K and up to split or separate them for class?

I have it easier because I have a boy/girl. I plan to separate mine for K this Fall 2012-2013. However, our school district is only half day which STINK as they are ready for full-day. How it is like if separate them whether you have girl/girl or boy/boy or girl/boy? For their homework, field trips, teacher meeting, and etc. And what about Grade 1-8?

 

Mine have always been split. Some years one had more homework than the other, then the next year it will switch. This year and next, our school does "teams" of teachers, so the boys have the same teachers, but on an opposite schedule. When they get to middle school, they will have some if not all classes together due to ability grouping (Honors classes). For teacher meetings, mine have always coordinated so I would have them consecutively. Actually, I don't see it as any different from someone with two kids in different grades.

 

I kept the girls together in class. They are separated at their tables so they can see each other but not bother each other. It's nice to have one set of home work because they have so much IMO for k

 

I kept mine together for K after speaking with their preschool teacher. She felt that they were well-adjusted and had their own friends and being together was a good fit for them. However, at the request of Allison, they will be separated for 1st. She's ready to have her own spotlight

I teach middle school (have taught both 7 & 8th grades) so here is what I see with twins. Most of them are on the same team (we have teams here in middle school, not sure how other states are) but different classes. That way, they have the same group of teachers, and go on the same field trips, etc., but don't have the same classes at the same time. I think with the increase in the amount of homework and responsibilites, it is a good fit for most parents, and for most twins, because they are separate, yet together. So even though they don't necessarily have the same classes together, they do have the same classes, and keeping the homework and other assignments straight is easier for the parents. Because I have seen it work so well with the several sets of twins I have had, I plan on doing this for my girls as well when they reach middle school.

 

Our boys have always been separated. Thankfully they always have the same amount of homework as the homework plan is the same for all the teachers in each grade. However, they are in a immersion program, so when one has math in English, the other has math in Spanish. So the homework isn't the same for each of them. Field trips are done by grade here, so that's never been an issue. Parent teacher conferences are schedule consecutively - the teachers are also nice enough to do that for us.

Make the best decision for your kids, just as you would if they were singletons. Advocate - within the boundaries the school allows - for the classroom placement that works best. Figuring out homework, field trips, etc is the reality with more than one child, regardless of whether the children are in the same grade or not.

 

I split my twins up for K and it's working out very well. :good: They both have their own friends and I'm sure they like having their own space. As for homework, our county has a homework policy about how much homework can be given in each grade level. It's 10 min. per grade level. Even now in K, my twins don't always have the same homework, they both have homework on Tuesday and Thursday, but it's not always the same sheet, which IMO is no big deal. I guess I look at it as they are 2 kids, I don't always expect everything to be the same and I certainly don't want them to expect everything will always be the same. ardon: As for meetings and other stuff, you just have double. For volunteering I just have my own days in each of their classes and I eat lunch with each of them separately since they sit with their class for lunch. I keep it even though so I have lunch with them both 2 times each every month. :good: For conferences I just have one with each teacher, so this year while my oldest is still in the same school, I have 3 conferences with 3 different teachers. For parties, I just volunteer in one of them. I volunteered in Trevor's class for the Halloween party and I'll volunteer in Emilie's class for the Valentine's day party. We have not had a field trip yet and I'm not sure how I'll work this, maybe my DH will volunteer for one class and I'll volunteer for the other, not quite sure on that one yet. But, I have found it has really worked out well for everyone (especially my twins) for them to be in separate classes. And I will continue to separate them each year.

 

Right now my plan is to keep them together. I have two older kids in school as well, and it's probably going to be easier for me to have them together. I'll reassess as needed. Fortunately mine play very well together and independently. There is no one "leader" in the group, they take turns. They'll be going into 3K preschool in the fall for a couple days a week so I'll see how that goes to help me decide what to do in the future.

 

Mine are separated for Primary. It's the school's policy but also my own preference. They're doing well, they have always done well without each other because they were used to it. I never really treat them like a "set". They're good buddies, but they can easily cope without each other. My son had a slightly more difficult start as he had no familiar face in his class and my daughter had a girl from our building, so that helped. I think it was the right decision in terms of their long term development as individuals.

Yes, it is a pain sometimes with 3 kids in one school, I deal with 3 teachers, 3 ea's and different reading levels, different spelling levels, different homework. But it's not about me, and what's convenient, it's about them, and their personal development. And this is what I (and the school) believe is best for them.

 

Thank you so much for opening my eyes to see how it is being done with homework, field trips, and etc. I am clueless what it going to happen especially in 1st grade and up but will get a 'feel' of it when they enter K at our school subdivision. Also, it helps when I point out my twins' group consisted of 38 Moms and almost all of us are sending off our twins' to K this Fall. So, I am hoping they'll see not to panic about the little things because like you all say it'll come together.

Thank you!
Diana

 

This. Mine were seperated in Kindergarten and will continue to be seperated. Audrey tends to be 'shy' and probably would have been in Clayton's shadow in class. This way she can excel by herself. It has worked out well.

 

We separated my girls in K. It is the best thing for them. They each get to shine in their own way. The teacher is not comparing them to each other. I find the parent teacher confrences easier, since you focus on one kid at a time. We did the the confrences back to back.
As for field trips, last year for the big trip, Dani's teacher let her go with Sydney's class for the day so I could have both of the girls in my group. The teachers idea not mine. I know they did that the previous year as well with a set of twins. Another set of twins both parents went on the trip.

Homework can be an issue if one has more that night than the other. They both get the same type of homework but sometimes it takes one of them longer to do.

 

I separated mine for kindergarten. Up until then they were in the same preschool class. It has worked out great. They were ready to be on their own, they are doing well, and they get along better now that they are separated during the day and have time away from each other.

Their homework, at least for kindi, is essentially the same. The only field trip they've done so far, they both went on (it was a school wide trip).

Sure, it would be convenient for me if they were in the same class, but it's not necessarily what was best for them.

 

This is really good discussion! Because I am currently watching another set of twins' who is also going to K with my twins' this Fall. We don't know if they will be in the same class as one of my twins (either Rianna or Justin) or another class? But my neighbor's son is in K right now and she said there is only 2 Kindergarten classes with 25 kids per class in our subdivision.

I asked their Mom if she plan to separate them or not? Her twins' are boy/girl only 4 days apart with my twin's birthday and they all missed the cut off date for Sept 1st so they'll be 6 yrs old.

I didn't think of it at first about field trips, teacher meeting, and etc. I was focusing on getting them to be more independently and make their OWN friends as well. Apparently she was worried about field trip (and taking time off/volunteer) as she is a teacher herself for 5th graders. So, I was like oh....okay. I wanted to see what you have said because all of you are already there and knows in and out with it. I have to admit I think she is better off separating them (they are not clingy to each other). She also mentioned she might keep them together for 1st grade and up. I think she'll learn more that it isn't necessary. We'll see what happens?!

Thanks again everyone! I appreciated it! Hug to you! Have a great weekend!
Diana

 

One more I forgot--What about Halloween party, Christmas party and Valentine Day party. If you had them separated in class. How did that being work out?

 

Like one of the other mom's, I would just volunteer for one party for each. In our school, only 3 parents other than room parents are allowed at a party. Also, the whole grade goes on field trips together, but only the room moms get to go, so not an issue. The one time that there was a special program, in 1st grade, for Mother's Day, the teachers worked it out so all the moms could attend for each child--there are four sets of twins in the boys' grade, and all are split.

 

I mentioned in my previous post that I volunteered for Trevor's class for the Halloween party and I'll do Emilie's class for the Valentine's day party. And since there are only 2 parties a year, I won't help with my oldest DD's class for parties at all. But I have helped for parties in her class every year until this one. I do volunteer for her teacher, just not for parties. At our school we only have a Halloween and Valentines' day party (our county allows 2 parties a year). There are lots of parents in the school that have 2 and 3 kids in the school so this is not just an issue for twins, but all the parents I know just alternate which class they help in for the parties.

 

Mine did not do K (due to multiple factors) but started 1st this fall from preschool.

We kept them together for several reasons:

1. We had moved 3x over 18 months and the stability meant a lot. There was a lot of anxiety about moving and change. We also moved in two weeks prior to school starting. This was a BIG reason.
2. They had been together for preschool for 2 years and done well, neither teacher saw having them together as an issue. They had different friends and gravitated toward different free choice activities.
3. Academically they are fairly equal and would be in the same academic groupings....so rather one kid go to the other classroom for reading/math/etc, this way they both have the same teacher for both. Our school does ability grouping across the three 1st grade classrooms for reading/writing/math. So they would have been together most of the day anyway.
4. The principal of our new school wanted to place them with the most experienced teacher- which would put them in the same class.
5. Both did not do K, the shock of 4 1/2 day play based preschool to allday everyday 1st was a transition that was made easier together.


So far it has worked well, though I may switch them apart next year. To be honest, if a particular teachers personality is better suited to both of them- I think they will be fine together. Many of the classmates did not/do not know they were twins....at a recent birthday party, I was asked several times how far apart they were (one appears younger and smaller than her twin) and expressed surprise to learn they were the same age instead of one old/young for grade. Their teacher does not refer to them as twins at all.


Conferences we did back to back and I did go on the field trips- but they were all of the same grade, so different classes would not have been an issue.
Several twins at their school are split and several are apart- the parent and schools discuss it and deem what would work best for each child.

 

Thanks, make sense! I guess time will tell when I get there with them in K this Fall. Its' all NEW to me and many of my twins' friends too. May I ask ? Does the school district put kids in birthday orders for classroom especially in K? Subdivision?

The reason I asked because my twins' will enter K when they are turning 6 on Sept 30th when school begins end of August. We just got the twins' mid report card. I am not sure where it is going to go because my son is WAY 'beyond in Kindergarten expectation' level for language, cognitive, literacy, and mathematics but his social aspect has improved this year. We are always constantly trying to 'challenge' him at home because right now his preschool is too easy for him since last year. My daughter is up to 'par' with K, so we have been working with her on 'sight words' and learning how to count numbers back and forth for fun. The teacher from last year (is still their teacher this year) has been challenging my son in the classroom. They are both in the 'At Risk' program because he was in EI for ST issue.

 

I just go to one of their classes for the first half of the party, and another for the second half. I switch off who goes first, and explain to them what I am doing beforehand. I volunteer to bring something so it doesn't require me to be actively involved in the class the entire time.

 

I don't think they do it this way, at least our school doesn't. There is a very wide range of abilities in both of my girls' classrooms, from those who didn't recognize all their letters at the beginning of the year, to those who are reading at a late first/early second grade level. The teachers are good at teaching to each student's individual level.

 

Other than special needs kids being placed in the inclusion class, the only factors for class placement in are district are to balance the classes, so that each has high, on level, and low kids--the exception being the inclusion classes which tend to be low and high kids due to the disproportionate number of low kids due to their special needs--even the resource room kids are in inclusion, so they have the extra help at the times they are in the regular classroom. Age had nothing to do with placement--more academic needs and distributing the sexes (although M & J's grade is 2/3 girls, so the boys end up with 7-9 boys in a class of 22).

 

Thanks, that is reassuring that it'll be a wide range of abilities in the classroom. Again, thanks for answering ALL of my questions! I hope all of these comments helps other Moms out there who first time parents with starting school year this Fall.

Thank you, thank you!

 

To me, that would make no sense putting kids in any class by bday or subdivision.
In our county the kids are assessed before K (we go in one day during the summer and the K teachers take one kid at a time back to the classroom and give each kid an assessment). That is how our K classes are put together. Like Sharon mentioned they group the kids from the assessment and make sure they have a group of higher achieving kids, average achieving kids and a group of kids who may be below average based on the assessment. Both classes that my twins are in have 3 or 4 reading groups. :good:

 

Actually, many districts with 1/2 day K, and busing, do group kids by subdivision, simply due to economizing the bus routes.

 

Gotcha. I guess that would make more sense when not as much academics are being done. We've been all day K here since 2005 so that's why I couldn't imagine doing it that way with reading groups etc., our K is very academic and classes like that wouldn't work.

 

Mine are separated in pre-K. The thanksgiving feast parties were on different days for my girls, but the holiday parties were at the same time on the same day. DH came with me and we went back and forth between the classes making sure one of us was in each class. It worked, but I felt bad that neither girl got my 100% attention. However, that has been the ONLY downside to having them separated. The benefits for my girls far outweighed one 45 minute classroom party. I'm sure it will be the same for valentines day and of course their birthday celebration, but they've always had to share me so I think it bothers me more than them.

 

Sharon @ You're so right that what happened last year due to down sizing the bus route. I am hoping like everyone else says the K teacher will assessment and then go from there on where they live? Due to bus route?! For me, its down the street from us so there will be no buses just a drop/pick up car line.

 

Diana, what they do here is look at the neighborhoods and where the kids are. They try to split by neighborhood, then even the numbers out with the walkers, so while each neighborhood can anticipate if they are AM or PM, the walkers could switch depending on overall numbers. Once AM and PM are established, they split the kids based on ability to even the classes based on the K assessment. Hope that helps.

 

Awww, Sharon, thanks to you! I'm hoping we get the AM slot plus the twins' that I am currently watching. As far I know my neighbor lived on their street said all of the kids on that street goes in the AM slot. So, I don't know if I am going to be watching them again for the school year and/or if 1 of them will be in with Rianna or Justin's class. She want to keep her kids together. I kind of hope that all 4 will go at the same time that all its matter to me. This way I can still earn $ for the school year. Amen!

 

Personally, those fieldtrip and homework logistics will work themselves out. Mine are 3 yrs old and I just had them separated for swimming lessons (they're in different skills levels) and that did NOT work out. One boy refused to get in the water, so we ended up pushing them together again because swimming is a necessary skill and I wasn't going to have him sit on the ledge and not get in the water. But this was a wake up call that mine MUST be separated for kindergarten as one definitely is more sensitive and needs his brother. The other one could care less. So their need to be more independent trumps the whole fieldtrips, homework, etc issues. And we would be dealing with these issues if we had singletons. At 5 or 6, they'll understand some of that. And they'll see each other on the playground and lunchroom.

I couldn't say there's a hard and fast rule about what anyone should do. It all depends on each set of twins and their own personalities.

 

I have boy/boy they are now in 3rd grade and didn't do daycare or pre-k. kindergarten was full day,which i didn't like but it was all that our discrist has.they had never been by their selves before but i decided that they should go to separate classes. I wanted them to make their own memories and make their own friends and enemies and what not. when we went in to fill out paper work i made sure to tell the teacher that they did have a twin and they had never been alone. that they may need to see each other from time to time the first couple days. we talked about it a few days before school started to prepare them. I figured it would be easier to separate them and put them back together. than it would to put together and separate if we needed to. i've always set conferences to be one right after the other. I just have the teachers to figure them so i can do one and then the other. meet the teacher is easy just do one then do the other. so far all their teachers have been right next to each other. I have been very happy that they have been in separate classes. as far as homework so far it is has been the same,some nights its a little different but pretty much the same. one teacher does a reading log the other hasn't done one since like oct.
good luck

 

fieldtrips all our classes have to go to the same places on the same day/time. so thats not something that i have to worry about.

 

Hi all! I haven't been on here in forever. I'm a little late contributing to this thread but wanted to get some feedback if possible from those of you with twins that are already in school. My girls will go to PreK this fall and then will start full day Kindergarten next year. I never thought I would separate them. Neither really dominates the other (they take turns being bossy to each other!)...I guess like most, I figured I would keep them in the same class for a few years and see what happens. In PreK they like to know where the other is but they play with all the kids and will be at different stations throughout the morning. However, I just started thinking about it and I feel like they need a break from each other. Is Kindergarten the time to do that? Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

My girls were together all through preschool, and I separated them in kindergarten. I think I already posted somewhere in this thread that they get along better having time apart. I'll just reiterate that. We're now in our second month of summer break and they've been fighting so, so much more being stuck together all day, everyday. There were several reasons I split them up, but them getting along better was an added bonus I didn't even think about but miss now that they aren't in school.

 

I , too, think I posted earlier.

Mine have been together since preschool. They were together in 1st last year. Somehow they get along well 90% of the time in/out of school/summer. Their teacher said they each did their own thing and had different friends in class. It helps that they both have different interests/strengths but are both outgoing girls.

So for us- it works out either way due to personalities. Yes, they argue sometimes- but not excessively I am not sure what we are doing for 2nd yet.