In search of a good school

I'm hoping to find a good school for the Princess to start attending Fall 2005.

That's right. I want her to start kindergarten next fall. Why do I have to look for a good school? Because her birthday falls less than 30 days AFTER the cut-off and they make NO exceptions in the school district we'll be located. I can't believe they don't make exceptions either. If I lived in California, I could have her into a school without any hassles!

Anyway, she's a kind soul. She's quiet and shy upon first meeting. But give her a week or two and she's all smiles and happiness to everyone. I guess she's like me and takes time to get warmed up to a new situation. She observes things, takes note of things, and then reacts later on.

She's truly an intelligent child. She started talking early. She uses complex sentences for her age. She takes direction well. She knows how to sit still and listen. She's very inquisitive. There's always a question once you've answered one question - especially if there's an animal show on television.

She knows her alphabet. She can identify all the letters visually. If you ask her "Say a word that starts with the letter %" She'll be able to tell you a word that fits the bill. She can recite her numbers up to 30 consistently. She tends to lag of on anything above 30 (possibly boredom?).

She knows how to spell her name. Her first name. And her last name. She knows how to write her first name. She's known how to do this since January. She knows the Bear's full name. She knows my hubby's full name. She knows my full name and knows how to spell my hyphenated last name. Right now she's trying to memorize how to spell the Bear's name. We made sure she knew our full names in the event she'd ever get lost. When we get to our new house we'll have her memorize our new street address and new phone number.

She also loves to sing. She's been making up words to basic nursery rhymes forever! Then she's branched out into her own tunes with her own words. I let her perform for me and it's funny when she continues a song. On and on and on. Sometimes I wait until she needs to take a break and start clapping and say "Wow!" She then takes a bow. Then she contemplates another tune and belts it out when she's ready.

She loves to dance. Let me tell you it's a crazy dance. It reminds me of Ellen on Seinfeld. It's a crazy concoction of twists and turns and arm movements. She's even got serious facial expressions that go with certain moves. She's VERY serious about her dancing. She's having a good time, so I don't make any suggestions or critiques.

Well, that's a run-down of my Princess. I've started calling around to the private and charter schools in the area. Some of them still have a August 31st cut-off for turning 5 & starting kindergarten. Oy! For those that have a later cut-off date or who make exceptions, I'm requesting information to be sent. This way I can read up on their curriculum, their philosophy, and get a general feel for the school. Once I review a school's material and it seems to pass our expectations, I'll have to make arrangements for a site visit. If my visit goes well then I'll continue onto the next step. For the schools that make exceptions to the cut-off, my Princess will need to meet with the school principal/director/kindergarten teacher for an evaluation. They'll determine if they feel she's got the skills to start kindergarten at their facility. Then my hubby and I will make a decision.

I did get a great vibe from one gal I spoke with today. She gave some wonderful information and seemed very excited about the school. It's a small charter school with only 125 kids in attendance. She told me that this year's kindergarten class has 32 kids with THREE teachers! Can you believe it? That's less than a 1:11 ratio. I know that some of the public schools are working on a 1:30 ratio. In the preschool she's in now, there are 3 teachers (1 lead & 2 assistants), so this school would make for a good transition. I AM going to do a drive-by of the school just to see the exterior and check the neighborhood though. It's only going to be about 7 miles from our new house, so it would be a reasonable drive every day.

Anyone else considering enrolling their child into kindergarten earlier than the regular cut-off date?