OK, so I really do not know what to do. Last winter when it was time to register my son for Kindergarten, I was set on Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM). That is the school my father went to, I went there and my cousins all go there. Jacob (my son) was baptized there as well and myself and my sister. My sister was also married in the church. My grandmother (god rest her soul) donated LOTS of $$$$ to the school/church when she was still alive. This was the school I wanted for my child. So registration comes and then it is time for the screening with the teachers. Most of the staff is still there from when I went there (I am only 27, so it wasn't too long of a time). I had a lot of the teachers tell me that Jacob was fine and will do great there. So it is late Feb by now, and I had not gotten a letter stating welcome, or even sorry you were not chosen. So I call them and leave a message for the principal (who was my 5th grade homeroom teacher). To this date she has never returned my call. But moving on. So of course I was a little upset at that since she definitely knows who I am.
Now it is March, right before Easter break, I end up getting a letter. Jacob was not accepted at that time. If I wanted to be placed on a waiting list, I had to call. So I did and he was 4th on the waiting list. When I spoke with the woman, she pretty much told me that Alumni had no pull in the matter of them deciding who is in and who is not. They go by siblings, and then members of the church (which we are) and then non members.
My parents were long time members, but 3+ years ago when my parents got divorced, my mom (not being catholic) ended her membership. So they had to take me as a member from Jan, and not 27+ years!! Since there was a void in our membership, they could not take Jacob.
So they tell me to call after Easter and see if he had moved up at all, and I do, and then he was 2nd on the waiting list. I had already made up my mind that I was going to send him to public school (Carrcroft). Yesterday he had his screening there and the teacher that he met with was wonderful! Jacob seemed excited to go back, even though he was only there for about 30 minutes.
So today I receive a call from IHM telling me that a spot has now opened up for Jacob to go there in the fall. I really do not know what to do. I was so frustrated with the way things went earlier this year with that school. And the way the economy is right now, I don't know if I really feel like spending the money for school, you know? Free EDU or lots of $$? I still have to talk things over with Jacob's father, so we will see what will happen. Any suggestions, should I stick to my guns and sent him to Carrcroft, or give in to my frustrations and send him to a smaller school with smaller class sizes? ARG!!! Thanks for letting me vent/rant

__________________
Oh SNAP!

Kid Lester- Talk Delaware Historian! ~ KL on 2/4/10

Pretty simple, you stated you wanted him to go there. He was accepted.

__________________

Well, I have no children and am a lapsed Catholic so I'm probably not the best person to give an opinion on this matter... but from they way they treated you, I don't see a whole lot of caring going on.

__________________
Everyone is responsible for their own happiness.

Need a translation to/from Spanish?
www.rushingpages.com

When I was reading this all I could think about was My Cousin Vinny and Mona Lisa on the stand proving her mechanical knowledge for the court

"My father was a mechanic. His father was a mechanic, my mother's father was a mechanic. My three brothers are mechanics, four uncles on my father's side are mechanics."

__________________
TalkPa.net - Pennsylvania's Forum

So glad you think my dilemma is amusing!
I just wanted to make the point of how much involvement my family has with the school/church

Send him where you think he will get the most attention, and that doesn't always mean smaller class sizes. Send him where he will feel wanted and be happy. He won't get all that he can from school if he feels stressed, unwanted, uncared for, etc.

Sit back, think on it, your heart knows where he belongs, and then go with your gut.

__________________
W~

Thanks for the memories, even though they weren't so great.

If your heart is set on sending him there, send him there but know that you gotta put the admission bull behind you. Once you are in, you don't have to go thru the nonsense again.

I think it's different now than it was when we were kids. Who you know does not carry the weight it used to. You also have to keep in mind that you are talking kindergarten. Not sure of the school district but if the public school is half day, the full day programs are going to have waiting lists. The schools can choose to be pickier in their selection process.

Take a look at the "smaller class size". Our local catholic school has huge classes (33 in a 2nd grade class!!). The class size is actually smaller in the public school.

Good luck with your decision. Anything that concerns our kids is always the most difficult.

You're fortunate to have two good options, not that that makes the decision any easier.

If you can swing the tuition, and have been wanting him to go there, then I would go with IHM. It's obviously important to you. And, as crummy as the situation regarding the membership & waiting list has been, it really is a good school.

I'm a public school gal, so my own inclination would be Carrcroft....but you have a long family history that means a lot to you. I think that if you were to rule out IHM at this point, then your experiences at Carrcroft would be under constant comparison to "what could have been".

And, without a doubt, his fate is not set in stone. Kids are resilient, and if you find the need to change his school in another year or so, then he will do just fine.

I would definitely, no matter which choice you make, let the folks at IHM know how you felt by their treatment. But also understand that with private schools there can be an added level of "inclusiveness" that you'll have to deal with throughout his school years.

Whatever you decide for him will work out - both options are great, and you are clearly a dedicated parent. He'll be fine.
(and so will you)

__________________
I'm gettin' hard on myself, sitting in my easy chair.

I tend to agree with the Mama. Look at it this way, if you send him to the catholic school and you're not happy with it, you can always take him out and send him to public school. If you send him to public school and you're not happy with it, you're kinda screwed. I wish you had started this thread before when you were on the waiting list. I would've told you that you had a really good chance of getting an offer. My son was second on the waiting list for full time kindergarten to West Park Place and they called me a week later to offer him a slot.

__________________


Chlorine is my perfume. ~Author Unknown

So, I read over your post. At first I thought I wouldn't want to finish it, but I'm glad I actually did.

I definitely understand your mixed feelings about essentially being shunned until the last moment. I don't think that's a great way to start your son's educational life...it could be a bad omen.

I don't personally have any experience raising kids, but I've observed my sister well enough. And on the more impartial side, I think that it does not really matter which school he attends, because I've really found that the majority of learning goes on in the household, though it is slightly influenced by the school and socializing.

At his age though, it's more important to have a stable household with actively concerned parents. If that means having him go to public school so you can save money to make sure the stress level in the family stays down, then so be it. If it means having him go to private school because you're more trusting of the academia there due to the fact you are familiar with most of them, then that's great.

But as many people have said, it all really is about your son. I'm not sure if anyone has suggested it or not, but maybe even ask him which he would prefer. Get him involved in the major family decisions at an early age. =)

Best luck.

__________________
"So this is how liberty dies. With cheering, and applause."

I would agree the first part but not the 2nd part...I don't think kid really care where you put him to, they will adjust it in no time. You may involve your kid (at this age) in choosing school but it shouldn't carry any weight in the decision making at all...I would be ok if your kid is at the high school level. Unless going in will carry advantage in future placement in high school, saving money maybe a better option. Of course it also depends on your financial status and how bad the public school that is available at your area...

Good luck...

[quote=jtan;208201]I would agree the first part but not the 2nd part...I don't think kid really care where you put him to, they will adjust it in no time. You may involve your kid (at this age) in choosing school but it shouldn't carry any weight in the decision making at all...I would be ok if your kid is at the high school level.

That depends on the child.

Ok, so this weekend I was able to sit down with Jacob's father and discuss everything with him and find out his opinion on the school thing. We have come to the conclusion that we would rather save our money due to the fact that the economy is what it is at the moment.
I have also heard from a sourse that IHM has over-enrolled the K class, and that they will all have 30 students per teacher. I believe that there will be less in his class at Carrcroft. We have decided that we can always revisit the idea of IHM at a later time.
Thank you all for your opinions and helpful advise. We feel we are making the best possible choice for our child at this time.