Kids Clothing (School time) (Anchorage, Eagle: house, neighborhoods, buy)

[HappyHarding]

Hi everyone,

First thanks for all the very informative posts here! We're moving to Anchorage from Oregon in about 6 weeks. We've got two elementary age kids (5 & 7). Here, most kids wear jeans or skirts/tights and long sleeve cotton shirts in the winter (with a coat over it for recess, assuming recess isn't canceled because of rain... lol). Also, most parents who live in the "walking" area around the school (1 mile) end up driving the kids in during the winter rainy season.

Could someone tell me what kind of clothes kids wear to school during the winter in Anchorage? If they wear snow suits (because the school website says they play outside except in "extreme weather conditions"), do they have places to hang them in the classroom? Do kids wear long underwear under their normal clothes all day? I'm guessing we'll buy the clothes when we get up there - does Fred Meyer carry the right sort of winter clothes for kids?

Also, I see from the school district website that kids are considered "walking" distance if the family lives within 1.5 miles of the school. Do kids actually walk in the snow and dark? Or do parents drive the kids?

I know, a lot of questions, but searching the forums I haven't seen any answers to those specific questions. Thanks for any help!

[bongo]

Originally Posted by HappyHarding

Hi everyone,

First thanks for all the very informative posts here! We're moving to Anchorage from Oregon in about 6 weeks. We've got two elementary age kids (5 & 7). Here, most kids wear jeans or skirts/tights and long sleeve cotton shirts in the winter (with a coat over it for recess, assuming recess isn't canceled because of rain... lol). Also, most parents who live in the "walking" area around the school (1 mile) end up driving the kids in during the winter rainy season.

Could someone tell me what kind of clothes kids wear to school during the winter in Anchorage? If they wear snow suits (because the school website says they play outside except in "extreme weather conditions"), do they have places to hang them in the classroom? Do kids wear long underwear under their normal clothes all day? I'm guessing we'll buy the clothes when we get up there - does Fred Meyer carry the right sort of winter clothes for kids?

Also, I see from the school district website that kids are considered "walking" distance if the family lives within 1.5 miles of the school. Do kids actually walk in the snow and dark? Or do parents drive the kids?

I know, a lot of questions, but searching the forums I haven't seen any answers to those specific questions. Thanks for any help!

I'm a second grade teacher in Anchorage so I should be able to help you. Most of my students dress just like they do in Oregon....jeans, t-shirts, skirts with leggings. Very casual here! Kids do not wear long underwear under their clothes at school. The heat is on in the schools!!

They all have snow pants, warm coats, boots, hats & gloves for winter. There are hooks in classrooms for the snow pants & coats. Racks for the boots. It varies from school to school. Most have "cubbies" for hats & gloves. Some schools have ice skating rinks so bring their skates if you have them!

Many of us teachers prefer separate snow pants & coats rather than snowsuits. On field trips with a school bus kids can just take the coat rather than be stuck in a snowsuit. Plus, it gives 2 layers where you can use just the coat.

We have almost 60 elementary schools. Some kids ride buses. Some walk. Some are dropped by their parents.

Have you chosen a neighborhood & school?

We have a huge, wonderful Value Village second hand store here in town- I buy a lot of my own clothes there. Freddies, Walmart, Penny's, Sears, etc. all have winter clothes for kids.

[HappyHarding]

Originally Posted by bongo

We have almost 60 elementary schools. Some kids ride buses. Some walk. Some are dropped by their parents.

Have you chosen a neighborhood & school?

Thank you for the great answer! Since my daughter is going into 2nd grade, it's great to hear from a 2nd grade teacher! We haven't chosen a neighborhood & school yet. I've been looking over the school report cards in prep for our house hunting trip. We'll be up house hunting on the 19th, so I'm planning on looking at several of the schools to get a feel for them. Since you're a teacher, perhaps you can explain something for me...

All the report cards have the number of volunteer hours from parents. Some schools have almost no volunteer hours... is it a misprint when the volunteer hours are like, "2"? Is it a per-class-room average? (The school my daughter is at now, her classroom alone has 10 - 20 hours of parent volunteers a week).

Perhaps you can recommend some of the elementary schools you feel are exceptional? Not just academics, but also family involvement and the "community" sense?

[bongo]

It's hard to recommend since I don't know where you all will be working, what sort of lifestyle, what kind of home you will be looking for, etc.

Here is the school-by-school break down of test scores from last year, for what that is worth. The scores were just released:
No Child Left Behind | 08-09 Adequate Yearly Progress | School by school breakdown

Ravenwood Elementary in Eagle River is an outstanding school with parent involvement. Huffman, Omalley, Rogers Park, , Bear Valley, Rabbit Creek all have stellar reputations & good neighborhoods. However, there are a lot of great schools in good neighborhoods. Those are a few that stick out in my mind. There are special programs like Northern Lights ABC, Denali Montessori, Government Hill Spanish immersion program, etc.

I am not sure how the parental involvement is factored into the school report cards. You could call the school district so they could explain.