Poor Communication from New School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. First grade. Scared to say what school now since everyone seems hell bent on attacking me. I obviously made the wrong school choice.

OP, definitely don't out the school on this thread. However, pick up the phone or send an email to the school about information for the upcoming school year. If your kid is starting first, host a park play date the 2nd week of school. Don't stress. Your kid will be fine. Don't jump to the conclusion that it's the wrong school; that's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. First grade. Scared to say what school now since everyone seems hell bent on attacking me. I obviously made the wrong school choice.

OP, definitely don't out the school on this thread. However, pick up the phone or send an email to the school about information for the upcoming school year. If your kid is starting first, host a park play date the 2nd week of school. Don't stress. Your kid will be fine. Don't jump to the conclusion that it's the wrong school; that's ridiculous.

+1

[Anonymous]

OP, is first grade an entry point at your school? Just asking because it's not for many. It's often at k or PK. Some schools only take on or two students for first grade, so there may not be a formal buddy system. But, as mentioned, just contact the school if you haven't already.

[Anonymous]

OP, my kid joined a new school at a non-entry year and there was not a lot of communication before he started. Even if your school (and I can guess which one it is) does take in a small group at first grade, you may not get the huge introduction that they roll out for K. It doesn't mean they don't want you or that you won't love it when you and your family get there.

PLEASE call the admissions office and ask what's going on. Ask if there is a mentor/buddy family program. Please do not suffer in silence or make assumptions. The fact is that we are all human and it is possible that someone dropped a ball or that they wanted to give your child space to finish out the other school year and are waiting to reach out or any of a bunch of other possibilities.

Do you know anyone else at the school? You could also ask them what you should expect.

[Anonymous]

maybe it's a really small school and doesn't have a formal system set up. I agree that it makes sense to contact the school and ask for a buddy family or the class list. I would be mildly concerned if the school won't release the class list now. for heaven's sakes, it's after june 1st. if you've already signed on, they shouldn't remain so opaque. I would think families of existing kids in the class would be happy to set up a play date over the summer.

[Anonymous]

I'm still a little perplexed as to what OP wants from the school this early in the summer, not weeks after finishing the final semester.

I have two in public and one in private, and I can't imagine demanding this kind of one-on-one customer service from the private school. Is this what OP thinks she's paying for? For the school to pair her child with a buddy in June? For the school to spend the three months holding her hand to make sure Day 1 of the new school is just oh so perfect?

[Anonymous]

The entitlement and hysteria in OP is astonishing.

When people suggested that she's overreacting, she responds by saying that she obviously picked the wrong school. What a drama queen!

I'm amazed that so many people have tried to respond rationally to this ridiculous person.

[Anonymous]

15:32 is ridiculous - this is common place in private school. Buddies are set up prior to the end of the school year. It's not one on one customer service. It's commonplace, she hasn't heard from anyone, and it is completely reasonable for her to reach out to the school, and ask for the contact information of her family.

Some "buddy" families are better than others in the timing of when they contact new families. Our school tells buddy families to reach out in June and to try and set up a few gatherings over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement and hysteria in OP is astonishing.

When people suggested that she's overreacting, she responds by saying that she obviously picked the wrong school. What a drama queen!

I'm amazed that so many people have tried to respond rationally to this ridiculous person.

For $30k a year, she can have a sense of entitlement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement and hysteria in OP is astonishing.

When people suggested that she's overreacting, she responds by saying that she obviously picked the wrong school. What a drama queen!

I'm amazed that so many people have tried to respond rationally to this ridiculous person.

For $30k a year, she can have a sense of entitlement.

...but is this really why she is paying 30K a year (or more)? I thought it was for a better education, less testing, more time outside, and the slippery idea of "peer group." Not because her 6 year old can't handle a single day of feeling new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement and hysteria in OP is astonishing.

When people suggested that she's overreacting, she responds by saying that she obviously picked the wrong school. What a drama queen!

I'm amazed that so many people have tried to respond rationally to this ridiculous person.

For $30k a year, she can have a sense of entitlement.

...but is this really why she is paying 30K a year (or more)? I thought it was for a better education, less testing, more time outside, and the slippery idea of "peer group." Not because her 6 year old can't handle a single day of feeling new.

Her expectation is reasonable. What wouldn't be reasonable is stewing about it all summer without contacting the school. It's reasonable to want to feel welcomed into an environment where you're going to shell out a quarter of a million bucks before high school.

[Anonymous]

I've heard from friends at Potomac in the past that there was limited summer contact for new families. Don't know if that's changed? It doesn't seem to affect the glowing reviews from parents after school starts.

[Anonymous]

We have kids in two different privates. Have had a lot of communication from one and radio silent from the other. We were not expecting any communication until end of August so pleasantly surprised by the one school but not offended by other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entitlement and hysteria in OP is astonishing.

When people suggested that she's overreacting, she responds by saying that she obviously picked the wrong school. What a drama queen!

I'm amazed that so many people have tried to respond rationally to this ridiculous person.

For $30k a year, she can have a sense of entitlement.

No, she can't. She'd need to donate about $100,000 a year to "justify" that kind of entitlement to the school. If she is a PITA, her child might not be asked back. Remember, in private schools students are "invited back" each year. A private school can decide not to invite a family back for any reason and, being a private school, they don't even have to explain why.

For the top private schools, it's pretty easy replace a crazy family with a nicer one. So, OP, do go show off your crazies (and your sense of entitlement is crazy).

[Anonymous]

Yes, she can and so can anyone else. You are a client of the school. Not the other way around. We easily switched to another very highly sought after school when we didn't feel the original school (often mentioned on this board as outstanding) was the right fit. The original school did everything to try to keep us - requested meetings, had parent association reach out, etc. - as it should be.

We are paying full tuition for multiple children and don't feel the need to settle. Private school is a choice and if it doesn't meet our expectations, we have other options.