The school district we live in is considering going to a 4 day school week. I am 100% in favor of a 4 day school week. I currently have one child in Kindergarten and will have another child in Kindergarten next year. The possibility of a four day school week in very appealing to my husband and I for several reasons:


1. It will reduce the time my children have to miss school for dental and medical appointments. We all know that it basically takes all day long to take your child to an appointment in Helena. Having a four day school week would virtually eliminate the need to miss school for a scheduled appointment of any kind.


2. More time for family. I currently get to see my daughter for about an hour and a half before school and for about 5 hours after school. If she rode the bus, it would be even less. The idea of having my kids with me for three days rather than just two is very agreeable to me. We could do so much more in the way of family oriented activities that are limited right now with a five day week.


3. As I understand it, many times some of the funds saved from having a four day school week, if properly managed, can benefit at risk students. Often times, tutoring and reading programs are implemented on the ‘fifth day’ which benefit the at risk student population.


4. Sports activites can be scheduled on the ‘fifth day’ which in turn reduces the classtime lost by those who participate in sports. These students don’t miss instruction time for extra-cirricular activties, which are important, but secondary to academics in my opinon.


5. Kids who participate in clubs like Scouts have that ‘fifth day’ for activities and meetings geared toward those groups. They are still learning and are engaged with their peers – which is essential for good citizenship and community. Though my kids are not sports or club participants at this time, I anticipate the day when they both will be involved in either a club or sport – maybe both.


6. A four day school week would also afford my family the opportunity to participate in an activity not currently offered by the school, ie ballet or karate. At present, I feel doing so would be ‘overload’ on my kids but if we had the ‘fifth day’ free, we would have more flexibility to do something like that.


7. From a common sense point of view, it is easy to see that a four day school week reduces the amount of money the school district would spend on hourly salaries, energy, fuel, food and other expenses. That is hard to argue with.


8. Research shows that having a four day school week improves attitudes and outlook of the faculty, staff and students, reduces stress, and increases student attendance while decreasing discipline problems. It also reduces the need for substitute teachers while increasing the opportunity for older students to gain work experience because they have an entire day they can promise to their employer.


I am unconcerned about the fears that the younger kids won’t adapt well or that a long school day will be too much for them. I was concerned about those very issues when my daughter started all day Kindergarten and have been proven very wrong. She is thriving and comes home with plenty of energy to play and do what she needs to do in the evenings. She sleeps and eats much better after having started school. We have regimented eating and bedtimes at our house and the routine of school has only reinforced my ‘at home’ regimen. I cannot see how an extra hour or so four days a week would impact my daughter negatively in the least. I anticipate the same pattern for my son who will start Kindergarten in the Fall of 2009.


I can find very little wrong with the idea of getting to spend more quality time with my children while saving the school district money in basic operating costs. I am looking forward to the decision the school board makes and hope that we see a four day school week in the near future.

Today, I had my very first Parent-Teacher conference as the parent. Maya's teacher, a lovely woman who is not that much bigger than some of her students, and I sat down to have a little chat about Miss Maya and I have to say I was very pleased with what she had to say.

A few of you will recall how I whined and howled about all day Kindergarten. I am still not convinced that it is right for all students, but my child seems to be thriving. It seems that the teacher cannot seem to find enough for her to do and she is excelling in every subject.

Boy, am I relieved.

I am so proud of Maya and how hard she is working at school. She is really blossoming and is absorbing a tremendous amount every week. She is doing fine socially and academically - which is great news to me as well. Maya and Owen are 'at home' kids - they stay with Mom and Dad or another trusted family member....and that's it. To have Maya doing so well with her peers is relieving and a joy for me.

I was wrong about all day Kindergarten for Maya. It is just what she needs!

We have been snowed in for the last couple of days. The snow started to fall on Friday and the National Weather service said that it was supposed to stop on Saturday. So, my hubby plowed the road all out and all was fine.

The minute he left to go game bird hunting with his friends, the snow started falling and did not stop until last night! I tried yesterday afternoon to see if we could get out so that I could get both kids to school this morning and to their flu vaccination this afternoon.

I promptly got myself stuck in the drive way and spent 45 minutes on my knees in the snow with a shovel getting my SUV out. I had no choice but to get it out - you can't plow the road if there is an SUV stuck in the middle of it. So, finally, I succeeded in getting myself unstuck and resolved that the kids were not going to be able to go to school today.

They, upon returning to the house, I was taking a break and my kids were upstairs playing in their rooms. I heard Owen jumping off something up there and had just yelled up the stairs for him to quit and was headed up there when I heard a thump that sounded a bit off.

Sure enough, Owen had jumped off the blanket chest at the end of the bed - backwards - and sprained or strained the top of his right foot. Thank goodness my good friend is an RN! So, I had an ACE bandage and a bad of frozen peas - which is all I needed - which I used to wrap up Owen's little foot. I have him some Tylenol and put him into bed with me last night because it was hurting him. This morning, he is hobbling around on it, but it is still swollen.

So, as soon as hubby gets here and clears the road, I am headed off to urgent care to see about Owen's foot.

A foot and a half of snow in October!!!! Grrr.....

Gosh - it has been over 2 weeks since I posted here? It truly does not seem like that long.

I have been really busy working on various projects and trying to keep everyone in my house healthy. It seems the ickies keep coming back for round after round. Today, everyone is well except Owen says that his throat hurts. It has not stopped him thus far though.....

The weather here has been absolutely atrocious and we have basically been stuck in the house for the past couple of weeks. We are all suffering from a bad case of cabin fever. Unable to take it anymore, I have booked us all into a hotel in Bozeman tomorrow night and am packing the swimsuits and so extra money for room service. We are going to get out of here - if only for a day or two.

Last week, my Maya went to the Kindergarten for pre-registration. The Kindergarten teacher was totally taken aback by my demand that she give a run down of the entire curriculum and then, I requested to see her lesson plans book. She answered every single question I had and I was satisfied that she knows what she is doing and that my child will not spend two hours a day taking a nap and coloring. After I was finished with her, I introduced myself to the principle - a woman about 10 years my junior. While I was impressed with her 'air' and the way she spoke - it remains to be seen how she will handle real discipline problems. I am not going to judge her in advance though - she will likely do quite well and I hope she does. The Superintendent of the school - a woman as well - I liked a lot. I have worked in more than one school and never have I had a Superintendent be out and about in the school - let alone be working in the office helping students and visitors. Her - I like.

Yes, that's right - I spoke to every single person in authority. I think every parent ought to do that. I want Maya to be able to go to public school - but I want to be involved. That is why I accepted the invitation to be a parent volunteer in the Kindergarten next year ;-) I truly am not being controlling - I just want to know that my child - the child I prayed for and had to wait so long for - is safe and happy. That's all I want. If I make a nuisance out of myself in the process, then I will have to ask for forgiveness afterward - and that will surely never stop me!

And They're Off!!!

Maya and Owen were off to their first day of Preschool today. Maya is in actual Kindergarten prep preschool and Owen is attending to play.

I am grateful that neither one of them cried or begged me to stay with them - however, a *little* something would have been nice. They were gone the minute we hit the door and did not act all that thrilled to see me when I came to pick them up!

We will see if it is still that way two months from now........