Preschool chaos
Well, it is a good thing that preschool is mostly playing and not serious school. The end of this year has been very chaotic.
First, the Socorro Headstart/Pre-K was closed with the rest of the Socorro School District last week due to the Child Youth Families Department (CYFD) ordering the schools closed because of the swine flu. Apparently, the rule is if two students in two separate schools within the same district are ill, then the schools close to be disinfected. (Note this is not done with the yearly kill-36,000-in-the-US flu.) Half way through that week CYFD rescinded that order and school resumed on Thursday. So they only got two days of school last week. Mara got less because we had already planned on pulling her early on Friday to go up to Albuquerque to see Star Trek. (Her favourite was Spock.)
The Socorro Headstart/Pre-K decided at that point to also cancel the zoo trip, parent meeting, and end-of-year-social. Mara wasn't going to the zoo (she would be too tired on a dance night) and Chris and I never attend the social. So no big deal there. It was also decided that the last day of school would be the 14th instead of the 19th. I fail to see the logic there.
Today, we were called just after noon to come and get Mara because the school was closing early. Come to find out the four-hour funeral for the kid recently killed in a fight was today and on the same street as the Headstart/Pre-K. Apparently they had already had some gang-related incidents and decided that it was safer to send the kids home. I have no complaint there and chose not to require as to any details on the incidents; I figured that I liked my blood pressure where it was. Chris and I noted that the funeral home had a couple of cop cars parked at it.
At this point, we do not know if there will be school tomorrow. Being that Thursday is the last day of school, I wish that I had thought of just getting all of Mara's things today and not worried about the rest of the week.
While speaking with the Headstart/Pre-K staff, I discovered that the federal examiners that were supposed to be here this week to do the big federal assessment didn't come. Because of the swine flu. So the New Mexico Mid-West Community Action Program (NMMWCAP) Headstarts will not be getting assessed this year. I admit to being a little irked since, as a Policy Council member, I invested a fair bit of time training for this assessment up in Los Lunas. Not to mention I have no idea what type of effect this is going to have on the Headstarts.
All I can think is that if this is just preschool, what the Hell is public school going to be like?
First, the Socorro Headstart/Pre-K was closed with the rest of the Socorro School District last week due to the Child Youth Families Department (CYFD) ordering the schools closed because of the swine flu. Apparently, the rule is if two students in two separate schools within the same district are ill, then the schools close to be disinfected. (Note this is not done with the yearly kill-36,000-in-the-US flu.) Half way through that week CYFD rescinded that order and school resumed on Thursday. So they only got two days of school last week. Mara got less because we had already planned on pulling her early on Friday to go up to Albuquerque to see Star Trek. (Her favourite was Spock.)
The Socorro Headstart/Pre-K decided at that point to also cancel the zoo trip, parent meeting, and end-of-year-social. Mara wasn't going to the zoo (she would be too tired on a dance night) and Chris and I never attend the social. So no big deal there. It was also decided that the last day of school would be the 14th instead of the 19th. I fail to see the logic there.
Today, we were called just after noon to come and get Mara because the school was closing early. Come to find out the four-hour funeral for the kid recently killed in a fight was today and on the same street as the Headstart/Pre-K. Apparently they had already had some gang-related incidents and decided that it was safer to send the kids home. I have no complaint there and chose not to require as to any details on the incidents; I figured that I liked my blood pressure where it was. Chris and I noted that the funeral home had a couple of cop cars parked at it.
At this point, we do not know if there will be school tomorrow. Being that Thursday is the last day of school, I wish that I had thought of just getting all of Mara's things today and not worried about the rest of the week.
While speaking with the Headstart/Pre-K staff, I discovered that the federal examiners that were supposed to be here this week to do the big federal assessment didn't come. Because of the swine flu. So the New Mexico Mid-West Community Action Program (NMMWCAP) Headstarts will not be getting assessed this year. I admit to being a little irked since, as a Policy Council member, I invested a fair bit of time training for this assessment up in Los Lunas. Not to mention I have no idea what type of effect this is going to have on the Headstarts.
All I can think is that if this is just preschool, what the Hell is public school going to be like?