Choosing schools - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

spindles · 07-08-2009, 06:34 PM

I have a couple of boys and the eldest is starting school next year. We are fairly certain we are going to send him to the local public school. We know people who have kids going there and it is literally 5 minutes walk from the house.

We are probably going to meet the principal in the next few weeks and have a tour of the school.

I really don't have any idea what to ask the principal.

Anybody got some insight into what I should be looking for/looking to avoid?

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

Glory's Sun · 07-08-2009, 06:35 PM

our oldest is starting in august.. usually you can go on the state education website and find reviews as well as class scores etc.. and this will help you pick a school where education comes first.

amonkie · 07-08-2009, 07:07 PM

Your kid's education will only be as good as your involvement. Parents who expect their kids to come home as little Einsteins do not accept their responsibility in contributing to the culture that learning is awesome.

My mom has been a teacher for 30+ years and is current a principal, so it has been interesting to have a different view of the education system. It really is a system, that needs healthy parts on all levels.

spindles · 07-08-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amonkie

Your kid's education will only be as good as your involvement.

Being a work from home dad, I'm in a pretty good position to be involved, but the school itself has got to factor into the equation. As I am going to be involved (as will my wife) I'm really trying to get an idea what to look for when choosing one school over another.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guccilvr

state education website and find reviews

I've done a bit of digging in the state department of education but don't see any kind of ranking of schools. Given that I'm in Australia, that perhaps is a bit of a dead end, but thanks for the idea.

Glory's Sun · 07-09-2009, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spindles

I've done a bit of digging in the state department of education but don't see any kind of ranking of schools. Given that I'm in Australia, that perhaps is a bit of a dead end, but thanks for the idea.

oops sorry! I wasn't sure how Australia worked on that front. I would go to a few different schools and not only meet with the principal but meet with the potential teachers as well. See how they react to situations. Find out if the principal will share test scores as well as discipline records and methods.

Halanna · 07-09-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spindles

Anybody got some insight into what I should be looking for/looking to avoid?

It's been awhile since I've had a young one going to grade school. But if it were me, I'd be asking:

1. How many teachers in the school are teaching outside their education? Like music teachers teaching reading and english teachers teaching science. At my son's high school, he had an art teacher teaching computer science and it was a disaster.

2. What is the security of the campus? How well monitored are the hallways? How is the campus locked during the day and if there is a security issue, how are the parents notified. Is the campus put on lockdown, etc.

3. Is there a law enforcement officer assigned full time to the campus?

4. What are the in school and after school activities? Do they offer activities your child will be interested in.

5. What are the qualifications of the school nurse, is she an RN or lower, better?

6. Are there any restrictions on sending treats, cupcakes on a birthday, etc. Some schools are not allowing it anymore due to peanut allergies, etc.

7. What is the pick up/drop off policy. What if someone goes into the office and tries to remove your child that is not you or your wife? Will you be immediately notified?

8. What is the teacher turn-over and absentee rate?

9. Are criminal back ground checks done on every single employee in the school?

10. Are there security cameras covering the entire campus?

spindles · 07-12-2009, 02:55 PM

I saw on the news last night that the education department is trying to introduce league tables, but there is a lot of resistance from teachers, so there is a possibility that this may be available...

Halanna - wow, security really doesn't seem (to me) to be a high priority item. It goes to show how different cultures really focus on different things. Given Australia's tough gun laws we really have a lot less to worry about in this area. Having said that, this might be a bigger priority if I lived in a different part of Sydney.

spindles · 08-09-2009, 10:45 PM

Just a follow-up. We met with the Principal today and had a walk around. We also got to meet and talk briefly with one of the kindergarten teachers. It is quite a small school (about 300 students), but they provide a lot of extra activities which could be good (like dance, music, sport), have quite a good computer lab and smart boards in all class rooms.

We asked about
* what the expectation was in terms of skills the child should have prior to starting
* how drop off and pick up works (especially for the younger kids)

The principal has obviously done this quite a bit as the hour contained a lot of information.

I think our eldest is 99% going to this school for quite a few reasons
* It is easy walking distance from home
* Our son is also at a pre-school that is close and will know quite a few kids from there (last year and also this year) that will be going to this school
* The teacher we met seems quite impressive and keen to get the kids started in learning to read (which is really where kindergarten is focussed).
* We've had quite a few people recommend the school

dlish · 08-10-2009, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spindles

Having said that, this might be a bigger priority if I lived in a different part of Sydney.

im sure you're referring to the part of sydney that i grew up in spins!

we never had the type of violence that you see in american schools. thank goodness for our gun control. we only had gang violence, stabbings, drug deals amonst many other crimes..but i never saw anyone get shot. i did see some guns though out of school.

hope your choice is well made. but im sure that regardless of where you put him, it would be a good choice considering the area that you live in. demographics are a good indicator of schools. but seeing that you work from home and are close to the school, its a shoe-in.

im all for public education because of the 'street-smart' vs 'book-smart' argument. i went through the worst school in the state and came out ok... i think

spindles · 08-10-2009, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlish

i went through the worst school in the state and came out ok... i think

I dunno mate - even your avatar has a gun

07-08-2009, 06:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	Choosing schools I have a couple of boys and the eldest is starting school next year. We are fairly certain we are going to send him to the local public school. We know people who have kids going there and it is literally 5 minutes walk from the house. We are probably going to meet the principal in the next few weeks and have a tour of the school. I really don't have any idea what to ask the principal. Anybody got some insight into what I should be looking for/looking to avoid? Thanks in advance for your ideas! __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

07-08-2009, 07:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
amonkie Drifting Administrator Location: Windy City	Your kid's education will only be as good as your involvement. Parents who expect their kids to come home as little Einsteins do not accept their responsibility in contributing to the culture that learning is awesome. My mom has been a teacher for 30+ years and is current a principal, so it has been interesting to have a different view of the education system. It really is a system, that needs healthy parts on all levels. __________________ Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

07-12-2009, 02:55 PM	#7 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	I saw on the news last night that the education department is trying to introduce league tables, but there is a lot of resistance from teachers, so there is a possibility that this may be available... Halanna - wow, security really doesn't seem (to me) to be a high priority item. It goes to show how different cultures really focus on different things. Given Australia's tough gun laws we really have a lot less to worry about in this area. Having said that, this might be a bigger priority if I lived in a different part of Sydney. __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

08-09-2009, 10:45 PM	#8 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	Just a follow-up. We met with the Principal today and had a walk around. We also got to meet and talk briefly with one of the kindergarten teachers. It is quite a small school (about 300 students), but they provide a lot of extra activities which could be good (like dance, music, sport), have quite a good computer lab and smart boards in all class rooms. We asked about * what the expectation was in terms of skills the child should have prior to starting * how drop off and pick up works (especially for the younger kids) The principal has obviously done this quite a bit as the hour contained a lot of information. I think our eldest is 99% going to this school for quite a few reasons * It is easy walking distance from home * Our son is also at a pre-school that is close and will know quite a few kids from there (last year and also this year) that will be going to this school * The teacher we met seems quite impressive and keen to get the kids started in learning to read (which is really where kindergarten is focussed). * We've had quite a few people recommend the school __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

07-08-2009, 06:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
Glory's Sun Registered User	our oldest is starting in august.. usually you can go on the state education website and find reviews as well as class scores etc.. and this will help you pick a school where education comes first.