My DD is going to MCPS K in the fall - what to expect?

[Anonymous]

My oldest DD will be going into K this fall. She's been in the same daycare/preschool since she was an infant and I'm trying to get a better sense of what to expect. What do they do at orientation, which is next month? How much outside time do they get each day? What kind of specials do they have (PE, art, etc)?

I know orientation will clear some of these things up from the school's POV but I'd love to hear from some BTDT parents. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

She will likely get about 30minutes outside when the weather is dry and not below freezing. When she is inside she may be doubled up with another class watching a movie. She willl likely get each special 1x per week.PE,Art, Music. If she is used to rpeschool, she will be fine.

[Anonymous]

At orientation, they have the kids do some simple short things to test them in different areas. This helps them create classes with equal numbers of kids on different levels. You can meet teachers at orientation as well, and see some classrooms.
You don't know the teacher you get until right before school starts.
Outside time varies by school. Most schools do a 20-30 minute recess before or after lunch.
Specials include PE, music, art, computer lab, media center, and my child had a characer-development type thing taught by a counselor.

[Anonymous]

Our school has a 20 minutes of recess outside when it is above 32 degrees and no rain. If it is below 32, or raining, the kids have indoor recess - coloring, movies, legos.

Every day, DD has a different special:
One day - Art
Next day - Music
Next day - PE
Next day - Computer Lab
Next day - Library/Media center

At orientation, they assess your kid to see what he/she knows. MCPS believes in mixed ability classrooms, so this is to ensure that all the 'advanced' kids don't end up in the same classroom.

You will find out who your kid's teacher is the week before school starts - our school sent out postcards.

[Anonymous]

Our kindergarten orientation did not include any assessment of the kids. The kids did get to explore a classroom and play with some things while parents could ask questions of the teachers.

[Anonymous]

be prepared for all the haters onceyou ignore them you will really enjoy it.

[Anonymous]

Our k class has a special every day, a 30 minute recess, and a 20 minute "brain break." Orientation is no big deal. They look to see if the children can separate and follow directions. (Mcps)

[Anonymous]

"Anonymous
She will likely get about 30minutes outside when the weather is dry and not below freezing. When she is inside she may be doubled up with another class watching a movie. She willl likely get each special 1x per week.PE,Art, Music. If she is used to rpeschool, she will be fine."

Ditto. I really wish they had two recesses like Fairfax does.

[Anonymous]

PE only uses the gym. They never take the kids outside. It is 25min and ridiculous. It is about skills. They never play the fun games we did as kids.

Recess is immediately following lunch. Please pack one everyday as the lunches are disgusting and the line is long. Half the time they are late getting outside because of it.

Feed your child a breakfast of champions because for my daughter lunch isn't until 12:30 and no snack in between.

Be prepared for large classes, many non English speaking and parents you will never see or meet from K-5th grade. I don't think many people realize how uninvolved so many parents are. It is really sad.

Volunteer in your child's class at least once a month. Volunteer for lunch/recess help too. It gives you a much better sense of the school, teacher dynamic and how the kids in your child's class really are.

Avoid extended day like the plague. It is always the out of control kids that go there. If you work, find an alternative. My kids did much better coming home on the bus to a babysitter. They could play with their neighborhood friends, get a snack, start homework, relax some.

If you get a good K teacher you will know it within 1 week. 2 out of 3 if mine got one. It makes all the difference. If you aren't lucky, make time to supplement at home. Sometimes reading groups only meet once a week, this year 2 weeks with snow days. They claim they meet every other day but the unorganized teachers don't.

If you have a question, ask the teacher and not another parent.

There are a few parties. Halloween, 100th day, Valentines Day and End of Year. Take the time to help and go to them. So much fun.

Find out your school's allergy policy and plan lunches accordingly.

Have fun

[Anonymous]

PE at my kids' school is 50 minutes, not 25. And they do a lot of great stuff.

Some schools have recess before lunch.

It would be a mistake to assume that if you don't see the other kids' parents, that means they're uninvolved.

Lots of parents and kids love their kids' after-school care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PE only uses the gym. They never take the kids outside. It is 25min and ridiculous. It is about skills. They never play the fun games we did as kids.

Recess is immediately following lunch. Please pack one everyday as the lunches are disgusting and the line is long. Half the time they are late getting outside because of it.

Feed your child a breakfast of champions because for my daughter lunch isn't until 12:30 and no snack in between.

Be prepared for large classes, many non English speaking and parents you will never see or meet from K-5th grade. I don't think many people realize how uninvolved so many parents are. It is really sad.

Volunteer in your child's class at least once a month. Volunteer for lunch/recess help too. It gives you a much better sense of the school, teacher dynamic and how the kids in your child's class really are.

Avoid extended day like the plague. It is always the out of control kids that go there. If you work, find an alternative. My kids did much better coming home on the bus to a babysitter. They could play with their neighborhood friends, get a snack, start homework, relax some.

If you get a good K teacher you will know it within 1 week. 2 out of 3 if mine got one. It makes all the difference. If you aren't lucky, make time to supplement at home. Sometimes reading groups only meet once a week, this year 2 weeks with snow days. They claim they meet every other day but the unorganized teachers don't.

If you have a question, ask the teacher and not another parent.

There are a few parties. Halloween, 100th day, Valentines Day and End of Year. Take the time to help and go to them. So much fun.

Find out your school's allergy policy and plan lunches accordingly.

Have fun

I agree with most of this.

A few things are different at our school.

My DD does get a snack around 10:30. Parents donate Goldfish or graham crackers usually.

Recess is only 20 minutes at our school (someone else said 30?).

Agree that you should volunteer at least once a month. Even just one morning a month making copies for the teacher or whatever. You'll get to meet the kids your child sees every day and understand the school day do much better.

And agree that a sitter after school is a better option for K kids than aftercare. Our aftercare is good, but it's a long day with too much structure for a five or six year old. And there are definitely some kids that ate tough to handle. The 'difficult' kids don't get kicked out because the parents are paying (and it's a business!). Aftercare is a better option after K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PE at my kids' school is 50 minutes, not 25. And they do a lot of great stuff.

Some schools have recess before lunch.

It would be a mistake to assume that if you don't see the other kids' parents, that means they're uninvolved.

Lots of parents and kids love their kids' after-school care.

Not the PP, but I think she means that if you don't see a parent at the school events, it is safe to say they are not 'involved' in the school. They might (and probably are) very involved in their own child's life), but choose not to be involved with 'the school'.

[Anonymous]

The following would not apply at my ES:

PE only uses the gym. They never take the kids outside. It is 25min and ridiculous. It is about skills. They never play the fun games we did as kids.
_often go outside..lots of interesting games

Avoid extended day like the plague.
-Ours was great. Kids would ask to stay longer.

Feed your child a breakfast of champions because for my daughter lunch isn't until 12:30 and no snack in between.

-My kids got snack time when lunch was later. We sent it in.

[Anonymous]

Our PE never goes outside. Neither do two other schools where my friends' kids go. Interesting that PP's school does.

Personally, I agree about the aftercare. Jut because your five year old wants something (wants to stay at aftercare), doesn't mean it's the best choice for her. Just my opinion, but I agree with the PP that a sitter is a better option for kids in K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Be prepared for large classes, many non English speaking and parents you will never see or meet from K-5th grade. I don't think many people realize how uninvolved so many parents are. It is really sad.

This is probably highly dependent on what school cluster you are in OP. Where do you live? Schools can be hugely different depending on what part of the county you are in.

We are in a fairly affluent part of MoCo (Potomac) and ALL of the kids' parents speak English. Yes, some are bilingual, but they all do speak English. And, the parents are super involved, almost across the board.

However, I have heard of friends in other areas (Rockville/Silver Spring) complain about this being an issue.