Just not feelin’ FCPS Kindergarten
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Anonymous
| What is the great schools rating |
Anonymous
My husband and I both work at public schools. We just pulled our elementary kids out of our high performing public elementary school and put them in parochial school. Public school has changed in the past 20 years. |
Anonymous
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I wonder if this is a function of KP being a K-3 school as opposed to K-5 or K-6. Just way more young kids overall who need a lot of help. My kid’s school also in Springfield is K-6, but has 4 K classes, which seems much more manageable.
OP, if you can volunteer in any capacity, I think you should definitely do so. I think some of the problems with lunch are just adjustment to K, probably made worse by the fact that there’s only young kids at the school. I think it’s a little weird they have all the K eat together instead of splitting them up among different lunch periods, but I guess it is what it is. |
Anonymous
OP here and I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. The staff I’ve met have been very nice. No one is dropping the ball in terms of their responsibilities - they just have a lot of bodies to herd. The teachers have to be able to choke down their lunch some time - they can’t be with the kids all the time, and the lunch monitors and IAs are attentive and kind, scrambling to meet the needs of So. Many. Tiny. Kids. I guess my question is, who on earth thought it would be a good idea to have 7 (and, I hear, some years 8) classes of K?! PP with the 2 at KG and 2 at KP, thank you for the good feedback. I know things will simmer down, I suppose it’s a question of how much. But I get that it’s a big school no matter how you package it, and they can only make it “feel” so small. Will stay tuned...and maybe see you among the throngs of tinies 
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Anonymous
This. I ended up sending my DS to a Catholic school even though we aren't Catholic and it is head and shoulders above his highly rated public school. I think he only has religion class twice a week and it sounds more like history, ethics and values rather than anything else. Mass is once a week. I think they say a prayer on the morning and afternoon announcements too. He has 16 kids in his class and there are 2 classes for most grades. His teachers really know him (he is smart but lazy) so they don't get him get away with much of anything which I love. I like their lunch times. Twice a week, they are assigned to a table with students from one grade above and one grade below so they get to know each other. They end up talking to people they probably wouldn't ever talk to so it's nice that I see my son talking to kids not in his grade. At mass, each 6th grader gets a kindergarten buddy that they sit next to and they keep the same buddy for 3 years. It is just such a nice school with class sizes that are manageable and it isn't crowd control. I'm a teacher and I don't make much money especially since I am a single parent but the tuition I spend is well worth it. |
Anonymous
Same experience here. That situation sounds awful probably more the norm than not. My nephews in a different state had 30 in their K classes, no aide and it was half-day. I don't know how they did anything but crowd control 
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Anonymous
| This is what happens when schools are not adequately funded. |
Anonymous
KP isn't actually much bigger than any other school, it is just that each grade is the size of two schools. When my kids were there, I sort of wished they would turn KP and KG back into K-6 schools, but lots of people love that each school can really focus on those grade levels. KP has a really great atmosphere with its complete focus on those younger grade levels and there's a lot to be said for the little ones not having to worry about being run over by the "big kids"! My kids were in years that had 8 classes and the classes were a bit smaller than your child's class. It's too bad they can't add another class this year to reduce the other class sizes. Even with the slightly smaller class size, I went in frequently at lunch time to help out. There are a lot of "logistical" things the kids need help with and there are simply not enough adults around to help. I do think you'll end up liking KP though, OP, so best wishes for good days for your child! |
Anonymous
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I get roasted regularly for saying that I graduated from FCPS in its heyday and, as a result of my experience, never considered sending kids to FCPS. We used our parish school and moved on to another private for HS. Our K had 2 classes. They were on the larger side, 25 kids. One lead teacher, one full time assistant teacher. Multiple parent volunteers on regular schedules in the classroom. Lunch room volunteers daily. Recess volunteers daily. 3 recess periods per day. All made for a much more manageable experience. My kid was the first to lose a tooth in school in K. She got a trip to the nurse, a special box for the tooth, and a prize from the prize box - it was an old happy meal toy but she thought it was magical.
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Anonymous
| Omg. This is making our small but might title 1 school look amazing. So sorry you are dealing with this. |
Anonymous
My DS lost a tooth in 1st grade at a different Springfield FCPS ES. He came home with the tooth in a cute tooth-shaped necklace. Our school isn't perfect but it isn't a zoo or undersupervised chaos the way that OP describes her school. |
Anonymous
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That's terrible, OP.
To be honest, I've had my kids in public (not FC), and while it was a little chaotic, it was nothing like that!!!! The lack of supervision is alarming. Please complain directly to the principal. Do not let up until you see improvement. It's truly not normal in most schools. |
Anonymous
| It sounds bad but give it time. My kids are very outspoken and would tell an adult immediately if they did not feel well or something was wrong. They have both mentioned how the cafeteria is chaotic. My social son does not enjoy going to lunch with friends at all and never has. He’s in 5th grade and not upset, just annoyed at how it’s so noisy and seems like a zoo. I’ve heard it’s the worst part of school and really the only part of the day I hear either of my children complain. Work with yours on speaking up and self advocating if she’s sick or hurt. And I’m sorry. This is hard for you too. |
Anonymous
Same here! My kid is in LOVE with kindergarten. We couldn’t be happier. Neighbor’s kid is in a different class and reports the same. I walk my kid to class in the morning and get the same vibe from the other 2 classrooms. 18 kids in the class. Lots of play. Her favorite time of the day is “Explore” time where she can choose from different activities like blocks or the kitchen/dramatic play. And she loves writers workshop. Lunch has not been a problem at all. The assistant stays with the class. Actually parents are not allowed in for lunch because it’s a small cafeteria with attached stools. I’m fine with that. I can imagine it might be hard to have to say goodbye again in the middle of the day. Hope things get better OP. |
Anonymous
| I am aide we stay w/ the kids during lunch. all 3 aides stay for each class kinder. Class |