Let's talk Kindergarten!

I feel like chatting about it.

Are yours going to public or private school?
Full day or half day?
If half, morning or afternoon?
Will they take the bus or be driven?
(ETA: Thanks TabbiSue!) Together or separate class?

Ours are half day :bubble: afternoon :bubble: being bussed :bubble: and in the same class.

I was bummed at first about them getting afternoon because that meant that my 2 days off from work were a wash and we wouldn't be able to do anything. BUT...on the other hand...I realized that it means that I can get them off the bus everyday :Clap: and have time to volunteer in their class :Clap: so I'm feeling much better about it. :woohoo:

 

Public
Full day (state mandated)
Drove in the morning bussed in the afternoon
Girls are supposed to be in the same class

 

I was worried that the all days were going to knock them on their butts but they didn't. It was great! They were in seperate classrooms as well. They are two of the youngest in their grade. They are still 5 and start 1st grade in the Fall. (They turn 6 in about 8 days.)

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about the together or separate question, thanks for adding that TabbiSue, I edited my original post to add it. :good:

Ah ha, mine will be similar Jackie. They will be 5 after they start K, so won't be 6 until their first few days in 1st grade. It worked out okay for you? Based on the preschool teachers' recommendations, our own feelings about their development, and the K screening, we have decided to send them. Unfortunately, I met a mom recently who was quite shocked that I would choose to send them and her facial expressions said it all. I couldn't believe how rude she was about it.

 

Michelle, I've met your girls, and they seem more than ready for Kindergarten. My guys were half as mature when they started and even with Jaydens "problem" they both did extremely well. In fact I almost red shirted mine because even though they turned 5 at the end of July, their actual due date was Sept, after school started .. but glad I went with the decision to start them anyway.

Mine went full day and they were driven to and from school by either myself or Jill.
Mine were separated (an obvious decision in our case).
I think I would have liked them to be together if I could have .. but glad things worked out the way they did.

I'm so excited for your girls ! I think they're going to have a great time, and make lots of friends.

 

My girls just finished K in separate classes.
all day in a public school
They took the bus.

You have to look at the kids more than their birhtday. My girls had a camp friend over for a playdate. She turned 6 is March, so 2 months older than my girls and I could not get over how babyish she seem. espically when compared to my 2.

 

You have to look at the kids and their abilities not at their birthday. Just because they were born in a specific time frame does not mean they will be the same as any other born in the same time period (just look at your own kids-I know mine are very different--close but different). Good luck it only goes faster from this point. Lots of fun.

 

Thanks Michele, that is SO sweet of you to say all that!! :wub:

Lisa and 'cricket', that's exactly what we did but I am so surprised how many people judge us on the fact that we are deciding to send when they find out when their birthday is. It amazes me how many negative opinions we've had from people. <_< I have sort of had enough of defending our decision to send them.

Anywho...back to fun topics...keep sharing. This is fun!! :bubble:

 

Public
Half day
Not sure yet, we should find out in August if it's morning or afternoon. <_< I'm a little peeved that it takes them that long to get to us but ardon: not too much I can do... I'm hoping for afternoon so that means they'll get morning. :lol:
Bus will be taking them... and they are over the moon excited!!
Separate classes

 

Public, half day but with full-day "enrichment" plus YMCA after-school program.
Walk or bike -- it's only a block away.

Together -- I debated about this, but they both wanted to be together and it does make everything less scary. I still might split them up for 1st grade -- I think it would be best for them (especially Sarah) in the long run.

We don't find out what class they're in until a week before school starts! Not that it makes much difference, but I like to know things. Plus, our next-door neighbor has a daughter exactly the same age and we really hope she'll be in A&S's class.

 

I can understand the wanting to know part. :wacko: Alden, my girls are good friends with a girl on our street who's also going to K but because she is being dropped off at a home daycare in the afternoon, she got morning. I was so bummed because my girls were really looking forward to riding the bus together! I hope your neighbor gets the same class as your girls!

We find out early August who their teacher is and who is in their class. :Clap: I met both of the afternoon teachers and they are SO nice! I definitely got a warmer reaction from one teacher over the other, but have heard amazing things about both of them so it really doesn't matter to me who we get. :good:

 

Public
Full Day (I really wish it was half, this is the first year our schools have done full days & I am not happy about it)
Neither, most days we will walk
Together

 

Ah ha! Two more things I didn't think about...walking and homeschooling. :good: Thanks for the input ladies!

Dielle, I loved your "walk down the stairs" reply! :laughing:

 

Dont know if we are doing 1st or K yet (long story on moving and cut-off dates):

So:

Public

K (1/2 day) 1st (all day)

could be bussed, but I will drive them in the beginning.

Same class will be requested



I totally get the 'age' comments!! My girls are Oct babies...so we got shocked looks when we wanted to enroll them in K at 4 turning 5, then we moved, could not do K regardless due to cut-off dates. Moving again--- again, shocked comments that we are even considering 1st at 5 turning 6 (it is within the cut-off date). But given all the screenings and reccommendations from teachers/schools-- it is what we *think* (you never do know) is best for the girls.

 

Public
Full day (wish we had half day, but all schools have been full day K in Maryland since 2007).
We are close enough and have to walk to school or I have to drive them.
Separate classes

 

Public
Full day- 5 days a week
Bus both mornings and afternoons
Together

Okay, this question has been burning my brain...have you all gotten your supply lists? Here is mine, does this sound excessive? This is per child:

24 glue sticks
6-8 boxes of 24 ct crayons
1 pack of #2 pencils
1 plastic 3-ring 1" binder
1 comp notebook
1 pencil box

Now, all the stuff I'm fine with, but 24 freakin glue sticks...good grief. and the boxes of crayons, geesh, we don't even use that much at home. Is anyone else buying this much glue and crayons? This is on top of the 12 glue sticks I have to buy my son. So I'm buyin 64 glue sticks this year...I think I need to buy stock.

 

That seems like a lot of crayons & glue sticks to me. My older kids have never needed that many. For Kindergarten, we don't buy supplies, we pay a certain amount & the teacher buys supplies and pools them for class use. We start buying supplies in Grade 1 & then we have the option of ordering them from a company, through the school & it is much easier and cheaper and the kids just get their supplies on the first day of school.

 

That is a lot of glue and crayons. :umm:


We have gotten our supply lists and for crayons and glue each of mine need: 1 box of 24 crayons (crayola preferred) and 6 large glue sticks.

 

I should say that when I said full day we have 3 options.

My own school district does half days, every day.

The open enrollment district does every other day/full days, which is what we did. Or we could have paid for an every day, all day kindergarten. Since I am a SAHM, that made no sense.

 

That is a crazy amount of glue sticks and crayons. My oldest was in K last year and had 6 glue sticks and 2 packs of 24 crayons and that was plenty! Good thing is both of those items get really really cheap during the sales!

 

Our school shoot list:
1 crayola water color
12 glue stick
3 bottles of glue :umm:
6 boxes of crayolas
1 box of crayola twistables colored pencils
Pencil box
Clear backpack (we are a rural school and I have to order these)
2 folders
2 notebooks
1 box of crayola markers
2 boxes of Kleenex
Box of ziplocs
1 3 pack of play doh

 

Glue sticks and regular glue...that's odd.

 

My only thought is maybe they split items??

I dont see scissors, colored pencils, markers on your list and I cant imagine a K class w/o them.

The district I was in sometimes 'split' things. For example: out of a class of 24 kids - 6 brought 6 boxes of tissue, 6 brought 8 dry erase markers, 6 brought 10 rules, etc.....

That is the only way it makes any sense and since a few typical 'items' are missing (scissors,paint, rulers, colored pencils, markers, erasers, tissues, etc) then my thought is they assigned a set amount of a certain item to a set amount of kids.

But maybe not....if not that is way too many crayons and glue!! Maybe a typo??

We do not have supply lists yet so I cant tell you what we need.

 

I bet KCMichigan is on to something. That list is about 1/3 of our total list but not as many of each.

 

We don't get school supply lists. Not sure why .. but I sure am not complaining !

 

Are yours going to public or private school?
Full day or half day?
If half, morning or afternoon?
Will they take the bus or be driven?
(ETA: Thanks TabbiSue!) Together or separate class?

Public School
Full Day
Bus
Separate classes (per my request)...

they also have to wear uniforms - khaki or navy blue bottoms (shorts or pants for Ian and shorts, pants, jumpers or skorts for Abby) and either navy blue, white or yellow/gold collared golf type shirts...any type of socks are acceptable as are shoes as long as they are closed toe and closed back...

*sigh* they start 9/6...

ETA - I don't know if we get any kind of supply list - K testing isn't until August...

 

Holy cow, that is a ton of glue!

Gotcha!

They are going to look so cute in their uniforms. :wub:



Our school provides glue sticks, crayons, markers, scissors, pencils, erasers, and paper.


We got a list of "classroom community supplies" to send in with them, but NO indication of how much of each:
saltine crackers
colored pencils or markers
wet ones
kleenex
paper towels
ziploc gallon bags
antibac hand soap
brown lunch bags

 

last year for K, we didn't get the school supply list till the end of August but we have the school tool box (where you pay the PTA and the kids get the school supplies the first day of school) and I did that for my girls.
I don't remember what the whole list was but they need a white board, a clipboard,.

This year we got the new list on the last day of school but I'm doing the tool box again. They need headphones, the clipboard. One teacher requires index cards and a box but I won't know till of the end August if either of my girls have her.

 

We did 1/2 day, no bus, same class. The full day is an option, but it would have cost several thousand per child. The bus was an option, but you have to pay for it. And we did same class because to split them I would have had to put one if full day and one in half day because there were only 2 kinder classes.

We have a standardized supply list for the district. The teachers can add their own things to it. The only thing I've had added was watercolor paints. You can buy the pre-done packages, but they are usually $25-30. If I go shop the supply sale, it's around $10.

Marissa

 

As to the supply list, we haven't gotten ours yet. However, that does seem to be a lot of crayons and glue sticks. Especially when you consider that some of those glue sticks dry out 2/3's of the way through the year. I think KC Michigan may be onto something with her idea of how the classroom is doing the supplies. There does seem to be some things left off the list that are basics in a Kinder classroom (i.e. scissors and tissues to name two obvious supplies).

I know some of the items on my DD's Kinder list from last year. They were:
?? boxes of 8 count crayons (there was even a note with this part saying if we bought the larger boxes because they were cheaper, to only send the 8 colors, which were specified)
?? #2 pencils
?? glue sticks
anti-bacterial wipes
2 boxes tissues
1 box of zip-lock baggies (quart size for girls, gallon size for boys - or something like that)
pencil box
backpack
Fiscar scissors

That's all I am remembering off the top of my head. Ugh. I went to Wal Mart yesterday and they had all their school supplies out. I found that awfully depressing. I'm not ready for school to start yet!! And I'm definately not going to love all the $$ for school supplies for three kiddos, and school clothes. Ick!! (I hate spending the money, but enjoy the shopping with the kids . . . if that even makes sense!)

 

I don't think it is a shared list. The teachers post their lists on the door along with their roster. It's my understanding that it is what each child needs. The other lists with the other teachers have just as much on their lists as this teacher. Maybe they do a lot of projects throughout the year?

 

Public school-they will got to school in the building I teach at
Full day-one of the reason for going to K in my district rather than where we live, which is only 1/2 day.
We will need to transport them since they are attending out of district
The girls will be together for next year with a coworker who is a twin mom herself. She is a phenomenal K teacher.

 

This was us, exactly this year. Now they are going to 1st!!

We got a small supply list for each kid. I already have my grade 1 list (which is definitely longer), but haven't started on that.

 

We're going to public, full day, walking/driving, and separate classes. I would LOVE a half day, but they don't offer it here. We live a couple blocks away from school so we're walking/riding bikes to avoid carpool. They were separate this last year for pre-k and did great, so we're going with it. :good:

As for the supply list...ours is a big very specific list. <_<

24 #2 pencils
2 boxes of crayons
2 boxes of Crayola markers
1 plastic pencil box
2 bottles of Elmers glue
6 large glue sticks
2 pink pearl erasers
1 pair of Fiskar scissors
6 spiral notebooks, 8x10, white primary paper, red base-line, wide ruled
2 hard cover composition notebooks
4 pocket folders with brads
1 box Ziploc bags gallon
1 box Ziploc bags quart
1 roll of paper towels (I'm surprised they didn't say Bounty )
1 large container of baby wipes - no pop up dispensers
2 large boxes of tissue
2 bottles of hand sanitizer (again, surprised they didn't say Purell!)