Reply to My child is drowning at Basis. Thoughts on mid year move?

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "My child is drowning at Basis. Thoughts on mid year move?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hi OP - do you think your child is struggling because of BASIS or because your outgoing school didn't prepare him for BASIS?  Or a combo of both?[/quote]

The Basis model fits better for highly organized students. My child is not that. We have had ADD and ADHD testing for the weakness in executive functioning skills but the diagnosis was negative. It is not an issue on paying attention, getting started or not understanding the content. That's not the difficulty. It is keeping up with the worksheets or how if you dont finish a worksheet then you cant take the test. It is having to rely on yourself to write down the homework in the CJ without being able to go to an online system like in previous years in case you lost the CJ or miswrote something. As a parent the lack of communication is tough. We have never been in a school where there werent built in parent teacher conference days in the calendar. We have also never had to try to coordinate meeting with the teacher through the front office and the teachers have diffferent parent hours on different days so for working parents trying to schedule multiple conferences it is tough. Not having a recess in addition to PE has been an adjustment as well as the lack of built in school activities. My child has always been motivated and enjoyed learning but it was also more experiential and hands on. There is no science text and DC is expected to take notes by listening to the lecture and copying drom what is on the board. I find that concept to be a higher grade skill than 5th. We would usually have met more parents to build a good social network by now but the way security is set up, you dont have those chance encounters with other parents like "hey my child is friends with yours lets try to meet up on Saturday". So I would say Basis is just not a good fit for our family. I dont think the previous school dropped the ball on preparation. [/quote]

I agree that BASIS does not fit everyone but I disagree with info given by previous poster.

In regards to the CJ, academic support does help with making sure student writes correct info in CJ.

As for not being able to take a test due to unfinished worksheet, we have never experienced that in our 5 years there. I would definitely write to the head of school and immediately complain about this and have it rectified immediately if it is true.

As for having to use CJ, I think it is an important skill for students to master and 5th grade is an important time for this. It may take time and daily reminders from you but I think in most cases it can be done and is an important life skill to be able to follow directions.

As for communication, you can email teachers any time. Plus teachers have parent and student hours every week. Yes the front desk makes the appointments but to me that is easier than trying to contact each teacher individually for an appointment so I don't get your beef at all. Plus you can call front desk and do it by phone to set up appointments. Lastly, teachers will do phone conferences upon request and will also offer to meet at different times when able. So I disagree with the communication problems that you say are happening.

As for adjusting to BASIS, yes it is hard work. I also think it is important for parents to be checking the CJ and their accordion files and handouts from every subject everyday and to be asking about the homework and class work.

As for textbooks, almost every class had recommendations for compatible textbooks in the syllabi and if not I am sure the teacher can recommend a textbook to go along with the handouts. You can often find very good used science textbooks that are a few years old used for a few bucks on abebooks.com or amazon to keep on hand for your kid. Also, the handouts have been very thorough IMO. The key is to make sure your kid does not lose them so emphasize not losing or leaving papers everywhere which is another important life skill.

This web site is one of many free websites with free textbooks online:

[url]http://www.ck12.org/?gclid=Cj0KEQiA-MPCBRCZ0q23tPGm6_8BEiQAgw_bAqkpKyNreFK1oiiabCWwLuKHZ-kLx-brp0SvnZADSuYaAt5w8P8HAQ[/url]

As for note taking. the students are typically given guided notes worksheets to fill out in class and are taught how to take notes. I would talk to specific teacher if this is an isse for helpful hints.

As for activities and gym, all 5th and 6th grade students take gym and thereafter it is an elective class. The school offers plenty of after school activities for students to find at least one activity they would like. The of course there are outside activities.

As for meeting parents, I have met other parents over the years by engaging in small talk at pick up time or drop off time and by attending and volunteering at booster club meetings and other events. I think as kids get older, it will be up to them to make friends at school. Plus the city offers a ton of activities for kids outside of school.

Overall, BASIS is a lot of work and does not fit everyone. I would say however that it does take a good 6 months or longer to adjust to the school at first and is worth it to learn the organizational, note taking, and study skills whether your student stays or not. Helping your kid on daily basis to adjust will also be helpful in the long run. My kid is now very independent with his work despite a lot of hand holding the first 3 years there. Good luck with your decision:)

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics