Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park ES is our home school. It’s K-2 with like 160 students in Kindergarten. As far as I’ve been told all of them have recess at the same time with supervision from two lunchroom aides. My kid is slated to start next year and this makes me anxious as she’s shy and would really benefit from some nurturing support to make friends. We’re thinking of moving anyhow - could some of you please describe what Kindergarten recess looks like at your schools? (Number of students, is it ever the classroom teacher that covers recess?)

Thank you!

This sound like it could be harsh for socio-emotional development. My kids are in private school and in K they have lunch with their class (15 kids; one teacher’s aid). Then they have recess with the grade (30 kids, 2 aids). Teachers walk them to lunch and recess. The aids are the ones assigned to their specific classes. As part of our parent-teacher conferences they tell us who they play with and what they do at recess to help us understand their socioemotional development.

Can you move your kids to a smaller school with more supervision. In K the kids are still very little. I wouldn’t have a problem with the set up you describe for 3rd graders.

You can check with your school’s PTA to see if they organize parent volunteers to help with lunch and recess. This has been extremely helpful at RCF. Parents with flexibility (yes this is a privilege so obviously not for all!) can offer 45 minutes of their day to support their own kid and lots of others. Even just once/month is helpful. Super effective/fast way to connect your kid with other kids in a positive way. Many kids benefit from adult help with play ideas in a new playground with sooo many kids. Can easily lead to play dates outside of school which is huge for kids’ friendships.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. We’re zoned for TPES. 160 students? How many K classrooms are there and students per classroom?

I believe there are nine kindergarten classes.

Wow. We’re zoned for TPES. 160 students? How many K classrooms are there and students per classroom?

Normal and yes, its dangerous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can this possibly be safe?

Our school is also K-2 with 175 students per grade, and the outdoor area has gaps in the fencing.

If a child ran out of the fenced area into the neighborhood, how would a supervising adult even know with a 50-to-1 ratio?

This is one of my hesitations as we evaluate public vs private for our preK kids.

Teach your kid not to run outside the fence. K readiness is all about following rules and being able to do a non desired activity for 15 minutes at a time. Recess is 30 minutes and then they assemble the classes to go back in.

+1. I would also encourage your kid to speak up if they get hurt, because the aides can't see everything that is happening. One kid in DC's class got a concussion during recess and it was completely missed by everyone until the end of the day when they went to aftercare.

Anonymous wrote:How can this possibly be safe?

Our school is also K-2 with 175 students per grade, and the outdoor area has gaps in the fencing.

If a child ran out of the fenced area into the neighborhood, how would a supervising adult even know with a 50-to-1 ratio?

This is one of my hesitations as we evaluate public vs private for our preK kids.

Teach your kid not to run outside the fence. K readiness is all about following rules and being able to do a non desired activity for 15 minutes at a time. Recess is 30 minutes and then they assemble the classes to go back in.

Our kids were at Highland View for kindergarten which has a separate kindergarten playground. I have no idea how common that is.

Starting in first grade it was basically as you describe, though I never asked how many aides were out there.

How can this possibly be safe?

Our school is also K-2 with 175 students per grade, and the outdoor area has gaps in the fencing.

If a child ran out of the fenced area into the neighborhood, how would a supervising adult even know with a 50-to-1 ratio?

This is one of my hesitations as we evaluate public vs private for our preK kids.

At my children’s school there are about 100 kids per grade and two grades have recess at the same time, so this is pretty good. You can help a lot with friends at this age by setting up play dates. Be on the lookout for any connections and ask the teacher to help you identify candidates for friends after the first week or two. It will be fine!

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park ES is our home school. It’s K-2 with like 160 students in Kindergarten. As far as I’ve been told all of them have recess at the same time with supervision from two lunchroom aides. My kid is slated to start next year and this makes me anxious as she’s shy and would really benefit from some nurturing support to make friends. We’re thinking of moving anyhow - could some of you please describe what Kindergarten recess looks like at your schools? (Number of students, is it ever the classroom teacher that covers recess?)

Thank you!

There is an aide assigned for every 50 kids. So with 160, there should be 4 aides running recess.

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park ES is our home school. It’s K-2 with like 160 students in Kindergarten. As far as I’ve been told all of them have recess at the same time with supervision from two lunchroom aides. My kid is slated to start next year and this makes me anxious as she’s shy and would really benefit from some nurturing support to make friends. We’re thinking of moving anyhow - could some of you please describe what Kindergarten recess looks like at your schools? (Number of students, is it ever the classroom teacher that covers recess?)

Thank you!

I was a paraeducator and lunch and recess aide for seven years - recess coverage is generally done by paras and lunch/recess aides. Your child's lunch and recess are not covered by your child's teacher - it's a duty-free part of their day under their contract, though at the beginning of the school year some schools do have K teachers spend a little time at lunch helping them get into the routine. The number of people covering lunch and recess is going to vary by school and the number of kids - two is the lowest I've seen, with three or four being more common. If you are looking for support making friends, reaching out to the school counselor for help with lunch bunches and friendship groups is a good idea.

Recess is similar in most if not all MCPS. If your child can’t handle that maybe you can get her in a lunch bunch with the school counselor.

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park ES is our home school. It’s K-2 with like 160 students in Kindergarten. As far as I’ve been told all of them have recess at the same time with supervision from two lunchroom aides. My kid is slated to start next year and this makes me anxious as she’s shy and would really benefit from some nurturing support to make friends. We’re thinking of moving anyhow - could some of you please describe what Kindergarten recess looks like at your schools? (Number of students, is it ever the classroom teacher that covers recess?)

Thank you!

No classroom teachers, they need their own lunch and break time and some plan during that time.

Takoma Park ES is our home school. It’s K-2 with like 160 students in Kindergarten. As far as I’ve been told all of them have recess at the same time with supervision from two lunchroom aides. My kid is slated to start next year and this makes me anxious as she’s shy and would really benefit from some nurturing support to make friends. We’re thinking of moving anyhow - could some of you please describe what Kindergarten recess looks like at your schools? (Number of students, is it ever the classroom teacher that covers recess?)

Thank you!