What Excites Us About K-8

Community:

• Can keep siblings together. 4-6,
• Kids stay in same community--teachers/kids/ relationships +, staff
• Parent involvement will stay higher 4-6, pk-1, 6, K, +, staff, +
• Possibility for direct parent/teacher communication
• Reduces split loyalty of parents trying to support multiple schools ++
• Maintain community that has already been created.
• Continuity of families K. staff
• Neighborhood commitment for long term pk-1 6, K
• Continuity in community--harder to establish in just 3 years. 6
• Students keep their "roots" and the community they know. Feel secure, comfortable. 4/5
• Partnership opportunities K
• Continuity of relationships teachers/parents/students pk-1, 4-5
• Dedicated teachers & parents 4-6
• Exposure to range of ages--sense of community. 6
• community service opportunities, +, staff
• Help create positive citizen/role model
• Watching them grown & change as they get older. staff
• Walk to School.4-6,6
• Convenience 4/5
• Parents can know more of the students/ 4-6
• Diversity continued pk-1, Staff, +
• More tolerance for differences --staff
• Continued diverse environment gives kids the skills to get along with others.
• "Sister" school possibility with other k-8 4-5. K

Academic Program:

• School--Academic "Hook"--Excellence of program K
• Rigorous curriculum--staff
• Distinct curriculum at 6th grade, staff, +
• Heard good things about teachers, well-qualified staff++
• Having math specialists in the building ++
• PE program flexibility
• New teachers teaching new subjects. staff'
• Personal challenges--growth--staff
• Having foreign language.
• "Expediency" learning K
• Smaller # of students per teacher so more personal relationships possible between teacher & parents/4-6, 6, +
• Outdoor school opportunity.
• Consistent academic expectations
• Kids don't get lost in cracks, staff
• Ability to mix grades --offer accelerated course work to 4/5 graders--6
• Less drain in teacher time due to paperwork, reporting.4-6
• Middle school was broken. Irvington is the perfect school to evolve something different.4-
• Life skills opportunities--staff
• Consistence of services, speech, ERC. etc. staff
• Flexibility and shared resources of k-8 for lower grades. pk-1
• art/music in core curriculum pk-1
• more technology available pk-1

Schedule:

• Time blocks more flexible-staff
• Opportunity for fewer transitions during the day, +. staff
• Allows for gradual increase of transitions during the day. staff
• 40-50 minute class is too short especially for science experiments 4-6
• Opportunity for variety-not having long science period each day.4-6

Social/Emotional:

• More personal--not a huge school, staff
• Comfortable safe atmosphere for kids and families. staff
• Fewer school transitions especially for transfer students 4-6
• avoids transition from k-5--6-8---6
• 6th grade kids don't stand out--staff
• Students don't have to start over as 6th graders 4-5
• more sheltered, more nurturing. staff
• Kids feel safer, offers more protection, connection with more adults, staff Respect for peers since they have gone through school together.
• Less cliques ++, staff
• Like social/emotional teaching environment.
• Family atmosphere--staff
• Kids being known by staff and peers and staff being known by kids. staff
• Fewer kids in each grade level.
• Teachers have better sense of dynamics, interactions 4-5
• Consistent behavior and social expectations
• Scheduling children's' school involvement
• Promote clubs, after school activities, K
• Mix of ages likely to be more supportive to adolescent development 4-6
• Possibilities for mentoring 4-6, pk-1, 6, K, +, staff, +
• Build on the buddy program--Older kids mentor younger kids. 4-5, staff, +
• Current 6th graders will be leaders for 4 years. 4-6
• Healthier for middle schoolers to be around younger kids. 6
• Reduces pressure to posture, sexualization, etc of having concentration of middle-schoolers. 6
• More responsibility for older students pk-1
• Chance to develop leadership, ownership and sense of" family" 4-5, staff
• They have permission to be kind. 4-5
• Behaviorally more accountability for students 4-6, +
• No anonymity--see former teachers in hall.4-6, +, staff
• Students in smaller environment pk-1
• Keeps kids younger-longer pk-1, 4-5, staff
• Avoids pervasive middle school culture

General Comments:

• Excited to stay in Irvington because of community/staff and the way things are done
• Don't have to transfer again
• Flexibility of smaller population
• Sense of stability and structure--staff
• Continuation in one place 4/5. staff
• All the possibilities--become a magnet? pk-1
• Student government 4-5, K

Last updated by szich on Dec 05, 2006 at 11:35 PM

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