Elementary school thoughts (Simpsonville, Pelzer: house, live, zoned)

[FLmomof2]

I have until tomorrow to decide which school I want to send my daughter to in the fall.

The school we are zoned for is about 20-25 min away (so we don't want to go there). The school we have her in now we are not thrilled with, they seem to lack parent involvement, and are not very organized.

There is a new school Rudolph Gordon which would be about 16 min from the house, and Simpsonville Elementary 7 min from the house.

Has anyone heard anything positive or negative about either school. I know Rudolph Gordon isn't even finished being built yet, but sometimes people hear or know things, so I thought I would ask.

~On a side note, Private school is not an option right now financially.

Thanks in advance

[jac]

If you don't mind my asking, what school are you currently zoned for and which school do they attend? Also, is there a reason that you are focusing on Simpsonville and Rudolph Gordon?

[Ms.Christine0327]

I lived in Dacusville and I went to Dacusville Elementary. I know I am young but I know the world today better than the parents of kids going to school. And personally myself I don't know about the one school Rudolph or whatever but I would not send my kid to Simpsonville unless you wanted them to grow up a lot faster than they should and learn adult things a lot sooner than they need to. Hope you take heed of my young advice.

[geoffandliz]

The house we are building is going to be zoned for Rudolph Gordon. It looks like a huge school . We are excited about it though. Liz

[FLmomof2]

We enrolled her in the Rudolph Gordon, after much discussion. It seems like it is going to be a good school (only time will tell) and is pulling from some of the better schools. We also spoke to a retired principal who spoke to some people she knew and she said that would be her first choice.

We are zoned for Ellen Woodside in Pelzer, but it takes 20 min in the opposite direction of my husbands work (and he would be taking my daughter to school). And right now I have her in Greenbrier Elementary. We tried to get her into Plain for the 2nd year in a row since it is so close to the house but Neely Farms takes up most of the school and they had no openings for 1st grade.

We ruled out Simpsonville Elementary even though it is only 8 min from my house because of its location and I was concerned that the school is so close to a large company and not sure what the kids would be breathing in.

Thanks for the replies, it was definitely a stressful decision but one I hope we are happy with.

[jac]

I think you made a good choice. You will find a lot of people excited to be involved in a new school. The principal is coming from Plain. I am surprised that you had until today to fill out your paperwork. I thought this process was done district-wide in December. Maybe December was the beginning of the special permission process. We are zoned for Fork Shoals. It's a little out of the way, but we are very peased with the school. Plus, there is no traffic to get there.
jac

[FLmomof2]

Originally Posted by jac

I think you made a good choice. You will find a lot of people excited to be involved in a new school. The principal is coming from Plain. I am surprised that you had until today to fill out your paperwork. I thought this process was done district-wide in December. Maybe December was the beginning of the special permission process. We are zoned for Fork Shoals. It's a little out of the way, but we are very peased with the school. Plus, there is no traffic to get there.
jac

Thanks! I did not know the principal was coming from Plain, so that seems like a positive (since that is the school we tried to get into). We actually waited and filled out the paperwork back on the first registration day, and then on the second registration went to Simpsonville and they did not have the paperwork handy and said they were closed.

When we found out she could not go to Plain we called the office and asked who had openings, and thats when we were able to get her into the other school. (If that makes sense).

[jac]

I understand now. One thing to keep in mind, make sure your daughter has good attendance. I have heard that when kids are on special permission, they really track tardies and unexcused absences. Something very good about a new school is that everyone is new at the same time, so your daughter won't be going into a situation where she is the only person who doesn't know anyone.
Good luck!
jac

[FLmomof2]

I never even thought about attendance. We are going on a cruise in October and she will need to be out for 4 days. Hopefully that doesn't create a problem. I will just have to make sure she is in the rest of the time!

[jac]

I think it is mostly an issue of children who are constantly late or out for any little thing. You can just talk to your daughter's teacher prior to your trip. I am sure that will be fine.