S/O - Avoid Focus School

[Anonymous]

W parent here again, the PP could be describing our school with the parent participation portion. Spot on from these eyes.

I think what it is that gets lost in these conversations (that don't always stay healthy conversations) is that no decent person thinks poor people are any less of a person or that the percentage of poor decent people is any less than the percentage of decent affluent people (the opposite more often than not). It is the comparison of the apples and oranges problems that the different demographics faces and bring with them. If a school is structured to handle one it might not be best suited for the others and vise versa. It is finding the right situation for your family that is the trick and different does not equal better or worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wealthier school communities get weekly teacher emails??
WHAT THE WHAT?

W parent here and we I get between 2-5 email weekly from his teacher, most general and some specific. Another couple a month form the room parents and class social organizer. We do have large classes though that have only gotten bigger as the year drags on, 4 additional kids have been added. I have always wondered, are there as many after school enrichment classes at focus schools. The list of STEM, art, sports and extracurricular classes such as acting, dance and magic classes which take the kids up to 4:45 to assist with work timing hosted by the school is impressive. I assume those are county wide but curious. The PTA resources are obviously going to be different but that seems to help the school budget more than a tanagible benefit per kid.

If anybody has a question about a non-focus supposedly wealthy school and would like an honest answer fell free. I have been curious what it would have been like if we had stayed in Takoma Park. I am curious have they handle the gap between ESOL and English kids.

I'd be interested in knowing more about patent participation. Are there are wide variety of parents who volunteer or do you find it to be the same group of parents in each class? We are at a Focus school and (understandably) it's the parents that are more middle class who can take off work to go on field trips or help with class parties. There are about 1/3 of the parents in any given class that I have never met because they are unable to/choose not to attend school events. I wonder if you get more widespread parent participation at a wealthier school.

I'm a teacher who works in a Focus school whose child attends a by-comparison wealthier school (non W). I can only compare these two schools but here are the major differences that I see:

Focus school:
very few parent volunteers although parents are very welcome to volunteer in whatever capacity they choose. There are a few who have standing weekly volunteer schedules, but they are mostly K parents.
You tend to see the same parents over and over at school events even though events are planned at different times of day to allow more people to attend (some before school, some in the afternoons & some in the evenings)
PTA is small but does as much as they can with the resources they have. Frequent fundraisers which are sparsely attended, and the majority of attendees are school staff. PTA is very hard working and organized.
Very little parent response to requests to send in materials for class parties or projects. Most end up being completely teacher funded.
Some classes may have zero parents volunteer to chaperone field trips. Other school staff are pulled from their regular duties to go on field trips
Teachers spend their own money to buy anything besides the basic supplies that must be ordered from the warehouse at the end of each year for the following year. If a new classroom is added after the order is made then everyone on staff is asked to contribute some of their supplies so that the new teacher has supplies.
Any "extra" events like Muffins for Moms/Donuts for Dads are planned by school staff. Some years PTA has money to buy food for it and others the staff are asked to cater it.
Staff are frequently asked to donate money or items for things like raffle prizes for PBIS
No "extra" subscriptions to programs that aren't provided by the county. My friend at a wealthier school gives me her login info.
Teachers spend a lot of extra hours laminating/cutting/copying/making bulletin boards/making class resources etc.
Maybe one assembly from an outside vendor per year



Comparatively wealthier non-Focus school:
so many parent volunteers to chaperone field trips that teachers pull names out of a hat so that non-chosen parents can't get upset
extremely large and active PTA with sub-committees--"many hands make light work"
many large and well-attended PTA sponsored events with extras like a DJ
PTA gifts teachers with extra money to spend on non-essentials
PTA can buy staff subscriptions to programs like Read Naturally, Reading A-Z & BrainPop Jr.
well-attended "extra" events like Grandparents Day that are planned by PTA committees
room parents who plan and implement class parties
class parties and projects are 100% funded by parent donations
super fast parent response to teacher supply requests---if the teacher emails that they are running low on tissues then immediately parents respond that they'll send some in tomorrow
a rotation of parent volunteers to do tasks like: cut out laminating, staple packets, take down/put up bulletin board paper, make copies, make sight word key rings etc.
parent volunteers to help at lunch and recess
lots of assemblies throughout the year


As I said, this is a sample size of two schools. The comparatively wealthier school isn't in an area of MoCo that's popular with DCUM. These two schools are 4 miles from each other. Not all Focus schools are created equally and a lot depends on the principal. The principal at the school where I work is really only concerned about data and making sure that they look good to their boss. Very self-promoting and not tuned in to the day to day operations. Not really a forward thinker either and doesn't try to think outside the box. Doesn't see how providing students with more experiences like assemblies can help them make connections to what they're learning in class. The principal also stopped all events that aren't directly related to academics, like Field Day. Kids need an opportunity to have fun and see staff in a different light. It helps build relationships and helps kids associate school with things besides just academics. I think the school could make huge strides with a different leader. But that's not either here nor there...

I think there are a lot of benefits to Focus schools and the reduced class size in the primary grades is great. Students learn best when teachers are in a good mood. Teachers at my kid's school are in a good mood because they're supported by admin, parents and the community. I can't say the same for teachers at the school where I work. The stress is higher and teachers are asked to give more and more of their time, money and energy. I wouldn't say to avoid Focus schools--like you would for anything, do your research on the specific school. Go to the school and sense the vibe. Do kids and staff look happy or tense when they're walking in the hallway? For me that would be the most important factor.

This is spot on and accurately reflects my experiences as well. I wonder if we work at the same school, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wealthier school communities get weekly teacher emails??
WHAT THE WHAT?

W parent here and we I get between 2-5 email weekly from his teacher, most general and some specific. Another couple a month form the room parents and class social organizer. We do have large classes though that have only gotten bigger as the year drags on, 4 additional kids have been added. I have always wondered, are there as many after school enrichment classes at focus schools. The list of STEM, art, sports and extracurricular classes such as acting, dance and magic classes which take the kids up to 4:45 to assist with work timing hosted by the school is impressive. I assume those are county wide but curious. The PTA resources are obviously going to be different but that seems to help the school budget more than a tanagible benefit per kid.

If anybody has a question about a non-focus supposedly wealthy school and would like an honest answer fell free. I have been curious what it would have been like if we had stayed in Takoma Park. I am curious have they handle the gap between ESOL and English kids.

I'd be interested in knowing more about patent participation. Are there are wide variety of parents who volunteer or do you find it to be the same group of parents in each class? We are at a Focus school and (understandably) it's the parents that are more middle class who can take off work to go on field trips or help with class parties. There are about 1/3 of the parents in any given class that I have never met because they are unable to/choose not to attend school events. I wonder if you get more widespread parent participation at a wealthier school.

I'm a teacher who works in a Focus school whose child attends a by-comparison wealthier school (non W). I can only compare these two schools but here are the major differences that I see:

Focus school:
very few parent volunteers although parents are very welcome to volunteer in whatever capacity they choose. There are a few who have standing weekly volunteer schedules, but they are mostly K parents.
You tend to see the same parents over and over at school events even though events are planned at different times of day to allow more people to attend (some before school, some in the afternoons & some in the evenings)
PTA is small but does as much as they can with the resources they have. Frequent fundraisers which are sparsely attended, and the majority of attendees are school staff. PTA is very hard working and organized.
Very little parent response to requests to send in materials for class parties or projects. Most end up being completely teacher funded.
Some classes may have zero parents volunteer to chaperone field trips. Other school staff are pulled from their regular duties to go on field trips
Teachers spend their own money to buy anything besides the basic supplies that must be ordered from the warehouse at the end of each year for the following year. If a new classroom is added after the order is made then everyone on staff is asked to contribute some of their supplies so that the new teacher has supplies.
Any "extra" events like Muffins for Moms/Donuts for Dads are planned by school staff. Some years PTA has money to buy food for it and others the staff are asked to cater it.
Staff are frequently asked to donate money or items for things like raffle prizes for PBIS
No "extra" subscriptions to programs that aren't provided by the county. My friend at a wealthier school gives me her login info.
Teachers spend a lot of extra hours laminating/cutting/copying/making bulletin boards/making class resources etc.
Maybe one assembly from an outside vendor per year



Comparatively wealthier non-Focus school:
so many parent volunteers to chaperone field trips that teachers pull names out of a hat so that non-chosen parents can't get upset
extremely large and active PTA with sub-committees--"many hands make light work"
many large and well-attended PTA sponsored events with extras like a DJ
PTA gifts teachers with extra money to spend on non-essentials
PTA can buy staff subscriptions to programs like Read Naturally, Reading A-Z & BrainPop Jr.
well-attended "extra" events like Grandparents Day that are planned by PTA committees
room parents who plan and implement class parties
class parties and projects are 100% funded by parent donations
super fast parent response to teacher supply requests---if the teacher emails that they are running low on tissues then immediately parents respond that they'll send some in tomorrow
a rotation of parent volunteers to do tasks like: cut out laminating, staple packets, take down/put up bulletin board paper, make copies, make sight word key rings etc.
parent volunteers to help at lunch and recess
lots of assemblies throughout the year


As I said, this is a sample size of two schools. The comparatively wealthier school isn't in an area of MoCo that's popular with DCUM. These two schools are 4 miles from each other. Not all Focus schools are created equally and a lot depends on the principal. The principal at the school where I work is really only concerned about data and making sure that they look good to their boss. Very self-promoting and not tuned in to the day to day operations. Not really a forward thinker either and doesn't try to think outside the box. Doesn't see how providing students with more experiences like assemblies can help them make connections to what they're learning in class. The principal also stopped all events that aren't directly related to academics, like Field Day. Kids need an opportunity to have fun and see staff in a different light. It helps build relationships and helps kids associate school with things besides just academics. I think the school could make huge strides with a different leader. But that's not either here nor there...

I think there are a lot of benefits to Focus schools and the reduced class size in the primary grades is great. Students learn best when teachers are in a good mood. Teachers at my kid's school are in a good mood because they're supported by admin, parents and the community. I can't say the same for teachers at the school where I work. The stress is higher and teachers are asked to give more and more of their time, money and energy. I wouldn't say to avoid Focus schools--like you would for anything, do your research on the specific school. Go to the school and sense the vibe. Do kids and staff look happy or tense when they're walking in the hallway? For me that would be the most important factor.

I'm the 21:55 poster and your post accurately describes much of what I would say I dislike about our Focus Achool.

I have become friendly with several of my kids' teachers over the years and one of their frustrations is that often times, for parent-teacher conferences, parents just don't show up (after they have already prepped for them) or they come late or they don't speak English (which is fine, but it's not always feasible to have someone on hand to translate if it's not at the appointed time).

Thank you for this discussion, BTW.

[Anonymous]

PP again, I'll add that at our Focus School, the teachers definitely have to pay for the prizes for the PBIS. I know that to be the case for certain.

At our Focus School, no programs like Read Naturally, Reading A-Z or typing. That is a huge beef of mine. At my friends' schools, the kids can practice typing in 'Typing Centers' but we have never ever had access to a Typing Program through the school.

[Anonymous]

Our focus school isn't hurting for parent volunteers. PTA similarly has lots of involved parents and a dozen different committee which at least to me tend toward a bit silly...

[Anonymous]

My child goes to a focus school. I think a lot of interesting insight has already been covered. One point I want to touch on is the trouble we have in reaching out to other families. There is no school directory. They tried to do one last year and we were the only people who submitted contact information for the class. So for example birthday party invitations are a logistical challenge. I want to set up play dates for my child with his friends but I have run into a couple problems. One is that some of the parents don't seem receptive to them and the other issue is the awkwardness of having an initial conversation with another parent about things such as (no violent movies with curse words and do you have a gun and if so is it unloaded and locked up)

I had to tell my child that he couldn't go to someone's house because they wanted to watch The Purge which is a horror movie. My son is 6!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wealthier school communities get weekly teacher emails??
WHAT THE WHAT?

W parent here and we I get between 2-5 email weekly from his teacher, most general and some specific. Another couple a month form the room parents and class social organizer. We do have large classes though that have only gotten bigger as the year drags on, 4 additional kids have been added. I have always wondered, are there as many after school enrichment classes at focus schools. The list of STEM, art, sports and extracurricular classes such as acting, dance and magic classes which take the kids up to 4:45 to assist with work timing hosted by the school is impressive. I assume those are county wide but curious. The PTA resources are obviously going to be different but that seems to help the school budget more than a tanagible benefit per kid.

If anybody has a question about a non-focus supposedly wealthy school and would like an honest answer fell free. I have been curious what it would have been like if we had stayed in Takoma Park. I am curious have they handle the gap between ESOL and English kids.

I'd be interested in knowing more about patent participation. Are there are wide variety of parents who volunteer or do you find it to be the same group of parents in each class? We are at a Focus school and (understandably) it's the parents that are more middle class who can take off work to go on field trips or help with class parties. There are about 1/3 of the parents in any given class that I have never met because they are unable to/choose not to attend school events. I wonder if you get more widespread parent participation at a wealthier school.

I'm a teacher who works in a Focus school whose child attends a by-comparison wealthier school (non W). I can only compare these two schools but here are the major differences that I see:

Focus school:
very few parent volunteers although parents are very welcome to volunteer in whatever capacity they choose. There are a few who have standing weekly volunteer schedules, but they are mostly K parents.
You tend to see the same parents over and over at school events even though events are planned at different times of day to allow more people to attend (some before school, some in the afternoons & some in the evenings)
PTA is small but does as much as they can with the resources they have. Frequent fundraisers which are sparsely attended, and the majority of attendees are school staff. PTA is very hard working and organized.
Very little parent response to requests to send in materials for class parties or projects. Most end up being completely teacher funded.
Some classes may have zero parents volunteer to chaperone field trips. Other school staff are pulled from their regular duties to go on field trips
Teachers spend their own money to buy anything besides the basic supplies that must be ordered from the warehouse at the end of each year for the following year. If a new classroom is added after the order is made then everyone on staff is asked to contribute some of their supplies so that the new teacher has supplies.
Any "extra" events like Muffins for Moms/Donuts for Dads are planned by school staff. Some years PTA has money to buy food for it and others the staff are asked to cater it.
Staff are frequently asked to donate money or items for things like raffle prizes for PBIS
No "extra" subscriptions to programs that aren't provided by the county. My friend at a wealthier school gives me her login info.
Teachers spend a lot of extra hours laminating/cutting/copying/making bulletin boards/making class resources etc.
Maybe one assembly from an outside vendor per year



Comparatively wealthier non-Focus school:
so many parent volunteers to chaperone field trips that teachers pull names out of a hat so that non-chosen parents can't get upset
extremely large and active PTA with sub-committees--"many hands make light work"
many large and well-attended PTA sponsored events with extras like a DJ
PTA gifts teachers with extra money to spend on non-essentials
PTA can buy staff subscriptions to programs like Read Naturally, Reading A-Z & BrainPop Jr.
well-attended "extra" events like Grandparents Day that are planned by PTA committees
room parents who plan and implement class parties
class parties and projects are 100% funded by parent donations
super fast parent response to teacher supply requests---if the teacher emails that they are running low on tissues then immediately parents respond that they'll send some in tomorrow
a rotation of parent volunteers to do tasks like: cut out laminating, staple packets, take down/put up bulletin board paper, make copies, make sight word key rings etc.
parent volunteers to help at lunch and recess
lots of assemblies throughout the year


As I said, this is a sample size of two schools. The comparatively wealthier school isn't in an area of MoCo that's popular with DCUM. These two schools are 4 miles from each other. Not all Focus schools are created equally and a lot depends on the principal. The principal at the school where I work is really only concerned about data and making sure that they look good to their boss. Very self-promoting and not tuned in to the day to day operations. Not really a forward thinker either and doesn't try to think outside the box. Doesn't see how providing students with more experiences like assemblies can help them make connections to what they're learning in class. The principal also stopped all events that aren't directly related to academics, like Field Day. Kids need an opportunity to have fun and see staff in a different light. It helps build relationships and helps kids associate school with things besides just academics. I think the school could make huge strides with a different leader. But that's not either here nor there...

I think there are a lot of benefits to Focus schools and the reduced class size in the primary grades is great. Students learn best when teachers are in a good mood. Teachers at my kid's school are in a good mood because they're supported by admin, parents and the community. I can't say the same for teachers at the school where I work. The stress is higher and teachers are asked to give more and more of their time, money and energy. I wouldn't say to avoid Focus schools--like you would for anything, do your research on the specific school. Go to the school and sense the vibe. Do kids and staff look happy or tense when they're walking in the hallway? For me that would be the most important factor.

I'm the 21:55 poster and your post accurately describes much of what I would say I dislike about our Focus Achool.

I have become friendly with several of my kids' teachers over the years and one of their frustrations is that often times, for parent-teacher conferences, parents just don't show up (after they have already prepped for them) or they come late or they don't speak English (which is fine, but it's not always feasible to have someone on hand to translate if it's not at the appointed time).

Thank you for this discussion, BTW.

I'm the teacher you responded to and parent conferences are a whole other ball of wax. We have a committee of teachers who meet in October and stay at school until after 9pm to schedule parent conferences. Before the meeting we send home a form to ask preferences for which day and time of day and whether an interpreter is needed. We secure our half day interpreter provided by the county months in advance, and then secure other school staff who volunteer to interpret for hours each day. When we schedule conferences, we schedule the entire school at once. We make sure we schedule parents for the date they requested and the general time they requested. We take siblings into account and schedule the sibling conferences back to back but with a 15 minute break between each conference for parents to get from one room to the other. After conference appointment forms have been sent home then any changes necessary have to be made through the office, as any one change has a domino effect on the schedule.

Conferences run from 8am to 8pm on both days. Teachers prepare for every conference, and for me the number of no shows unfortunately outnumbered the number of parents who attended this year. Of course my 7:45pm was a no show . Admin makes you hold the conference even if the parent was a no show, so then you have to spend the days following the parent conference days calling and emailing to try to schedule a make-up conference. I actually don't mind if parents come late because at least they come and if they're willing to wait a little while then it's pretty likely I'll have a no show pretty soon and we can do it in that slot as long as they don't need an interpreter.

[Anonymous]

I'm the 21:55 poster and your post accurately describes much of what I would say I dislike about our Focus Achool.

I have become friendly with several of my kids' teachers over the years and one of their frustrations is that often times, for parent-teacher conferences, parents just don't show up (after they have already prepped for them) or they come late or they don't speak English (which is fine, but it's not always feasible to have someone on hand to translate if it's not at the appointed time).

Thank you for this discussion, BTW.

I'm the teacher you responded to and parent conferences are a whole other ball of wax. We have a committee of teachers who meet in October and stay at school until after 9pm to schedule parent conferences. Before the meeting we send home a form to ask preferences for which day and time of day and whether an interpreter is needed. We secure our half day interpreter provided by the county months in advance, and then secure other school staff who volunteer to interpret for hours each day. When we schedule conferences, we schedule the entire school at once. We make sure we schedule parents for the date they requested and the general time they requested. We take siblings into account and schedule the sibling conferences back to back but with a 15 minute break between each conference for parents to get from one room to the other. After conference appointment forms have been sent home then any changes necessary have to be made through the office, as any one change has a domino effect on the schedule.

Conferences run from 8am to 8pm on both days. Teachers prepare for every conference, and for me the number of no shows unfortunately outnumbered the number of parents who attended this year. Of course my 7:45pm was a no show . Admin makes you hold the conference even if the parent was a no show, so then you have to spend the days following the parent conference days calling and emailing to try to schedule a make-up conference. I actually don't mind if parents come late because at least they come and if they're willing to wait a little while then it's pretty likely I'll have a no show pretty soon and we can do it in that slot as long as they don't need an interpreter.




We canceled our conference and rescheduled. Teacher canceled the rescheduled one and said there was no need to have one. Every school is very different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child goes to a focus school. I think a lot of interesting insight has already been covered. One point I want to touch on is the trouble we have in reaching out to other families. There is no school directory. They tried to do one last year and we were the only people who submitted contact information for the class. So for example birthday party invitations are a logistical challenge. I want to set up play dates for my child with his friends but I have run into a couple problems. One is that some of the parents don't seem receptive to them and the other issue is the awkwardness of having an initial conversation with another parent about things such as (no violent movies with curse words and do you have a gun and if so is it unloaded and locked up)

I had to tell my child that he couldn't go to someone's house because they wanted to watch The Purge which is a horror movie. My son is 6!

This is interesting because we've had similar issues! In first grade, DS wanted to go over to a friends' house to watch Fast and Furious 7 (or one of those?). The kid had already watched it a few times with his dad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child goes to a focus school. I think a lot of interesting insight has already been covered. One point I want to touch on is the trouble we have in reaching out to other families. There is no school directory. They tried to do one last year and we were the only people who submitted contact information for the class. So for example birthday party invitations are a logistical challenge. I want to set up play dates for my child with his friends but I have run into a couple problems. One is that some of the parents don't seem receptive to them and the other issue is the awkwardness of having an initial conversation with another parent about things such as (no violent movies with curse words and do you have a gun and if so is it unloaded and locked up)

I had to tell my child that he couldn't go to someone's house because they wanted to watch The Purge which is a horror movie. My son is 6!

This is interesting because we've had similar issues! In first grade, DS wanted to go over to a friends' house to watch Fast and Furious 7 (or one of those?). The kid had already watched it a few times with his dad!

I'm the PP - should have said that we are at a Focus School and we definitely do find that some parents do seem to be more lenient as far as movies/TV at a younger age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm the teacher you responded to and parent conferences are a whole other ball of wax. We have a committee of teachers who meet in October and stay at school until after 9pm to schedule parent conferences. Before the meeting we send home a form to ask preferences for which day and time of day and whether an interpreter is needed. We secure our half day interpreter provided by the county months in advance, and then secure other school staff who volunteer to interpret for hours each day. When we schedule conferences, we schedule the entire school at once. We make sure we schedule parents for the date they requested and the general time they requested. We take siblings into account and schedule the sibling conferences back to back but with a 15 minute break between each conference for parents to get from one room to the other. After conference appointment forms have been sent home then any changes necessary have to be made through the office, as any one change has a domino effect on the schedule.

Conferences run from 8am to 8pm on both days. Teachers prepare for every conference, and for me the number of no shows unfortunately outnumbered the number of parents who attended this year. Of course my 7:45pm was a no show . Admin makes you hold the conference even if the parent was a no show, so then you have to spend the days following the parent conference days calling and emailing to try to schedule a make-up conference. I actually don't mind if parents come late because at least they come and if they're willing to wait a little while then it's pretty likely I'll have a no show pretty soon and we can do it in that slot as long as they don't need an interpreter.

I work in healthcare, and anyone who works in a healthcare setting where the providers accept Medicaid understands that there is a whole series of issues that comes along with accepting these patients - high no show rate being one of the main ones. It's frustrating for us, and I can imagine it being incredibly frustrating for teachers.

It's fine if it happens occasionally, but if it happens with the majority of the parents, it starts to grate on you and affects morale.

Though, on the flip side, I also have friends who teach at wealthier schools who complain about 'entitled' parents. So, always pros and cons like another poster commented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child goes to a focus school. I think a lot of interesting insight has already been covered. One point I want to touch on is the trouble we have in reaching out to other families. There is no school directory. They tried to do one last year and we were the only people who submitted contact information for the class. So for example birthday party invitations are a logistical challenge. I want to set up play dates for my child with his friends but I have run into a couple problems. One is that some of the parents don't seem receptive to them and the other issue is the awkwardness of having an initial conversation with another parent about things such as (no violent movies with curse words and do you have a gun and if so is it unloaded and locked up)

I had to tell my child that he couldn't go to someone's house because they wanted to watch The Purge which is a horror movie. My son is 6!

A directory could be intimidating to people who are residency insecure be they poor, illegal, staying with others, not really IB or just embarrassed by a small subsadized apt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child goes to a focus school. I think a lot of interesting insight has already been covered. One point I want to touch on is the trouble we have in reaching out to other families. There is no school directory. They tried to do one last year and we were the only people who submitted contact information for the class. So for example birthday party invitations are a logistical challenge. I want to set up play dates for my child with his friends but I have run into a couple problems. One is that some of the parents don't seem receptive to them and the other issue is the awkwardness of having an initial conversation with another parent about things such as (no violent movies with curse words and do you have a gun and if so is it unloaded and locked up)

I had to tell my child that he couldn't go to someone's house because they wanted to watch The Purge which is a horror movie. My son is 6!

A directory could be intimidating to people who are residency insecure be they poor, illegal, staying with others, not really IB or just embarrassed by a small subsadized apt.

Right, nobody is blaming those people for not participating, but you can't pretend that issues like that don't have an impact on the school community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child goes to a focus school. I think a lot of interesting insight has already been covered. One point I want to touch on is the trouble we have in reaching out to other families. There is no school directory. They tried to do one last year and we were the only people who submitted contact information for the class. So for example birthday party invitations are a logistical challenge. I want to set up play dates for my child with his friends but I have run into a couple problems. One is that some of the parents don't seem receptive to them and the other issue is the awkwardness of having an initial conversation with another parent about things such as (no violent movies with curse words and do you have a gun and if so is it unloaded and locked up)

I had to tell my child that he couldn't go to someone's house because they wanted to watch The Purge which is a horror movie. My son is 6!

A directory could be intimidating to people who are residency insecure be they poor, illegal, staying with others, not really IB or just embarrassed by a small subsadized apt.

Right, nobody is blaming those people for not participating, but you can't pretend that issues like that don't have an impact on the school community.

This. It's understandable if families feel that way, but it's also understandable to realize that it leads to a vastly decreased sense of community. We are at a Focus school and have noticed the same thing. We do have a directory but about half the class each year is not in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're at a Focus school and love it. It's different than title 1 in that the poverty level isn't as high. It's socioeconomically and racially diverse and very friendly. Plenty of upper middle class families and plenty who are not. We've enjoyed having smaller class sizes. But that's just our experience with our local focus school. What school is it you aren't sure whether to send your kid to?

What is the name of your Focus school?

Flora Singer

Flora Singer has a fantastic reputation.