What time does your child have to be in the classroom? Our child has to be in the room by 7:30. Which is very early.

Lissa - posted on 09/11/2011

In the UK our children start nursery at 3, they go 5 mornings or afternoons a week. Mine all went from 9-12.30 with a snack time in the middle, they go for two years. School starts at 9 and finishes at 3, they have a 15 minute break in the morning then 45 minute lunch break. They can have a hot lunch at school, go home for lunch or take a lunch from home. My children have all worn uniforms from nursery up so it's never been an issue, you just wear a uniform to school. Often the nursery is part of the a school, children will have already spent time with the other pupils and future teachers, they get a buddy from primary one and will spend time with them in the primary one class. I think this works really well as going to school is no big mystery, to the children it is just an extension of nursery.

Angela - posted on 09/11/2011

We pay here for books and supplies but that is okay. If you can't afford it and are low income you get money from the government for it. The fees depend on your income and school
What also is different here is you can pick the school you want anywhere in the country! (the country is not so big) but this includes religious, and other types of schools. All schools have a guideline they have to meet standard wise for education but that is it. They have a publication of the individual schools so you can see how they are doing and how they plan to improve etc ... very nice. Gives competition If a school does not do well they get help but if they continue and get not any students they shut down. but in a good way not a capital way all cost the same. Only exception is private schools which are mostly international schools. They cost more...
I think that is the problem with USA schools in general, many just don't have the money and the taxes are not their to support the system. It is really a failing system (public school system) I do know their is some good public schools where people pay more taxes and wealthy areas mostly etc. But over all America's public school system fails children terribly. If you are lucky to afford private or get a good Charter in the USA great but I feel a decent education and environment should be for all children not just the wealthy.
Sounds nice in Canada. I had no idea of the schools of my fellow former neighbors :) I do have some Canadian friends who told me they like it.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/11/2011

I hope so too. I believe in some ways it depends on the school. Back home (I'm from NY) my daughter was in a Catholic school and they had 2 teachers in both Kindergarten classes. There was one on one time and a lot more recess after the 45 minute lunch. The teachers in my daughter's class really seemed to care about the kids. I also would go to have lunch with my daughter during school because we were encouraged to do that and my job as a Care Aide was flexible enough to allow me to do that.

So far the Canadian system seems good for my daughter. The school day is about the same for her in some ways, but it starts 45 minutes earlier and ends an hour earlier. Right now the British Columbian school districts are on some type of strike. Technically there is no recess, but I've come to pick up my daughter early and they've been running around outside on the playground with the teacher. It's also been in the 30's here so they've also requested we send two water bottles for the kids.

Another thing that's different about my school district is they want you to pay them for the school supplies instead of the the parents buying them. We also have to pay a 10$ cultural fee.

Angela - posted on 09/11/2011

I do not live in the State anymore but have the benefit of knowing two systems, The Netherlands in W. Europe to me is far better than in the States...they seem to put the child more in front than in the states. I hope it does not change.



Edit to add I am not a huge fan of the public school system in the USA thus why I choose to live here instead of their amongst other reasons but the quality of life for children was tops

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/11/2011

Angela, they have a list to volunteer to do hot lunch at my daughter's school here in BC. But they eat either in the classroom or outside if it's nice enough. They do things a lot differently in Canada than they do in the States.

Angela - posted on 09/11/2011

I think some schools start much too early and that is too early in my book.



The schools in The Netherlands for elementary age and preschool generally start at 8:45 drop off, day starts at 9am ....very healthy time.

Also, here in The Netherlands most kids under 13 eat in the class room, a lunch they bring from home, their is not any hot lunch.

Their is also not any uniforms here.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/10/2011

LOL I fought with my daughter off and on about her uniform. She threw the skirt or the top down the hall or down the stairs. It was horrid.

Luckily her school did dress down days- usually you had to earn them to be able to wear your own clothes.

Leeann - posted on 09/10/2011

My oldest is in middle school and she has to be there at 7:30 she gets up at 5:30 and is on the bus at 7:15. my second child is in 1st grade and has to be there no later than 9:15, he gets on the bus at 8:15

Kacie - posted on 09/10/2011

i would have a bigger fight if we had uniforms than regular clothes! my son does not like to match everyone else! (sports will be interesting!) he's always picked his clothes, it was never a fight (yes, i got lucky! LOL)

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/10/2011

Last year Abby had 2 skirts and 2 pairs of pants on rotation along with a lot of polo shirts, a button down shirt and a navy Cardigan. I let her pick out different patterned tights and different socks to wear. Abby also had different hair ties. That's what a lot of the other girl's moms would do along with having different shoes.

Amie My husband had said something about larger cities in Canada having cafeteria's in their schools too. He never had one either because he was in small towns all his life. My daughter seems ok with the set up since back at her old school she ate with her class in the cafeteria

~♥Little Miss - posted on 09/10/2011

This is his first year in uniform. I am still on the fence about whether I like them or not. It is tricky, because I am all about self expression with cloths.

Amie - posted on 09/09/2011

As for uniforms, it would be just more money I'd have to spend on clothes. I spend enough. haha. I'm not a fan.

My kids have schools do have dress codes and they do enforce them. Lord knows why parents buy some of the things for children anyway. I know the HS's are a bit more lax with it but I have seen teenagers sent home too.

Amie - posted on 09/09/2011

Meggy,

Even when I was in school we had lunch in our classrooms. Some of the schools in the city have lunch rooms for the kids and teachers rotate supervision. (This year I noticed a sign up at my kids old school asking for applications for lunch room supervisors.) The in classroom thing though, generally the teachers eat and get their break when the kids go outside for recess. There's a rotating schedule of which teachers will be outside for recess duty and the teachers who are doing it that day, generally have an EA or some other support staff watch their room while they take their break before recess.

Where my kids went to school, they started at 9:10, had a 15 minute recess in the morning, an hour for lunch (20 minutes to eat, then out the door for recess [or if it's really cold in the winter to the gym, library, etc.], another 15 minute recess in the afternoon and done school at 3:25.

Where they are now, they start school at 8:50, 15 minute morning recess, 45 minutes for lunch (they call it running on a compressed lunch hour - still 20 minutes to eat, recess time is shorter), 15 minute afternoon recess and done school at 2:55 (bus students are done at 2:50).

I can not believe how early some of your kids go! I'm barely awake at 8 when I'm walking mine down the driveway to meet the bus! I'm so not a morning person though. LOL

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/09/2011

I wish Canada would do uniforms even if my daughter hated it last year and was always throwing it down the hall.

Here in Kelowna they don't have cafeterias in school (also a first for me) and the students eat at their desks (which would also explain why teachers don't really get a lunch break like in the US) Does anyone else have that?

Abby also used to get 45 minutes for lunch and a 1/2hr to 45minute recess at her old school. I don't know how they do it here yet.

Casey - posted on 09/09/2011

WOW there are some early starts! Ashlin starts school at 9am and finishes at 3pm, with a 20 minute playtime and 40 minutes for lunch.

Jodi - posted on 09/09/2011

In Australia, it depends. Where I live, the primary schools have uniform, but the high schools don't. Apparently they have a dress code, but I'll be honest, I am yet to decipher what that code is when I see what they wear :\

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/09/2011

IMO they (the uniforms) make life easier for everyone involved. You can't judge someone's clothes (the shoes may be another story) you don't spend most of the night before picking out an outfit and you don't have to worry about what is and isn't allowed to be worn in school.

I thought public schools in Europe and the UK had to wear them too (not sure about Australia) I know that Asian, South and Central American countries require them.

Jodi - posted on 09/09/2011

My kids go to Catholic school, and I like having uniform. It just means no arguments over what to wear, making my life easier, LOL.

I still don't think I understand the Charter school thing, but I know a few people on CoM send their kids to them, so I wasn't really sure.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/09/2011

Thanks for the information. :)

Abby went to a Catholic school last year and had to wear a uniform, this year she goes to a public school and doesn't wear one. HOnestly I miss the uniforms.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 09/09/2011

But, they can start school and end school when they want, and do stupid rules that they feel like implementing. Plus, he is required to be in uniform.

~♥Little Miss - posted on 09/09/2011

It is suppose to be like private school learning, but public. We had to place our kids into a lottery to see who's names were drawn...essentially out of a hat. My son got in.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/09/2011

I'm honestly not sure myself. I don't believe it's like a private school. We had them in Rochester, but I haven't seen them here

~♥Little Miss - posted on 09/09/2011

Eh...neither do I really. It is a public school, but privately funded I think. They have to follow all the requirements set by the state, but they do it their own way.

Jodi - posted on 09/09/2011

I don't really understand the charter school thing. Is that like a private school?

~♥Little Miss - posted on 09/09/2011

My son goes to a charter school The started on August 22nd, and most schools start around here about Sept. 7th or so.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/09/2011

Last year my daughter didn't start school until 9:00 and finished at 3. She also had a bus... my legs miss that bus right now

Jodi - posted on 09/09/2011

Wow, you guys do start school early!!! I am in Australia, and most schools start between 8:30am and 9am (public schools are generally 9am) and finish between 3pm and 3:30pm.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 09/09/2011

Abby has to be in class at 8:30. We have to be up at 7 and leave by 7:45 because we have to walk. But she gets out at 2:15

~♥Little Miss - posted on 09/09/2011

BTW, he is in kindergarten, and is in school from 7:30-3:30

~♥Little Miss - posted on 09/09/2011

My son has to be up at 6:60, leave by 7, to be in school by 7:30. Yuk.

Cynthia - posted on 09/09/2011

8:25 and the earliest to d/o is 8:05.

Teresa - posted on 09/09/2011

I don't think I've ever been at a school that started later than 8.

Kacie - posted on 09/09/2011

is 8 really early?! ever since i was in Kindergarten up into highschool (c/o '04) the tardy bell was always 8am!

Amie - posted on 09/06/2011

Holy crap! All of your kids start school so early! LOL!!

Mine start at 8:50, they can be on the grounds at 8:35. Our kids bus picks them up at 8:10. We also live 20 minutes from one school (our oldest is in the middle of pick ups for her school) and 5 minutes (our son is the 2nd pick up for his school), all highway driving.

In the city they started school at 9:10 and could be dropped off at 8:55.

Unless they're daycare kids (the schools have daycare in them for school aged kids who's parents work early) and then they could be dropped off earlier. They weren't allowed outside though until 15 minutes before the bell, that's when teachers were on the grounds to supervise.

Jane - posted on 09/06/2011

I have to have my son at school by 7:30 am, to take a bus from there to an off-site learning center. The bus brings him back to school at 10:30, he goes to his other classes, and then a bus brings him home at 4:15.

Katherine - posted on 09/06/2011

8am, 7:30 is insanely early!!!!!

Kacie - posted on 09/06/2011

the earliest you can drop them off here is 7:15. 7:55 when they start, 8 you're considered late/tardy

Jurnee - posted on 09/06/2011

8:40, but his school bus come at 7:50.

Teresa - posted on 09/06/2011

7:45 is the first bell. Class starts at the second bell (and you're late if not in the class) at 7:50. We're usually at the school at 7:30 except the days I work... Then it's 7:15-7:20 or I'd be late.



My son's school starts at 8.

Holly - posted on 09/06/2011

Our daughter's school starts at 8:00, so we have her there by 7:55.

Julie - posted on 09/06/2011

Wow. The earliest we can drop ours off is 8:05. Class starts at 8:25. I wish they'd start a little earlier because they only get 20 minutes for lunch. I can eat in 20 minutes and have time left over. My first grader can't. She's learning to though.