knowing someone else on the first day of K

I was reading that blog article about preparing a child for K. The poster said that it is great if your child knows someone else going to K at their school. My son has a very dear friend who will be in 1st grade at his school but I am not sure when they will run into each other. So, on the off chance that people here have kids going to K together I thought I would start a thread.

I am not comfortable saying the name of DS's school but I live near the Commack/ Smithtown border. FM me if you think we may have kids going to K together.

Speaking of that article, can someone teach DS to tie his shoes? I am left handed and I do not know how I will teach him. He's mostly right handed but he actually eats lefty .

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Can't really answer the first part of your post, only to say, my kids are attending K at the same school they were in for Pre-K. There was one class for Full-day Pre-K and there are 3 classes for full-day K. We're hoping that one of their friends from class is in their classes but we aren't sure.

As far as tying of the shoes... my brother and I are righties and we were well into our twenties before we realized we tied our shoes "wrong".
We realized it's because my father is a lefty and my SAHM delegated the task of teaching shoe-tying to him Is your DH a righty? If he eats lefty, I'd just teach him the way you tie. I never remembering it being an issue for me.

Message edited 8/5/2012 11:44:17 PM.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Posted by Tah-wee-ZAH

Can't really answer the first part of your post, only to say, my kids are attending K at the same school they were in for Pre-K. There was one class for Full-day Pre-K and there are 3 classes for full-day K. We're hoping that one of their friends from class is in their classes but we aren't sure.

As far as tying of the shoes... my brother and I are righties and we were well into our twenties before we realized we tied our shoes "wrong".
We realized it's because my father is a lefty and my SAHM delegated the task of teaching shoe-tying to him Is your DH a righty? If he eats lefty, I'd just teach him the way you tie. I never remembering it being an issue for me.

Message edited 8/6/2012 12:11:38 AM.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

dropped josh off this morning for kindergarten in velcro.

was happy to see that one boy in his class was someone from our soccer association. so it was a familiar face...but realy all their faces were like deer in headlights, so i don't know if it even mattered.

knowing someone else on the first day of K

my dd went to prek with a few kids that are going to attend her school. There are either 2 or 3 k classes. I'm hoping she has atleast one friend in her class.

As for shoe tying. We practiced and practiced last year and she could not figure it out so we took a break. This year she just took her shoe and tied it, i was shocked!!

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

We found out that one of DS' friends from pre-k will also be in his Kindergarten class as well. The child's mother and I are so happy that the boys will be together for another school year.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

The day before school started last year, we were allowed to go to the school and see the classroom and meet the teacher. While we were there, DS recognized a few kids from camp. Maybe your school offers that too? I live near Smithtown/Commack border, too, so it may be the same elementary school.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Tying shoes. Im a phys ed teacher and sadly most 5th graders dont know how so dont sweat it. I have a hard book I bought from borders that has a shoe in it with actual laces. Its got like a little poem etc. Its cute.

As for knowing someone. Can I recommend meetup.com There are a lot of mommy playgroups that you can look up in your area :) I belonged to one for years and it was awesome.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Posted by fdnywife

Tying shoes. Im a phys ed teacher and sadly most 5th graders dont know how so dont sweat it. I have a hard book I bought from borders that has a shoe in it with actual laces. Its got like a little poem etc. Its cute.

As for knowing someone. Can I recommend meetup.com There are a lot of mommy playgroups that you can look up in your area :) I belonged to one for years and it was awesome.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Posted by The Law Office of Kerie P. Stone

Posted by fdnywife

Tying shoes. Im a phys ed teacher and sadly most 5th graders dont know how so dont sweat it. I have a hard book I bought from borders that has a shoe in it with actual laces. Its got like a little poem etc. Its cute.

As for knowing someone. Can I recommend meetup.com There are a lot of mommy playgroups that you can look up in your area :) I belonged to one for years and it was awesome.

re: the tying shoes, really? I was a camp counselor for 7 year olds and I still remember that there was only one little girl who often put her shoes on the wrong feet and couldn't tie laces. She had problems with coordination in general & I think she was getting services. Now that my son is close to the age of the kids I worked with I was getting nervous.

Re: school. I actually got some FMs and now my son may know someone. Either way I got some great feedback about the school. I was going to post again to tell people that I did get good information by posting my approximate area.

I have a meetup membership but I haven't really used it. I did a lot of playgroups from here but the kids will not be in the same school district.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Not many kindergarteners know how to tie their shoes. I teach first grade, and I'd say half of them know how - and many aren't very good at it! (they get that loose tie that comes out in a minute) I'm not going to focus on it with my DD right now!

My DD will know 2 kids in her school in Kindergarten (they went to her pre-K). I'm thinking there may be a few more familiar faces that we don't realize, but other than that, she won't know many at all.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Regarding tying shoes, I was just in Dollar Tree this week, and they have this cardboard type shoe with big laces in it. It looked pretty sturdy for a buck! If my DD didn't already know how to tie her shoes, I would have bought it! She just learned a few weeks ago at 5. Just up and did it one day herself. I was trying to teach the one loop and pull through to make the other loop method, but she does the make two loops and tie around each other method.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

No one from my son's daycare is going to the same Kindergarten so he won't know anyone. I really wish he was going to know at least one kid. The school nurse lives across the street from us so at least there will be one familiar face in the school! LOL

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

DS will only know one girl from his preschool that will be in the same school and it isnt a guarantee that they will be in the same kindergarten class.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

DD is 5.5 and does not know how t tie her shoes, in fact, I do not think she even owns shoes with laces lol!

As far as knowing kids, DD will know about half the kids in her kindergarten class as almost all her preschool ends up attending one of two elementary schools.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

I am in that same area, but DS is going to private school for kindergarten.

If you can check the library I know commack and nesconset have been running programs for incoming kindergarteners.

Eta, DS won't know anyone in his school next year. But I don't see that as an issue BC he didn't know anyone in his preschool either and he was fine. He did get to interact with a few other kids at his kindergarten assessment though, but I doubt he I'll remember.

Message edited 8/7/2012 9:26:48 PM.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

Also, if your DS is going to the same school that Kate's son goes to, I know a few kids who are starting there next year. And i have met a few more from the library.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

We moved into our district a few months before K started and knew NOBODY. Robbie was nervous.. but he did fine. By the end of the week he had a new best friend on the bus and another in his class.

With Noah, we were established and my gf had a kindergarten orientation party and invited a bunch of the kids to her house the week before school Noah already knew some of the kids and their older siblings and the party was fun.. but it really didnt make things better or worse for him when he started. He was still nervous.. and by the end of the week he had established some new friendships. In fact.. his best friend (who is still his best friend now) was not at the orientation party!

As to tying shoes.. I don't even tie mine the right way. I let Rob handle it!

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

both of my kids (DS starting K and DD starting 2nd grade) will be attending a new school in sept . I am especially worried about DD starting , leaving all of her old friends behind in her old school. She is sosical...so is DS and i know they willl make new friends. We do know 3 other kids attending the new school. I mentioned those kids were going too but didnt want to go to far ...i dont want them disappointed if those friends werent in the same class. I just said they would probably run into them at lunch or on the playground and in the hallways. so, id just mention to your DS that he will be seeing his friend at some point at school.

knowing someone else on the first day of K

Check and see if your school does a kindergarten play date. Our school has one the week before school and all the kids can meet the others in their class and meet their teacher at the same time. Takes away alot of stress on the first day of school.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

I started a list and by word of mouth gathered email addresses and made a list of teacher and the class assignment. Some parents whose children knew no one started playdates. I know for my son's class I found 11 or the 19 kids in it. Luckily my son knows quite a few..although he'd be ok either way - he is super friendly. But ask around - you neer know - maybe someone does similar by you.

Don't sweat tying shoes. With my first I made sure he could tie before entering K. Even though he still liked velcro shoes. He was one of 3 kids who culd tie shoes and the only boy! He is going into 2nd grade now and I still see him tying his friend's shoes for them. I guess in school they teach them to help others who can't. My friend who is a K and 1st grade teacher said most of her class would not be able and it was always more girls than boys who could. I am trying with my younger K son now but boy is it painful. He just isn't a listener.

Message edited 8/14/2012 7:22:59 AM.

Re: knowing someone else on the first day of K

My boys did not know anyone going into school that was in their class, since they went to a preschool one town over and all the sports we played had people in a different elementary school. They did have each other, but both made friends with in the first few days.

My kids are going into 2nd and we have yet to teach them how to tie their shoes, which I guess we should work on, I just have no patience or time and would rather just tie them myself so we can get out the door, lol.