Tag: LA School Scout

What Is Kindergarten Readiness? By Sandy Eiges, L.A. School Scout

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Editor’s Note: As we mentioned on Beyond The Brochure’s Facebook Page, our thoughts, prayers and best wishes are with the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings and their families. 

 

LA School Scout Logo

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that not all applicants who apply to private schools get in to private schools. Some of you have been stunned to learn that your child was deemed “not quite ready,” or “not qualified” for a particular school.

 

Now this isn’t New York, where all children applying to private schools must take an IQ test, and all children applying to some of the better public schools must do the same.There is no entrance exam for public school in L.A.; there is no uniform Kindergarten readiness assessment used by all of the L.A. private schools.

 

But there is concern as to whether a child is truly ready. In recent years the concept of “kindergarten readiness” has been a rallying cry – for teachers coping with increasingly demanding academic standards when there are 4 ½ year olds in the classrooms; to parents who feel like their child is ready and eager to learn, no matter the chronological age; to state departments of education, trying to determine how many children can comfortably fit into the norm, by age.

 

It is part of the accepted canon that “school readiness” means having the ability to learn and cope with the school environment without undue stress – and that a child’s intelligence plays only a minor role in his or her ability to cope with the school day.

 

Different schools use different criteria for kindergarten readiness. In most cases, children must be around 5 years old in order to begin, but age alone, just like IQ alone, is not indicative of whether a child can handle what is in most cases an increasingly academically rigorous curriculum. In addition to academics, children must be ready for school physically, socially and emotionally. Language, fine and gross motor skills, and the ability to self-regulate will support their success in school.

 

These days many children start school at closer to six years old. But there are parents out there who think that their child is ready at four or five – and some are. That said, there is no one-size-fits-all in Kindergarten. But there are some basic skills and abilities your child should have in order to increase the likelihood that your child will have a successful Kindergarten experience. And some of those skills and abilities are the result of the individual child’s development.

 

If you need the peace of mind that your child is on track and developmentally ready for an academically rigorous Kindergarten, or that your child could use an extra year of preschool to solidify his or her social-emotional development, we are now scheduling Kindergarten readiness assessments from May through August. Please contact sandy@LAschoolscout.com for details.

 

Until next time,
Sandy Eiges
Sandy Eiges, M.S.W.
L.A. School Scout
877.877.6240
310.926.0050
sandy@LAschoolscout.com
www.LAschoolscout.com

What Do They Mean By Waitlist? by Sandy Eiges of LA School Scout

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L.A. School Scout
What Do They Mean By A Waitlist
or
Are They Just Shining Me On? 

Hi everyone,This is turning into an annual ritual – the writing of the newsletter about the waitlist. But first, congratulations to all of you out there who received those coveted acceptances!

 

As most of you might already know, all of the private elementary schools send out their acceptance letters on an agreed upon date; this year it was March 15th. That means that Saturday was definitely D day for those of you applying to private schools.

 

To those of you with acceptance letters, congratulations! But whether you’re dancing in the streets with letters of acceptance from all of the schools you applied to, or howling in pain from rejection letter after rejection letter, chances are that you also received at least one letter saying that they were happy to inform you that you were being placed on a waitlist. Yup, just like being cryogenically frozen in time, you were going to have to wait for some future time when you were suddenly going to be accepted into the school of your dreams. Ah, the future!

 

But there’s no guarantee of that rosy future, and by the way they didn’t tell you when you might hope to emerge from said waitlist. So what exactly does that waitlist mean?

 

First, it is not a euphemism for “thanks, but no thanks.” Schools take applicants from their waitlists all the time. Let’s say an applicant applies to half a dozen schools and gets into all of them. This might be what is known as a good problem, but the reality is, they can only go to one school. So their spot at all of those other schools suddenly becomes available to someone on – drumroll, please – the waitlist. Here, being waitlisted is a good thing.

 

In general, if you’re on a Kindergarten waitlist at a school you’re truly interested in, let the school know that you are interested in staying on the waitlist. You have no idea how many people don’t bother to let anyone know. And while some schools will in fact keep that list, many will need that gentle reminder that this school is your first pick school, and you’re holding out for it. If it is your first pick school, let them know that if offered a space, you will take it! I can’t stress this enough.

 

Secondly, for those of you glass half fullers out there, the waitlist is a step up – it is not a euphemism for you are not getting into any school. Trust me, if they are not interested in you they will not offer you a space, period, not even a waitlist space. There are people who get that letter – sorry, but we are not going to be able to offer you a spot. Period. That is definitely a “thanks, but no thanks.” So now the waitlist is looking up, isn’t it?

 

And thirdly, being on the waitlist means that, agonizing as it is, it’s not over. You might be offered a space in two weeks or a month from now; you might be offered a space at the end of August. Spaces open up all the time.

 

But if the waitlist is making you feel crazy, this might just be the right time to find a viable alternative, public, private or parochial. If that’s the case, please don’t hesitate to call. You can reach me atsandy@LAschoolscout.com or 310 926 0050; or submit an inquiry form on my website atwww.LAschoolscout.com. I will do my best to get back to you within 24 hours. Please note that March is fully booked, and I am now scheduling appointment for April.

 

Stay open, stay flexible, stay tuned for more on what those of you applying for September 2014 need to do right now. And for the time being, congratulations to all of you who were waitlisted. Take heart – the end is not near…yet.

 

Have a wonderful spring break! I will be out of town from March 23-March 29, and there will not be a newsletter next week.

Wordless Weekend: Coffee, Event Pics and More…Coffee!

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Relaxing...Coffee with a girlfriend at Urth Caffe downtown
Great event! "Demystifying Private Elementary Schools" at Kidville, Brentwood: Kathryn (Momangeles), Janis Adams (Academic Achievers), Laura Gerson (Momangeles), Christina Simon (Beyond The Brochure) Sandy Eiges (LA School Scout)

 

A big thank you to Academic Achievers for sponsoring "Demystifying Private Schools" event!
Porcha Dodson and Christina Simon at UCLA Department of Neurosurgery's Visionary Ball, Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Proceeds go towards brain cancer research.
At home. Coffee and writing: A perfect blend

 Beyond The Brochure is thrilled to be selected as a 2012 Top 25 Mompreneur by Skinny Scoop!

 


 

 

 

 

 

Event: “Demystifying the Private Elementary School Admissions Process” at Romp, Hollywood

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Hi Friends!

Join Momangeles for an informative and fun evening at Romp, a fabulous kids play space in Hollywood as Christina Simon and Porcha Dodson co-authors of Beyond the Brochure,and Sandy Eiges of LA School Scout share their expertise about the private elementary school application process and answer your questions. Read Beyond The Brocure’s Q&A interview with Sandy Eiges here.

 

Monday, June 4, 2012. Discussion starts at 7:00 pm.

 

Topics will include:

– Selecting Which Schools To Visit

– The Parent Interview

– Your Child’s Visiting/Testing Day

– Letters of Recommendation

– When To Use The Phrase, “if accepted, we will enroll”

– What To Do If Your Child Is Wait-Listed

– Financial Aid 

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit:

 

http://demystifyingjune.eventbrite.com/

Please join us! “Demystifying the Private Elementary School Admissions Process” June 4 at Romp in Hollywood

admin Leave a comment

Hi Friends!

Join Momangeles for an informative and fun evening at Romp, a fabulous kids play space in Hollywood as Christina Simon and Porcha Dodson co-authors of Beyond the Brochure,and Sandy Eiges of LA School Scout share their expertise about the private elementary school application process and answer your questions. Read Beyond The Brochure’s Q&A interview with Sandy Eiges here.

 

Monday, June 4, 2012. Discussion starts at 7:00 pm.

 

Topics will include:

– Selecting Which Schools To Visit

– The Parent Interview

– Your Child’s Visiting/Testing Day

– Letters of Recommendation

– When To Use The Phrase, “if accepted, we will enroll”

– What To Do If Your Child Is Wait-Listed

– Financial Aid 

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit:

 

http://demystifyingjune.eventbrite.com/