Public K or Pvt Montessori and school rezones.

[Sam75]

My DD is 5.5 yrs, turning 6 in the Fall. She's been in Montessori Primary since 2.5 years old. But next year is her Kindergarten year/3-4th yr cycle where everything comes together. After going back and forth, we decided to go with the pvt. Montessori for her K year thinking it maybe the best thing for her in the long run. We were never one of those parents who wanted Montessori for our kids beyond Preschool and K. We live in a good school district where all the schools are exemplary and we've toured the two schools she would have had an option to go and like them both.

But then the ISD (because of over crowding in the nearby elementary schools) has decided to rezone our area for next year. : The incoming K'ders (like my DD) were supposed to go to one school for one year and then move into a brand new school that is being built after that. But now we've heard that should she go to the selected public K this year, she might have the option of sticking with that public school for the remainder of her elementary education instead of being shuffled into the brand new school which we do not know how it will turn out. I'm sure the brand new school in the next community would be great (because those same kids go to our zoned school as it is, hence the overcrowding!) but all her neighbourhood friends will most likely not go there next year, esp. her closest friend next door who is also an incoming Kinder. Our initial plan was stick with Montessori for Kinder, and then starting from 1st grade she will be in the public elementary with all her friends.

Now should I just stick with the way I planned it and go with Montessori for Kinder and assume she'll do fine with the brand new school being built, and assume she will make new friends there, even though her close friend will go to another school, or break the Montessori school contract (if I can) and put her in public for K for a school that has a great reputation ?

Honestly we go back and forth, trying to decide what is the best thing for her.. our dd says she wants to go to public. (I keep telling her that even if her friends do go there, they may or may not be in her class) But she insists she wants to go to public. So today when I went to the public to pick up some forms, she seemed quite excited. Not sure if its just the "new school" excitement. The - side of breaking a contract would be I would lose at least $900 (for the registration fee + august payment) and depending on how it goes with the admin, they might force me to pay the next months fee too, if they cannot replace my dd's spot easily. And the school is having a lot of kids pull out for financial reasons as it is.

WWYD ? Did you ever skip the K year in Montessori ?

[eepster]

The thing with the public K sounds like a lot of "maybes" and "mights" with no guaranties about who will actually end up where. It sounds like the new school isn't even done being built, and having dealt with construction I know how easily that tends to fall behind schedule. I would not change my plans just for this.

Has your DD said why she wants to go to public. Depending on why she says she wants to go to the public, I would be more likely to see this as a reason. I would be a bit concerned that she has unrealistic expectations of what public school K will be like. However, considering the amount of money you stand to loose it would need to be a pretty good reason. If she just wants more time with neighbor friend, she will see her after school plenty.

[MattBronsil]

I am going to ask a rhetorical question here. Feel free to answer it, but I think the point I'm making should be obvious from the question itself.

Originally Posted by Sam75

Now should I just stick with the way I planned it and go with Montessori for Kinder and assume she'll do fine with the brand new school being built, and assume she will make new friends there,

The rhetorical question: What concern do you have that she won't make new friends?

I ask that because, if you really think about who your daughter is, you probably know she will make good friends at school.

I can only speak from my experience here in saying that MOST (key word) people I have known that leave a Montessori school before the end of the 3 year age cycle and go for a traditional education are not happy with the choice and often come back. There are many reasons for this:
--The regular kindergarten curriculum is not advanced or challenging enough.
--The difference between the goals in Montessori (independent learning) and regular education (teacher lead learning) are quite different.
--The social aspects and focus on grace and courtesy, as well as peace education, in the Montessori classroom are things many parents miss.

Now, there are great kindergartens that are not Montessori that do a wonderful job with these things, but if you found a program you think is a great fit for your child, I do not see a reason to pull them from that program for an unknown program. Parents on here constantly post about good and bad things about the program their child is in, but I have seen many stories of wishing they could find a good fit for their child. If you found that, I say you're lucky and that would be something I would not jeopardize.