What happens at elementary school open house?

[Anonymous]

At our FCPS school it really is an orientation even though they call it open house and it is short so I would absolutely not like a prospective student and parent taking up any of that time. Our school gives school tours though and usually about 5 parents show up at a time. We also participate in many community events both with the school and outside where we know our neighbors very well. Preschools, sports teams, dance classes, parktakes, regional events, etc. I'm not sure why this OP doesn't know her own community. I'm not even sure what OP is worried about within the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our FCPS school it really is an orientation even though they call it open house and it is short so I would absolutely not like a prospective student and parent taking up any of that time. Our school gives school tours though and usually about 5 parents show up at a time. We also participate in many community events both with the school and outside where we know our neighbors very well. Preschools, sports teams, dance classes, parktakes, regional events, etc. I'm not sure why this OP doesn't know her own community. I'm not even sure what OP is worried about within the community.

Not the OP but another parent in the same boat. We live in Alexandria and know many families in and around Alexandria. However, our neighbors send their children to private school or they are empty nesters. We don't know one family who actually attends the neighborhood school. Even if you live half a mile away, you are zoned for a different school.

[Anonymous]

OP, as the mother of a rising 1st grader, I will just chime in that this is not the time for you to visit the school. Another PP was right when she noted that you seem to be mixing up the concept of a public school open house with that of a private school open house.

First, at least in our Ffx. Co. school, we don't even know what teacher our child has until the open house. We are there to find out, pick up supplies/drop off supplies, meet the teacher, etc.

Second, nobody (and I mean nobody) at the school will be there to answer your questions.

Why oh why would you want to go to just add to the crowded/choatic mess? To see what kind of kids go to the school?

Please just don't go. This isn't the time and anybody who has gone through these before has said as much.

If you don't want to take our word for it, call up the school and ask them.

Trust me when I say that when your child is in K at the open house for the first time, you will feel the same way we do.

[Anonymous]

Our school characterizes it as an "open house for K-6 students" to come and see their classrooms and meet their teachers. It's not advertised or anything. I'm confused as to why anyone would think this is an appropriate thing for someone who doesn't have current students to come to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our school characterizes it as an "open house for K-6 students" to come and see their classrooms and meet their teachers. It's not advertised or anything. I'm confused as to why anyone would think this is an appropriate thing for someone who doesn't have current students to come to.

Our elementary school website states no details of the open house except the mention of it on the school website with a date and time.

Open house usually refers to an event where everyone is welcome. That is why it is called an open house! Why call it an open house if not everyone is welcome?

What everyone on here is describing sounds like an orientation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school characterizes it as an "open house for K-6 students" to come and see their classrooms and meet their teachers. It's not advertised or anything. I'm confused as to why anyone would think this is an appropriate thing for someone who doesn't have current students to come to.

Our elementary school website states no details of the open house except the mention of it on the school website with a date and time.

Open house usually refers to an event where everyone is welcome. That is why it is called an open house! Why call it an open house if not everyone is welcome?

What everyone on here is describing sounds like an orientation.

Yes, they don't state details on the website because it's not a public event. Every parent of a current student received plenty of details in a mailing.

It's called an "open house" because it's not mandatory and because, as a previous poster noted, it's an open period of time in which students and their parents may come and go. At our event, there will be no presentation.

I don't understand why this is so hard to comprehend.

[Anonymous]

Go to the Kindergarten Round Up in the spring. Open House is not the time for people shopping around. It is chaotic even for those attending the school.

[Anonymous]

Not the OP but I attended the open house. I walked around the halls, got to check out the teachers and classrooms and got a feel of the people at school. No one seemed to mind or noticed that I was there. I plan to follow up with a tour with the principal. I am sure I could gather more information on the school with an individual tour but I was able to see the types of families who attended the school at the open house, which is what I wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP but I attended the open house. I walked around the halls, got to check out the teachers and classrooms and got a feel of the people at school. No one seemed to mind or noticed that I was there. I plan to follow up with a tour with the principal. I am sure I could gather more information on the school with an individual tour but I was able to see the types of families who attended the school at the open house, which is what I wanted.

Thank you, Mrs. Salahi. This is exactly why I wouldn't let my dd run around unsupervised like all her friends were doing last week at the open house. You never know what kinds of creeps and weirdos are lurking around the school.

[Anonymous]

Here is what I saw at DD's open house: chaos. Friends giggling together who hadn't seen each other in 48 hrs. Meeting the teacher, commenting on the desk arrangements. Dads checking out the new teachers (they were cute...).

Kids looking at the social studies board, parents chatting with friends.

In general the kids just went to their classrooms.

It really only tells you that is is a school with a lot of energy, and many of the kids are excited to go back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP but I attended the open house. I walked around the halls, got to check out the teachers and classrooms and got a feel of the people at school. No one seemed to mind or noticed that I was there. I plan to follow up with a tour with the principal. I am sure I could gather more information on the school with an individual tour but I was able to see the types of families who attended the school at the open house, which is what I wanted.

Thank you, Mrs. Salahi. This is exactly why I wouldn't let my dd run around unsupervised like all her friends were doing last week at the open house. You never know what kinds of creeps and weirdos are lurking around the school.

We live in the elementary school boundary and my kids may potentially attend the school. I could care less about your DD.

Other clueless parents were asking me where to go. I actually knew exactly where the gym was with the classroom assignments, kindergarten wing, 1st grade wing, etc.

I don't think DH and I are creepy people. We just wanted to do some due diligence on where to send our kids to elementary school. Thanks for being paranoid though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP but I attended the open house. I walked around the halls, got to check out the teachers and classrooms and got a feel of the people at school. No one seemed to mind or noticed that I was there. I plan to follow up with a tour with the principal. I am sure I could gather more information on the school with an individual tour but I was able to see the types of families who attended the school at the open house, which is what I wanted.

Thank you, Mrs. Salahi. This is exactly why I wouldn't let my dd run around unsupervised like all her friends were doing last week at the open house. You never know what kinds of creeps and weirdos are lurking around the school.

We live in the elementary school boundary and my kids may potentially attend the school. I could care less about your DD.

Other clueless parents were asking me where to go. I actually knew exactly where the gym was with the classroom assignments, kindergarten wing, 1st grade wing, etc.

I don't think DH and I are creepy people. We just wanted to do some due diligence on where to send our kids to elementary school. Thanks for being paranoid though.

The point is there are people in the school who do not work there and are not related to the children attending during a very crazy chaotic open house intended for only those that work there and the families that have children actually attending the school.

Maybe when your kid is finally 5 yrs old and ENROLLED, you will understand why parents don't want it to become common practice for random people (yes, even random people that live within the school district) being able to just walk in and scope out your kids and knowing the names of your kids and their teacher and which class they are in.

We aren't living in some Utopia where bad things never happen to children, excuse those of us who are just doing are best to watch out for our kids.

[Anonymous]

This is so funny. I am a current parent of a knidergartner and was about to skip open house because I thought it was for new "incoming" parents and kids!!! Nobody ever explained to me what open house is, all I got was the note on the calendar saying when open house is going to happen. I'm glad I decided to google it and ended up on this site (as I looked into our school's website beforehand and all I saw was, again, the words Open House on the calendar. No explanation...)

[Anonymous]

As an add on to the angry parents about open house... Things change when you get in college... Open house is when you will send in kids that ARE NOT in college yet. For the ones that are in college, that's an orientation (even if it does not have a structure time and you just pop in and out of rooms as needed to collect the info you want). Just a friendly heads up