School pictures today

[MichelleVW]

Our school must be strange because they have about 90% attendance for the 9th and 10th graders and about 50% for juniors and seniors. We only know 2 of the twins' teachers this year so we like to meet them at least once. We also have about 90% attendance for parent teacher conferences.

Yes...I think your school must be strange because I can't imagine that many people showing up to meet their kids teacher in high school.

 

[sunnyday123]

Today is only FRESHMAN orientation for parents and kids-the rest of the school just has pictures-open house is on the 30th. Funny thing, in MN we can plan ahead and get hair cuts before pictures School doesn't start until after Labor Day.

Huh. Must have special "learning to plan" classes in school. Here on the East Coast, we don't sit around two weeks before school starts, waiting all dressed, brushed and shiny.

But I'm one of those terrible Moms who dumped their kid in daycare, so what do I know.

 

[gina2000]

In middle school, pics are done during gym class.

Mid to late August is vacation time here. Club sports end in mid August.

 

[Mimi1965]

Huh. Must have special "learning to plan" classes in school. Here on the East Coast, we don't sit around two weeks before school starts, waiting all dressed, brushed and shiny.

But I'm one of those terrible Moms who dumped their kid in daycare, so what do I know.

I did go to Open House when my first was a freshman in High school-then didnt do any more. Basically there is NO TIME to really meet the teachers-the teacher gives a small speech-lasts 10 minutes-then all the parents have 5 minutes to find the next classroom. High school is not grammer school-its a time for your young person To Take charge.

Its also the time when most "stay at home" women I knew get back in the work force-the few that didnt do so when their kids started grammer school.

 

[Nik's Mom]

DS 11 is starting middle school this week. They did pictures last week. DS 8 is still in elementary school and they still pull the kids out of class for pictures.

 

[Abbie]

Yes...I think your school must be strange because I can't imagine that many people showing up to meet their kids teacher in high school.

Regional differences I guess because our back-to-school night is always packed to the gills. I like seeing my kids' teachers, being able to put a face to a name for the ones I don't know, and catching up with the ones from previous years. It's also a chance to parents to catch up with each other. We are a fairly small community, only about 1200 kids in the high school so maybe that has something to do with it.

As far as pictures, I would hate rushing the school year so I'm glad they do them after school starts. Sports starting early is annoying enough!

 

[Christine]

For our high schools here, pictures are done on the first day of class.

Freshman go in on Aug 30th for half day. They have a mini-orientation, go to each class for about 10 minutes, find their locker, and get their pictures done so the student ID can be made.

On August 31, sophomores go in for half a day and do the same thing. They leave and the juniors do the same thing.

Seniors go in on Sept 1st and do whatever. The whole school starts on September 2nd.

 

[clori]

I live in a strange area. My kids get their school supply list either the last day of school when kids meet their new teachers and bring report cards home that day. Other than registering for kindergarten there is no yearly registration or fees. Unless your involved in a specific activity kids do not go to school from the last day of the year until the first day of the year. Open house takes place at night 2 to 3 weeks after school starts where parents do follow an abbreviated schedule for the grades that change classes. Kids are discouraged from coming but many do since at a k-8 school many are too young to stay home alone.

We also don't have things like a drop off/pick up lane. Parents of young kids wait outside at the door until the teacher comes out and also meet the kids right outside at the end of the day with the teacher. As the kids get older teachers don't dismiss 1 by 1 but most teachers do go outside a few times a week to talk to parents if wanted (which works just for quick things or to request a conference). The principal and vice principal are also outside most mornings/afternoons talking to students and parents though they aren't necessarily availible every single day. Many parents feel like they have enough day to day interaction with teachers as needed that they don't bother with open house even though it is different. Conferences vary but again many parents feel they aren't necessary since they can talk to teachers routinely anyway. Also my area is a very diverse immigrant community and some parents don't speak English enough to understand things like open house or conferences. So far pictures are done twice a year but even then I know many parents just by the class picture.

I don't know much about the high school yet but from kids going there I know they have their schedule before the previous school year ends with teacher names and room numbers. Freshman only go the first day with all 4 grades on the second day. I have no idea if they have an open house.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Yikes! I wouldn't like that.

I remember when I was in school ours were taken in October or November. It was nice, because you could wear sweaters.

Here, they're taken in September. Too early for me.

 

[golfgal]

Yes...I think your school must be strange because I can't imagine that many people showing up to meet their kids teacher in high school.

You never met any of your girls' teachers when they were in high school .

 

[jen0610]

Yikes! I wouldn't like that.

I remember when I was in school ours were taken in October or November. It was nice, because you could wear sweaters.

Here, they're taken in September. Too early for me.

While it wasn't a thick sweater, the knit shirt that DD wanted to wear for pictures was certainly to hot for the 94 degree heat we had the day of registration. The only good thing about what she wore, was it needs a cami under it, so she wore her hot pink tank top/cami and as soon as the picture was over, she took off the outter shirt and did the rest of registration in her shorts and cami/tank top.

Her brother had to do the same thing. He had marching band immediately following registration, so he had to be dressed ready to go directly to that. He wore one of his under armour sleevless shirts under his button down shirt and as soon as the pictures were done, he peeled off his outter shirt.

 

[goofy!]

When my son was a freshman they used to do this. I miss it. I would walk away broke but everything was done. They would take pics, pay book fees, buy gym clothes, parking pass, yearbook, etc. Sign up for PTO and any volunteering and turn in all of the emergency forms. They also got their books and were able to put them in their lockers that day. Done in one day. Apparently some parents complained and they stopped doing this. I had hoped that they would see that this was a better plan than what they are doing now. Our school requires them to wear an ID, they would have these ready the first day because of the pics being taken then. They also staggered this process, 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 and then a fourth day for everyone to come in who missed it. There was plenty of time to get it done. Now I never get the forms or he forgets to turn them in, almost missed yearbook last year because of he forgot to give me the form.

This is pretty much the way our district does it and still does it.

Middle and High School registrations were last week, school starts tomorrow for incoming 6th and 9th graders, Wednesday for everybody else. No teachers are ever at registration, nor are the classrooms open.

You are assigned a time slot to come in according to your last name and then go stand in lines at different stations to turn in emergency forms, order year books, buy gym clothes if your kid needs new clothes, get locker and combo, parking passes for high school, pay any outstanding fees from the previous year, buy books, etc.

Middle school parents attend registration, most freshman parents attend, some sophomores and by the time you are a junior or senior, if you are caught with your parent in the registration line, you will never live it down. By then, parents arm their kids with all the emergency forms and several signed checks and send them off to registration.

If you don't go to registration, you can always do it the first day of school, but then you are standing in a single line behind all the other parents who were gone or forgot in the front office forever getting your child registered

Middle and High School do school pictures at registration as the picture goes on the ID. There is another picture session about a week into school for the kids that missed registration and then a make up one about a month later if you did not like or missed.

Elementary school pictures are done in Sept/Oct.

There is no registration for elementary school. Class lists/teachers are posted about a week before school starts and everybody heads up to the school to see who their teacher is and who is in their class.

Open House for all grades is typically in late September/early October. It is parent only, kids not allowed. In elementary school, you sit in your child's classroom while the teacher gives about a half hour talk on expectations of the classroom. In middle and high school, you are given your child's schedule and go from class to class for an approx. 10 minute presentation. These are not conferences and only general classroom questions are answered. In the middle and high schools it usually is just going over the syllabus and addressing homework and behavioral expectations so parents are on board. If you want to talk about your child specifically, parent/teacher conferences are in the fall and spring.

I have only been to one high school open house in the 6 years I had kids in the high school. Many of the parents I know also did not attend the HS open houses. We met the teachers at conferences.

 

[cabanafrau]

You never met any of your girls' teachers when they were in high school .

Well, I'm not the one you asked, however, yes, I have met them -- most of the time at parent/teacher conferences. Why else would you need to meet them in HS -- particularly as you say you have good schools & your kids are good students? Mine wants to handle her own affairs at this age.

 

[bethbuchall]

Yes...I think your school must be strange because I can't imagine that many people showing up to meet their kids teacher in high school.

I enjoy going to the high school open house and "meeting" my kids' teachers. We follow their schedules with 10 minutes in each class and have a brief introduction to the teachers' policies, philosophies, and curricula. I don't think it's strange, and there is good attendance (~75%) in most classes.

 

[kimblebee]

I don't understand needing to meet a teacher before the year starts. Are you hoping to change the curriculum? Scoping the teacher out and if you don't like them try and get your kid into a different class? Way too many people try to manage every single second of their kids lives. Let them be kids and just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.

 

[AshleyW]

You never met any of your girls' teachers when they were in high school .

My parents never met my teachers. They were really involved in my life (both at school and out of school) but there really wasn't a reason to meet my teachers.

 

[bethbuchall]

I did go to Open House when my first was a freshman in High school-then didnt do any more. Basically there is NO TIME to really meet the teachers-the teacher gives a small speech-lasts 10 minutes-then all the parents have 5 minutes to find the next classroom. High school is not grammer school-its a time for your young person To Take charge.

Its also the time when most "stay at home" women I knew get back in the work force-the few that didnt do so when their kids started grammer school.

That's why I put "meeting" in quotes in my last post. We didn't really meet the teacher, but I find the "small speeches" interesting. Going to a high school open house doesn't meet that the high school student isn't taking charge. If I couldn't make the open house, I wouldn't be devastated, but I do enjoy hearing the different teaching philosophies and having a brief introduction to the courses that my children will be studying for the year.

I'm not sure why it matters whether mothers stay at home or go back to work unless the work schedule precludes attending open house.

 

[TwinsinCA]

My friend has a son who is a freshman this year. They went in a week and a half before school started to have their pictures taken for their student ID and the yearbook. I think they also signed up for classes and paid some fees at the same time. Each grade had a different day that week where these things were done. They also had a back to school night the night before school started.

 

[disykat]

When my son was a freshman they used to do this. I miss it. I would walk away broke but everything was done. They would take pics, pay book fees, buy gym clothes, parking pass, yearbook, etc. Sign up for PTO and any volunteering and turn in all of the emergency forms.

We also do this at our junior high and high school. We call it Maze days. Both my sons will be doing the MAZE at the high school this year. I filled out all the paperwork (we get a packet in the mail) and sent in a check early so their fees are already paid (that's the longest line) so they'll just walk the rest of the MAZE and be done. Schedules, pictures, locker assignments, etc. will all be done before school starts. The pictures are done and school ID's are printed immediately. Then packages are mailed if people purchased pitures. If I'm not working, I'm always one of the volunteers. It really goes smoothly and clubs etc. that are looking for signups insert themselves someplace in the maze so everyone walks by them. I would guess 2/3 of the kids do their maze day and it really makes everyone's job easier.

We also have an open house. Although not everyone goes, the place is always jam packed. Two years ago I was ill and DH went to the junior high and high school open houses and I wasn't doing my regular volunteer work so I went all year without even knowing what a few teachers looked like. I didn't like it. I've never had the need to talk individually with them (conferences are only as needed) but it was nice knowing who they are since we tend to talk about them over dinner!

 

[jen0610]

You are assigned a time slot to come in according to your last name and then go stand in lines at different stations to turn in emergency forms, order year books, buy gym clothes if your kid needs new clothes, get locker and combo, parking passes for high school, pay any outstanding fees from the previous year, buy books, etc.
Middle school parents attend registration, most freshman parents attend, some sophomores and by the time you are a junior or senior, if you are caught with your parent in the registration line, you will never live it down. By then, parents arm their kids with all the emergency forms and several signed checks and send them off to registration.Open House is typically in late September/early October. It is parent only, kids not allowed. These are not conferences and only general classroom questions are answered. Parent/teacher conferences are in the fall and spring.

What happens if the time you are assigned doesn't work for you. I have for the last 3 years taken off from work the Friday that our schools do registration. We go when we get around and both kids are ready to go. And we get there at some time between their hours of 8 am and 1 pm. I would hate to have assigned times. With my luck, DD at one school and DS at another school, would get the same time slots. That doesn't work.

You would think that the schools would send home the medical forms before registration for the parents to fill out. NO....you have to go to the school and get the form and fill it out ON THE DAY OF REGISTRATION - can't get it early. And why, oh why can't they print out the information that I gave them last year, ask me to verify that the information is still the same or if corrections need to be made, make them and turn in the sheet. My kids have had the same Dr with the same phone number for 8 years. The same emergancy contact for 10 years. Why do I every year have to keep regiving you this information????? It would make it so much easier and faster.

And for all that is holy - I am sorry, but I will NEVER send a blank signed check in with either of my kids. The schools have preprinted receipts, that you mark what you are buying - so why in the world doesn't the office have these on hand the weeks leading up to registration. You would think that it would be a piece of cake to call and ask how much this cost or that cost - or heck even better, put the thing on the schools website and let me look it up myself.

There were every few kids at the HS registration that didn't have atleast one parent with them. That was upper and lower classmen. They all go on the same day - it's a free for all.