Help me transition

Ok, I know this will sound weird but we are coming from a private daycare/Kindergarten where I get to walk in everyday and ask how my kids are doing. We are going to a public school where I am assuming the teacher doesn't want me to bug her unless I have concerns. I am very involved with my kids right now with regard to what they are learning and what they are doing. I talk to their teachers every day etc. So, for those of you who are old hat at the public school system, what is your opinion on the following?

1. How often should you speak to the teacher other than at conferences?
2. How often do you volunteer in the classroom?
3. With regard to teacher gifts, how much is too far? Would a welcome back coffee gift card be too much or is that considered nice?

I want to be involved with my sons schooling but I don't want to become the crazy mom. LOL

Any advice? I'd love to hear from teachers also.

 

I email the teacher as needed with questions. Sarah's teacher I've already emailed several times due to her having some kidney issues. Timothy's teacher, I still haven't talked to outside of Meet the Teacher night. We can send notes in planners also.

As for volunteering, in kinder and 1st grade there were sign-up sheets and the teacher generally wanted a parent volunteer every day during centers. Second grade, I haven't seen any of that. They both had us sign-up if we were interested in helping as opportunities through the school year came up.

Gifts here are generally organized by the room mothers and they come up with a bigger gift idea that you can contribute to at holidays and such. You can give your own gift, but most people go in on the group gift.

Most of the mom's here say 2nd grade is the grade where they start trying to wean the moms off of being in the classroom and let the kids learn responsibilities. The kids have planners this year and have to write down their p.e. days as opposed to the teacher sending home a calendar. Spelling words are put in the planner instead of a list put in the folder. Parents in the classroom is a rare thing instead of a daily thing. If a child leaves their homework at home, they don't want mom to keep bailing them out.

I still volunteer in other areas of the school. I'll be shelving and volunteering to help in the library and at book fair. I help in the office with laminating and stuffing teacher mail boxes. I'll be helping the nurse with eye/dental/weight checks. I'm still going to be active and around at school, just not in the classroom as much.

This is our school. You might talk to some other moms to find out the norms for your school.

Marissa

 

We just started public school last Thursday, so I don't really know the answers, but I wanted to say I feel your pain! We just spent almost 6 years at a daycare/preschool where I talked to the teachers every day (at dropoff and pickup). I also knew just about everything they did in school because I saw it!

I don't think our school has parents in the classroom that often, even in K -- at least, they said they would be sending out sign-up sheets in mid-Sept for various specific things, so that means they'll have at least 3 weeks of school with (presumably) no parents in the room at all.

I work FT, so I won't be able to volunteer that much anyway, but I hope to at least go on some field trips or something.

We have been encouraged to email the teachers with questions or concerns, though I haven't had any need to yet. I don't feel the need to be that involved with their academic schooling (at least not at this age), and neither of them have any particular health or behavioral issues. It's more just that I hate not knowing what they're up to!

I can't imagine that anyone could object to a welcome-back gift card.

 

I will contact the teacher once a quarter or so before the term is up and find out about grades and reading level...especially at the younger years when they are moving through the levels quickly. If I don't have any concerns they I don't necessarily contact the teacher each quarter...unless there is a need to. Otherwise, I do email anytime I have a question (and I have found that is the best way to communicate with them as they can easily get back to you). And I don't hesitate to email. With my two in K this year, I will be asking about reading levels each quarter, but won't for my DD in 5th grade as they don't change reading levels....I do find out where she starts the year though and ends the year..I ask this each year. :good:

It really depends on the teacher. I like to volunteer 2 times a month and generally I am able to do this and volunteer for the morning or afternoon...again just depends on the teacher and schedules. But I know my oldest DD's 2nd grade teacher only liked to have volunteers in 1 time a month, so that's what I did. If I can, I do 2 times a month.

I think that is a very nice gesture. One year when I was teaching I had a student bring me an apple scented candle and a card the very first day of school that said "let's have a great year", I thought it was really sweet. As for gifts other times throughout the year for Christmas and end of the year I get giftcards...$20 each time.



My advice as a former teacher and now parent in the schools is, try not to be a pain. I try really hard to not be the parent that I hated to have when I was teaching...meaning always thinking they are right and that their kids are perfect and it's always the teacher's fault. Know that your children (and most parents do) aren't perfect and are going to make mistakes. But I also know that I am my child's best advocate. And I pick my battles...I don't speak up unless it's something I believe is impacting my child somehow at school. You have to learn to let little things go...and it's hard when teachers sometimes do things differently than I would do, but each teacher had their own style and I have to go with that. But I do let the teachers know that I am involved and to never hesitate to contact me for anything.

 

I don't know how I am going to survive!!! In less that 2 weeks I'm supposed to just drive up to the girls' school, drop them off (can't go inside!), and leave!!! We don't have back to school night until 2 weeks into school I guess we'll all get into the routine, but I love knowing what they do everyday and getting texts and pictures from our sitter while I'm at work. Sorry Irene, I didn't mean to hijack your thread with my panic attack :sorry:

 

My twins went to private pre-k and then public school for Kindergarten, so here's my experience from last year.

I volunteered in one of my sons' classrooms, Nick. (One teacher asked for volunteers, the other didn't.) I went in once a week in the morning for a few hours. The first half hour of my volunteer time it was just me, my sons teacher and the teacher's aide. Most of the time we joked around and talked about regular stuff, not school related. However, I never felt like I couldn't or shouldn't bring up any concerns I may have had. I was very lucky in that I was very satisfied with the teachers both my sons had. I stayed long enough to see classroom instruction and sometimes even participated in the lesson. I was happy with the interaction between the teachers and the students. Honestly, I never had an issue the whole year that I felt the need to bring up with his teacher. But like I said, I never felt like I couldn't either.

And because I was in there once a week, and my other twin (Alex) was in the classroom right next door, so I often saw his teachers as well (regular teacher and teacher's aide). Maybe about once a month or so I would just stop in and say hi and we would talk about how he was doing. Again, I never had any concerns with him either, and I was very satisfied with the teachers. With him I was a little concerned about his behavior so that was really the only reason I stopped in, but they swore he was an angel! (I still say they were thinking of the wrong kid!!) Towards the end of the year, Alex's teacher started to notice him squinting and holding books close to his face. So that week when I came in to volunteer, she stopped by and mentioned it to me.

The teachers there made me feel very welcomed and that I could come to them with any concerns at any time. I had email addresses for both teachers and both were quick to reply. I hope I have the same experience this year!

I don't see anything wrong with a 'welcome back' gift. I gave my boys' teachers gift cards for teacher appreciation week and they were very appreciated! In fact, Alex's teachers each wrote a thank you note to me & Alex, and then Alex wrote them each a thank you note for their thank you notes!! :rofl It was too funny.

 

We can email questions or write in our Parent teacher communication notebook.

We have the opportunity to volunteer all the time.

I'd wait till Christmas for present and send her a thinking of you card( which is weird for me to say as I'm anticard )