Year round elementary? Thoughts?

[hardysmom]

I know this has come up before.

We are considering a year round school for our twins. They'd be entering next year in 1st grade after pre-K and K at a private school.

The school itself is very interesting and strangely progressive for this area. The school is racially diverse and 85% of the kids are "disadvantaged," but their API scores are the same as the "best," most homogeneous school in our district. That alone speaks to me. They have smaller classes, integrate art/music, and a great community feel.

I'm a little nervous since, while this is the closest school to our house, it isn't the one I planned to attend. We live just outside the city limits, this school is on the edge of town in an area with a lot of poverty. Because it is in the wrong part of town, it is generally off the radar.

Our district allows a lot of transfer "choice." We can go wherever we want.

The school in question is one of 5 schools in Tulsa a year round schedule. Here, that means that they have 7 weeks for summer (mid June - early August) and 3 weeks off in October and March. We don't have multiple tracks since the number of students in the program is so small.

My son is in 2nd grade in a normal private school. Given that they do have 2/3 of a normal summer, I don't feel like having kids on different schedules is that big of a deal. It might be nice to have some 1 on 1 (or 1 on 2) time.

Anyone have any experience or thoughts?

I guess the secondary question is-- has anyone attended a great school with a very high poverty rate, even if you are not "disadvantaged?"

Stephanie

[crl]

I attended year round school as a child and loved it--less time to forget stuff and get bored over the long summer break!

Catherine

[mom2binsd]

I've worked at year round schools and think they are great for kids and families.

I think the socio economic issue may not be that big of a deal, especially if there is such a diverse population attending the school.

[poppy]

They have that here in some districts. My friend loves it--kids get less bored, more time to travel in off peak seasons, also--kids are more focused since the breaks are shorter; not just one long summer.

I hope to send my kids to year round school. I've only heard good things about it from those who go to a year round school, not any bad.

I attended a school with a high poverty rate and my parents moved and transferred us b/c of the high crime rate of that particular neighborhood; not saying all are that way, just my personal experience.
My sister was attending a pretty prestigious HS in that area, where some kids may have been disadvantaged, but probably not most; and the school academics were stellar, but the area was just too crime ridden. I suppose it's hard to comment on your situation b/c there are so many factors, only you and those who attend can really give a more accurate opinion.

[Tondi G]

Sounds like a nice schedule. I would love it if my DS's school year was scheduled like that... means you could take trips when the kids are out of school but the rest of the world is still in.... prices would usually be lower!

[egoldber]

I would love that school schedule.

[carolinamama]

Our kids will go to year-round schools. We purposely moved to this neighborhood so that it would work out this way since we like the idea of that schedule. I can't speak for the socio-economic issues though.

[goodnightmoon]

I went to a good school with a great AG/GT (gifted) program in a poor neighborhood. There were huge chain link fences with razor wire on top to keep people from breaking in at night. There were often used condoms and used needles on the playground, although I didn't realize what they were at the time because I was too young. This was before metal detectors and heightened security at schools, but it became too dangerous for us. People were wandering onto the school grounds during the day, talking to kids in the bus line and even walking into the school, so our parents took us out and moved us to another school.

Security has come a long way in schools though, so hopefully yours has a much better way of keeping the kids safe...

[jess_g]

Honestly I would be concerned about the neighboorhood the school is in and the safety of my child at the school and before and after school too. If you are comfortable walking around in the neighboorhood around the school and having your child play at the playground and such than I would go for it. Having said that we purposly did not consider one hs for my dd because it was in a bad neighboorhood (a downtown area) and applied her to another hs instead.

Another option is to find out if your town offers a summer camp / summer school program. My ds's school offers this for the kids that need extra help. He goes for 6 weeks in the summer from 8 to 12. Its a great way to get him out of the house and doing something academic with friends he knows from school. They also take model kids so I am sending my youngest there this summer. Just a thought. We do not have year round schools here but I wish we did.

Jessica.

[fivi2]

We aren't there yet, but in our district some schools are year-round and some are not (these days I think most are not, but there are still a couple). The negatives I have heard are having kids in different schools with different schedules (it sounds like you think it will be okay) and scheduling issue with sports and camps and such. If the rest of the district is on the regular schedule, most sports and camps will follow that schedule, which may cause some problems...?

But other than that, I have always thought the year round schools sound great.

[bubbaray]

Our school district is talking about moving to a "balanced calendar", which is pretty similar. I dunno, I have mixed feelings about it. Probably won't have much choice, though.

[kristenk]

I would love that schedule! It's nice that there's still a decent chunk of time off in the summer, but not too much. I'd much rather have family vacation time in the fall or spring than the summer. I'm in the DFW area, but I imagine that Tulsa has similar summer weather! I'd love for DD to be in school during some of the summer months just b/c it gets sooooo HOT and makes me want to turn into a slug and not leave the house!

Would you consider having your DS go to the same school?

[trales]

I worked for a few years at a economically disadvantaged school in a pretty rough neighborhood, but never felt unsafe there. It was a great program with great kids. There was no opportunity for unwanteds to get on the property or the kids to wander into the neighborhood.

Ask to tour the school during school hours so you can see what recess ect is like. Park on the street at pick up and drop off time and see what the scene is like. The only way you can know is if you are there.

[MoJo]

I assume the school is air-conditioned? Many in my area are not (even in more affluent areas), and so trying to go to school in the summer would be MISERABLE.

[AnnieW625]

Honestly I love the idea of year round school because I like being able to take vacations at non peak times, but both DH and I work full time and there aren't many year round schools around so there aren't any local alternatives for "summer camp" given by the YMCA at non summer times. Also #2s daycare will be on the regular school year schedule until it is ready for kindergarten and I think it would be easier to keep the kids on the same schedule esp. since the kids will be 4 yrs. apart and the year round schools are K-5 so when #2 is in kindergarten, #1 will be in the 5th grade so they'd only be in year round school together for one year.

[KpbS]

My cousins (years younger than me) went to year round school and it was a good experience overall. They did have problems when their 2 were on different "tracks" as far as scheduling family time/vacations but that was only for a couple of years.

My bigger concern would be the safety of the school environment and the neighborhood. At my high school we wore ID badges and went through metal detectors. These changes were implemented while I was there (years ago now, lol) and while our school was in an ok area, there had been several incidents in our school and others within our district. My sister was in a class (different high school, same district) where a gunman (student) held the class and teacher hostage. I mentioned the security measures at my hs to my DH who was went to a larger hs in a smaller town and he thought it was absurd. There is no way he will tolerate our kids attending school in a similar environment.

I think like a PP mentioned you have to go to the school on your own and observe pick-up, drop-off, random traffic during the daytime. Ask the administration about security measures, incidents, etc. and figure out what you are comfortable with.

[JBaxter]

Different schedules would be my only concern. Daycare may also be an issue if you are not a SAHM. Several places around here does summer care ( Like our Y and the county does day camps) weeks during the spring/fall my disrupt that.

[lilycat88]

I can see the positives in a year around schedule but, for our family, I wouldn't like it. We plan on using the summer for activities that aren't available in our area. One of those will be a 6-week sleep away camp where DD can ride and take sailing lessons as well as take special "academic" courses she wouldn't have access to here.

[AnnieW625]

I would love to do yr. round school for our kids because I'd much rather take vacations at non peak times. However since both DH and I work full time we will always need some type of care for our children. Unfortunately in our area there aren't enough year round schools to warrant our YMCA from having a summer camp program for the off track kids. Also because my kids will be 4 yrs. apart in school and the year round program is only for K-5 they would only be at the yr. round school together for two school years. If the program went until 8th grade then I might consider it because they'd have fours years together at the same school with the same schedule.

[Gena]

I assume the school is air-conditioned? Many in my area are not (even in more affluent areas), and so trying to go to school in the summer would be MISERABLE.

This can be a huge factor. One of the districts around here (not ours) implemented a calander like this district-wide a couple of years ago. It sounded like a great idea, but the school buildings are old were not built for hot weather. So school would start the first week of August, but then classes would be cancelled due to the heat frequently. The schools ended up using their calamity days long before the first snowfall. After two years, the district decided to revert to the traditional calander.

However, if the school building is appropriate for year-round weather, I think year-round school is a great idea. I would love it as an option for DS. It would great to not have such a long summer break in his special ed services.

[hardysmom]

This can be a huge factor. One of the districts around here (not ours) implemented a calander like this district-wide a couple of years ago. It sounded like a great idea, but the school buildings are old were not built for hot weather. So school would start the first week of August, but then classes would be cancelled due to the heat frequently. The schools ended up using their calamity days long before the first snowfall. After two years, the district decided to revert to the traditional calander.

However, if the school building is appropriate for year-round weather, I think year-round school is a great idea. I would love it as an option for DS. It would great to not have such a long summer break in his special ed services.


In Tulsa, it often hits 100+ in September and is in the high-80s through October. All of our schools have good air-conditioning. An "old" buyilding here might be 40 - 50 years old. Heck, we weren't even a state until the 1900's...

As the post from Dallas mentioned-- In August, it is usually well over 100 for days and days and days on end. Having the kids doing something sounds great since it is miserable outside.

This school has the strongest ED and Autism program in Tulsa because of the year-round schedule. The principal said it was beneficial. One of the twins has some sensory and motor planning issues-- I liked that they have strong OTs who understand sensory stuff on-site.

On the danger element-- This is Tulsa, not NYC. We don't have walking neighborhoods, even in the best parts of town. Sadly, sidewalks are few and far between.

This school is near the edge of town in a area that is just getting into the rural part of the county. There is a lot of poverty, but it isn't inner-city poverty. The neighborhood has a lot of houses that look like a strong wind could blow them over. Lots of junk on the porch and a couple of cars on blocks and a rusted out washer in the front yard... The school sits on about 5 fenced-off acres, on the edge of a big field with nothing of consequence nearby for several blocks. No gangs or guns or drugs in the school. I'm totally comfortable relative to safety-- I just don't want my kids to feel socially excluded. They have uniforms, which helps.

I think I'll probably have a harder time earning credibiity with the parents than my kids will with the students... It is hard NOT to feel like a big schmuck pulling up to a Title I school in a Land Rover. I think I am just going to have to work extra hard to not be pegged as snotty. We may all learn a lot.

I think a lot of the kids probably have pretty rough homes. That most were transferred in means someone is advocating for them, but it isn't the stay-at-home-doctor's-wife crowd that attends our private school. That is a plus. I think my kids need more diversity.

Tulsa is one of the most racially and socioeconomically segragated cities in the country. It is really, really bad. This is one of the very few schools whose racial demographics actually reflect the city. It is about 65% white, 20% black, 15% Native American. The principal was apologetic that there were not more hispanic kids. Here, the "best" schools are 98% white (seriously) and the "bad" schools are 98% minority.

Keep the feedback coming! I have to file the transfer in the morrning.Ii think it is the right choice, it is just hard to take the road less traveled.

Stephanie

[bubbaray]

Ya know, I wouldn't worry about the wealth disparity part. We have a huge range in DD#1's school, but the kids are soooo happy and its not a fashion show in grade 1, KWIM? If the school provides the services your kids need, and delivers in a manner that is beneficial (that makes sense about the year-round calendar in that situation), go for it. If it d/n work out, could you do the private school? If so, maybe go on the wait list for that to see how it works out.