Disney Wonder Sept 3-7, 2006 Part 3

[LCTsMom]

Has she cut her own hair yet?

YIKES now there's a hot topic!

 

[LCTsMom]

Oh Taeja I was just teasing she really did it huh?
I remember my sister doing that the night before first communion when we were kids!

Poor Tae Ja, she really had a tough time of it when it first happened. I felt soooo bad! I can't wait to see how her hair has grown out since that dreaded day in history.

 

[suzannef]

Poor Tae Ja, she really had a tough time of it when it first happened. I felt soooo bad! I can't wait to see how her hair has grown out since that dreaded day in history.

Did she post about it here? Oh man now I really feel bad I don't remember reading that

 

[LCTsMom]

Hey Lisa How was roller skating?

DD had a great time but it was looong, 3 hours. I sat with a bunch of moms who were all complaining/comparing/commiserating about which teacher their kid got this year. Our school groups students by "progressive placement" which means that they're grouped by ability. There were a lot of high scoring kids and the group that was together in kindergarten got split up. Some of the kids moved down a level, and some got moved down two levels. Needless to say, some of the parents weren't very happy. It ends up being more about the parents' ego than about their kid being placed appropriately. Human nature I guess.

 

[LCTsMom]

I got my first pair of Reef's tonight. They're pale pink & tan. I am loving them!

 

[suzannef]

DD had a great time but it was looong, 3 hours. I sat with a bunch of moms who were all complaining/comparing/commiserating about which teacher their kid got this year. Our school groups students by "progressive placement" which means that they're grouped by ability. There were a lot of high scoring kids and the group that was together in kindergarten got split up. Some of the kids moved down a level, and some got moved down two levels. Needless to say, some of the parents weren't very happy. It ends up being more about the parents' ego than about their kid being placed appropriately. Human nature I guess.

That is soo true huh?
Well at least there is some rhyme or reason to your placement. Our district went to a "blind" placement this year. Every kid has a card and they shuffle them up into the 7 different 1st grades and there you have it. Sooo ridiculous. I'm dreading seeing who the kids got. There are 2 first grade teachers I don't want. That's why they wait till the last minute to tell us so we can't complain

 

[suzannef]

Reefs- sandals right?

 

[LCTsMom]

That is soo true huh?
Well at least there is some rhyme or reason to your placement. Our district went to a "blind" placement this year. Every kid has a card and they shuffle them up into the 7 different 1st grades and there you have it. Sooo ridiculous. I'm dreading seeing who the kids got. There are 2 first grade teachers I don't want. That's why they wait till the last minute to tell us so we can't complain

If they shuffle them, then you should be able to at least try to request a teacher. I've done that many times in the past, especially since I volunteer heavily. With the system that our school has in place, it's harder to do that. Sometimes though, there are two or three teachers that are basically teaching the same level so there are still options. Most of the time though, it's all about getting the TOP class, even if your kid will be the one struggling in there. I volunteered enough last year to see who did and didn't belong in that class. The parents knew darn well that their kids were struggling yet when they got moved down, the parents threw a fit! It's a no win situation for the school administrators.

 

[suzannef]

We are not allowed to request teachers. You can reaquest to NOT have a certain teacher ONLY if a previous child has had that teacher. They don't make it easy. Even with all the volunteering I do there are no exceptions for ANYONE.

 

[LCTsMom]

Reefs- sandals right?

Yup...flip flops. Logan actually bought them for me. Isn't he a sweetie!! I've always wanted to try them. We went school shopping for Logan a couple of weeks ago and PACSUN was giving away their PAC bucks (you spend $50 and you get $25 off). The PAC bucks were due to expire today and Logan had accumulated $150 worth. We decided to hit the mall and see what he could find. He got a bunch of clothes, even an outfit for dinner on the cruise (and then again for Homecoming), some flips for himself and two pairs for me. I got a cute pair of Roxy leather flip flops on sale for $10 and the Reefs. They were much more expensive, it was so nice of him to do that. I offered to repay him but he insisted.

 

[suzannef]

What a great kid!!!!

 

[suzannef]

Just looked them up on the pacsun website. They are toooo cute!

 

[taeja71]

I was waiting to let the dog in and saw this article about carry ons. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/2...MH_rsKs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NWZtdDlpBHNlYwMyNjgz

 

[LCTsMom]

We are not allowed to request teachers. You can reaquest to NOT have a certain teacher ONLY if a previous child has had that teacher. They don't make it easy. Even with all the volunteering I do there are no exceptions for ANYONE.

That stinks! There are probably ways around that but it wouldn't be pretty. We've been in situations where we've been told that but I've also heard (from the inside) that they couldn't/shouldn't deny a request either. I can understand when they don't want people requesting teachers for the wrong reasons (i.e. so kids could be with their friends) but I have heard that if you state the reason as "I've observed Mrs. So & So and believe that her teaching style would compliment the way my little Johnny learns" that it would most likely be honored. It comes down to the fact that the school works for you, the tax payer, and that they should do everything in their means to accomodate you. It also has to be done on an individual basis, and kept totally confidential. I guess if you honestly had a strong reason why you did not want your child to have a certain teacher, I'd be writing a letter, with or without having had a child previously in that class. I understand though, that every school district is different and that this may not be the case for you. In our previous elementary school, they always said that they would not honor any requests under any circumstances. Yet when a request was made, the child coincidentally ended up in that class.

 

[LCTsMom]

Just looked them up on the pacsun website. They are toooo cute!

These are them
http://shop.pacsun.com/webapp/wcs/s...=10004&categoryId=14560&pageNumber=1&sortBy=0

 

[LCTsMom]

These are the other ones that were on sale: http://shop.pacsun.com/webapp/wcs/s...=10004&categoryId=14560&pageNumber=3&sortBy=0

 

[suzannef]

That stinks! There are probably ways around that but it wouldn't be pretty. We've been in situations where we've been told that but I've also heard (from the inside) that they couldn't/shouldn't deny a request either. I can understand when they don't want people requesting teachers for the wrong reasons (i.e. so kids could be with their friends) but I have heard that if you state the reason as "I've observed Mrs. So & So and believe that her teaching style would compliment the way my little Johnny learns" that it would most likely be honored. It comes down to the fact that the school works for you, the tax payer, and that they should do everything in their means to accomodate you. It also has to be done on an individual basis, and kept totally confidential. I guess if you honestly had a strong reason why you did not want your child to have a certain teacher, I'd be writing a letter, with or without having had a child previously in that class. I understand though, that every school district is different and that this may not be the case for you. In our previous elementary school, they always said that they would not honor any requests under any circumstances. Yet when a request was made, the child coincidentally ended up in that class.

It really should be done on a case by case basis, but our district is difficult and thus far haven't wanted to rock the boat, but will if push comes to shove. Our principal leaves a lot to be desired

 

[suzannef]

I knew those were the other ones lol!!! They are both so cute. I love flip flops. I am such a Florida girl at heart. I don't know how I was born into a family in Central New York.

 

[LCTsMom]

I knew those were the other ones lol!!! They are both so cute. I love flip flops. I am such a Florida girl at heart. I don't know how I was born into a family in Central New York.

I can't even tell you how many pairs of flip flops I own...but I do know that Teia has 3 times as many! They don't allow the elementary school kids to wear them in school but the middle & high school kids can. I'd like to change THAT rule! I can understand no flips on P.E. days but they don't have P.E. everyday. I think they should change that rule. I'll have to work on that. She's only in first grade...

 

[suzannef]

We have the same rule. Sandals have to have backs in them in elementary school. My dd 11 wears them to school alot though