Keepin' On

When it comes to public school in my school district, we have what's called a Magnet Program or 'school choice'.  Schools that choose to participate in the Magnet Program must fulfill two obligations from what I can tell: 20% of their student population must come from outside their 'zoned' area and the school must have an area of focus.

The current areas of focuses in our Magnet Program are:

Vanguard (Gifted and Talented): Vanguard is a Magnet program that serves students who have been identified as potentially gifted or talented in intellectual ability, creativity, or leadership. A Magnet Vanguard offers a differentiated curriculum that is both accelerated and enriched. Admission to the Magnet Vanguard program requires testing and the use of the Vanguard application. 

International Baccalaureate (IB):  International Baccalaureate (IB) program is an advanced academic curriculum that focuses on problem-solving and independent critical-thinking skills, which better prepare students for college and a lifetime of learning.

Montessori: Montessori is a system of education that is both a philosophy of child development and a methodology of guiding each child’s development to its full potential. In a Montessori School children grow in an environment of mutual respect to become responsible world citizens. Every classroom is equipped with Montessori materials. Children experience a spiraling, connected curriculum founded on Montessori principles.

STEM: STEM is a program that offers science, technology, engineering, and math instruction through problem-solving and independent critical-thinking skills, while emphasizing laboratory exploration and hands-on activities.

Language: Language programs offer students an opportunity to learn one or multiple languages in an instructional setting that integrates subject content presented in English and another language. Models vary depending on the language and school level. This program provides a continuum of learning experiences that lead to the development of advanced-level linguistic skills.

Fine Arts: Fine Arts programs provide specialized instruction in a variety of areas, including strings, band, piano, art, dance, creative writing, and gymnastics. Excellence in the arts is a natural, integrated extension of the academic program. Offerings in each individual school may vary.

(I didn't include the two programs which are for kids at the high school level).

Entry into the schools is via a lottery system.  You can apply to up to 10 schools in total, with up to only 5 allowed to be Vanguard schools.  You do NOT rank the schools in order of your choice.  This means that feasibly on the lovely spring day the lottery is drawn you could go to your personal page on the school district's webpage and find out that your child has been accepted, via the lottery, to all of the schools to which you applied!  Because he/she goes into each school's lottery that you applied to.  (Applications were due mid-December)

If this happens, you're golden.  You simply choose the school you want and you're done, no muss no fuss.  Even if you only get into 3 of the schools you've chosen, if your top choice was on your 'Your child is accepted' list that day, you click 'yes' and move on.  If your child is not accepted to your first choice you have the option of choosing one of your other choices, if you got into one of them by the lottery, ask to be on the wait list at your top school and cross your fingers.  But here's the caveat...you can only change your mind one time!!!  So, what if you're accepted to what you deem your third choice?  You accept it, praying you get your 2nd or 1st choice at a later date.  Then 6 weeks later you find out you got into your 2nd choice.  Do you accept? Because if you do, you cannot opt for your 1st choice if they call you the day before school starts in September and says "Ms. X we didn't fill our class size with the neighborhood kids as we expected, so we have more room for our Magnet applicants.  We'd love to offer sweet 'x' a spot in our kindergarten class."  But you took your 2nd choice back in June.  You're stuck with your second choice.

See what an absolute nightmare this becomes.  So unless you get your first choice on Lottery Day this spring, this ghoulish stress and frustration can fester on well into the first or second week of school.

Ok.  What does this Vanguard (Gifted and Talented) stuff mean?  And why do 4 year olds have to test into the Gifted and Talented program before they even enter kindergarten.

This is a bit difficult to explain and for people not involved in this ridiculous process hard to understand.  From my understanding, all kindergartners in my school district will be tested for GT'ness' at some point in kindergarten.  If they are GT identified they will either move into GT classes in their schools or if they are in a classroom with a certified GT teacher, he/she will differentiate within the class room for those kids designated GT with a curriculum differentiated in depth, pacing and complexity.   Those kids who are not GT designated just continue on with their normal studies none the wiser.  I believe the children are tested again in 5th grade (for entering into junior high) and then again at the high school level.  From what I understand also, if  a parent decides they think their child is GT at some other point they can request to have their child tested at any point in time.  Seemingly all schools in the district offer a GT program for the children who are GT.  There are, however,  a couple of schools from the elementary level and up that are solely Vanguard.  No matter what age you are you must be designated GT.  These public schools are thus not neighborhood schools.  Every single student in these schools is GT.  I applied to only one of these, and even if Tate tests GT I don't think I would send him there because it's a bit more studious and intense than I am comfortable with, especially for 5, 6, 7 and 8 year olds.

So, some Magnet schools are Vanguard in their emphasis.  All their teachers are GT certified.  But since they are neighborhood schools, not all the kids who attend are GT.  However, if you want to do a zone transfer via the Magnet program your child must test as GT.  Therefore Tate had to take the test for giftedness today.  A couple of these schools have separate classes for the GT kids, but the majority have the GT kids mixed with the neighborhood kids.  I think I'm leaning towards preferring a school where the kids are mixed, for Tate's age group. I definitely think that by junior high there needs to be separation.

I applied to 4 Vanguard schools and 5 other type Magnet schools.

Like I mentioned, Tate tested today for the Vanguard program.  I have no idea if he's GT or not.  But I really liked a couple of the schools that are Magnet Vanguard, not necessarily for their Vanguard program, but I liked the feel of the schools overall and I like their location in relation to my job :). It just so happens that their emphasis is GT, so he had to take the test.  If he's not certified GT this year, he'll take the test again next anyway with his class if he's in public school, so I could feasibly put him in the lottery again for 1st grade and move him to a Magnet Vanguard if I so chose.

I also am really, really impressed with the IB program.  It's fantastic.  Four of the schools I applied to have the Elementary IB certification.  These four schools are dual magnet, such that they are IB with another Magnet focus...one is IB/Vanguard (how awesome is that!!!), one is IB/STEM, and two are IB/Fine Arts.

So, that's an explanation of our public school choice program and how it works.

March 28th is D-Day!  I think this is the day for most private schools as well.  I believe we have about 2 weeks to make our decisions.  Right now I'm not sure which way I'm leaning.  I'm trying to leave my worry to God.  Mostly, I'm going to wait to see where Tate's been accepted, and then decide what to do.  I'm sure the smarter thing is to decide now what I really want for him and that way when I find out his choices I can just say yes with a sure heart and mind.  But I'm so overwhelmed that I can't focus right now.  I just have to get him through one more 'trial' day which also has some sort of testing, which is this week and then I can sit back and relax.  

Ok not relax, just obsess more.  But then all the testing will be done and I can try to make it to a couple more schools for tours and try to go into the end of March with more clarity.

Because right now I'm in a dense, dense fog.  This is when I really, really wish I had another adult as invested in Tate and his future as I am, just someone to bounce this stuff off of.  It's unbelievably scary to be the sole decider in someone else's future.  

This has definitely been the hardest time to be a single mother by choice.  Those sleepless nights alone, trips to the ER alone, nothing compared to this.  

But we're doing it.  Him and I.  We're doing it.  

We're gonna keep on keeping on.

Here's that sweet boy I'm doing all this for.  We went to lunch at his favorite restaurant today and were lucky enough to be able to sit in his favorite booth...the one with a mirror next to it so he could gaze at his favorite person...himself :).

Apparently cracks himself up!

Gazing adoringly at.....HIMSELF!!!