Questions to ask principle at school visit? Ideas, please!

[Leersia]

Dh and I are considering various options for the education of our two 4-year-olds next year, from our local school, to another school in the district, to homeschooling. Soon, we will visit our local school, and I want to have some questions to ask him, about the school in general and the kindergarten program specifically, that will help us to make a decision. I thought that those of you who already have kids in school might have some ideas for us. What should we be most concerned about?

Thanks in advance!

Sue

*whoops, I spelled principal wrong and can't edit it!*

[momma2mingbu]

Originally Posted by Leersia

Dh and I are considering various options for the education of our two 4-year-olds next year, from our local school, to another school in the district, to homeschooling. Soon, we will visit our local school, and I want to have some questions to ask him, about the school in general and the kindergarten program specifically, that will help us to make a decision. I thought that those of you who already have kids in school might have some ideas for us. What should we be most concerned about?

Thanks in advance!

Sue

*whoops, I spelled principal wrong and can't edit it!*

]

Ask about the KG curriculum.

The state standards are probably posted online. Do a Google search on your state with the words "Kindergarten Standards" in it. You'll most likely find it somewhere so you can read it over prior to your meeting. If not, ask the principal for a copy.

Ask about how many kids per teacher and how many classroom aides work in the classroom.

Ask about background checks on staff.

Ask about how experienced the KG teachers are. In my experience so far, they are usually young!

Ask if you can observe a KG class for a morning.

Ask about what level most children come into KG at? Do they know the alphabet already, the letter sounds, are they reading? (Here the entry level is very diverse.) Ask what level most enter first grade at.

Ask about art, music, gym and library time.

Ask about recess or free play time.

Ask about full day vs. half day. Are both offered? What are the differences in the programs? Is there a fee for full day?

GOTTA GO READ A BEDTIME STORY......
may be back with more.

[Leersia]

Great questions! - thanks so much for the advice, it's just what I was looking for.

[BurgundyElephant]

I would suggest reading The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsary Education. Then Protecting the Gift. Between those two books, it set my mind to homeschool. And yes, I had a sit-down with the principal before school started. She did not alleviate any of my concerns.

So... we're homeschooling!

[momma2mingbu]

Sorry I didn't make it back until morning! Here are a few more:

How academic is the program? Is it very academic or is there a focus on play?

If a child is behind, what kind of extra help do they get?

If a child is ahead of his/her peers, how do you meet their needs? They should not be stuck, bored to tears, working at grade level and not being challenged. Will they differentiate curriculum for these kids? Is there a gifted program and what grade does it start in? Is it a pull out program or a classroom dedicated full-time to gifted kids?

What are the policies and procedures for classroom discipline? Positive vs. negative?

How much homework do the children have across the grade levels? What are the consequences of not completing homework? Is homework assigned to everyone or is it given only on an "as needed" basis to individual children?

How would you communicate with the teacher? How much access would you have to talk directly to her on a daily basis if needed? How often are parent/teacher conferences held?

School security.....visitor badges? Sign in? Locked doors with restricted entry? (At my daughter's school only one external door is open to enter through. You must enter through the office in order to get into the school and you must sign in and get a visitor pass.)

Pick up/drop off procedures if your child will be a car rider.

How much parent participation/classroom volunteering is expected? Is more welcome? How often can you help out and how can you help out? Directly in the classroom with the kids or just in the workroom preparing papers and stuff for teachers?

How do they teach reading? Phonics? Sight words? Word families? Do they do small reading groups at this age to work one-on-one with kids?