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Registered son for school

May 7th, 2015 at 05:11 pm

It is pretty depressing. The school condition, the cafeteria, the teachers lounge... Everything screams "there is no money" and nothing was renovated since the school was build and feels kind of dirty. And the process of registration, with their outdated badly copied paper forms(how hard would it be to provide them online, so everyone can come with everything filled out?), waiting forever when staff goes some place else...

And this is one of the better schools, the "desirable" public school in the area.

I have not got to meet any of the teachers. I know this is the part that matters, but the whole public education system, now that we are going to be directly impacted by it, really raises a lot of concerns.

Our son tested into the New York City's "Gifted and Talented" program, but even for those who tested in, there is 1 spot for 3 applicants in the G&T program in our school, so he is unlikely to make it, even after after testing in.

9 Responses to “Registered son for school”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1431019352

    I would ask if they will provide your son's classroom teacher with additional enrichment options in the classroom for your son. They SHOULD...don't be afraid to advocate for your child. I've come to learn that the buildings aren't the most important part of a school. It is the teachers and administration that make a difference. Office staff is often the worst, they get the brunt of many problems and once they have systems in place they keep doing them over and over because no one has thought to make improvements.

  2. ceejay74 Says:
    1431019948

    I kind of found the "outdated" decor and paper forms charming at my kid's kindergarten registration recently. The teachers were warm and enthusiastic and the principal seemed caring; you're right, if you have that, and you talk and read to your kids, those are the important parts.

  3. LivingAlmostLarge Says:
    1431020125

    What is the student teacher ratio? Are there opportunities for small group learning? Are there aides? How does the school deal with the GT program if there aren't enough spots? Perhaps the standards aren't stringent enough if there is only enough space for 1 out of 3? Why not make it so much higher than everyone making the cut gets a spot?

    I guess you can look at moving somewhere that the schools are better. Determine is there anywhere else than you can potentially move to? Or move somewhere cheaper and do private school?

    What about parochial school? Usually smaller classes and substantially cheaper than private school if that is a concern. But the facilites are also better because it is a private school.

  4. Nika Says:
    1431022887

    Private schools, of which there are 3 in my area, are all 46K a year base fee (before required contribution to teachers pension fund and fundraisers). To afford that, after tax, I would need to move somewhere FREE, including taxes and utilities at 0.

    The only place free I can move into, is MIL house, and that's 1.5 hours away, with a horrendous school system.

    Moving somewhere with better schools is more expensive. Because SCHOOLS is what drives demand for housing and drives up housing prices.

    "Why not make it so much higher than everyone making the cut gets a spot?"

    The G&T is city-wide, but than all the "winners" - people who tested in, apply for a program in a school of their choice. And of course, most people end up applying for select few schools, all competing for the same few schools. And our school happens to be one of those few "prime choice" schools for Bronx. We can get a spot in a "G&T" program in a worse school, so in that sense, there is not less spots than applicants, but to get into the one where we live, and where we want to go, there are way too many applicants than spots.

    I will get to know the teachers. Right now we are waiting for the decision letter, which should come at the end of the month.



  5. My English Castle Says:
    1431025496

    Well, of course, taxes support schools, but no one seems to want higher taxes and even re-allocating money from other sources to support schools seems to have limited popularity. And everyone's right--it's the teachers that count.

  6. Amber Says:
    1431038122

    Can't believe in this day and age that a public school would be in such conditions, praying that your son gets into the G&T program

  7. snafu Says:
    1431045490

    ME Castile gives a concise, accurate, explanation. Everything has been cut to the bone to fund what is deemed critical. It is not necessarily geared to what is best for children in the lower grades. When you finally get to meet teachers, as how many hours they devote to paperwork or activities that aren't related to actual teaching. How wonderful that you have a gifted son, it will be up to you to provide the enrichment and learning challenges that keep him engaged and motivated. Do your best to use the learning directions provided by the school to move him forward using the library, books, DVDs, community programs, religious holiday & cultural participation, community team sports etc.

    With a teeny bit of thought, ordinary household routine easily supports fun and learning like how... many spoons go on the table, what color are your socks? How many socks does daddy wear? How many socks do you wear? How many feet do you have? How many feet does a kitty have? When you add 2 TBLS of baking soda into the kitchen sink drain, nothing happens, when you add 2 TBSP vinegar, and some cool water, change happens, it bubbles and steams and best of all the drain clears!

    If mom and dad are the best source of information for a 5 y/o,, they will continue to be a trusted source of information until age 12 or so.

  8. laura/deacon's wife Says:
    1431098306

    St. Savior Catholic Academy - Brooklyn, NY - tuition for one child is $6,700 for one year.

    Not sure what you're religious affiliation is, but I would assume that tuition at any parochial school within a diocese are all fairly competitive. $40K less than the private schools you mention.

    There don't seem to be any more nuns in schools, religion is usually 45 minutes three times a week, and there weekly Mass. The Catholic school where my youngest ones attend now has a reading therapist, Spanish starting in K, school social worker (shared with another school - 2.5 days a week). They kids score consistently higher than the public schools in the community. Not all of the students go on to parochial high schools in the area (where tuition is $10,600 for one year), because we have excellent high schools.

    If it's not something you've considered, you might want to. Our school building is old, but the technology has all been updated and there are smart boards in every room. There's an art program, extended care for before- and after-school for parent who work.

  9. Buendia Says:
    1432685072

    I just want to commiserate. Our public schools are pretty awful here, which is why we pay to go private. It is a huge chunk of our income (we get about $1000 tuition assistance and the base tuition is $17k). The high school will be more like $22k. The whole point of paying off our mortgage is to be able to afford that. There is a parochial high school that is an option, too (about half the cost).

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