Public or Montessori Kindergarten

[PatrickStar]

You don't really need immersion Korean...Korean is pretty easily to learn.  Mandarin and Chinese on the other hand is incredibly difficult to learn..and nearly impossible to master  without being in an immersion environment.

Did the Irvine public schools ever start any immersion programs?  I know there was a lot of complaining about it back when we were around.  Or are those programs not needed there anymore because everyone already speaks Mandarin, and Korean and Spanish are so easy all you need is a Rosetta Stone DVD and a couple free hours on a Saturday?

 

[nyc to oc]

I compared the cost of all-day afterschool care for public K with the cost of a  private K + afterschool care recommended by a friend (Catholic school/not Montessori) - the private K was actually cheaper, has a lower student to teacher ratio and longer school hours.  I was surprised at this.  What are some of the good private schools in Orange County near Irvine?

Good question. I would be interested to know as well. My limited research shows me that the elementary private schools near irvine are all pretty muddled. There's really no clear choices. The private high school landscape gets more clear.  For elem, I have friends that send their kids to st.john and Serra (both in rsm) and love it. I have friends who go to fairmont and st Margaret's (Sjc) and also love it. But then you read about it on other forums/review sites/ask other people and the opinions are all over the map.

sdfad

 

[Veronica]

Everyone's kid in irvine is "way above grade level".  I don't think I've ever read a post on TI about how their kid is BELOW grade.

LOL...I'm just speaking honestly about the situation.  Daughter is at 3rd grade reading level and 2nd grade math.  Her classmates are barely starting to read.

The reading skills are impressive

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Everyone's kid in irvine is "way above grade level".  I don't think I've ever read a post on TI about how their kid is BELOW grade.

LOL...I'm just speaking honestly about the situation.  Daughter is at 3rd grade reading level and 2nd grade math.  Her classmates are barely starting to read.

The reading skills are impressive

Thanks...I wish I could claim credit but she just likes to read.  Hopefully, it will continue as she gets older.  I think there are plenty of kids who jumped ahead in K but then languish later on. 

 

[moonchild508]

I went to tour the after school care at the public K and wasn't impressed by the facility, considering how much they charge.  The good thing is the ratio of students to teachers (or just sitters?) is 14 to 1.  However, there seems to be a lot of "free play" time on the schedule. 

At around 4:45 pm, there were only a few older elementary school kids hanging around and no kinder kids in sight.  I exited through a wide open gate next to the playground, with a sign stating "This gate shall remain closed at all times."  Security could be an issue.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I exited through a wide open gate next to the playground, with a sign stating "This gate shall remain closed at all times."  Security could be an issue.

You will find that for Irvine schools, most campuses are wide open with very little security.

If that is a concern, private school is really the only answer (or maybe TUSD?).

 

[bones]

Does anyone know what the process is to redshirt a kindergartener to start school one year later in IUSD even though they make the K cutoff?

 

[jmoney74]

WHat programs do people use for their kids after school?  I know there is CDC but is there a better alternative?

 

[irvinehomeowner]

Does anyone know what the process is to redshirt a kindergartener to start school one year later in IUSD even though they make the K cutoff?

Not sure you can redshirt, but I think you just enroll them a year later. I think the only restriction is they have to be at least 5 by the cutoff. Doesn't say anything about being older than 5.
http://www.iusd.org/education_services/KindergartenStudentExpectations.html

This is a good question.

 

[ps99472]

Does anyone know what the process is to redshirt a kindergartener to start school one year later in IUSD even though they make the K cutoff?

Interesting so you want to hold your kid back?  Why would you do that?  I would think public schools base everything on age/DOB so I don't believe this will be an option.  Unless your kid is not ready, but I highly doubt that

 

[bones]

Does anyone know what the process is to redshirt a kindergartener to start school one year later in IUSD even though they make the K cutoff?

Not sure you can redshirt, but I think you just enroll them a year later. I think the only restriction is they have to be at least 5 by the cutoff. Doesn't say anything about being older than 5.
http://www.iusd.org/education_services/KindergartenStudentExpectations.html

This is a good question.

Yea I read through the website and didn't really see anything. I have no problems not enrolling my kid for K but I just don't want my kid to be placed in 1st grade when I try to enroll the following year for kindergarten based on birthday.  Bc then that defeats the purpose of redshirting.  Has anyone redshirted?

 

[irvinehomeowner]

WHat programs do people use for their kids after school?  I know there is CDC but is there a better alternative?

We've used the CDC because it's on-campus and with kids in their school.

There are other options, I think University Elementary has a program that's not on campus and there is the Boys&Girls Club for central Irvine Elems. There is also several Chinese after-school programs and even the Jewish center near UCI has an after-school program. Turtle Rock Preschool has an after school program up to 6th grade if you don't like the onsite TR Elem CDC.

The B&G Club is probably the least expensive but there are also older kids in that program so that was a concern for us.

 

[ps99472]

WHat programs do people use for their kids after school?  I know there is CDC but is there a better alternative?

CDC is our choice, not ideal since we came from Montessori.  Teacher interactions are night/day difference.  You get what you paid for, but on the other hand, my kid enjoys CDC, and that's the most important right?  There are plenty private daycare/afterschool care setups in Irvine.  Check with the chinese schools along Jeffrey, I would NOT recommend the music school next to 24hr fitness at Culver plaza.  Heard bad stories of kids being left in vans unattended while the ever changing new driver goes to get other kids. 

In retrospect, we're glad we did Public/CDC combo instead of kinder at Montessori, besides the financial savings, we're closer to home, drop-off and pick up is much much easier.  And she's building bonds with neighborhood kids instead of being spoiled at home (we thought about going with single income and have one person stay home, but we're not good instructors).

I'm kinda echoing IHO today...

 

[bones]

Does anyone know what the process is to redshirt a kindergartener to start school one year later in IUSD even though they make the K cutoff?

Interesting so you want to hold your kid back?  Why would you do that?  I would think public schools base everything on age/DOB so I don't believe this will be an option.  Unless your kid is not ready, but I highly doubt that

Kid doesn't read at a 3rd grade level and can't solve 1 step algebra problems. Clearly not ready for K!!!  :-\

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I don't think it's the education level, bones is building a football player.

"Uh, why do you already have a full beard? You're only in 5th grade!"

 

[eyephone]

Does anyone know what the process is to redshirt a kindergartener to start school one year later in IUSD even though they make the K cutoff?

Interesting so you want to hold your kid back?  Why would you do that?  I would think public schools base everything on age/DOB so I don't believe this will be an option.  Unless your kid is not ready, but I highly doubt that

Kid doesn't read at a 3rd grade level and can't solve 1 step algebra problems. Clearly not ready for K!!!  :-\

This is a requirement for kindergarten?

 

[qwerty]

I don't think it's the education level, bones is building a football player.

"Uh, why do you already have a full beard? You're only in 5th grade!"

I was thinking the same thing. She wants her own little incognito busting up all the other younger kids

 

[bones]

I don't think it's the education level, bones is building a football player.

"Uh, why do you already have a full beard? You're only in 5th grade!"

I was thinking the same thing. She wants her own little incognito busting up all the other younger kids

Actually a TB12. Afterall, isn't Southern California a hotbed for NFL qbs?

 

[irvinehusky]

Yes, we did that for all of our kids.  In our case, WA state made it easier since the birthday cutoff was earlier than in CA.  I think it was 8/31 or something like that.  All of our kids were born after 8/31 so if we wanted to enroll them in Kindergarten, we would have had to make them take a test to enroll "early" (which is the normal age here).  But in the end, we decided, especially for our twin girls, who we felt were not emotionally ready, to just enroll at the "normal" age, which would be "later" here (redshirt, if you will).  There was a lot of pressure since we knew eventually we would be coming back to CA but now, I feel we did the right thing.  You can imagine that was a big topic to parents up there. The teachers there talk you out of enrolling early unless your kid is really gifted.

There is that occasional awkwardness, "my classmate, so and so, is having her 8th birthday", while my kids are having their ninth birthday, etc. but nothing major.

I would imagine you just enroll the kid in Kindergarten one year later and that's probably it.  If you push it and delay it for like 5 years to get an unfair advantage, then someone might come knocking on your door. 

 

[bones]

I would imagine you just enroll the kid in Kindergarten one year later and that's probably it.  If you push it and delay it for like 5 years to get an unfair advantage, then someone might come knocking on your door. 

That's the thing.  I don't know if it's that easy.  Language from IUSD's policy site:

"It is recognized that students do their best work in school when they are placed in a grade with other students of their same chronological age. (BOARD POLICY 5123: Promotion and Retention)"

"ii. Minimum age requirement for Kinder: A child shall be admitted to a Kindergarten at the beginning of a school year, or at any later time in the same year if the child will have his or her fifth (5th) birthday on or before September 1st of that school year. (EC Section 48000; Kindergarten Readiness Bill 1381)
iii. A child shall be admitted to the first (1st) grade of an elementary school during the first month of a school year if the child will have his or her sixth (6th) birthday on or before September 1st of that school year. (EC Section 48010)"

So sure, I can just not enroll my kid in Kindergarten but will my kid be forced to be in 1st grade the following year b/c of birthday?  The chart on page 3 of this link makes it sound like so (https://www.iusd.org/enrollment/documents/GradeLevelPlacementforALL2014-15.pdf).  It sounds like other IUSD parents have redshirted/delayed Kindergarten so maybe it's possible?  I don't personally know anyone who has in IUSD.  I have a call into IUSD's offices but you know, waiting a call back...