School board supports early release

UPDATE: The school board approved the schedule changes Tuesday (3/1). School will get out one hour early on Wednesdays starting in July and there will be more half days. Click here to read more. And check out the WakeEd blog for more discussion about the change and a link to the new bell times.

The Wake school board gave preliminary approval Tuesday to add more half days and dismiss all schools one hour early once a week starting this upcoming school year.

Click here for the full story. A final vote could come as soon as March 31.

Officials say it will allow for more joint planning for teachers. The weekly one-hour early dismissal would be the same for all schools and on the same day of the week - either Tuesday or Wednesday.

School officials also are trying to figure out how to get 10 more minutes into the school day. Superintendent Del Burns says he expects most schools to extend the day by 10 minutes. So your elementary schooler wouldn't get out until close to 4 p.m.

What do you think about the change?

Because I'm Curious....

There has been a recent flurry of articles about the upswing in homeschoolers in the last ten years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6083826/

I've been reading a lot of these articles and thinking a good bit about the one thing that is always posted on the end of these articles....the "socialization" issue.

Now, I'm putting the question out there. Why is there such a general consensus amongst the population that homeschoolers are unsocialized? There seems to me to be no basis for this argument since the vast majority of homeschooled kids that I meet are very polite and seem to have extremely good social skills and manners.

Any thoughts?

Reassignment in Wake County

There were several stories in the paper today about Wake County reassignment. You can find them here along with the dates and times for public meetings this month: http://www.newsobserver.com/1056/story/1354138.html

All of this is playing into my decision about where we'll send my daughter for kindergarten in a couple of years. And it makes me wistful for the choices my parents had: one choice for elementary, middle and high school.

Unhealthy Food at School

So the Wake School Health Advisory Council, which is made up of parents, school officials, dietitians and others, wants schools to stop allowing homemade items and unhealthy food items such as lollipops, jelly beans and candy-coated popcorn from being served at class celebrations. Here's the story.

What do you think? Is this a wise recommendation or a case of being a killjoy?

Don't get me started about the quality of school lunches or the amount of bad food that kids get at school - I'm dealing with it at the daycare my daughter goes to.

Best and Worst track-out programs in the Raleigh Area

My little boy will be starting Kindergarten next year, I can hardly believe it. He will be going to a year round school and I thought that since so many schools have gone to year round, that we could benefit from each other's experiences on the best and the worst track out programs. There are lots out there!

Share your experiences and help us make better decisions.

State's School Test Performance Falls

I don't even have a kid in school yet and I'm troubled by this.

Apparently the academic performance of the state's public schools plummeted last year with more difficult reading exams dragging down scores in elementary and middle schools. Here's the story and school-by-school results.

What do you make of it? How did your school do?

Wake County Magnet School Fair

My daughter isn't headed to kindergarten until 2010, but I'm actually going to go to the Wake County Magnet School Fair next Saturday.

It seems absolutely crazy to me that I need to plan this far in advance. Ideal world: All schools are great, perfect fits. Obviously, that's not so. And I'm told by a friend that if you want your child to go to certain high schools, you have to get them on the right track in kindergarten!? High school seems ages away ... who knows what the schools will be like, where we'll be, what my daughter will need/want.

My friend said that parents with kids younger than mine will be there at the fair. We're going just to familiarize myself with the whole process.

Anyone been through the magnet school process here? What's it like?

TriangleMom2Mom's Track-Out Camp Giveaway

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER. 

Another giveaway, another silly question.

This time, you could win one weeks worth of track-out camp for one child at the N.C. Museum of Art. That's a $250 value (though this prize is not redeemable for cash). The winner must redeem it by May 2009.

Kids in the art museum's track-out camps, for ages 6 to 12, draw, paint, sculpt, take nature walks, and get involved in interactive arts, such as music, creative movement, storytelling and poetry. Great for year-round school kids, homeschoolers and anyone else looking for a creative outlet for their kids. Click here to learn more.

To win, you must be registered and logged in to TriangleMom2Mom. If you're not, just click "Join Us" at the top of the page. (Your newsobserver.com or triangle.com user IDs and passwords work here).

Once you are logged in, answer the following question by noon, Nov. 7. To answer, simply scroll down to the bottom of this page to the comment box, fill in your answer and click "post comment." If you do not see a comment box at the end of this page, it's because you're not logged in.

The question: What's your favorite artistic medium?

A. finger paints

B. glue stick and wiggly eyes

C. popsicle sticks

D. Crayon or marker

E. Other

Contest rules: To enter, make sure you are registered as a member of TriangleMom2Mom.com and participate in the "TriangleMom2Mom's Track-Out Giveaway" forum by noon, Nov. 7. Banter back and forth is welcome and encouraged, but should be relevant to the topic of discussion. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Employees of The News & Observer Publishing Co. and McClatchy Interactive and their immediate families are not eligible to win prizes but may join TriangleMom2Mom and participate in site activities. Prize winners will be selected by random drawing from all registered users of TriangleMom2Mom who participate in the "TriangleMom2Mom's Track-Out Giveaway" forum as of 12:01 p.m., Nov. 7. Odds of winning dependent on number of entries. Winners' names will be posted on the site.

Walk to School?

I remember walking a mile to school when I was in kindergarten/early elementary with some friends (no parents). We crossed some pretty big roads through a busy small town. We all made it, but there were sidewalks and crossing guards.

I know that doesn't happen that much anymore what with all the busing we do in the area, but also because, in a lot of cases it doesn't seem safe - no sidewalks or crossing guards, big four-lane streets between school and home.  

But with all the concern over childhood obesity, some are seeking ways to get kids more active - including on their way to and from school, according to this story in The N&O today which says only 25 percent of Johnston County's schools actually are walkable. Wednesday also is International walk to School in the USA day.

So in honor of that, do your kids walk to school? Could they? Would you let them if they could?

Christian Cheerleader Drug Arrest

A cheerleader at Wake Christian Academy faces some drug felony charges this week. Police found oxycodone and hydrocodone pills in her BMW, according to a story in The N&O. She is 16 years old.

If what the cops say is true, I'm not surprised. This sort of thing can happen anywhere. It just makes me wonder how prevalent it is everywhere else.