Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send lunch! No five year old know how to navigate the chaos of lunch lines. Everyone knows this, what's wrong with you?

The teachers and lunch ladies are there to help the first week. Everyone I talked to encouraged me to have DD buy lunch at least once the first week of school while there were people available to help. She did, without issues.

Now I'm conflicted (I'm a NP). I also have a kid starting K soon. I was going to have her buy lunch at first, since I assumed there'd be more help the first few days. I want her to learn to navigate the line and how it all works since I'd prefer she buy than me pack lunch. But now this thread has me thinking I need to pack her lunch! Her school is big (5 or 6 classes a grade) and I'm not sure if they are alone or with other classes when they eat....

PP parent of high schoolers here and many time lunchroom volunteer. There will always be someone to help in the lunch line. But I think it’s less stressful for the kids to bring lunch the first couple of weeks because they sit down immediately rather than trying to find their table and a place to sit after going through the buy line. Most of the kids are already sitting at this point. The lunch room is chaotic and loud and multiple grades eat at the same time or overlap a bit. Let your kid get familiar with their surroundings, make a buddy or two and then have them buy. Even if you don’t do this, rest assured it will all be fine. They will figure it out no matter what they do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send lunch! No five year old know how to navigate the chaos of lunch lines. Everyone knows this, what's wrong with you?

The teachers and lunch ladies are there to help the first week. Everyone I talked to encouraged me to have DD buy lunch at least once the first week of school while there were people available to help. She did, without issues.

Now I'm conflicted (I'm a NP). I also have a kid starting K soon. I was going to have her buy lunch at first, since I assumed there'd be more help the first few days. I want her to learn to navigate the line and how it all works since I'd prefer she buy than me pack lunch. But now this thread has me thinking I need to pack her lunch! Her school is big (5 or 6 classes a grade) and I'm not sure if they are alone or with other classes when they eat....

Our ES recommends that the Ks bring lunch for the first 2 weeks. Also don’t stress about the not eating lunch thing for a while. There are many new things to absorb for these littles and they get easily distracted. School personnel don't have much tolerance for stragglers once lunch period ends so the kids will quickly adjust to the need to eat rather efficiently. You can also help them and the cafeteria volunteers by teaching your kid how to open the various containers in their lunch. As a parent volunteer I was always amazed at the number of kids who just didn’t know how to do any of this basic stuff. Like at all. I guess parents always did it for them. They need to have some independence and they also won’t have to wait until a volunteer comes and opens the thing for them.

Finally, a word to the wise from a parent of high schoolers. Pick your battles/issues with the school carefully and try not to helicopter parent. This one doesn’t rise to the level of a special phone call. You have a long road ahead of you and the sooner you learn to let go a bit, the less stress both you and your kiddo will have.

This goes back to the "First Kid in Kindergarten" thread. The MOST important thing you can do to prepare your child for Kindergarten is teach them that it's OK to ask for help, and even to role play situations that they may find themselves in.

Email the teacher!

OP- did you ever find out what happened or get it straightened out?

You might be surprised at what kindergartens don’t know how to do at first. My first kid cried at lunch the first day because he got food fine but then didn’t know at which table to sit.
He also went the whole school day without using the bathroom for the first week or so because in preschool they had a set time everyone went, and in K they were always doing something , and he didn’t feel like he was supposed to miss anything to go.
Now I know to talk to my second kid (about to start K) about this stuff in advance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send lunch! No five year old know how to navigate the chaos of lunch lines. Everyone knows this, what's wrong with you?

You’re joking, right? The line is not chaotic. Usually K is in there alone. Both the teacher and aide help them in the line. My kids both have either have bought lunch on the first day or in the first week with no problems!

Every school is different. In my daughter's school, there are multiple grades in the cafeteria at once. In an 800+ child school with 4-5 classes of each grade, there kind of has to be. They try to stagger everyone by 15 minutes so the lunch line isn't packed at all once and that works pretty well.

Anonymous wrote:Send lunch! No five year old know how to navigate the chaos of lunch lines. Everyone knows this, what's wrong with you?

The teachers and lunch ladies are there to help the first week. Everyone I talked to encouraged me to have DD buy lunch at least once the first week of school while there were people available to help. She did, without issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please stop trying to make “kinder” happen. It’s kindergarten.

So not typing out "daughter" like a normal person is fine, but "kindergarten" can't be shortened??

DP. You can say K or kindergarten, but not kinder. You can say DD or daughter but not daught (just kidding, I don’t actually care what you say).

Anonymous wrote:Send lunch! No five year old know how to navigate the chaos of lunch lines. Everyone knows this, what's wrong with you?

NP. Wow, you're choosing to be awful. This is a parenting forum, and the whole point is to ask for advice, share information, and (ideally) provide some support. You're doing none of that, so either change your attitude, or ease on down the road.

OP, it's fine. Elementary school is a whole new ball game, and there's a lot to learn, remember, think through, and prepare for. Just pack for now; you've gotten some good strategies here. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:Please stop trying to make “kinder” happen. It’s kindergarten.

So not typing out "daughter" like a normal person is fine, but "kindergarten" can't be shortened??

Anonymous wrote:Do you truly believe that school let your 5 year old go without lunch? I see a long road ahead for you...

My DC experienced the same thing and missed lunch so I understand OP. No need for nasty comments.

Anonymous wrote:Send lunch! No five year old know how to navigate the chaos of lunch lines. Everyone knows this, what's wrong with you?

You’re joking, right? The line is not chaotic. Usually K is in there alone. Both the teacher and aide help them in the line. My kids both have either have bought lunch on the first day or in the first week with no problems!

Teacher here. Send an email to the teacher explaining what your daughter said and that you just want clarification. Every school operates differently. At my school, kindergarten is the first to eat. They get called tables once in the cafeteria (so yes, she could have missed her turn and no one noticed). When people say the line is chaotic, it’s typically not so for kindergarten as they are the only ones in the cafeteria during that time. They do not need to know how to navigate, as aides help them. I’m sure it was a crazy first day but you don’t want this to continue to happen so send a quick email

Please stop trying to make “kinder” happen. It’s kindergarten.