Some parents worry about where their kids will go to kindergarten this fall. Not me. When you wake up each morning staring at the bricks of an elementary school, you have no doubts about where. Especially since the three elementary schools on this island are supposedly top-knotch.
While I know where Kid will be attending, I am not sure what her hours will be. They offer half and full day, and well, take a guess what I am hoping for. Hint: it’s not half day.
Not that I am against half day, if you’re the Mary Poppins type, happily working with your child on various fun educational pursuits, rather than yelling at each other by 3pm, or someone (ahem) resorting to saying, “hey, look! over there! Spongebob is back from commercial!” before she runs in the opposite direction.
The recent kindergarten orientation speech sealed the deal for me. Consider what your child would be doing on that other half of the day. What sort of other enrichment activities he or she would be involved with in the family.
Sure, we have tons of options for violin lessons, Spanish classes, gymnastics, swimming, and basketweaving for 5 year olds, and I could possibly sign Kid up for these things (again). But please don’t make me!
So, if the number of kids (okay, parents!) wanting full day exceeds the number of teachers available, they have a drawing. That’s right! You play the odds, cross your fingers, and signal the waitress for another round as you wait for that little ball to slowly, slowly drop in a little slot at the end of April.
I’m just trying to think positively as I chant for the next three months.
She WILL be in full-day! She WILL be in full-day! She WILL be in full-day!
I feel a little guilty about it, like I am supposed to head-lock her in a tight hug during these remaining “little kid” days and sing “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” (as she squirms to get away).
But I’m STILL chanting.
It’s the BIG question around here: are you going half-day or full-day? So, which are you? Or did you?
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We went full day, there wasn’t even a half-day option. Even though she was in preschool full time, my little Unruly had a tough time adjusting to full time kindergarten.
More was expected of her, there were more kids and she had to sit and just listen more often, which isn’t really something she’s been genetically designed to do.
P.S. There is nothing at all wrong wanting some of your own time back! Really! And Kid will probably LOVE kindergarten, full or parttime.
We’re doing half-day for O. He’s tired after 2.5 hours of preschool, and I think a full school day would flatten him.
But I think Kid will DIG full day kindergarten – she’s ready. As are you!
Oh, gotta vent for a minute: we’re in a swing area, so we won’t know which school O will go to or whether he’ll be in a.m. or p.m. kindergarten until mid-August. Argh! I understand the rationale for the Bainbridge schools (they try to balance the class sizes between all the schools), but it makes planning a pain in the butt.
Oh yeah I’m ALL about the full day. Although, as far as I can tell, pretty much everyone in Seattle does full day anyhow. Good luck!
Jenn, I’m betting there will be an adjustment period, too. It is a long day, ending around 4pm. That’s long!
Alicia, I can’t believe you have to wait until then! that’s sucky.
Bananas, I’m glad to know Seattle is into the FULL day scheme. I feel a little guilty about it….
Here, a “full-day” is only an hour and a half longer than a “half day.” During that time the kindergarteners nap. It made no sense for us to lose all that extra work-time just so our sons could nap at home. Especially the second, which would have caused us to have to make two separate pick-ups. I have noticed no lasting sychological damage from that decision.
Why stop there? Why not go broke and cross both sets of fingers and toes … and hope for boarding kindergarten?
citizen, that is not much difference at all! here it’s about 3 hours v. 6 hours, which seems long, but I’m hoping she’ll adapt.
jim, ohhhhhh, is there such a thing as boarding kindergarten….hm.
Sigh. Well, the schools here are not as good. You are not going to believe it but we are considering homeschooling next year. Will is saying he will be helping with this next year. His goal is to be working part time from home by that time.
Dawn wants to homeschool?!?! Oh, my. Are schools THAT bad?
So, we didn’t get full-day here in Sammamish. I cried for a week.
Okay, no I didn’t, but I was pretty upset. We ended up eigth on the waitlist after our “lottery.” They actually had the lottery in the school lobby because some moms claimed it was fixed in the past.
Over the summer, every single waitlisted kid made it but us. So mad!
So we’ve had six snow delays this year. That meant no school for half-day–even if you were in the afternoon half day. The full day went to school.
It’s really unfair. My son is older with a late birthday. He’s reading. He can count to a 100. He wants to stay at school. Nope, he gets 2.5 hours a day–shorter than his pre-school last year.
Okay, I’ve wrote about this at least 5-6 times on my blog. Now I’m ranting here. Sorry for the diatribe! I guess I need to get over it. It’s just that I keep hearing my older child’s teacher who said she “absolutely, completely could tell who had full-day and who had half. ” UUGH!
How frustrating for you! That is awful! I think around here (so far) everyone who has asked for full day, got full day.