Hello, My name is Wendy Ahlman. I’m running for a seat on the school’s Governing Board. As I attempt to tackle various issues affecting our children’s education, I’ll need your input. My voice will represent the common concern of parents while serving on the board. When you get a moment, please email me directly to answer a few questions and voice your opinions. I will be taking your message to Thursday’s “Meet the Candidates Night” as I share my vision before all in attendance. Please answer below in the form of a comment, or email me at the address below. Thank you!
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1. How do you feel about the quality of education your children are receiving at Freedom Academy?
2 Do you feel it is a balanced curriculum, filled with academics, fitness, social interaction, and creativity?
3 Are your children happy, challenged, and fulfilled by school activities?
4. Are your children anxious about rules, expectations, cliques, or expressing their feelings, thoughts, opinions, interests, or questions?
5. How do you feel about the school’s uniform policies? Are they reasonable, or too strict?
6. How do you feel about the daily schedule?
Do your children have enough time to eat their lunch, play, study, etc.
7. Do your children have too much homework, or not enough?
8. Would you like to see more free dress days?
9. Would you like more extra curricular or after school activities?
10. Would you like to have an “early out” day each week
so that teachers may have more time to prepare lessons?
11. What would you like to change about any existing policies?
Please comment below.
Please comment below.
1. How do you feel about the quality of education your children are receiving at Freedom Academy?
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful. The teachers and administration are terrific.
2 Do you feel it is a balanced curriculum, filled with academics, fitness, social interaction, and creativity?
Not exactly -- my third-grader only gets 15 minutes a day for recess. I think physical activity needs to be emphasized more.
3 Are your children happy, challenged, and fulfilled by school activities?
Yes
4. Are your children anxious about rules, expectations, cliques, or expressing their feelings, thoughts, opinions, interests, or questions?
Not really, with the exception of some of the uniform rules.
5. How do you feel about the school’s uniform policies? Are they reasonable, or too strict?
I think they are mostly reasonable, with a few exceptions. #1 I think belts should be optional, particularly for the younger grades. The younger kids have enough trouble getting to the bathroom without having to deal with a belt. And then they are not dexterous enough to put their belt on again afterward, which means that teachers have to assist. Should teachers really have to go around helping little kids with their belts? #2 I have similar concerns about the "shirt tucked in" rule.
6. How do you feel about the daily schedule?
Do your children have enough time to eat their lunch, play, study, etc.
There needs to be more time for physical activity, whether that means having PE more often than every other week or just having longer recesses.
7. Do your children have too much homework, or not enough?
It is mostly reasonable.
8. Would you like to see more free dress days?
I'm mostly indifferent, though it is hard to remember which Fridays are Tshirt days and which ones are not.
9. Would you like more extra curricular or after school activities?
In general, I think the school does a wonderful job providing a huge range of activities and my kids have been very happy to participate.
10. Would you like to have an “early out” day each week
so that teachers may have more time to prepare lessons?
It's definitely an idea to consider! More family time on Fridays would be awesome.
11. What would you like to change about any existing policies?
I think the "curriculum-based" Halloween costume idea is a burden on families. In our home, we buy costumes a year in advance and on clearance, so to be thrown a requirement for a certain costume means we have to spend money and time we wouldn't otherwise. I just don't see how dressing as a Greek or Roman instead of a witch or princess will improve learning that day. I've heard some say that this was the compromise so that kids can still dress up. If that's the case, I'd actually prefer no costumes to having to figure out something for each child -- we have five kids there so it can get a bit much.
1. How do you feel about the quality of education your children are receiving at Freedom Academy?
ReplyDeleteBasically I like the education they are getting at Freedom
2 Do you feel it is a balanced curriculum, filled with academics, fitness, social interaction, and creativity?
We are pretty happy with it.
3 Are your children happy, challenged, and fulfilled by school activities?
I have a child I believe is gifted and he is pretty bored with some subjects. I don't know much about the gifted/talented program, but don't like what I was told when we first got to the school. I was told the child has to be at Freedom at least one year before being considered for it unless he was previously in a gifted program(our previous school didn't have one!) I know he could benefit from some kind of accelerated math or science, and could easily be tested in some way as to give him the chance to not be bored.
4. Are your children anxious about rules, expectations, cliques, or expressing their feelings, thoughts, opinions, interests, or questions?
Yes, they are anxious about the rules and they worry a lot about things if they forget their belt, or something minor. I think maybe the rules come across to the children as severe and a little scary.
5. How do you feel about the school’s uniform policies? Are they reasonable, or too strict?
My kids hate the uniforms, but I think they are pretty good. I don't mind the uniforms, except I agree with the previous commenter on the belt situation with younger kids.
6. How do you feel about the daily schedule?
Do your children have enough time to eat their lunch, play, study, etc.
My kids often complain about not enough time for lunch. They throw away too much food becaus they don't have time to eat it.
7. Do your children have too much homework, or not enough?
Pretty reasonable
8. Would you like to see more free dress days?
Definitely! We would love a real free dress day every week, not just a school t-shirt day.
9. Would you like more extra curricular or after school activities?
Not really a concern
10. Would you like to have an “early out” day each week
so that teachers may have more time to prepare lessons?
That would be actually great because our neighborhood school has early out fridays and the kids feel left out that they can't play with friends until later on fridays.
11. What would you like to change about any existing policies?
I completely agree with the previous comment on the halloween costume policy. I couldn't have said it better than she did, except that it almost makes me angry that they would regulate that kind of holiday. It is for fun and if they are regulating it that way it takes a lot of the fun out of it. I don't believe the kids learn any more from dressing up as a thing they are learning about.
I was going to answer every question like the first ladies but realized my answers would be almost exact. I would add that I am saddened by the loss of specialities. I am also concerned about the expansion and worried it will take away from an already suffering school. My votes will go to candidates who will find funds to bring back specialities teachers and who will strengthen the school's foundation.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see casual fridays (tshirt and jeans every friday), relaxed uniform policy & enforcement and a change in the halloween costume policy but those items are not as important as fund raising and expansion.