Child starting School this Fall...

Cherokeekid88

Cherokeekid88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Location
High Point, NC
So our little girl who is turning 5 in May will be starting Kindergarten this fall and as of right now, we have it in our minds that she will be going to Southwest Guilford Elementary. We have toyed around with the Idea of sending her to a private school as well as a Lottery school that is very close to us. Specifically asking if anyone has kids in Pheonix Academy or knows anything about them. A lady my Dad works with said they entered into the Lottery for Phoenix, but wasn't accepted, but then got a phone call a few days later asking if she was still interested and she got in. I like the idea of a smaller class size and that its not a public school.
I have heard from several people that Southwest Elementary is a good Elementary school and there are still a lot of teachers that have been there a long time, but we would more than likely switch schools for middle school. I know how it was when I was there back in the early 2000's and I can't even to begin to imagine what it like now.

Paying for a private school like Tri City Academy would be touch on us, especially if we end up wanting to have another child, which is why a Lottery school like Phoenix Academy is peaking our interest.

Just trying to get all of our ducks in a row and figure out what is going to be the best for her and makes us feel good as parents.
 
Me and the wife have went through this hundreds of times. You will never shield your child from the world, and when you do it typically becomes worse when they see it. Find a good local public, which it sounds like you have. Be active in the school. Know what’s going on, you can literally sit in classrooms during the day. I know a few principals who have directly told me to never send my kids to any lottery/charter schools as when these kids come back they are far behind. Just my .02 but I’m in Randolph county rather than guilford
 
Noel said:
Me and the wife have went through this hundreds of times. You will never shield your child from the world, and when you do it typically becomes worse when they see it. Find a good local public, which it sounds like you have. Be active in the school. Know what’s going on, you can literally sit in classrooms during the day. I know a few principals who have directly told me to never send my kids to any lottery/charter schools as when these kids come back they are far behind. Just my .02 but I’m in Randolph county rather than guilford
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Well, this makes me feel better about sending her to a public school. I guess my mentality is her being in a school with a smaller class size, hopefully rooms full of kids with decent upbringings instead of what I know to be in public schools. I think what you s aid about being active in the school is a good idea.
My Dad is totally against her going to a public school and I told him that if you want her to go to a private school so bad, are you going help out with the tuition?
 
justjeepin86 said:
I'm not in your area, but we love our public schools. I know that can vary from town to town. Good luck in whatever you choose for your family.
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Same, public school was good to me, and has been good to our kids so far. I know a lot has to do with the school itself, teachers, and administration that varies from place to place, but I feel like for the most part school is what you make it.

I also am not one to think that your child's education is solely the school's responsibility. You need to be in touch with what's going on and supplement what your child needs.

The argument I get into most frequently with my wife (who was home schooled) is my daughter is bored or not being challenged. She doesn't want to do the work she's assigned or do it the way it's assigned (showing her work) because it's "below her". My stance is you do whats assigned, do it well, get that over with, then look for challenges. The danger is when you have a child that just does the minimum to get by.
 
LBarr2002 said:
Same, public school was good to me, and has been good to our kids so far. I know a lot has to do with the school itself, teachers, and administration that varies from place to place, but I feel like for the most part school is what you make it.

I also am not one to think that your child's education is solely the school's responsibility. You need to be in touch with what's going on and supplement what your child needs.

The argument I get into most frequently with my wife (who was home schooled) is my daughter is bored or not being challenged. She doesn't want to do the work she's assigned or do it the way it's assigned (showing her work) because it's "below her". My stance is you do whats assigned, do it well, get that over with, then look for challenges. The danger is when you have a child that just does the minimum to get by.
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I agree with this. We like our kids elementary school. We know the Administration and many of the staff, and have no questions being involved or asking detailed questions. Luckily, for us, many of the teachers and admins have strong Christian beliefs and help to instill those values in the kids, while "following the rules and not pushing it on them".

We have had lots of conversations, esp when the oldest was 4-5, about what they might learn in school, that we may not want them to. After having a little experience now, I still stand firm that it is your job as a parent to be the biggest director and support for your children. We make sure to ask them about what they are doing and learning in school, and hold them to high expectations for doing their best. I also have no issue teaching them the pieces of history/math/science/etc that the teachers may be leaving out or skimming over.
 
I'm sure Elementary school is fine. I was talking to a lady who used to be on the PTA at Southwest Elementary and she said it was a great school and that alot of people will try to use other family members addresses to get into that school, so I guess that says something. Its just me being a protective Dad, I guess.
 
I'm an advocate for setting the best foundation possible. What I mean by that is sending the kid to the best school they can through 3rd grade. Through 3rd grade they should have mastered the fundamentals of reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic. At least in my area the private school kids are 2-3 years ahead of the public school kids by 3rd-ish grade. Then by 4th grade they start splitting out the 'accelerated' kids, and that's when I'll send my kids to public school to get 'real world' exposure. We've toyed with the idea of charter schools, but the one closest to me is less than 2 years old and primarily made up of folks that can't get past the fact that the elementary school that they're in was effectively condemned by the state...so nostalgic bruncledaddies are running it and attending. But there is one elementary school in my area I'd consider, but we're out of district, but that's as simple as filling out a waiver.
 
I also want to point out that many kids are accepted to charter schools for reasons other than academics. But most charter schools don't have buses, so the parents do atleast have to arrange transportation.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
I also want to point out that many kids are accepted to charter schools for reasons other than academics. But most charter schools don't have buses, so the parents do atleast have to arrange transportation.
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This is another issue for us. If we sent her to say Phoenix Academy, we would have to pick her up everyday and take her to afterschool. Where as right now, her Daycare will pick her up from Elementary school when she starts.

ManglerYJ said:
Elementary school is fine, it's Middle School where people lose their collective sense of decency and humanity.
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This is my thought too. I just didn't really want to pull her out and send her to a new school when she starts 6th grade, I guess we will just see how it goes. As of right now, we are sending her to Southwest this fall. Its literally 5 min from our house.
 
After having to do carpool, never again, bus is a wonderful thing.

Cherokeekid88 said:
This is my thought too. I just didn't really want to pull her out and send her to a new school when she starts 6th grade, I guess we will just see how it goes. As of right now, we are sending her to Southwest this fall. Its literally 5 min from our house.
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Kids move school anyways for 6th grade unless i'm missing something?
 
Home school them if you can, if not a good public school is the way to go. My brother home schooled his kids, both were done at 16 and both got full rides to Chapel Hill where they both said it was no issue to compete with kids who'd been through conventional school. My kids are in public school and seem to do just fine, however both complain that it isn't very challenging and a good bit of the instruction time is wasted by teachers trying to control the bad apples in the classes.
 
DSM Turbos said:
After having to do carpool, never again, bus is a wonderful thing.



Kids move school anyways for 6th grade unless i'm missing something?
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Yeah, but if you go to the elementary school and then go to the middle school of the same name...chances are, you are going to know most of the kids there VS going to a completely brand new school
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
Yeah, but if you go to the elementary school and then go to the middle school of the same name...chances are, you are going to know most of the kids there VS going to a completely brand new school
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Kids are way more resilient then you think, I wouldn't worry about that. Kids also change a ton as they go into middle school and often wind up having completely different friends, etc.
Around here they also are constantly moving your base schools every few years anyways, so the chance you will go to a different school in 6 years then what you are currently zoned for is pretty high.

Our kid moved to a MS where they didn't know but maybe 1-2 kids, because we kept them in the same elementary school (and had to carpool them), and has done just fine, and i'll argue has had a better time figuring out who they are.
 
So we have decided to apply at Phoenix Academy here in High Point, which is a lottery school. Not sure if she will get in or not, but we will have the local public school as our backup if Phoenix doesn't work out. Phoenix has a small class size (anywhere from 10-15 kids per class) and I think Calvary would just benefit better from that. We will see though. Might not even find out till Summer rather or not she is accepted.
 
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