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Upper El "Houses" - Dissatisfied
Topic Started: Nov 16 2006, 11:49 PM (478 Views)
mom2kids
Principal
Although it may not seem to be as important as student learning, bussing & safety issues, a major complaint for almost everyone I speak to, including my family, is disappointment with the Upper El House divisions that were made. More kids should have been kept together from each school. Maybe this was the plan to help (force?) kids to make new friends, but it's not really working...

My child has one girl & five boys from our old school in her class. Her main reason of disliking the upper el is the House differentiations. She never sees her close friends at school. (Nor will she next year, probably.) She says there is some, but not too much "mixing" going on between schools yet, either at lunch or recess. Kids were mixed into the class, but they return to pretty much any familiar face from their neighborhood at free time.

I spoke to 3 parents at conferences (whom I never see anymore either!) who had the same complaint. A mom who spoke to our principal was told he hasn't heard many complaints, but he is interested to know this. She suggested that anyone who is dissatisfied with the degree to which they separated the school communities should contact their principal - call, email, write, drop in -- just make them aware how much our kids resent the fact they are not with enough of their school acquaintences or good friends. It definitely affects the children's attitudes, self confidence and stress levels, and that in turn does affect learning.

Maybe it's too late to change much this year, but suggestions could help for next year. Or, maybe some assemblies or pairing up a few House 1 w/ House 2 classrooms for a lesson, project, etc., could help. Or have a "Lower El Reunion Day" = I don't know!! :)

It was also brought up to me that for 2007-08, principals may need to keep the FORMER elementary schools in mind again, as I have heard of a K-4 that isn't "mixing" much. At their recesses (2), the kids run back to their old friends. So simply sending a few 4th grade "Randolph" kids to a 5th grade class still won't guarantee they'll know anyone...Randolph kids should be paired w/ some "original" Randolph kids and have some former Washington kids paired up.

If you have House division complaints or new ideas, start making these known to the principals.
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Grant1
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We have just begun to fight!
Start voicing your concerns in a public forum aired on TV for the rest of the community to know. The principals are not the problem ...those who conceived and voted on this plan are the ones who are at fault and should be held accountable.

I f you have concerns or complaints about this it would be best to appear at a Board of Education Meeting and make this known to the board and the public.
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mikefromholland
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Principal
We had the same problem in Holland (IMO) with the focus schools. My daughter had only 2 or 3 kids she knew from her previous school/classroom in her 3rd grade focus school classroom. One of them moved out of the district (big surprise there) about a month into the school year.

My opinion was that the biggest problem with our narrow grade level focus schools was not educational issues per se, but rather sociological issues. Of course the side effects from these were not beneficial to education, in my opinion.

I'm beginning to wonder if there isn't anything happening as a consequence of the changes in your district that didn't have a precedent here in Holland? There are a few things -- the late buses in the morning being a noticeable example -- but apparently not many.
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NFarquharson
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Principal
I have a little different perspective on the issue of kids mixing from different "old schools" at the "new schools," since we moved. My children started at schools where they really didn't have any old friends from the school they attended last year. Despite that, the size of the schools and the mixing of kids from several square miles is still an issue in my mind. It makes it very difficult for kids of the same age to find each other and develope friendships with kids in their own neighborhood. That was not not a problem when my kids were in a school where everyone lived in one square mile, but with Riley drawing kids from 18 square miles, it is a big issue!
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livoniamom
Principal
My child is is in lower el and only had three kids from her former school in her classroom. Sorry, but I somewhat blame the teachers -- they have major input on the class lists and they know basically know who is friends with who.

In the case of our new school -- I think they were much more interested in "blending" the comminuties. Sounds like a nice idea -- but they have to think of the kids first, not just what sounds good.

My kid has yet to play with a child from the "new school" outside of school -- has yours???
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chickmunk
5th Grade
I think this is an issue with the middle schools, too (not that anything can be done about it now, but...) Don't forget--Riley kids were split up and now have to fit in where they were placed. I know they're older, but with their physical changes (growing) & the typical teenage drama, I'm sure some are having a hard time.
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fyi
Principal
chickmunk
Nov 17 2006, 10:08 AM
I think this is an issue with the middle schools, too (not that anything can be done about it now, but...) Don't forget--Riley kids were split up and now have to fit in where they were placed. I know they're older, but with their physical changes (growing) & the typical teenage drama, I'm sure some are having a hard time.

I've heard some Riley kids are having a tough time. They don't feel like they can call Holmes "their" school. Some kids feel very displaced. I've heard that some of the Holmes kids have special names for the Riley kids.

I'm sure the supporters of the LI would say something like "that will all change next year." That may be true......but what about this year?
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mikefromholland
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Principal
livoniamom
Nov 17 2006, 08:07 AM
My child is is in lower el and only had three kids from her former school in her classroom.  Sorry, but I somewhat blame the teachers -- they have major input on the class lists and they know basically know who is friends with who.

In the case of our new school -- I think they were much more interested in "blending" the comminuties.  Sounds like a nice idea -- but they have to think of the kids first, not just what sounds good.

My kid has yet to play with a child from the "new school" outside of school -- has yours???

Yes, in Holland this idea of "blending the communities" was pitched as an "advantage" of the focus schools. When people like myself questioned the loss of community found in neighborhood schools, focus school supporters flipped the argument around and said we would be developing community throughout the city.

It sounded good in theory but did not appear to occur here to any significant effect just as you are reporting. My daughter did try to make some new friends in her classroom -- but these friendships did not develop into anything significant outside of school because the kids lived miles away. At the same time, kids on our own block and nearby streets -- that had been her friends at our neighborhood school -- were separated from her in other classrooms.

My opinion is that narrow grade spans are a bad system. But don't just listen to me -- read the research that has been well documented elsewhere on this forum.
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CKlockner
Principal
fyi
Nov 17 2006, 10:16 AM
chickmunk
Nov 17 2006, 10:08 AM
I think this is an issue with the middle schools, too (not that anything can be done about it now, but...)  Don't forget--Riley kids were split up and now have to fit in where they were placed.  I know they're older, but with their physical changes (growing) & the typical teenage drama, I'm sure some are having a hard time.

I've heard some Riley kids are having a tough time. They don't feel like they can call Holmes "their" school. Some kids feel very displaced. I've heard that some of the Holmes kids have special names for the Riley kids.

I'm sure the supporters of the LI would say something like "that will all change next year." That may be true......but what about this year?

This year is a big experiment. Many of our children will be paying for this experience/experiment for many years to come.
Changes should be made this year, as problems arise. We know there ARE plenty of problems. The 5/6 schools seem to be the most problematic.
But NOTHING will be done by administration to change ANYTHING.
They will continue to say everything is moving along fine, they havent heard any conplaints, the kids are so excited and happy about their "new" schools.
How to get through to them is our biggest challenge. As we all have seen over the past year, they do not listen.
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