The Jones Girls

Today at 2pm I took Savvy down to her school, El Portal, and they did the testing to make sure she was ready for kindergarten.

There are 2 kindy classrooms so we will know on Friday at 4pm which teacher she has.   They will post it on the door at the school.

Savvy starts kindy next Tues. 9/8 at 8:30am.    I will be there at 8:15am to drop her off.   They have invited parents for a coffee break at 8:30am to meet and greet with the principal.   I think I will do that.   

While Savannah was doing her testing which took about 20 minutes, I  waited outside and filled out some classroom forms and also got a list of supplies needed for the classroom.

Wow!!  That list was loooong.   I couldn’t believe how picky they were about getting NAME BRANDS of  things.   The teacher told me that they don’t like cheap crayons like Rose Art because they break easy and Crayola works much better.   Ummm, excuse me….I have Rose Art brand at home and they work just fine.  Also, 12 sticks of Elmer’s Glue.  It HAS to be Elmer’s stick glue.  And 2 bottles of Elmer’s School Glue (HAS to be Elmer’s).    2 white Magic Erasers (It HAS to be Magic Eraser because they won’t rip the paper..whatever…!!!)   Sharpie Brandfine point AND ULTRA fine point in black (HAS to be Sharpie!).    They also wanted an 8″x5″ pencil box that SNAPS close.  Not a zippered pencil case.    That was not an easy find.  

Then there are optional things to get…Lysol Wipes (HAS to be Lysol or Clorox, no cheapie brand), Scotch Brand Poster Tape (HAS to be Scotch!!!), Paper Towels (YAY – no name brand!), Liquid Hand Soap (Again, Yay no name brand!), Kleenex Tissues (HAS to be name brand-bleh!).

Now here is the kicker…..Snacks at school…    The teacher told me we can only send healthy snacks to school.  Things like Snack Pack Pudding are considered JUNK food and can’t be sent for snacks.  WHAT!!!   Ummm, HELLO, pudding is made of MILK andin my MOMMY BOOK that is HEALTHY.  This means I can’t send in her all time favorite drink, Yoo Hoo, which is chocolate milk.   Ugh!!  Can you tell I am getting annoyed now?   So they gave me a list of suggested snacks…cheese, crackers, fruit, yogurt.    Ok, so I got some of those cheese & crackers snacks that Savvy likes.  I also got her some string cheese and some apple juice boxes.    

The 2nd kicker…Savvy can’t have a lunch box or thermos and plastic spoons andforks only.    We send in the snack in a brown paper bag with her name written on it or a Ziploc bag with her name written on it.  They want everything to be able to be conveniently thrown away.   Ummm…HELLO…I am environmentally conscious and I want to use a reusable lunch box, a thermos and eating utensils.   

Another minor kicker that just spells BUMMER…they don’t allow the Kindy Kids to have backpacks.   What is going to school without your own backpack?   Each child will be given a folder and they take them home everyday with their paperwork in it.

This is a kicker that I think is just pathetic.  Parents are  not allowed to bring in cupcakes or ice cream for a kid’s birthday.   It has to be fruit, yogurt, crackers, only for their birthday.    No sweets or junk food of any kind to celebrate birthdays.    Now that just sucks.  They are taking something for special away from the kids as far as I am concerned.

I tell you, what is this public school system coming to?    It is so ridiculous.  I don’t remember when I went to school that my mom had to get all of this crap for me and then they tell her what she can feed me.     This is like COMMUNISM SCHOOL and I am not digging it.    Maybe homeschooling will be in my future because I think this is completely ridiculous.

I spent over $50 for the supplies for Savvy’s Kindy class.   I picked up her snacks too so I am all set for 1st day of school.