Quote:

 

As for keeping the kids together......I say it's not that big a deal in my eyes. The BOE says the kids won't have a problem transitioning with the LI, so why then will they have a problem if their school is split up? Isn't that the same as a transition? Just a different kind of transition???

gr1

Mar 7 2006, 01:38 PM

Quote:

 

As for keeping the kids together......I say it's not that big a deal in my eyes. The BOE says the kids won't have a problem transitioning with the LI, so why then will they have a problem if their school is split up? Isn't that the same as a transition? Just a different kind of transition???

Not only would they be transitioning, they'd also be separated from friends. Under this plan it makes an effort to keep school communities together.

gr1

Mar 7 2006, 01:13 PM

I think that by choosing the K-4, 5-6 model the demographics

Under this plan, Every effort was made to keep as many school communities (the people, not the buildings) intact.  I realize there are 2 or 3 where this was not
possible.  I also realize that for Riley this is also the case.  However once these changes are made, Our children will be with the same kids from grade 5 until graduation.  That is a wonderful thing that none of the other plans could afford.

As far as large schools, it is the reality of a funding crisis (PLEASE do not tell me there isn't one.) The benefit of making changes now is to keep the classroom sizes small.

gr1

Mar 7 2006, 01:13 PM

Quote:

 

I wish the Demographics Committee had not been so stuck on the idea of not breaking apart school communities and best friends, which can admittedly be a difficult part of transitioning. Perhaps we would have a new and improved K-6 plan if the focus had been more on school size issues rather than the trauma caused by kids being seperated from their friends. If only they had tried to more evenly distribute the population of students, closing some schools but keeping the K-6 configuration and balancing the numbers to keep schools as small as possible

I think that by choosing the K-4, 5-6 model the demographics committee did a better job of keeping kids together than they would have under a K-6 plan. Under K-6 everything would have been redistricted. I'll use your home school Adams as an example. If Adams was closed not all of Adams K-6 population would have fit at Roosevelt. Therefore, the Adams community would have been split perhaps some to Cleveland and some to Roosevelt (I'm just chosing two random schools I know are in that general area.) Depending on where your kids friends and classmates live, they could have been sent to separate elementary schools.

Under this plan, Every effort was made to keep as many school communities (the people, not the buildings) intact. I realize there are 2 or 3 where this was not
possible. I also realize that for Riley this is also the case. However once these changes are made, Our children will be with the same kids from grade 5 until graduation. That is a wonderful thing that none of the other plans could afford.

As far as large schools, it is the reality of a funding crisis (PLEASE do not tell me there isn't one.) The benefit of making changes now is to keep the classroom sizes small.

NFarquharson

Mar 7 2006, 02:18 PM

gr1

Mar 7 2006, 01:13 PM

Quote:

 

I wish the Demographics Committee had not been so stuck on the idea of not breaking apart school communities and best friends, which can admittedly be a difficult part of transitioning. Perhaps we would have a new and improved K-6 plan if the focus had been more on school size issues rather than the trauma caused by kids being seperated from their friends. If only they had tried to more evenly distribute the population of students, closing some schools but keeping the K-6 configuration and balancing the numbers to keep schools as small as possible

I think that by choosing the K-4, 5-6 model the demographics committee did a better job of keeping kids together than they would have under a K-6 plan. Under K-6 everything would have been redistricted. I'll use your home school Adams as an example. If Adams was closed not all of Adams K-6 population would have fit at Roosevelt. Therefore, the Adams community would have been split perhaps some to Cleveland and some to Roosevelt (I'm just chosing two random schools I know are in that general area.) Depending on where your kids friends and classmates live, they could have been sent to separate elementary schools.

Under this plan, Every effort was made to keep as many school communities (the people, not the buildings) intact. I realize there are 2 or 3 where this was not
possible. I also realize that for Riley this is also the case. However once these changes are made, Our children will be with the same kids from grade 5 until graduation. That is a wonderful thing that none of the other plans could afford.

As far as large schools, it is the reality of a funding crisis (PLEASE do not tell me there isn't one.) The benefit of making changes now is to keep the classroom sizes small.

Actually, this is where we will agree to disagree. I specifically stood before the BOE before the vote on the LI and told them PLEASE go ahead and draw a line thru my neighborhood and send some kids to one school and some to another. I would accept that in a heartbeat compared to seperating the 5th and 6th graders and sending them miles away into a super-sized school. I know that means they would not be with all of their friends, but half of their friends would move with them and it would be okay. I grew up right on the line in the middle of my neighborhood and it was fine. LPS has done this very thing time and time again over the years from the peak enrollment in the 70's and into the early 90's. I think that when Marshall closed might have been the only time that they were able to completely combine 2 entire schools.

I prefer this method and I think it could have/should have been pursued it in more depth and perhaps even 2 choices could have been presented instead of one. I think most would have wanted to keep K-6, including most of those from schools that are closing and even if we could not have the extra "specials." That is what so many fail to see about this whole thing. It is not just that people are upset about schools closing as it appears at times in the media. That is bound to happen any time that you close even one school. What makes this different is that so many people are strongly opposed the change in grade configuration and specifically the large 5/6 school concept. THAT is the real reason for the strong opposition to this Legacy plan.

gr1

Mar 7 2006, 12:33 PM

Rose,
Sorry to hear you had such a tough time with your transitions.
I also transitioned several times, 6 times to be exact. Except for two of the transitions, I was always the "new kid" and there were no transition activities to help me and I did not move right along with my friends.
I did not hate school, made friends and did well.

Just as the lady you mention in your post told her personal story, Your story is yours and mine is mine. Her point was that these transitions are being carefully planned and if her daughters (and mine for that matter) turned out well despite the fact that there was no planning in place to help ease into the transition, then the extra transitions our kids will make next year are more than likely to turn out for the positive because of all the effort being put into to make them as positive as possible.

Michelebel

Mar 7 2006, 02:41 PM

As far as people saying what's good and not good for the children--aren't we all guilty of saying what we think is good or bad for ALL kids?? Based on our own opinion??

NFarquharson

Mar 7 2006, 02:58 PM

Michelebel

Mar 7 2006, 02:41 PM

As far as people saying what's good and not good for the children--aren't we all guilty of saying what we think is good or bad for ALL kids?? Based on our own opinion??

I try hard to form my opinions based on more than just my own experience. When maaking a big or important decision, I want to look at all available facts, theories, data and research available on the issue. From what I have seen, it is difficult to make the argument that big schools are a good idea for our children.

fyi

Mar 7 2006, 03:01 PM

Did anyone see the person wearing the supporter button sleeping at the BOE meeting?  hehehehehe

cmic

Mar 7 2006, 03:24 PM

When I was talking to Dr. Liepa about the 5/6 school and Cooper in particular he was adamently defending the concept saying that 5/6 children will be looping with their teachers from 5th grade to 6th grade so that they will get to know their teacher's well and the teacher's will know them. Looping can work well. The only time it doesn't is when there is a bad mix between a particular teacher and a student and then the student is stuck with them for two years.

Also, I asked him why we have to keep Cooper open when we are closing 7 schools. My feeling is that if there is this much concern, why not close it and send the kids to one of the other many closing schools instead? He said that he is convinced that there isn't a problem and that even when the construction is started that there will be extra safety measures in place. I am still not convinced that it will be the best place for my children.

I had a friend that died of asbestos cancer and it was linked to her elementary school! I am not about to put my children in harms way even if the chances are low that there will be a problem.