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for those that have had experience w/Portland public schools & reading issue (?)

400 views 14 replies 6 participants last post by  Victorian 
#1 ·
i am looking for any and all experiences~my ds 8 is still struggling with reading, and i am really nervous about sending him to school here. feel free to email, pm or whatever. thank you!
 
#2 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by aolinsmama View Post
i am looking for any and all experiences~my ds 8 is still struggling with reading, and i am really nervous about sending him to school here. feel free to email, pm or whatever. thank you!
I would love to talk to you about this issue. Which school is he going to attend? The problem with public schools are they are not teaching phonics to the children. They are teaching them to read by sight.
:
My oldest daughter now 10, went from not readig in Kindergarten and not barely able to write her name, then over the summer vacation I bought her hooked on Phonics, she took to that really well, and actually only did about an hour a week and by 1st grade she was reading at above 2nd grade level, since then she has always been in the highest reading levels and spelling has almost always been 100%, where the teacher needs to give her harder words to spell than the rest of the class.
We bought the hooked on phonics set off of ebay.
I strongly recommend it.
good luck
 
#3 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by aolinsmama View Post
i am looking for any and all experiences~my ds 8 is still struggling with reading, and i am really nervous about sending him to school here. feel free to email, pm or whatever. thank you!
what schools are you considering? i have no idea what the regular neighborhood schools are like with regard to this issue, but i know trillium charter school (and probably other charters as well) does great with kids who aren't reading yet at 8, and well past that. and the new waldorf inspired charter school, i imagine would do well with that, as waldorf ed doesn't even encourage reading UNTIL 7 or 8!

i would think it mostly depends on the teacher and their knowledge and skill with pre-readers and emergent readers.
 
#5 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by dahlia960104 View Post
I would love to talk to you about this issue. Which school is he going to attend? The problem with public schools are they are not teaching phonics to the children. They are teaching them to read by sight.
:
My oldest daughter now 10, went from not readig in Kindergarten and not barely able to write her name, then over the summer vacation I bought her hooked on Phonics, she took to that really well, and actually only did about an hour a week and by 1st grade she was reading at above 2nd grade level, since then she has always been in the highest reading levels and spelling has almost always been 100%, where the teacher needs to give her harder words to spell than the rest of the class.
We bought the hooked on phonics set off of ebay.
I strongly recommend it.
good luck

i'd say, though, be careful with what you worry about - lol! sometimes it is just a developmental leap that would occur anyhow. my daughter was not reading in kindergarten at all and was reading chapter books by 1st grade -and is now a prolific writer, excellent speller, and voracious reader, and has been since she was in 2nd grade or so.

my son was not reading in kindergarten or first grade, much, but by second grade really began to pick it up and by third grade became passionate about reading. still doesn't like the physical process of writing though.

sight reading works for some kids, and phonics works for others, and still others come up with their own approach. unless there is a learning disability, kids who are read to, and read with, learn to read in their own time.

not to say there is anything wrong with using a program like hooked on phonics, just that if the parents are anxious about it, and the program comes off as pressure and worry-filled, it can really backfire in terms of the joy of reading.
 
#6 ·
thanks for the replies
he went to a waldorf charter school before, then we homeschooled for a year. (this past year) (where we started hooked on phonics) we are still doing it, he doesn't like it, wants to read his dad's physics books...
he loves books, checks out piles every time we go to the library, we are a family of readers, etc., he loves learning, it just hasn't clicked for him yet, and i don't want him ridiculed or thought of as less than.
i love much of waldorf but it isn't for us.
i would love to find out more about the "environmental" alternative/charter school (lots of outdoor time, gardening-he would live outdoors if i let him) but since we just moved here we are too late for lotteries, etc. (i won't give up though, when i register them next week i will find out more) atkinson is our neighborhood school, and i have heard it is a good one as far as the public ones go. i keep telling myself everything will be fine, but i am really nervous, i want him to be understood and respected. he has had amazing, caring, teachers, always (except for me!) and i want him to continue to love learning. aack. i will stop now-thanks for listening and giving your input
 
#7 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by aolinsmama View Post
thanks for the replies
he went to a waldorf charter school before, then we homeschooled for a year. (this past year) (where we started hooked on phonics) we are still doing it, he doesn't like it, wants to read his dad's physics books...
he loves books, checks out piles every time we go to the library, we are a family of readers, etc., he loves learning, it just hasn't clicked for him yet, and i don't want him ridiculed or thought of as less than.
i love much of waldorf but it isn't for us.
i would love to find out more about the "environmental" alternative/charter school (lots of outdoor time, gardening-he would live outdoors if i let him) but since we just moved here we are too late for lotteries, etc. (i won't give up though, when i register them next week i will find out more) atkinson is our neighborhood school, and i have heard it is a good one as far as the public ones go. i keep telling myself everything will be fine, but i am really nervous, i want him to be understood and respected. he has had amazing, caring, teachers, always (except for me!) and i want him to continue to love learning. aack. i will stop now-thanks for listening and giving your input

first of all, i don't want to sound like i was endorsing waldorf - it isn't for us either.

secondly, charter schools have their own lotteries, separate from portland public, so i would contact any charter you are interested in and ask about their specific lottery. trillium has a garden program that is really thriving. and even though most of the charters have waiting lists, often kids get in at the end - even those who are like #30 on the waiting list - i have seen it happen almost every year in many different grades.

what area do you live in? and would your son be going into third grade or second?

good luck with this decision! let me know if there is anything i can do to help...
 
#8 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by aolinsmama View Post
thanks for the replies
he went to a waldorf charter school before, then we homeschooled for a year. (this past year) (where we started hooked on phonics) we are still doing it, he doesn't like it, wants to read his dad's physics books...
he loves books, checks out piles every time we go to the library, we are a family of readers, etc., he loves learning, it just hasn't clicked for him yet, and i don't want him ridiculed or thought of as less than.
i love much of waldorf but it isn't for us.
i would love to find out more about the "environmental" alternative/charter school (lots of outdoor time, gardening-he would live outdoors if i let him) but since we just moved here we are too late for lotteries, etc. (i won't give up though, when i register them next week i will find out more) atkinson is our neighborhood school, and i have heard it is a good one as far as the public ones go. i keep telling myself everything will be fine, but i am really nervous, i want him to be understood and respected. he has had amazing, caring, teachers, always (except for me!) and i want him to continue to love learning. aack. i will stop now-thanks for listening and giving your input

It is too late for this year, but Sunnyside Enviromental School is great. My 6yr DD goes there she got in through the lottery, but have not had success with my 10yr DD she did not get in last year or this year. High demand school. But well worth it if you can get into the school.
 
#9 ·
thanks lylawolf, i will do that. he will be going into 3rd. we are within walking distance of atkinson (division).
sunnyside, that is the school-my neighbor told me about it. i just couldn't remember the name. i can but try right?
thanks again, all of this is helpful!
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by lylawolf View Post
charters have waiting lists, often kids get in at the end - even those who are like #30 on the waiting list - i have seen it happen almost every year in many different grades.
(kinda off-topic...)
oooh, we were in the 20s at 2 schools!! Maybe we could've gotten in. Once the lottery is finished and they announce the results you have to go with what is offered, or give up your assigned spot to wait on a wait list. We gave up our wait list spots and now aren't even going to a PPS. BUMMER!

We had Atkinson as our 1st choice for PPSs (after the charter choices). It looked like a good school (and in a desirable area). We had applied for the immersion. But non-immersion/neighborhood students get a lot of Spanish, too. I love that!
 
#13 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by lylawolf View Post
not for charter schools! although i am sure they'd love you to do that, they keep separate wait lists, which is why sometimes you get in last minute. i know a lot of people hold onto their spots until they are sure they are in somewhere.
That's great news!! We only lose our spot at MLC, then, I guess. Not a charter and a separate lottery than PPS, too. Sheesh! It's complicated. For Charters, we only applied to the Waldorf one.

We liked Atkinson for a few reasons. We love immersion, and thought Spanish would be wonderful. We appreciated that they had more diversity than some of the other schools. We wanted to be able to live in the area, if possible, and we like that neighborhood. The principal and a couple of teachers that we'd talked to seemed genuine and inspired.

Currently, we live in the Laurelhurst Elementary School neighborhood but wanted to school elsewhere. We got into Lewis through the lottery and were content with it, but now are moving to the Sherwood School District--after all that lottery stuff!!

My daughter is just starting to show interest in reading and I haven't started showing her very much, yet. So I am not experienced with how the schools handle readers, yet. Sorry aolinsmama. But I am interested in what others have to say here, though.
 
#14 ·
[

Currently, we live in the Laurelhurst Elementary School neighborhood but wanted to school elsewhere. We got into Lewis through the lottery and were content with it, but now are moving to the Sherwood School District--after all that lottery stuff!!

My daughter is just starting to show interest in reading and I haven't started showing her very much, yet. So I am not experienced with how the schools handle readers, yet. Sorry aolinsmama. But I am interested in what others have to say here, though.[/QUOTE]

My oldest DD currently goes to Lewis, but like I said earlier have been trying to get her to change to Sunnyside Enviromental. I love the fact that it goes to 8th grade.
We loved Lewis until 3rd grade.
 
#15 ·
my daughter is 8 and going into the 3rd grade. she was diagnosed with dyslexia last year, caught very early due to a teacher that KNEW what has happening. she attends Buckman in SE...its a great school and is the Arts Magnet program. She got specialized help 1-2 times a week and is almost caught up to grade level expections, but it has not a forced or tramatizing thing...they just pulled her out and taught her using different methods that have been shown to work with dyslexic people. if you have questions, please pm me


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