Meh.
Grade Entering:…read moreKindergarten
Issue:
Obtaining basic information for: orientation, supplies, and dress code, and website issues
My child is entering kindergarten and I need basic information to begin the school year. Upon searching for all the information and bouncing around websites and placing at least 4-5 phone calls, I finally located everything I need. It should not be so difficult to find this information. Calendars are blank, links are missing, etc. So here we go...
1. Your kid needs a medical check-up/physical prior to entering school and proof of vaccinations. Most doctor offices will have the forms you need on hand. You have to show up to school with these forms, an original birth certificate, and a utility bill with proof of your address on it. It is not required in Virginia to provide your child's Social Security number.
2. Your kid needs supplies:
Supplies are determined by what your child individually needs and what they are assigned based on gender. Guess what, pre-sharpened pencils really is a thing...There is also a request/requirement of "one clean athletic sock for wipe boards." Come on now, who buys one sock? Just ask for the set. They ask for Clorox or Lysol wipes but per the individual I spoke to on the phone, they prefer Lysol. *She had to ask someone nearby while I listened. Just specify that on the list then. By the way, you can only find Lysol wipes at Target. You'll need 24 glue sticks. I would be happy to pitch in on one of those old school tubs of minty scented paste. I will not blame teachers for this. However, I find it pathetic that parents are supplying sanitary items: paper towels, soap, and Lysol wipes. Quart sized Ziploc bags. Are those the slide zippers or the original designed ones you prefer? Called about it. Answer: "I don't know. That would be a good question for orientation." Thanks for the lack of effort. Specify it on the list. By the way, orientation is four days before school on a weekday in the morning.
The website link for kindergartners has been down for a month. I called because we went to the school and got the official printed list on the neon green paper and I wanted to make sure they were not updating it. I was told by an individual, "Oh, I will let our computer guy know." It's still down as of today.
3. Dress Code: There is no link
Based on the county school website (not Cedar Road's none existent link) you will get a note/letter letting you know what the code is "by the end of the first month of school." Wait, what? What parent isn't buying school clothes before school starts? Ugh. *Never got that letter.
I called.
Girls:
Shorts must reach the finger tips
Skirts can't be short - probably a fingertip rule too, not sure.
Tank top straps - three fingers wide, no spaghetti straps. (Those sexy shoulders and all...)
No flip flops
Sandals must have a back on them
Boys:
Apparently, none. At least I wasn't told.
The county website is generically broad and spends a lot of time on see through clothing and the standard, "must not be distracting to the learning process" - basically generic and open to their interpretation...
Orientation for kindergarten:
Is at the end of August, but good luck finding that information prior to August on their page.
4. The links on the page are useless for parents coming to the school for the first time (see above)
There really are parents who prepare and do not wait for tax-free weekends and who just want to find information in one spot. Calendars are inactive until August. And seemingly dress codes are different for different schools...I'm guessing. I have no interest in fighting the hoards of parents tearing up the school sections at the stores the weekend before school starts. The cpschools.net site is choppy and not user friendly.
I am profoundly underwhelmed, and I am crossing my fingers there will be something done about the website. If there is, perhaps the school would receive less phone calls and teachers would not have to answer phones over the summer. User friendly does not apply here. Finding necessary information, the basics, should not be so difficult and frustrating. I started poking around and attempting to prepare in late June/early July. Schedules change, staffing is limited, etc. I understand that explanation; however, right now it is falling on deaf ears due to the frustration it has manifested. Efficiency and ease of use is an unfortunate downfall for Cedar Roads/ Chesapeake Public Schools at this moment.
I will say, through all of my calls, Liz (I believe may be a teacher) has been the most helpful. Others who have answered the phone (I didn't catch a name) have been lackluster at best in their efforts to find and produce answers.
