EGR/FH elementary schools? (Rockford: school districts, living, law)

[magellan]

Originally Posted by SarahW12

Magellan---Did you say 3 hours of homework a night?? In elementary school??? Please clarify, I'm scared. Are all schools like that?

3 hours might be exaggerating. Might be more like 2 (usually 5 courses: math, journal writing, spelling, word masters, a weekly project that has to be chipped away at nightly, and 20 minutes of reading) . No idea on all schools, but that's the case with our FH elementary 3rd grade class. I've heard similar cases in other 3rd grade classes in our school. It's one of the top performers in the state (as is Forest Hills in general), and they must earn that for a reason. It's grueling, but, the teachers are fantastic.

Not at all trying to talk you out of FH's. BUT, it's been quite a shocker so far this year. We thought 2nd grade was tough. 3rd is twice as hard.

[SarahW12]

Originally Posted by magellan

3 hours might be exaggerating. Might be more like 2 (usually 5 courses: math, journal writing, spelling, word masters, a weekly project that has to be chipped away at nightly, and 20 minutes of reading) . No idea on all schools, but that's the case with our FH elementary 3rd grade class. I've heard similar cases in other 3rd grade classes in our school. It's one of the top performers in the state (as is Forest Hills in general), and they must earn that for a reason. It's grueling, but, the teachers are fantastic.

Not at all trying to talk you out of FH's. BUT, it's been quite a shocker so far this year. We thought 2nd grade was tough. 3rd is twice as hard.

Can I ask which school you attend? Just curious. Wow, I'm amazed by even 2 hours a night for such young children. I thought we had a good school system where we currently are, but I'm starting to wonder if my children could make it in FH. I really appreciate your help and honest answers, it is good information to have BEFORE we make a decision on where to live. Can you think of anything else that might be a shock to us? Thanks!

[mich2fla]

Yes, the homework is intense. For each grade, you should plan 10 minutes of assignments. For example, 3rd graders will get about 30 minutes of assignments. It does depends on the child, some can do it quickly while others drag it out. Our kids are involved with soccer, girl scouts, activities at church, play dates, etc. My kids are looking forward to Thanksgiving week, that's when FH gets the week off.

We have all 4 girls in the schools right now. Our youngest is in Y5, which is pre-K. She hardly gets any homework. Maybe some coloring once every 2 weeks. We read to her each night and she likes to write. The 2nd grader gets about 20-30 minutes of homework each night with about 20-30 minutes of reading. Her assignments are due each Monday so we make her so some homework each day (M-F only and take the weekends off). Both the Y5 and the 2nd grader attends Pine Ridge.

Our 5th grader attends the Central Woodlands 5-6 building. She spends nearly 1.5 hours on homework alone plus required reading. Most of her assignments are due the next day. She uses the agenda planner that all kids receive in the beginning of the school year. She writes in all the assignments for the week in it, including upcoming tests and projects, etc.

Our oldest is in the 7th grade at Central Middle. Her workload is pretty heavy, she is probably doing close to 2.5 hours each night plus practicing the flute. She also uses an agenda planner. Most of her teachers also uses the website to update assignments. Her grades are posted on the Edline, it gets updated weekly.

All of our kids teachers are great. They are accessible by e-mail and by phone.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by SarahW12

Can I ask which school you attend? Just curious. Wow, I'm amazed by even 2 hours a night for such young children. I thought we had a good school system where we currently are, but I'm starting to wonder if my children could make it in FH. I really appreciate your help and honest answers, it is good information to have BEFORE we make a decision on where to live. Can you think of anything else that might be a shock to us? Thanks!

Knapp Forest. 2 kids, 3rd and 2nd grade. 1 in pre-school.

mich2fla's sounds a lot like our workload. They both are required to use weekly planners, and our 3rd grader has a zippered binder and a writing journal that she brings home daily. Both of them whip through math, but it's the writing assignments that take the longest (especially creative writing). Word Masters and Gateways projects are time-consuming, but those are advanced classes you have to test for and be placed in. Without that I think the homework load would be OK. Reading is a snap for both, and they do it after they go to bed. If both parents work, it's a lot to deal with.

I don't know anyone with kids in EGR schools, but I'd guarantee it's similar.

I can't wait for Thanksgiving Week break!

[SarahW12]

Thanks Magellan and mich2fla--you were both very helpful. Another question for you---Are there any community swimming pools (outdoor) in your area? I'm not really interested in a fancy country club, just a place to swim in the summer. Same question for EGR if anyone can reply on this question. Thank you!

[mich2fla]

Originally Posted by SarahW12

Thanks Magellan and mich2fla--you were both very helpful. Another question for you---Are there any community swimming pools (outdoor) in your area? I'm not really interested in a fancy country club, just a place to swim in the summer. Same question for EGR if anyone can reply on this question. Thank you!

Orchard Hills
Splash Page
MVP Sportsplex – Grand Rapids

There's one in EGR that I remembered...it was off Boston near Eastgate Pharm. It's been a while since I've been that way. I can't remember the name.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by SarahW12

Thanks Magellan and mich2fla--you were both very helpful. Another question for you---Are there any community swimming pools (outdoor) in your area? I'm not really interested in a fancy country club, just a place to swim in the summer. Same question for EGR if anyone can reply on this question. Thank you!

There are some in the city of GR. We go to Richmond Park on the NW side, which is only $1 for adults and free for kids 12 and under I think. Zero depth, big waterslide, spray park, etc. There's also a spray park at Mulick Park on the Southeast side that the kids love and it's free. And Millennium Park has a massive spray park, with a small admission fee (to the whole beach area).

We find the Orchard Hills and Watermark Swim Clubs to be way too expensive, and way too crowded on hot days.

[SarahW12]

Thanks for the help and for taking the time to answer my questions--I appreciate it and look forward to visiting the area soon.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by SarahW12

Thanks for the help and for taking the time to answer my questions--I appreciate it and look forward to visiting the area soon.

You're welcome. Good luck! Hey, BTW, what is your price range?

[SarahW12]

Originally Posted by magellan

You're welcome. Good luck! Hey, BTW, what is your price range?

Price range would top out at low to mid 300? Still not exactly sure on that. If you can think of anything else that might be helpful to me (schools, housing, neighborhoods, etc..) as I start this search, let me know. Thanks again.