How about giving the PARENTS who are involved some credit?? I believe she said she was a silent partner for just such underpriveleged students. I've done the same thing, that's what those programs are for, not so that the teacher can take up everything WE spent our hard earned money that was supposed to be for our own child and distribute as SHE sees fit. If that's what they want to do, then let us know AHEAD of time, like when the supply lists are handed out. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so. I'm just as tired of the parents getting bashed by the some on here as you are the teachers. How about some good communication between the two to start with and that won't be the case. I'll give you a perfect example: Riverwood was supposed to be getting out at 3:30 at the start of this year, all of a sudden, they are being dismissed at 3:20, no explanation, it was just happening. What is the big deal you say? I have a job that I leave at 3:00, that's not much time to get up there, especially if you have some emergency like I did yesterday when my freakin' serpentine belt came off on the way on HWY 70 in that downpour! It would have been nice if they had bothered to send some sort of communication to the parents PRIOR to the change and I might have left a few minutes earlier, but I guess that is too much to ask the administration. :roll:
My son is in the second grade. I don't think community property started until this year. For the poster who has the child going into kindergarten i was 100% pleased with his teacher. She was organized kept the lines of communication open, and was strict but fair. Now last year his first grade teacher was disorganized and lack communication. She would send home letters they day before about functions. Also the other thing that really bothered me is she would let the kids get totally out of control and not say anything. Then all of a sudden she tried to get control which is almost impossible to do when the kids are that far gone. Also she gave a N for conduct on the report card but when I went back to the behavior sheet he had received a star everyday but one. Then another grading period he got an S and he went more days without out a star. The problem with Polenta is the lack of consistency. Sometimes it felt like what ever mood she was in is what she put down.
Earlier in the year there was an article in the newspaper talking about extra time being added to the schools. The reason for the different times of dismissal is because schools share buses. When my daughter was at Polenta last year for kindergarten, they shared buses with the Cleveland middle. We loved the school and the staff. I understand getting mad about the school supplies but the school is an excellent school. Mrs. Nettles is a great principal and the kindergarten teachers are great, especially Mrs. Taylor and Mrs. Thomas.
http://lottery.nc.gov/where_the_money_goes.aspx Read this CAREFULLY! It means 100% of the proceeds AFTER THE 65% that is awarded in prizes or being being put back into the Lottery/Retailers. Our schools get a measly 35%!!! What? Why is there a cap on this??? So, that we can pass more bonds of course!! More bonds = more taxes!! You don't think a lottery was really put in place just for our schools, do you? SO... HALF of this money is going towards school contruction. NONE of it is going towards providing supplies for those new classrooms, or existing ones. And certainly not a dime towards the Marching Band you see in the commercial. :roll: And here is pretty pie chart, to show how the money that the Education system is receiving, is being spent. Wouldn't class size reduction fall under construction? :?
I'm lucky...my children have always been in the JC school system and we've never had any experience like that with school supplies. They do take up the general supplies and issue them when needed (which I don't see any problem with), but none of our schools have ever took their notebooks, etc. and given them to others. If it were me, and I had a problem with it, I would have went and spoken with the teacher...but that's just me..I'm polite, direct, to the point, no bs...which usually works out good...because then the teacher and I are on the same page and we always have a good flow of communication throughout the school year. I think too many times people b*tch about stuff and never communicate with the teachers! :wink:
Hi there, OK I have a question, I have been reading this thread with interest as I currently have two boys but a few years until they reach school age. Interesting on the school supplies I guess I am in the dark as far as what going on in the NC schools but as for the question or comment about the long car pool lines...what about the kids taking the bus, if the lines are that bad why not the bus? I know as a kid we always had to take the bus, that is what part of the school tax was for/transportation. Again I am not trying to ask a sarcastic question or anything, just trying to learn for the future. By the way right now my kids are slated to go to Polenta so I am definately interested. TIA, Sharon
That is a good question...if the traffic is so bad..let your kids ride the bus (they aren't too good for that now are they?) My 12 yo rides the bus, but my elementary schooler does not and it's only because I do before/after care for her!
THe road I live on has a steep curve right in front of my house, no one adheres to the speed limit, most especially the dump trucks, I don't feel it's safe to let him ride the bus at this point, so no, he's not too "good" to ride the bus, I'm being over protective. So sue me.
my child is not too good for the bus. it is just they drop him off at the end of the subdivision. he is too young to walk by himself.
Just a suggestion...if you wanted him to ride the bus, you could drive him to and from the end of your subdivision. I see a lot of parents doing that. That way, they are given the responsibility fo riding the bus, but you are still keeping them safe. As far as the unsafe bus stop, call your county commissioners or speak with someone from transportation at the board of ed. I remember when I was a kid my mom did that. Our street is on a very sharp curve and she refused to have the bus stop there for my safety as well as the other kids on there. They changed the route so the bus came from the other direction and no one had to cross lanes of traffic.
While that is an excellent suggestion re: the unsafe bus stop, the problem is the same from either direction due to the nature of the curve. I'm just not willing to take a chance. Remember the little girl who was killed getting on the bus when it was rear-ended by a chicken truck not long ago?? We are on Loop Road and between the Riverwood Golf Course traffic and the bunches of dump trucks going to the Stump Dump, I take my life in my hands everytime I even get my mail or pull out of my driveway, although the speed limit is 45, I'd wager nearly none are doing that when they go past. There are skid marks out there right now where there was a near miss last week between a dump truck and the mail lady, I'm not taking the chance with my son's life. There wasn't half this much traffic when we bought this house, growing pains I guess.
Wow! I am not normally a poster on here, but with one in 4th at Polenta and one starting kindergarten there next week, I had to put in my 2 cents. My oldest has been at Polenta since kindergarten and with the exceptions of a few things I haven't liked, it has been great! Communication is definitely the key. And don't automatically take your child's word for what is going on, talk to the teacher. Supplies: I agree that it is the individual teacher making the decisions and the parents should talk with the teacher if they have a problem. I decided that I was not providing for everyone in my son's 4th grade class, so I only sent what he personally needed at his desk and will send more as needed. Carpool: If you think it is bad now, just wait! Kindergarten hasn't even started yet and the majority of kindergarteners are carpoolers. I got tired of waiting in the carpool line so we are now bus riders. The buses are your money at work in the school system, might as well take advantage of them. Polenta is a great place for our children to learn!
The same thing with supplies happened last year with a child at my daycare. Her mother was furious. She called and spoke to he principal and got all the items she bought back for her child. She was told by the teacher that they do that since some parents can not or do not buy the supplies needed and this way every child has what they need. The principal told her she was unaware this was happening. I have to wonder why it has happened again.Personally I don't think it is rather sneaky and not a good practice. If it was my child, I would definitely call and voice my feelings on the matter. Perhaps the teacher should pay you the difference between what you spent and the cost of the supplies your child actually got!
My 3rd grader carpools to school and takes the bus home. The reason for the morning carpool is because, last year, the bus never came at the same time. One morning it would come at 7:30, the next it would come at 7:50, then 7:20, etc. :x It felt like I was wasting more time, and gas, sitting at the bus stop (with van running for heat) than by simply taking him to school. Plus, he gets to sleep 1/2 later if I carpool him in the morning... which means I can sleep later too. :wink:
You should definitely be notified up front that the supplies will be community property, if that's the case, before you buy them. I don't think anyone is being sneaky, probably just careless in their communication. That's usually why the teachers ask for specific items, so everyone's will be the same. Some teachers don't care if each child has their own property with their name on it, but others just don't want to deal with the constant distractions of "Mrs Smith, she took my glue." That can go on all day long in the younger grades. I think there is room for LOTS of improvement in the carpool lines. Could they possibly be more inefficient? Teachers are given mountains of paperwork (way too much IMHO) to shuffle each day by the county and the school administration, and on top of teaching your child (and documenting every step of the process) they have to pass along letters about things like schedule changes, etc. Some are better at it than others. You don't have to worry about the hand sanitizer. It isn't allowed anymore. It might be harmful to a child's skin. Warm water for hand washing? No no, a child could burn their hands. Soap in the bathrooms? Ask your child how many days between refills. Go ahead and reserve a few days with your pediatrician.
What? :shock: GROSS! Two of my children's teachers asked for hand sanitizer. I gladly supplied it too, since I'm a bit of a germaphobe. :wink:
kdc, If I felt it was unsafe then I wouldn't do it either......but for the majority of folks, this is not the case. As for the walking through the subdivision....the buses has several stops throughout our subdivision? Maybe, because the parents suggested it to appropriate folks....At first we had 1 bus stop at the beginning of the subdivision and we were told that they couldn't come into the subdivision until the builder turned over the roads to the state (which doesn't happen until all building is finished). Once that happened, all the buses have several stops throughout :lol:
You really ought to make that call kdc - our neighborhood was the same as SB's but now since last Fall, i swear they stop at just about everyone's house - i get aggravated at it when i am behind them trying to get to work. It is like they stop at every 2 or 3 houses.
SB, you're right about that multi-stops in a S/D. Right before we moved some peps moved in beside us that made just that happened. The houses in our S/D had long been finished. They got ahold of the right peps and got the road turned over to the state. And another after thought.... getting the road turned over to the state didn't get the road plowed when it snowed though. S/D roads are on the bottom of the list! :lol:
