Parents School schedule: wwyd?

[flipnastic]

Agh! I can't believe it..a few if y'all are familiar with our recent gym drama, resulting in us switching gyms this month. My daughter (level 2 preteam)LOVES it, and has told me every day how she can't wait to go and wants to be a "competition girl." One of the (many) reasons I have fallen in live with this place is that the schedule was perfect with the school schedule...this year the school lets out at 3:15....gym is 4-6, get home and have time for dinner/evening routine. Perfect for us. BUT...I just went to her kindergarten registration...the school is changing times next year!!!!! 8:15-3:45...by the time I get through pick up line, and she gets to the gym and gets changed...it will probably be close to 4:30!!!!

Ugh, I can't believe this...obviously school will come first, but I just hate disappointing her by moving her to a rec class and not competing...she loves this group of girls, her coaches, and wants so badly to compete. I know there are worse things but there has got to be a solution!!!(and switching gyms is absolutely NOT one of them)

The only thing they mentioned is that the campus is growing so some will move to a different campus.,,it's a small town, and all campuses are equally good, but maybe one has an earlier end time...ok, I know that's probably not logical thinking, there just has to be a solution..

Ideas? Similar experience?

 

[beachgirl]

Have her wear her hair up to school. Get to the school early so you are the first person in the pick up line, so the first person out. Have her change and eat snack in the car. Make sure she knows she needs to leave school right away on gym days.

 

[samsmama]

I feel for you. We went through this when DS's school changed schedules this year. School gets out at 4, practice starts at 4:30, gym is 30 min away with no traffic. I am always the first person in the pickup line (meaning I wait 20-25 minutes, podcasts are a lifesaver!), he eats a snack and changes in the car, and he's usually still 5-10 minutes late, but he has a warm-up routine he can do to catch up quickly. It's hectic, but it works!

Depending on the school, you could also ask if you can pull her 5-10 minutes early on her class days. The kids are usually just packing up at that time of day anyway, so she won't miss much.

 

[Seeker]

I wouldn't hesitate to ask to pick her up a few mins early. Corralling 30 kindergarten kids takes a while and she likely won't be missing anything.

Also, if she is going to be on a competitive team, this will not be the last time there is a conflict. And dang...that is a looooonng school day for a 5 year old.

 

[GymnastMomX2]

My DD starts gym at 4. School gets out at 4:05. I feel your pain. She just gets there when she gets there, not much else we can do.

 

[flipnastic]

Ugh. Yes, long school day for a 5 year old!!!! I assume they stagger the dismissal tines for school busses. If that's the case, there is a campus right by my sons daycare..literally next door..that would be so rediculously convenient.. i assume it would get out earlier if the tines are staggered. I wonder if it would be ok to request to be a trickle student to that school if this one becomes to full...that would be wonderful with or without gymnastics in the equation!(saves a 10 min drive) and its supposedly a little bit better if a school.

If not, then yes..I can't imagine they would be doing much more than getting back packs ready the last 10 min. So maybe that would work.

 

[flipnastic]

My DD starts gym at 4. School gets out at 4:05. I feel your pain. She just gets there when she gets there, not much else we can do.

Wow...really?!?! 4:05?!?!?

 

[flipnastic]

Also, if I do ask to pick her up a little early, who do I ask? Just her teacher? Sorry if this is a stupid question..she's my first to go into the school system! This is all new to me!

 

[GymRays]

My DD 's class is at 4 (1st grade). School dismissal is not early enough. So I have a standing early pick up 15 mins before reg pick up dismissal is called. I just say it's for sports. End of the day they aren't missing much.

 

[GymRays]

You can usually write a standing note for early pick up and send it into the teacher.

 

[MomIdidit!]

After a year of the same time schedule DD coach just informed us last week she's adding time to their training and changing the start time by two hours. It's tough to deal with, I feel for you. I'm starting to think that our live really does revolve around DD gymnastics.

 

[2G1B]

Wow... My biggest issue would be what a LONG school day that is for elementary! Our elementary starts at 7:45 and ends at 2:15!!

As for how to handle it... Ditto having her hair up for school those days, then I'd pick her up about 10 minutes early those days. The last 10 minutes is just spent packing up, so she won't really miss anything. Plan to be at the school by 3:00 each day (you can alter that if you find that the line isn't too bad), pull in, park, about 20 minutes before the end of the day go into the school office. About 15 minutes before school gets out, have them call her to the office. She will get there about 10 minutes before the bell. Let the teacher know that you will be doing this. I also let the office know my plans (I pick up early when they have PT).

 

[gymdog]

Ugh. Yes, long school day for a 5 year old!!!! I assume they stagger the dismissal tines for school busses. If that's the case, there is a campus right by my sons daycare..literally next door..that would be so rediculously convenient.. i assume it would get out earlier if the tines are staggered. I wonder if it would be ok to request to be a trickle student to that school if this one becomes to full...that would be wonderful with or without gymnastics in the equation!(saves a 10 min drive) and its supposedly a little bit better if a school.

If not, then yes..I can't imagine they would be doing much more than getting back packs ready the last 10 min. So maybe that would work.

I think it seems worth it to ask (I would make sure that the time is actually different though) since they said some people will be moved anyway.

 

[suebee]

Talk to some parents who have their kids at the school. All schools are different in terms of dismissal procedures. My kids' elementary school started not allowing any dismissals in the last 30 minutes of the day. They said it was too disruptive and busy for them in the office at the end of the day to allow early dismissals in the last 30 minutes. However, at my kids' school, walkers are dismissed first while buses are loading, and once walkers have left the school
property, buses are dismissed, and then only after buses have left the school property do they start dismissing kids to the car line. So even if you are first in car line (and at my kids' school, you need to arrive 30-40 min early to be first in car line), you are waiting a good 10 minutes after the end of the school day to pick up your kid.

When dd has gym right after school (last year and next year), I put her hair up in the morning and have her dismissed as a walker so she gets to leave the school first, and have her walk across the street from the school where I am waiting, so we get a 10 min head start on the car line and I don't need to get there 30-40 min early.

There are probably ways to get that little head start on dismissal at any school. Ask experienced parents before you ask the school.

 

[flipnastic]

Talk to some parents who have their kids at the school. All schools are different in terms of dismissal procedures. My kids' elementary school started not allowing any dismissals in the last 30 minutes of the day. They said it was too disruptive and busy for them in the office at the end of the day to allow early dismissals in the last 30 minutes. However, at my kids' school, walkers are dismissed first while buses are loading, and once walkers have left the school
property, buses are dismissed, and then only after buses have left the school property do they start dismissing kids to the car line. So even if you are first in car line (and at my kids' school, you need to arrive 30-40 min early to be first in car line), you are waiting a good 10 minutes after the end of the school day to pick up your kid.

When dd has gym right after school (last year and next year), I put her hair up in the morning and have her dismissed as a walker so she gets to leave the school first, and have her walk across the street from the school where I am waiting, so we get a 10 min head start on the car line and I don't need to get there 30-40 min early.

There are probably ways to get that little head start on dismissal at any school. Ask experienced parents before you ask the school.

Oh wow. Awesome Info. Thanks!!!

 

[txgymfan]

My kids school started dismissing walkers after car and bus riders to avoid this scenario. It was too crazy with all the parents parking nearby and coming onto campus and caused a safety hazard. After months of this it made local and even a bit of national news.

 

[munchkin3]

Carrie, either be the first in the car line, or ask which group gets dismissed first, walkers, bus riders, etc......it took me a few months to realize that my daughter actually has a bus, and it drops her off at home faster than ANY car in the car line.....
Bus riders leave 5 minutes early and the bus is gone when the bell rings......I'm stressing already for next year when middle school starts!!! I want to get my DD out early so she has time to do her homework and then get to practice......I really hate middle school anyway!

Welcome to competitive gymnastics! The school-practice-logistics stress we all deal with!

 

[Aussie_coach]

That is a very long school day for a 5 year old. Even our High school kids only do 6 hours a day of school.

I would pull her out early on gymnastics days. Very little learning happens at the end of the day in a kindergarten classroom.

 

[ProudDad]

You could also have a conversation with the school administration about gymnastics. The primary goals of kindergarten are to give kids a warm fuzzy about school early on, provide socialization skills, get them used to a scheduled agenda, and since 2008 provide foundational reading and math skills. Given that gymnastics provides socialization, attention, focus, rule following, and socialization in spades... they may work with you to provide an even more comfortable time pad, that will shorten up the combined day for your 5yo. Good luck!

 

[Gymmommy71]

How close is her school to your gym? If it's a closeby/local school w/ a lot of kids who attend your gym, your gym may be adjusting to a later schedule as well since they have a lot of customers in your same situation. I know my DDs gym takes the schedules of about 4
key school districts into account when they do their class times each year because probably about 80% of their customers go to them.

Before I'd get too upset, I'd discuss what your school told you w/ someone at the gym to see what they think.