our ES has not changed -- it starts so late and they get home so late. I was hoping the county would make some changes so that we could get one of the earlier start times for a change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So am I not in the norm to have both kids ride the bus? For us it is just going to make my work schedule almost impossible. Right now we have a Nanny that comes over in the morning when I leave and gets the kids ready and on the bus. I am lucky enough to get home in time to get them off the bus. But next year I am not sure how that is going to work since now the APP school will start a full hour later. Plus APP school wont end till 3:50, so after school activities are going to be difficult...how to shuffle kid one to practice yet be home/available to get 2 from school or off the bus. ACK LOL

Sorry, new APP parent freak out just trying to figure out logistics. I guess I wrongly assumed that if all schools started at similar times people would just use the bus and it would make life easier.

Would it help to do SACC? Or is that going to throw expenses off. I know some parents at the base school who have their AAP kid do SACC at the base school. The bus for AAP picks them up at base school and takes them to AAP and at the end of the day, bus brings back to SACC. Even though they have different times, I think it works.