...this is the first year we started the school year out as Homeschoolers. We removed our boys from PS last year about a week before the Christmas break. When the boys friends went back to school after break it really wasn't as weird as it is now. I feel odd. The school bus stop is on my property this year. Last year they picked up house to house. Maybe it was because the kids were young, however this girl, who was a single pick-up didn't look older then my boys. How did those of you who did at one point send their children to school handle things at this point? It is hard not to get in the excitement of the whole "Back-to-school" themes and sales. I really stocked up, and at National Night out last week, we won a fully loaded back-pack filled with school supplies, so aside from a box of crayons and a pack of markers, I have not had to go nutty and spend obscenes amount of money for the kids to share their items at school. Jacob has asked to return to school this year. Likely because of the excitement his neighborhood friends have about seeing all the friends they had not seen all summer. There is NO WAY on earth the kids will return to this district, especially while the current Principal and superintendent are ruling the roost. It feels so weird to me, like we are playing hooky. Jacob is still sleeping and Logan is playing quietly in the other room. I am excited that now schools are returning to session, I don't have to fight the hordes of sometimes rude kids when we go out for our activities. Is this common? Sorry so long. Once I start writing sometimes, I get into journal mode and my thoughts go every which way.
I know what you mean, when the children go back to school here, it is quiet. They do not go back to school until the 24th and we don't start until the 5th of Sept. Sometimes I also feel like we are playing hooky, especially when we call a play day.
My husband teaches for the local public high school, so we have found it easiest to start back when they do. Actually, we start back two days before the kids. DH returns on a Monday for meetings, and the children report on Wednesday. My kids start on Monday, the same as Daddy.
The bus stop is right in front of our house too and it is a little odd feeling when it stops and the kids are yelling hello out of the windows at my kids if we are outside. I hated putting my kids on that bus! It seems to be harder on my older daughter than my 9 year old and I am afraid my 14 year old is going to start pushing to go back to public school but I can't see that happening. We pretty much follow the public school schedule because of our boys still being in public school. At some point we try to get a few days ahead of them so we can finish before them. This year I would like to get about a week ahead because we are going to have two seniors graduating in the spring and I don't want to miss anything with them. I can't wait until the beginning of the next year when we don't have to worry about anyone still being on public school schedule. Beth
I never sent my kids to school...but I think years of doing it myself, I've always felt weird in September when I don't go to school - and I'm almost 39!!! I like how it gets quiet, and how we can go places and the snotty kids who are used to fighting to be king of the mountain there. (I know, not all PS kids are that way, just the ones we've come in contact with! We live in a really snotty area! Not that WE are...we just happened to be lucky and get a house right on the cusp of a good area). ANYWAY.... I still feel kinda strange. For the most part, I try to follow the schedule of my neice & nephew's school b/c my stepmom ends up watching them on break. Although, we usually school thru the summer, this year I've been REALLY lax and we haven't had school in a month....not looking forward to the first week of September. The 2nd week is our family vacation, and even thougth we'll be doing school, it will be theme oreinted to where we're going to be (OCNJ). I think our first offcial week of school will be getting into the swing of reading time every day, writing time every day, hitting a schedule, etc...and I won't start our actual curriculums until we get back from vaca! AHHHH! Anyway...now I'm stressing....oh well...you're normal! It's okay! It will be okay, promise!
Hey you pulled your boys out the same time we pulled our dd out lol. Schools start back here right after Labor Day. Can't wait! Planning a trip to the zoo and several museums, plus our old homeschool parkday group will be meeting up again. I like to do things when they kids are all back in school Bus stops just around the corner from our house, dd saw it every morning after we pulled her. Some days it made her sad, but now she's to the point that she's remembering all the mean kids and how much fun she DIDN'T have. In fact she even told me yesterday she's glad she doesn't have to go back to school because she would miss me and so and so was always mean to her. I told her mom's schoolbus goes to cooler places lol.
Bus stop has been in front of my house ever since we moved in 5 years ago. THis will be our second year hs'ing. Samantha thinks it is funny to see kids waiting on the bus at 6:45am especially on a cold rainy day while she sits by the window in a warm house drinking hot cocoa. School here begins I believe on the 27th and we will begin Sept 4th. We have been invited by JenniferErix to a Not Back To School Party on the 28th!! My girls are so excited first of all because they get to see their friends but also because while the ps kids are all going back to school we wil lbe having a party of freedom!
That's a great idea jenerix and Tiffany! What are you going to do at the party? There are a couple of other families and mine that I may want to do that with!
The Party idea sounds like a blast. One of the groups I am in is having a swim party next week. While mowing the lawn this morning, I noticed the other school district in our city did not begin today. Our city is broken up to unique tax zones. The farmer who had originally owned the land our sub-division is on, paid property taxes to our city, the farmer whose land butted up to the land our sub-division is on still resides in our city - maintained our city and zip as the address, however somehow he paid taxes to our neighboring city's village. I don't know why, however because of that when he sold off his land the people who know own homes in that subdivision not only pay taxes to another city while they live in this city, they also attend another city's school district. Which is a better all around district. Their district starts 2 houses down the road from me. Don't know if that made sense. Anyway, they start school next Thursday I believe. I am definitly planning trips to museums and zoos in September. I want to get those trips out of the way before the massive field trips begin with the PS's.
funny . .. It is funny, but we didn't live near a bus stop when we first started homeschooling, then we lived off a dirt road in MI where the bus picked up house to house -- but only the one neighbor girl took the bus to school - we didn't even think about busses (we missed them in the morning cuz we sleep in late) so we wouldn't see the bus until later afternoon. For us it was strange to see the kids getting off the bus at 4pm and think how late that was - we had already done so much! As it is, we now live in CA and you have to live REALLY far from school to get a bus (if at all - most kids walk) so we don't feel so much like we are playing hooky. We plan on getting started next week, so I am busy getting the kids' checklists going! Yikes! But speaking of hooky - we are going to Sea World tomorrow - and its nice to think how empty it will be for the first time this summer!
lol. No yellow school buses in Oz. I never think about it unless we're on the mainland (the whole island knows we hs so we don't get questioned there) & someone asks my dd if she's having a day of school.
The ps my kids used to go to is actually ACROSS THE STREET from our house. My daughter likes to either wave at her friends from the window, or will actually get on her bike in the drive and watch them go by....in no way wanting to go with! (Which is always nice to hear as her parent!) We also tend to travel in September--fewer crowds. Carol
