Anonymous
12/01/2023 13:58
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Public elementary schools don’t separate kids by ability anymore, so the bright ones just hang out while all the others are caught up. If your kid is doing well, who cares if they miss a few weeks? They’re probably ahead because you read to them at home anyway. It’s not that hard to figure out how to keep things going while you’re away.
I am the poster who keeps talking about Core Knowledge and I am sorry to keep talking about it, but i have to say that this is no longer the case. ELA in elementary school isn't just about "reading skills" anymore, and schools now have a real social studies component. It isn't hard to learn the material, but there is material to be learned. Kids have to write things about things like Ancient Rome and astronomy and Treasure Island, in a way that they can't do without knowing the material. For the first time in a long time, a bright kid who misses a lot of school will actually be a tad behind. I won't pretend that APS is some kind of bastion of quality education but it has improved in terms of cirricula in elementary school.
And one of the reasons I loved core knowledge so much is that *I* learned a lot. I had so much fun learning the material along with my son, and I think a lot of other parents would feel the same way. If OP is going to be keeping her kid away from school this long (which she should because the trip sounds awesome) and is going to read to her child anyway, she might as well choose things her child would have been reading at school. Assuming her child is into it.
History, geography, literature, science, etc can be taught in many ways — not just Core Knowledge. While I think the CK curriculum is an improvement over what was previously used (meaning, no curriculum at all), it isn’t perfect. An elderly white man has chosen what IS and is NOT included in the sequence. That’s not entirely positive.
I didn’t mean the child should just read fun books. But reading and writing instruction isn’t really that hard to provide — whether you use CK or not.
I disagree. It is hard to provide, at least if you're talking about *good* reading and writing instruction. I won't get into everything it takes, but just look at how often it is done poorly, even by intelligent and well-resourced individuals and organizations. And we did have a curriculum before, it just sucked, even though people tried hard to make it work.
But the main reason I think that OP should choose core knowledge if she is going to read something academic with her kid is that her child is doing it in school already. Again, her child will be behind when she comes back if she chooses different topics. Perhaps OP doesn't want to read about Mesopotamia and Egypt with her daughter because of lack of interest or a dislike of Ed Hirsch, in which case she should pick something else. But all else being equal, I would just do what the kid will be missing in class.
Providing reading/writing/math instruction is difficult when you have a classroom of 25-30 kids. One-on-one tutoring with a solid curriculum? Not at all.
Sure, use CK, but understand it’s not some holy grail. There are many other options out there that are just as good or better.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 12:50
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Public elementary schools don’t separate kids by ability anymore, so the bright ones just hang out while all the others are caught up. If your kid is doing well, who cares if they miss a few weeks? They’re probably ahead because you read to them at home anyway. It’s not that hard to figure out how to keep things going while you’re away.
I am the poster who keeps talking about Core Knowledge and I am sorry to keep talking about it, but i have to say that this is no longer the case. ELA in elementary school isn't just about "reading skills" anymore, and schools now have a real social studies component. It isn't hard to learn the material, but there is material to be learned. Kids have to write things about things like Ancient Rome and astronomy and Treasure Island, in a way that they can't do without knowing the material. For the first time in a long time, a bright kid who misses a lot of school will actually be a tad behind. I won't pretend that APS is some kind of bastion of quality education but it has improved in terms of cirricula in elementary school.
And one of the reasons I loved core knowledge so much is that *I* learned a lot. I had so much fun learning the material along with my son, and I think a lot of other parents would feel the same way. If OP is going to be keeping her kid away from school this long (which she should because the trip sounds awesome) and is going to read to her child anyway, she might as well choose things her child would have been reading at school. Assuming her child is into it.
History, geography, literature, science, etc can be taught in many ways — not just Core Knowledge. While I think the CK curriculum is an improvement over what was previously used (meaning, no curriculum at all), it isn’t perfect. An elderly white man has chosen what IS and is NOT included in the sequence. That’s not entirely positive.
I didn’t mean the child should just read fun books. But reading and writing instruction isn’t really that hard to provide — whether you use CK or not.
I disagree. It is hard to provide, at least if you're talking about *good* reading and writing instruction. I won't get into everything it takes, but just look at how often it is done poorly, even by intelligent and well-resourced individuals and organizations. And we did have a curriculum before, it just sucked, even though people tried hard to make it work.
But the main reason I think that OP should choose core knowledge if she is going to read something academic with her kid is that her child is doing it in school already. Again, her child will be behind when she comes back if she chooses different topics. Perhaps OP doesn't want to read about Mesopotamia and Egypt with her daughter because of lack of interest or a dislike of Ed Hirsch, in which case she should pick something else. But all else being equal, I would just do what the kid will be missing in class.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 12:27
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Public elementary schools don’t separate kids by ability anymore, so the bright ones just hang out while all the others are caught up. If your kid is doing well, who cares if they miss a few weeks? They’re probably ahead because you read to them at home anyway. It’s not that hard to figure out how to keep things going while you’re away.
I am the poster who keeps talking about Core Knowledge and I am sorry to keep talking about it, but i have to say that this is no longer the case. ELA in elementary school isn't just about "reading skills" anymore, and schools now have a real social studies component. It isn't hard to learn the material, but there is material to be learned. Kids have to write things about things like Ancient Rome and astronomy and Treasure Island, in a way that they can't do without knowing the material. For the first time in a long time, a bright kid who misses a lot of school will actually be a tad behind. I won't pretend that APS is some kind of bastion of quality education but it has improved in terms of cirricula in elementary school.
And one of the reasons I loved core knowledge so much is that *I* learned a lot. I had so much fun learning the material along with my son, and I think a lot of other parents would feel the same way. If OP is going to be keeping her kid away from school this long (which she should because the trip sounds awesome) and is going to read to her child anyway, she might as well choose things her child would have been reading at school. Assuming her child is into it.
History, geography, literature, science, etc can be taught in many ways — not just Core Knowledge. While I think the CK curriculum is an improvement over what was previously used (meaning, no curriculum at all), it isn’t perfect. An elderly white man has chosen what IS and is NOT included in the sequence. That’s not entirely positive.
I didn’t mean the child should just read fun books. But reading and writing instruction isn’t really that hard to provide — whether you use CK or not.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 10:54
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Public elementary schools don’t separate kids by ability anymore, so the bright ones just hang out while all the others are caught up. If your kid is doing well, who cares if they miss a few weeks? They’re probably ahead because you read to them at home anyway. It’s not that hard to figure out how to keep things going while you’re away.
I am the poster who keeps talking about Core Knowledge and I am sorry to keep talking about it, but i have to say that this is no longer the case. ELA in elementary school isn't just about "reading skills" anymore, and schools now have a real social studies component. It isn't hard to learn the material, but there is material to be learned. Kids have to write things about things like Ancient Rome and astronomy and Treasure Island, in a way that they can't do without knowing the material. For the first time in a long time, a bright kid who misses a lot of school will actually be a tad behind. I won't pretend that APS is some kind of bastion of quality education but it has improved in terms of cirricula in elementary school.
And one of the reasons I loved core knowledge so much is that *I* learned a lot. I had so much fun learning the material along with my son, and I think a lot of other parents would feel the same way. If OP is going to be keeping her kid away from school this long (which she should because the trip sounds awesome) and is going to read to her child anyway, she might as well choose things her child would have been reading at school. Assuming her child is into it.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 10:47
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:It’s sent because after 15 school days of not attending your child is automatically unenrolled and you have to re-enroll them.
-teacher
And it is automatic too - there isn't any way to prevent it from happening in the system. My DD was hospitalized for two months last year, and it was all approved for her to keep up with classwork remotely, all the way to the county level with attendance looped in - and she still got automatically unenrolled after 15 school days. Her canvas and studentvue accounts completely disappeared - thankfully all came back online without any data loss when we got it sorted out.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 10:44
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:FYI - pulling your kids to homeschool for a period of time and then re-enrolling them is perfectly legal. You don’t need their permission, just a letter of intent to homeschool. And they can’t stop you from re-enrolling when you want to.
You need more than a letter of intent. You need your transcript, list of subjects you plan to teach, and the letter of intent, and then of course you have to send it in. And to re-enroll obviously you need all those documents, proof of residency, etc. I'd rather go to court and explain that I wanted my kid to see their grandma. Not that that will happen, obviously.
Your transcript and a list of subjects takes about 5 minutes to gather.
Just saying it can be done. Want to take a two month vacation? Voila! (I *would* recommend providing instruction — aka actually homeschooling — in that case. Good news is it takes very little time to cover what’s done in a public elementary! Then the rest of the day is yours. 😎)
This cavalier attitude towards foundational education really explains the abysmal attendance and test scores we are seeing persist after the return to buildings.
NP here
Meh. The schools told us for over a year that kid's education wasn't as important as adults having access to alcohol. As far as I'm concerned, schools have no right to an opinion on school attendance as long as the kid's parents are ok with it.
-my youngest is now a high school senior and I'm so glad to be almost done with this nonsense.
This. I taught my kid to read myself because the teachers weren’t doing it. We do tons of enrichment at home (math games, museum visits, science kits…). At this point, APS is glorified babysitting and then I work with them at home.
So, YES, take the trip! So much learning can occur when you do. Just bring some school work with you. There’s tons of secular homeschool curricula out there now. It’s often better than what’s taught in schools. And you don’t have to waste your time waiting for little Johnny in the background to stop throwing the desks around and pay attention. 😉
I'm the PP who homeschooled my child for a time. I did a ton of research on cirricula settled on Core Knowledge for ELA and social studies. I was beyond delighted when APS later adopted it. If a parent wants to help their child keep up during an extended absence, they should just do what the class is doing during the absence. The student won't have to catch up at all and the materials are very high quality.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 10:44
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:FYI - pulling your kids to homeschool for a period of time and then re-enrolling them is perfectly legal. You don’t need their permission, just a letter of intent to homeschool. And they can’t stop you from re-enrolling when you want to.
You need more than a letter of intent. You need your transcript, list of subjects you plan to teach, and the letter of intent, and then of course you have to send it in. And to re-enroll obviously you need all those documents, proof of residency, etc. I'd rather go to court and explain that I wanted my kid to see their grandma. Not that that will happen, obviously.
Your transcript and a list of subjects takes about 5 minutes to gather.
Just saying it can be done. Want to take a two month vacation? Voila! (I *would* recommend providing instruction — aka actually homeschooling — in that case. Good news is it takes very little time to cover what’s done in a public elementary! Then the rest of the day is yours. 😎)
This cavalier attitude towards foundational education really explains the abysmal attendance and test scores we are seeing persist after the return to buildings.
Math and literacy scores weren’t great BEFORE Covid. What’s your excuse for that? I’ll tell you — crappy instruction!
Anonymous
12/01/2023 10:41
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Public elementary schools don’t separate kids by ability anymore, so the bright ones just hang out while all the others are caught up. If your kid is doing well, who cares if they miss a few weeks? They’re probably ahead because you read to them at home anyway. It’s not that hard to figure out how to keep things going while you’re away.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 10:38
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:FYI - pulling your kids to homeschool for a period of time and then re-enrolling them is perfectly legal. You don’t need their permission, just a letter of intent to homeschool. And they can’t stop you from re-enrolling when you want to.
You need more than a letter of intent. You need your transcript, list of subjects you plan to teach, and the letter of intent, and then of course you have to send it in. And to re-enroll obviously you need all those documents, proof of residency, etc. I'd rather go to court and explain that I wanted my kid to see their grandma. Not that that will happen, obviously.
Your transcript and a list of subjects takes about 5 minutes to gather.
Just saying it can be done. Want to take a two month vacation? Voila! (I *would* recommend providing instruction — aka actually homeschooling — in that case. Good news is it takes very little time to cover what’s done in a public elementary! Then the rest of the day is yours. 😎)
This cavalier attitude towards foundational education really explains the abysmal attendance and test scores we are seeing persist after the return to buildings.
NP here
Meh. The schools told us for over a year that kid's education wasn't as important as adults having access to alcohol. As far as I'm concerned, schools have no right to an opinion on school attendance as long as the kid's parents are ok with it.
-my youngest is now a high school senior and I'm so glad to be almost done with this nonsense.
This. I taught my kid to read myself because the teachers weren’t doing it. We do tons of enrichment at home (math games, museum visits, science kits…). At this point, APS is glorified babysitting and then I work with them at home.
So, YES, take the trip! So much learning can occur when you do. Just bring some school work with you. There’s tons of secular homeschool curricula out there now. It’s often better than what’s taught in schools. And you don’t have to waste your time waiting for little Johnny in the background to stop throwing the desks around and pay attention. 😉
Anonymous
12/01/2023 10:15
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:FYI - pulling your kids to homeschool for a period of time and then re-enrolling them is perfectly legal. You don’t need their permission, just a letter of intent to homeschool. And they can’t stop you from re-enrolling when you want to.
You need more than a letter of intent. You need your transcript, list of subjects you plan to teach, and the letter of intent, and then of course you have to send it in. And to re-enroll obviously you need all those documents, proof of residency, etc. I'd rather go to court and explain that I wanted my kid to see their grandma. Not that that will happen, obviously.
Your transcript and a list of subjects takes about 5 minutes to gather.
Just saying it can be done. Want to take a two month vacation? Voila! (I *would* recommend providing instruction — aka actually homeschooling — in that case. Good news is it takes very little time to cover what’s done in a public elementary! Then the rest of the day is yours. 😎)
This cavalier attitude towards foundational education really explains the abysmal attendance and test scores we are seeing persist after the return to buildings.
NP here
Meh. The schools told us for over a year that kid's education wasn't as important as adults having access to alcohol. As far as I'm concerned, schools have no right to an opinion on school attendance as long as the kid's parents are ok with it.
-my youngest is now a high school senior and I'm so glad to be almost done with this nonsense.
Exactly. Right w/you. On all counts.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 09:31
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It's cute when APS pretends to care about whether kids are in school or not.
Yesterdays email: Attendance is important! Every day matters! Also, we’re cancelling school on Tuesday, March 5 and have proposed many disjointed days off that you will turn into long weekends next year!
And we will close school for every religious holiday ever! And have tons of disruptive half days!
Anonymous
12/01/2023 09:09
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:FYI - pulling your kids to homeschool for a period of time and then re-enrolling them is perfectly legal. You don’t need their permission, just a letter of intent to homeschool. And they can’t stop you from re-enrolling when you want to.
You need more than a letter of intent. You need your transcript, list of subjects you plan to teach, and the letter of intent, and then of course you have to send it in. And to re-enroll obviously you need all those documents, proof of residency, etc. I'd rather go to court and explain that I wanted my kid to see their grandma. Not that that will happen, obviously.
Your transcript and a list of subjects takes about 5 minutes to gather.
Just saying it can be done. Want to take a two month vacation? Voila! (I *would* recommend providing instruction — aka actually homeschooling — in that case. Good news is it takes very little time to cover what’s done in a public elementary! Then the rest of the day is yours. 😎)
This cavalier attitude towards foundational education really explains the abysmal attendance and test scores we are seeing persist after the return to buildings.
NP here
Meh. The schools told us for over a year that kid's education wasn't as important as adults having access to alcohol. As far as I'm concerned, schools have no right to an opinion on school attendance as long as the kid's parents are ok with it.
-my youngest is now a high school senior and I'm so glad to be almost done with this nonsense.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 08:45
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:FYI - pulling your kids to homeschool for a period of time and then re-enrolling them is perfectly legal. You don’t need their permission, just a letter of intent to homeschool. And they can’t stop you from re-enrolling when you want to.
You need more than a letter of intent. You need your transcript, list of subjects you plan to teach, and the letter of intent, and then of course you have to send it in. And to re-enroll obviously you need all those documents, proof of residency, etc. I'd rather go to court and explain that I wanted my kid to see their grandma. Not that that will happen, obviously.
Your transcript and a list of subjects takes about 5 minutes to gather.
Just saying it can be done. Want to take a two month vacation? Voila! (I *would* recommend providing instruction — aka actually homeschooling — in that case. Good news is it takes very little time to cover what’s done in a public elementary! Then the rest of the day is yours. 😎)
Wow, you are fast. I had to order the transcript from my college. It was not a huge deal but not a hoop I'd jump through just to cover my butt in OP's case.
And I agree that kids who are gone for that long should do some schoolwork, but it should be what the kid is missing in school. APS has recently gotten more rigorous so it might not be as easy to catch up as you'd think. Elementary schools use the Core Knowledge curriculum for social studies, which you can find online for free. ELA is also core knowledge and you can see what the kids are doing here: https://www.apsva.us/curriculum/english-language-arts/
Math is pretty much aligned with Khan Academy, and science...I forget but science in my kids' APS school was pretty weak anyway so I wouldn't worry about that. For ELA there is now a big emphasis on writing in the content area, so if writing can be squeezed in, that would be great.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 07:25
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:FYI - pulling your kids to homeschool for a period of time and then re-enrolling them is perfectly legal. You don’t need their permission, just a letter of intent to homeschool. And they can’t stop you from re-enrolling when you want to.
You need more than a letter of intent. You need your transcript, list of subjects you plan to teach, and the letter of intent, and then of course you have to send it in. And to re-enroll obviously you need all those documents, proof of residency, etc. I'd rather go to court and explain that I wanted my kid to see their grandma. Not that that will happen, obviously.
Your transcript and a list of subjects takes about 5 minutes to gather.
Just saying it can be done. Want to take a two month vacation? Voila! (I *would* recommend providing instruction — aka actually homeschooling — in that case. Good news is it takes very little time to cover what’s done in a public elementary! Then the rest of the day is yours. 😎)
This cavalier attitude towards foundational education really explains the abysmal attendance and test scores we are seeing persist after the return to buildings.
Anonymous
12/01/2023 03:57
Subject: Extended unexcused absence in APS
It’s sent because after 15 school days of not attending your child is automatically unenrolled and you have to re-enroll them.
-teacher
-teacher