Edwardsville Schools/Orchard Farm (St. Charles, Rea: appointed, how much, home)

[ladyjfp]

Hi, I recently moved from Edwardsville to Saint Charles,MO and have a elementary age Son. We ended up in Orchard Farm school district and I have been disappointed with the level of education my Son is receiving compared to what we had in Edwardsville. It is just the two of us so it is not that difficult to move back to the Edwardsville area, although I do enjoy St. Charles but am not really a fan of private schools.

My question to anyone that may know the inside track a little better in Edwardsville than I , is with all the budget cuts Cusd7 has/is experiencing is Edwardsville going to continue to be a cut above as it is today.
I hate to make a move back only to have the school system begin to deteriorate due to all the budget cuts IL is going through.

Can anyone give me an opinion, information, etc?
My Son is 4th grade and the school he is in now( OrchardFarm)isn't even teaching cursive anymore and has gone to a new math called Singapore Math. I am concerned he will begin to fall behind.

Thanks!!

[aragx6]

See, I'm actually a big fan of Singapore math. Have you read into it?

And the cursive thing is sadly (in my opinion) going the way of the dodo bird. A lot of schools have dumped it from their curriculum.

[ladyjfp]

Hi aragx6, you know, I actually am on the fence about the Singapore Math. Yes, I have read into it. I like the language based approach but do still feel we need the memorization piece as well. It would not be bad if they would at least continue with the teaching of the multiplication table. I have heard from teachers in MO this is true that the discontinuation of Cursive is becoming popular. In IL this is not the case. I guess I am old school and still believe one should be able to write a letter on a piece of paper ( in cursive) if they are asked or so desire.

[aragx6]

As far as the multiplication goes, I do see your point that's it's important for day-to-day activities, but rote memorization simply isn't going to help you in a future career. Today's high tech society requires higher order math skills. And although Singapore Math starts out exceedindly slowly, it ramps up a ton by later elementary -- kids can actually move along more quickly at that point because they have such a great handle on basic concepts. It might seem like a big change, but it's actually a far less extreme methodology than some others that have been tried in the U.S. The biggest question with S Math is your confidence in your kid's teacher to teach it properly. That's a discussion I would want to have with him/her: What's their experience with the program? Do they like it? Etc.

Maybe this isn't something you're interested in having to do, but you sound like a pretty active parent: It shouldn't be too hard to teach both those skills at home. If you spent an hour a week on cursive and one on the multiplication table, you'd probably be impressed with how much knowledge your little one can suck up.

Sorry I dont know if any of that is helpful to you, just wanted to share my thoughts!

[ladyjfp]

aragx6, Yes, thank you, it is very helpful! I am happy to find someone that has some knowledge and positive thought on the Singapore Math. I agree with you that the teacher's knowledge is very important and I have talked with her at the open house. She , as the other teachers at the school, have had only 30 hours training in Singapore and are not due to have another session until next year. That is the part I am concerned with as well. She did however, have a positive approach to it and said she was very excited to have it at the district. My other concer with the teacher is she has always taught 3rd grade and this year they have her not only teaching 4th grade but a new math and 27 children ( without an assistant) in the classroom.

We do work on the mulitplication tables at home and he seems to be staying on top of his game! I just worry ( not to sound like I am complaining , I am not) being a single Mom, that he is going to miss something and I may not have the time at home all the time. However, his education is a priority to me.

With all this said, I must say I took comfort when we were in Edwardsville , feeling as if the school had it covered if I missed something.

Thanks So Much For Talking!

[aragx6]

I'm more than happy to share my thoughts as long as you care to listen (er, read I mean!)

Have you considered, instead of moving back to E-Ville, looking at one of the other districts nearby? I'm a product of Francis Howell, and I definitely think it's a district worth considering. Their tests scores are, on average, a touch higher than OF's as well (though I think that's mostly explained by some socioeconomic differences.) I mean honestly, FH's test scores are as high as any in the metro.

[ladyjfp]

I have considered FH but honestly, with all the cutbacks and teachers they lost over the past 2 years I do not feel it is a better choice- today. I know FH was a great district and has a good reputation but everything I have read as of late indicates trouble.
I just received the letter from the district on OF that for the " 3rd year in a row" they have failed to make AyP( no child left behind) in reading and math- hence the introduction of Singapore Math. The OF District is no on corrective action.
I am considering St. Cletus or Sacred Heart just because I am so frustrated! We don't even live near OF. We are off Zuhmbel in Governor Place but zoned OF. It is 15 miles to the school and I usually end up taking him and picking him up because it is an hour each way on the bus. Crazy!

[aragx6]

I can't think of a single district that hasn't cut some teachers, sadly. But FH was actually hit a bit less hard than some others because they were able to save a million dollars this year by dumping their year-round program. Year round made a ton of sense for FH when they had all the overcrowding issues of the '90s, but while a lot of parents like it, it's never been shown to increase test scores or really benefit kids in a major way.

I know next to nothing about the St. Charles parochial schools outside of Duchesne High School (I could write a novel about what a mediocre education that school provides, but that's neither here nor there).

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!

[ladyjfp]

Really, Duchesne isn't very good huh? I have never heard yes or no about them but I know our neighbors just chose Incarnate Word over Duchesne. To be honest , I don't know that much about the parochial schools either. I have always been a fan of the public system and went to public schools.
I knew FH did away with the year end program but didn't know they were hit less hard. That is encouraging to hear and maybe deserves another look! I am not a close minded person and will look at all options to find the right option.
Thanks!