Year Round School Help!! (Littleton: rental homes, mattresses, how much)

[txspamom]

We're relocating from Texas where my children are on a traditional schedule. We are looking into rental homes in Douglas County which might put us into the year round schedule.

Most of them start around July 9 if I'm looking at it correctly. School here in TX would start around the 19th or so of Aug.

My question is...we will not be ready to move by July 9...we were planning on getting there around Aug 1st, as to have the kids get ready for school to start mid-late Aug.

How much will my children miss if we come into a year round schedule mid-August?? I don't want them to be behind.

[formercalifornian]

We did the same thing in 2006. Don't worry about it. The schools are very accustomed to the situation and will help your kids adjust. They'll be fine.

[bhcompy]

if you know which school you're kids will be going to you can ask to be put on a later track as well(starts at the end of july). that is what we are doing

[2bindenver]

Elementary school age? B track starts July 28th.

http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/p...2009BTrack.pdf

I would adopt plans to make sure my kids started school when everyone else did. Especially coming from outside the district.

[formercalifornian]

Of course it would be optimal if your children could begin the year with everyone else, but if it is not possible, I want to reassure you that your situation is far from unusual. The school administration and teachers will do all they can to help your kids get up to speed.

Like you, we arrived in Colorado at the beginning of August. Our children began attending school immediately, even though we were living with relatives until our house was ready. It gave the kids an opportunity to settle in and make friends before the chaos of moving into the new house commenced. It also kept them out of my hair while I was unpacking boxes. I don't think they missed their summer vacation at all, because they were so excited to be in a new place. Of course, my kids are young, so school is still an adventure. Older kids might not be able to overlook a shortened break so easily.

I wasn't sure if I would appreciate the track system when we moved to Douglas County, but after two years, I think it works fine. We've had to make some personal adjustments, but overall it's been a positive experience. The community offers camps & swimming lessons at all times of the year, so my children haven't missed out on anything. Best of all, we've been able to vacation at off-peak times of the year, which has saved us a ton of money and hassle. Disney World in March? No problem.

Your children's classes will travel together from year to year, so their classmates will be mostly consistent until middle school when they'll go back to the traditional school year. That can cause some scheduling issues and is probably the biggest weakness of the year-round system. There are few breaks that coincide between the tracked and traditional schedules, which is why many parents prefer B track, the closest match to traditional. If that is the case for you, there is a period at the end of each school year when you can request a change.

BTW, B Track is the most requested, so you might have little choice in this first assignment, but by all means ask for the track that will suit your family best. It's worth a shot. The elementary school we chose placed our kids in D track, which received nearly all the early transfer students at our elementary. At first, I didn't think this was wise, but as time passed I realized that it was a good thing. Friendships bloomed easily between all the new students and, most importantly, my kids' teachers were completely focused on helping them establish new routines and catch up. After all, everyone was in the same boat. That goes for the parents, too, and could be the beginning of great new friendships for you.

I wish you and your family a peaceful & trouble-free move. Best regards...FC

[rebagirl]

Not all schools in Douglas County are year-round, and several are switching to a modified calendar for next year. I like the modified calendar, as it offers 2 weeks off in the fall, winter and spring--then 8 weeks for the summer.

http://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/p...ssignments.pdf

Littleton Public Schools are on a conventional calendar.

Littleton Public Schools > Home

Both are good districts, from what I've seen. I hope this helps.

[2bindenver]

SUPERINTENDENT SURVEY RESULTS IN!

Superintendent Jim Christensen has been asking District stakeholders to weigh in on several key topics that have been impacting the Douglas County School District. Topics included: school day start times, school calendars, school year start dates,
cyclical bond and budget elections, and opportunities for educational options. His initial request for input began in December 2007 and culminated with an on-line survey that closed March 15.

“These are the topics we hear about most from our stakeholders,” said Superintendent Christensen. He adds, “It is clear from the results that these issues not only impact families, but stir up emotion. We have identified some viable solutions, but they
come at considerable cost.”

More than 4,550 respondents weighed in on the survey that was open to the public and appeared on the District’s website. 61% or respondents identified themselves as parents of DCSD students; 14% DCSD staff members; 16% both DCSD parents and staff; 6%
DCSD students;
2% community members; and 1% other. The highest ranked issues were: 1) school calendars;
2) school start times; and 3) school year start date.
*76% of all respondents support or strongly support eliminating 4-track.
*The most common comment from the less than 400 who want to keep 4-track is their perspective that their children retain more with year round and are less bored. Other comments included better flexibility for parent’s schedule, frequency of breaks,
concern for the amount of money it would cost to change, and future school closures due to overbuilding.
*Nearly 71% of respondents want some sort of change for school day start times. 66% of secondary level respondents think that secondary schools should start later, while 45% of elementary level respondents think that elementary schools should start
earlier. Although 68% of respondents identified this topic as important, there is no clear preference among all respondents in adjusting start times.
*82% want a change to the school year start date. 72% were evenly distributed between starting the school year the “third week of August,” “last week of August” and “After Labor Day.”
*Although opportunities for educational options was ranked fourth in the list of key issues, it was considered extremely important. 90% of respondents considered educational options important or very important.

Superintendent Christensen will present these results to the Board of Education as they continue to consider going to voters in November 2008 for additional resources.

[MileHi5]

Formercalifornian - thanks for your perspective. We are only two weeks away from moving to Douglas County and our kids schooling and happiness is on the top of our priority list. We are trying to buy a house in a particular school area but it is proving more difficult than we expected. We were in a multiple offer situation, would you believe!

Our children can't start school until we have a contract for a house or a rental agreement. We will be in temporary accommodation outside of our desired school zone, for at least two months until our possessions arrive.

Assuming we fix our housing dilemma, we have been told our children will be on D track. This did seem the least desirable to us but your experience throws another light on it.

[formercalifornian]

You are very welcome. I am glad that my comments helped to alleviate your concerns. We live in the Flagstone elementary area, and I have been mostly happy with the school. It's not perfect, but then again, no school is ever perfect. I am particularly impressed with the principal, who is very hands-on and supportive of teachers and students alike. There is a new middle school going up right around the corner from us, and an additional high school is in the works a few blocks away, but I think there are details yet to iron out before it can be built. The neighborhood has lots of kids, wide streets, and fairly large yards. Our street is full of transfers from other parts of the country, and housing runs the gamut from patio homes to custom McMansions.

I hear you about the temporary housing and the long wait for your belongings. We stayed with relatives for a couple of weeks until our house was ready, and then we slept on blow-up mattresses for a couple more weeks until the moving van arrived. It was not particularly comfortable, but it was an adventure. You have my sympathy.

May I ask where you're looking? I'll keep my eye out for you. And, feel free to PM me if you have further questions or would like to meet for coffee after you get here.

[rebagirl]

formercalifornian: I also appreciated your post regarding year-round schools and your perspective on it.

Here is my dilemma-- There is a possibility we will be renting for a few months before buying. It has concerned me because 1) I hate the idea of moving twice 2) I really don't want my kids to have to start at one school, then go to another if the house we purchase is in a different area than the rental. 3) If the school is year-round, the start-date will most likely be in July. Yikes! Not even sure we'll be there by then!

I guess I feel pressure to not only find a nice school, but also either a rental in the school's area or one that we actually want to buy. Maybe I'm making too big a deal of this (?)