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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

DP

I think it's fine. It's a fundraiser for the school! And not a big deal if you can't make it/on vacation. You still get the same info just a little later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

DP

I think it's fine. It's a fundraiser for the school! And not a big deal if you can't make it/on vacation. You still get the same info just a little later.

We do the same thing at our school. If you cannot attend the evening of the event it's not a big deal because we just mail all of the post cards the next morning.

[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.

I don't think it's a good approach. I think there are ways to assess students during their kindergarten orientation so that you can use that information to create classes and part of being a kindergarten teacher is knowing that some kids will be a real mixed bag in terms of academic strengths and weaknesses

[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.

I don't think it's a good approach. I think there are ways to assess students during their kindergarten orientation so that you can use that information to create classes and part of being a kindergarten teacher is knowing that some kids will be a real mixed bag in terms of academic strengths and weaknesses

Agree with this PP. Out ES already does an eval in the spring for all entering K kids so they have some ideas. They could make that a bit more extensive.

It is a tough transition for some kids (most kids!) even ones who have been in preK and it would be beneficial for these 5 year olds to know what to expect teacher wise and classroom/classmate wise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

DP

I think it's fine. It's a fundraiser for the school! And not a big deal if you can't make it/on vacation. You still get the same info just a little later.

We do the same thing at our school. If you cannot attend the evening of the event it's not a big deal because we just mail all of the post cards the next morning.

This. Sounds fun and it doesn't affect kids' grades or anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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'.

OP here. How does this make sense? If Mrs. Morris really wanted to protect privacy and ensure that everyone got the information in a timely manner, they'd email it. I think she just doesn't want to deal with the headache of people complaining about their snowflakes being in class with "troubled" kids. My older kids loved knowing who was in their class before sneak peek and I'm sorry my younger one won't get the same opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Can't the butlers drive the charges up to Somerset ES to see the class lists and enjoy the party atmosphere?

[Anonymous]

I don't get why the losers and haters on this thread don't like the class lists. Don't want a crowd? Wait a day to go look. Want a crowd and to talk about the class lists with others? Go when they post them. It's not that hard. The postcard way is for boring and lazy people.

[Anonymous]

Losers and haters? Chill out, Somerset mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Losers and haters? Chill out, Somerset mom.

Just for the record, I am OP and I didn't write that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Losers and haters? Chill out, Somerset mom.

Just for the record, I am OP and I didn't write that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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'.

OP here. How does this make sense? If Mrs. Morris really wanted to protect privacy and ensure that everyone got the information in a timely manner, they'd email it. I think she just doesn't want to deal with the headache of people complaining about their snowflakes being in class with "troubled" kids. My older kids loved knowing who was in their class before sneak peek and I'm sorry my younger one won't get the same opportunity.

They already mailed out the postcards-we should get them shortly, probably quickly than if they posted them on Friday during the "sneak peak." I'm happy to know via snail mail, and supposedly the teachers will personalize the post cards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why the losers and haters on this thread don't like the class lists. Don't want a crowd? Wait a day to go look. Want a crowd and to talk about the class lists with others? Go when they post them. It's not that hard. The postcard way is for boring and lazy people.

We're not losers and haters. We just don't really care how the information is transmitted as long as it's transmitted accurately. You seem to care too much--perhaps you should find some other activities for yourself so no one calls you boring or lazy.

[Anonymous]

We got an email Thursday night with teacher assignments and class lists were posted Friday at the school.

[Anonymous]

This year it was an email after the open house. Burning Tree ES. And it wasn't a list, just the assignment.