Kindergarten Option 2: A British Primary School at $12k+

Today I toured a local K-8 British Primary school where the emphasis is on educating the whole child. What that means is that in addition to academics the school is really focusing on the social and emotional aspects of the child and nurturing those aspects as much as reading, writing, math and so on.

This school is unique for several reasons. First and foremost they have multi-age classroom environment for K-1-2, 3-4-5, and then in middle school the format changes slightly where the kids have a homeroom and an advisor for those three middle school years that is multi-age but attend classes with their respective grade level peers.

The K-5 classes sometimes split in half to pursue more specific levels of instruction. For example, the older half may do math while the younger half go off to dance class.

The K-5 classrooms have around 28 students and 3 teachers or a 9:1 ratio. The class teachers help the students "uncover" information in core subjects like reading and writing, and the students also benefit from specialists who teach math, Spanish, PE, dance, music etc. The K-5 kids get specials twice a week. A regular day in the classroom includes meeting, choice time, core subjects, and rotating specials.

HB already attends a preschool based in the British Infant System so the atmosphere at the British Primary school feels familiar, yet more casual and unstructured than the Country Day school. The British school is very much about family involvement and community building which I think really improves and enhances the experience for everyone in the school, particularly the child. The children seem to be engaged at both schools, and both schools seem like happy, thriving places.

At the end of the tour a current 8th grader sat on the panel to answer questions about the school. She was darling, articulate, and confident while answering questions about her experience at the school.

They both seem like great schools in different ways, and it is hard to compare the two at this point.

Two tours down, around five more to go. I will also be touring a local Episcopal school, a charter, and a few neighborhood DPS schools. Hopefully I can make sense of it all!

Kindergarten Option 1: Country Day School at $17k+

So we went on our first school tour of the year on Monday to tour a local K-8 Country Day school that was established in the late 1920's. Our tour was very intimate - only two families - and it was given by the Director of Admissions. I greatly appreciated the intimacy of the tour and the ability to ask a ton of questions.

The 7 acre campus and the facilities were amazing - very modern, well lit, and teeming with happy energy. The children seemed to be engaged, and the teachers seemed to be energetic. The school is a Mac school and there are smart boards, Mac books, and iMacs just about everywhere you look.

We had the opportunity to spend over two hours on our tour, and a chance to see every grade level in at least two settings. Some of the things I liked about the school were that the classes begin each day and end each day with a meeting. This is something that is practiced at HBs preschool and it really builds a sense of class community as well as provides the individual with confidence to participate in a group setting.

The Kindergarten children, in addition to their regular classroom curriculum of reading, writing and math, and daily PE, also get specials a couple of times a week like Spanish, Science, Music and more. We witneesed several PE classes in action and the kids were having a great time. My husband was most impresses with the 3rd grade golf lesson we watched as well as the climbing wall.

I also liked that the middle school included grades 5-8 as 5th graders identify more with 6th graders and vice-versa. The middle school language curriculum expands to include Latin and the possibility of switching to French. It also includes Algebra I which means that kids are able to get the full spectrum of math courses that most colleges require you to take in high school (Algebra II, Geometry, PreCalc, Calculus). I know there is a group of DPS parents right now who are working to change the middle school math curriculum to allow students to take Algebra I in middle school.

I have to admit that I didn't really want to like the school, and almost didn't tour it. I was concerned that the $17+k/year price point would mean that HB would be in school with a bunch of uber rich kiddos, and I didn't want her subjected to any kind of "have, have-not" behavior. But the school seemed to have just a bunch of regular kids - nothing over the top. It felt just like the preschool we already attend which has middle class to wealthy families as part of the community.

I also liked that the class size was 18 kids. HB's Pre-K class has 21 kids this year and it feels so big and chaotic. The smaller class size would mean more attention for HB.

So, one school tour down - many more to go. Perhaps we shouldn't have started our journey with the most expensive school - that sets the bar pretty high!

We tour a British primary school on Thursday. Stay tuned!

The Search Begins: Kindergarten

So with our oldest in Pre-K we are starting the great Kindergarten tour this fall. There are so many options - public, charter, magnet, private - and it is all pretty overwhelming. Throw into the mix that I have to go back to work to afford private school and the search takes on a whole new meaning - there are trade-offs to that, especially for the little one who I would feel that I am abandoning.

Oh, and is it fair that I was home with my oldest but not my youngest - can it ever be "even Steven" when you have more than one child?

So it isn't just about how my oldest learns and where she would thrive socially, emotionally and academically, BUT also about cost, and me working, and what the effect would be on the little one. It is a lot of important things wrapped into one and it is already hard to dissect.

So we have our first tours next week of two private schools, one a country day school that would be $17,000/year and one a British primary school that would be $12,000/year. I am looking forward to learning a lot about these approaches.

Our three neighborhood public schools are nascent. One is a K-8 with an Advanced Kindergarten track but overall the school had low CSAP scores last year. Another is a K-5 that had decent CSAP scores and was a Distinguished school. And the third is brand new, without a name, yet to choose programming (but with the potential to be an I.B. or Core Knowledge school) and has yet to move into the building that is currently under construction.

My own primary education was so off of the beaten path that I have a hard time relating to public schools and standardized offerings. I attended a British primary school that also leveraged some Montessori practices for reading and then also had an expeditionary practice where we went on frequent outings and camping trips. So these things all seem familiar and comfortable to me which is why I am probably drawn to these kinds of schools - but are they the best for H.B? What kind of learner is she? Where will she thrive?

I am hoping to find all of that out between now and next March when we have completed the tours, the applications, the tests, the meetings, and the letters that will determine our fate.

Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage.

Back to School: Lunchboxes, Drink Bottles & Bento Buddies 2.0

This year H.B. will be in Pre-K and we chose a schedule where she goes three full days a week, plus two mornings. What that means to her is that she FINALLY gets to take a lunchbox to school and eat lunch with her friends.
She is stoked.

While at Whole Foods recently we saw a back to school display of lunch accoutrements:





Crocodile Creek Kids Luncboxes - Phthalate free. Vinyl free. BPA free.








Crocodile Creek Drink Bottles - Eco friendly stainless steel drinking bottles that are 100% recycable. Made of # 304 food grade stainless steel. Lead safe, Phthalate, and BPA free.




Crocodile Creek offers great boy and girl themed items, and also has more mature patterns in their youth collection.



Bento Buddies 2.0 from Laptop Lunches - A variety of colorful, reusable storage containers that contains NO PVC, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), or lead.



So not only is H.B. thrilled with her new dance-themed lunchbox and bottle, and pink boxes - but it is all healthy and chemical free. While I can't make her eat her lunch, at least I can pack healthy things and know that chemicals are not leaching into her food.

Of course, V.B. could not be left out of the fun and she selected a solar sytem themed lunchbox, switching to a lime green one with a pink butterfly at the last minute.

Even steven.

The Lottery - See it June 8, 2010

My neighborhood theater is having a one-time showing of the documentary The Lottery next Tuesday, June 8th at 7:30. The film looks incredibly compelling:



From The Lottery website:

In a country where 58% of African American 4th graders are functionally illiterate, The Lottery uncovers the failures of the traditional public school system and reveals that hundreds of thousands of parents attempt to flee the system every year. The Lottery follows four of these families from Harlem and the Bronx who have entered their children in a charter school lottery. Out of thousands of hopefuls, only a small minority will win the chance of a better future.

Directed by Madeleine Sackler and shot by award-winning cinematographer Wolfgang Held, The Lottery uncovers a ferocious debate surrounding the education reform movement. Interviews with politicians and educators explain not only the crisis in public education, but also why it is fixable. A call to action to avert a catastrophe in the education of American children, The Lottery makes the case that any child can succeed.

Go see it! You can enter your zip code on the bottom of the film's website to find a showing near you!

Best Floor Cleaning Gadget EVAH: Sweepa Rubber Broom

Am I the only one who is completely taken by random, minute obsessions with things I innocently stumble across? For example, a home organization article I read yesterday mentioned a "must have" Dutch rubber broom.

What is it, and why haven't I heard of it? Oh, and why did I waste an entire naptime surfing the web and reading about it?!

I checked Amazon and they have several to choose from, but you know me - which one is THE BEST? Where can I get it the cheapest? Is there a coupon code? And do they offer free shipping?

Rubber brooms are apparently the greatest floor cleaning invention ever as they use static electricity to trap HAIR and DUST as you sweep TOWARDS YOURSELF. They don't kick up stuff into the air - they trap it. And they double as a squeegee! People are raving about them.

The Sweepa Rubber Broom removes dirt, dust and hair in one pass. Nothing is left behind as the bristles not only form a wall, but also build up a static charge. With this combination, even the smallest dirt particles are picked up and removed easily. The pliable rubber bristles will conform to any surface, so even tile floors can be swept clean with little effort. Safe for any surface and guaranteed to last for years, a rubber broom is the best broom you will ever use.

I am a sucker. Or am I? We will have to see.




Sweepa, you have a lot to live up to!

The Happiness Project

Over the weekend I started reading a book that I have been waiting to read for months. I have been on the hold list at the library forever! It is called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

In the first chapter it is as if Gretchen were speaking to me directly about how I feel about my life. It is as if she were speaking on my behalf. I am happy. I am blessed. But can life be better? Can I be a better person, wife, mother, friend? Can I be happier, and therefore make those around me happier, too?

"But though at times I felt dissatisfied, what something was missing, I also never forgot how fortunate I was...It was time to expect more of myself. Yet as I thought about the happiness, I kept running up against paradoxes. I wanted to change myself but accept myself. I wanted to take myself less seriously--and also more seriously. I wanted to use my time well, but I also wanted to wander, to play, to read at whim. I wanted to think about myself so I could forget myself. I was always on the edge of agitation; I wantedto let go of envy and anxiety about the future, yet keep my energy and ambition..."

Gretchen also blogs here. Take a look.

I just might have to chronicle my own happiness project - after I finish the book.