Pittsburgh Nesties
AmandaJLewis
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Kindergarten pre-registration
Hold me... i just printed out the form for EJ's preschool pre-registration. It feels so official now. my baby is not a baby anymore.
Re: Kindergarten pre-registration
I printed ours out before break, took one look at how long it is and shoved it in a drawer somewhere. I guess I should pull it back out soon.....
It was definitely a reality check!!
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
I'm a bit confused as to why the process needs to all be in person as well. I could print out the entire registration packet (all 35+ pages of it), but I have to go to the school itself sometime in late February for a "pre registration appointment", where the only purpose seems to be to schedule an actual registration appointment. Why can't they figure out a way to do that online?
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
It looks like for ours we have to go to the school to get on a mailing list for a packet to help aid in the formal registration process in March. Clearly there is no easy way to register for Kindergarten.
Lanna's preschool doesn't bus to the new elementary school she's attending now that we moved, so I either need to find another one that does or figure something else out.
Emmy, our in person bit is in March too. I am a little fuzzy on the details of what goes on there, but I know EJ gets to come along.
Mandy, I was worried EJ's daycare would be an issue, but lucked out. our district does bus kids to some centers but just last year changed which ones they would do for each elementary school. But because my daycare has its own buses they will continue to serve her school. I was so nervous about switching her daycare this late in the game. I hope you find an easy solution too!
Right there with you guys!!! We haven't gotten ours yet but we should get it in the mail soon. Our registration is in person in February so I know the packet should be to us soon. I agree...why is it so inefficient with registration!! And I'm in a completely different state and we do the same thing!!
I am overwhelmed and emotional about it! Dd has been at the same daycare since 12 weeks and she has friends there that she has known since the infant room. All but 1 of the kids will be at different schools than her next year!!! We are half day kindergarten as well (don't get me started on that stupidity) but none of the kids are using our daycare for before/after school care. I love our daycare for the most part but don't really like their option for school age kids. We will hopefully use the distruct's program since we know others using it. All the logistics have me stressed out!!!! Add to that that I'm pretty certain we will be on vacation during registration next month!! I hope they let us do it early. I'm so worried about not getting morning kindergarten and I want dd I'm the same class as her friend!
I don't even GET a packet until March 1st! So I have no idea how long or short the forms are. I had to sign up for a 2 hr pre-registration session that day. While I could download the form online that day, I'd still have to stop by and pick up the lottery ticket that determines if our child gets AM or PM kindergarten. They draw the tickets on Tuesday March 5th.
And while our daycare provides buses from kindergarten to the facility, they DO NOT provide AM care. So if I get PM kindergarten, we are officially screwed! I'd have to find a new daycare of sign our kid up for private kindergarten at our daycare ($$$$). Or I can just quit my job because there would be no other way someone could watch our kid for 1/2 day every morning until school time.
And then we'd be poor.
So to say I am stressed about Kindergarten is a huge understatement! I feel your pain ladies!
I think it's crazy that you have to do things in person. When I did the PPS magney application, everything was on the web! The only old fashioned part was that I received their decision via real mail instead of electronically.
I feel for you with half day kindergarten. In this day and age, not having a full day option seems so antiquated.
Have fun with the paperwork
oh Beth! That is terrible!! A lottery seems silly!! I know we really want AM but I know people who want PM. We would be ticked if it was left up to a lottery. I don't know if we will get what we want but I know we have to write in our reasons why we need a certain one so at least I feel like they consider things.
yet another reason to despise half day kindergarten!!
DH's step-sister is a Kindergarten teacher, and her district switched to full day K this year. She said it is soooo much better for the kids. She said that the teachers don't feel rushed, and they have time for the kids to share stories like what they did over the weekend, what the received for Christmas, etc. Whereas with 1/2 day, they never had time for things like that, and they were always falling behind with their schedule anyways. She said she honestly doesn't know why all districts don't do full day.
I agree, but I know in my district, there isn't enough room for all the kids to go all day. It stinks. And Mars has no interest in switching to full day what so ever!
I can totally see that. I just feel like it is a step backwards for dd who has been at full day daycare since she was a baby. Granted its not always been "school" but right now she is doing preschool full day there. I just can't see how they can teach much in half a day. And especially when some districts are full day how on earth are the half day ones learning the same.
not to mention the logistics nowadays when so many families have 2 parents working outside the home
They can't. I had an orientation for our daycare's private all day Kindergarten 2 months ago and they talked about how our district teaches 1 science module TOTAL all year (on trees) and our daycare teaches 8. They teach computers and our district teaches none. So the full day does cover a lot more; I just wish it was an option in our district!
Wow Mandy - that is a tough situation indeed!!
The other thing to figure out, ladies, is what you will do on days that there is no school. Not even taking possible snow days or sick days into consideration, my DH will be using all of his PTO between now and May on days that there is no school.
:-(
ugh! I just was looking at times and half day is 2.5 hours! That is not even a half day!! Makes me sick to know this will be a tremedous step backwards in how much she learns. 2.5 hours is an absolute joke.
This also stresses me out. We are fortunate in that my mom can help us out sometimes, but she does still work, so she can't stay with them every day they're off, it all depends on her schedule.
They offer before and after care in our district, so I just need to look into it to see if it's actually at our elementary school, or if he's going to need to be bussed elsewhere (or dropped off somewhere by Brian in the morning)
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
thankfully our district has a before/after school program that operates during breaks and days off and even snow days.
That thankfully is the least of my issues, daycare would cover those days (they have a sign up sheet for such days) and my work from home flexibility would fill the gaps. It is a whole lot of logistics to consider though!
I would totally still try to get her into the full day. she is going to be in school with kids of differing abilities forever. if having her there a full day makes your life easier (and gives her more instruction time) I would jump at that opportunity if it were an option.
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
Right, I've thought of it that way too... but I just wasn't sure if it would be worse for her given the nature of the program (that it is created specifically for those who test in). I spoke with one teacher friend who feels like it's better to be in full day regardless, and another who disagreed. It may be a moot point anyway -- we never win anything!
yep, I think that is normal!
I have a few years to be thinking about this but our district is 1/2 day also. All the kids at our daycare get PM session. A friend whose daughter is currently in kindergarten said she is very bored and actually learns more from the teacher at daycare in the morning before school. That in her class they are doing letters and numbers that she learned in the pre-K program the year before.
Always something for us parents!! The bus would pick up DD right outside our house. So trying to think in years to come how we can bypass daycare altogether. doubtful.