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To all the respectful posters, thanks --I hope your kids will be joining mine on FI! I am really excited abou this. As for the poster from Bay Shore who perceived my decision as a "dis" on Bay Shore--that was not my intention. However, I do have an older child as well as a strong familiarity with Bay Shore. It's not like it's the worst--I would never say that. However, my children would never get the benefits of FI in Bay Shore. I mean, how can you compare classes with 25 kids to classes with 3 kids? And I love all the clubs, and the free laptops and field trips can't be beat in my book. I also find the 3k tuition to be very reasonable! Heck, my parents paid more for my tuition back in the 70s/8os. So yes, you bet I am enthusiastic! The setting there is gorgeous too. Also, from what I was told there is no ferry service involved at all. You have to drive your kid to Bay Shore and the bus takes it from there. Same thing at the end of the day. The bus drivers are on call and if a need arises (like inclement weather, etc), the drivers take the kids to Bay Shore. Drive is half hour to 45 mins. And to Southboud-- I will temper my enthusiasm since it seems to trouble you. But you bet I am excited. I still can't believe I found this for my kids!
Is it really just 3 kids? I was hoping more like 11-15 kids per classroom?
My oldest is 3 so i still have some time.
We live in Patchogue/Medford district and I want to move to a better district and a bigger apartment but if we cant this will be a great choice. Time will tell.
Are you dong this "for your kid" or are you doing this for you? I surely hope you consider everything especially the additional travel time a 5 year old child is going to be taking everyday including the bitter cold of winter. Have you seen the school? Is there orientation for parents?
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Sounds wonderful. What time is the ferry you need to catch in the AM
The kids from Babylon do not go across on a ferry. They take the "beach bus" which goes over the Robert Moses Causeway right there in West Islip . They really have the best of both worlds IMHO.
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i drive 30 min to preschool/daycare so this is same difference in different direction.
I will say that LI has the weirdest people regarding commuting. People expect you to live and work within a 5 mile radius, and do all your business there. I find this so so strange.
To me driving up to 1 hour to get where i want to go is no big deal.
Let's dismiss your snide remarks and look at this like mature, responsible and caring parents
Driving 1 hour to get a sick 5 year old might be nothing to you but to a sick little lamb it is a very long wait. Compound that with the fact that the school is out on FI and one has to ask how easily and quickly can a parent reach a sick child throughout the year.
Is your child's preschool convenient to main thoroughfares, or is it out on a barrier island with limited access?
If you received a call at work that your 5 year-old was spiking a fever and hallucinating (been there) can you just run out the door or do you have to tell a boss, wrap things up and then head to your car?
Is there the potential for traffic, congestion or other delays which can make the ride to reach your child even longer?
If someone such as myself has the luxury of working <5 miles from home, how is that weird? It allowed me to have more time with my children which, to me, is something far more important in the grand scheme of things. If you value the ability to commute an hour, that's your prerogative.
I heard of this school so quick searched it. Just in case anyone is curious, some links below... I knew some of the county guys who had the cop gig in Ocean Beach - they didn't complain much being over there off season even when it's super cold. I always loved the shoulder seasons on FI best personally anyway.
The programs do sound very good when one looks at the frequent excursions to NYC. Getting into either the swim or maritial arts club is a bonus as it gets the child back onto LI.
As someone who has done enough 4WD on the outer beaches, one has to ask how easily a parent can get from LI to the Woodhull School at Ocean Beach in the event of an ill child prompting their removal from the school.
Mikeykid added that the kids go on to middle and high school off FI; the FI residents have a choice between Bayshore and Islip. Chances are the children whose parents are paying tuition to send them to FI will have to send their child to their home school district, parochial or private school.
The programs do sound very good when one looks at the frequent excursions to NYC. Getting into either the swim or maritial arts club is a bonus as it gets the child back onto LI.
As someone who has done enough 4WD on the outer beaches, one has to ask how easily a parent can get from LI to the Woodhull School at Ocean Beach in the event of an ill child prompting their removal from the school.
Mikeykid added that the kids go on to middle and high school off FI; the FI residents have a choice between Bayshore and Islip. Chances are the children whose parents are paying tuition to send them to FI will have to send their child to their home school district, parochial or private school.
Yah, so true... You basically have to drive East off Moses through Kismet/etc to get there. I know someone who works for the water authority and drives over often. There are spots where you have to drive the beach and depending on tides/weather/etc, I've heard several stories of getting stuck both literally (swamped vehicle) and figuratively (have to park and wait it out). There's no guarantee you'd be able to get your own personal vehicle to OB quickly to pick up your kid.
That said, I'm certain they've seen most scenarios and/or have a reasonable plan to deal with situations that arise... one hopes.
You wont get past the lighthouse if you don't have a permit issued by the National Seashore (Dept of the Interior)
They are hard to get, my Grandfather had one but only because he owned both property and a service business over there.
Even if you stay inland, which will be slower, there are some areas of deep sand just like the beach. The beach can be impassable some times, and even in the best of conditions, you really need to know what you are doing either route. Even if you have a nice new SUV with 4wd, you had better know what you are doing. If you rely on the busses, they can have the same weather and high tide limitations. In a real emergency, an SCPD boat will likely be called upon.
All of the questions about driving to/from the Woodhull School, driving on the sand, driving past the lighthouse, etc. don't need to be raised at all. The buses provide the transport from Bay Shore and the buses even do it if the child gets sick in the middle of the day or something akin to that. That's part of the beauty of this arrangement. It really is unique. I completely see it as getting a private-school quality education for an extremely reasonable tuition. I also confirmed that there is a second round of bus transport at the end of the day for those kids who choose to participate in after-school activities (did I mention these were free??) The parents' only responsibility is to get the child to Bay Shore in the morning and pick them up there when they return. The trip itself takes about 35-40 minutes, which is not much more than (or is even equal to) the time many kids spend riding on bus loops within their own districts. And the school is in such a wonderful setting. I've made many decisions that I questioned afterward or wrangled over, but this is one I feel so good for having done. I am giddy about it.
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