Thursday, June 25, 2009

Alternatives


Trabuco Elementary. Small K-6 school in canyon setting. Well- maintained and thoughtfully designed campus with charming facilities and new playground. It's obvious that the district has invested money in this campus. 20 minutes from Modjeska.

I was told my son would be in a class with 18 other students.

I liked the campus, the friendly, welcoming folks, the small scale, how much the setting reminded me of Silverado.

So we signed the papers yesterday and have begun planning a carpool schedule. We can work it out. Let us know if you're interested.

I encourage other to check out Trabuco. Drive on down and see what it's like. Observe the 35 MPH speed limit and see how long it takes you to get there. Walk the campus. They have a summer program teaching kids to ride and groom horses. It's sweet.





Last week, at the bridge christening, I spoke with another longtime canyon resident. Her son rode that school bus into Orange during middle school and high school. She confessed that her marriage almost didn't survive that first year of getting him on the bus at 6:30 am. Her husband worked nights and she had to be at work at 7 - and her son had to be on that bus at 6:30, no matter what. And when he missed the bus or was late, well.

Think about it.



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5 comments:

  1. It's a no brainer for us. Chapman Hills is a fine school but the ride in and out everyday is terrible.

    6:30 AM pick up!

    Crazy. Save an hour and join a carpool or drive them yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do the math:

    To get a child on a 6:30 am bus - the child must wake up between 5:00 or 5:30 am, depending on the child and family.

    They arrive at school around 8 am - some 3 or 2.5 hours after waking up - and after a mind-numbing bus ride. Then, they are expected to learn and perform.

    By the time the child is returned home, say between 3:00 and 3:30 that afternoon, after another hour or hour and half on the bus, they have been awake for 10 hours already.

    They do this five times a week throughout the school year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Don't forget the 1-2 hours of homework each night!

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  4. The more you examine the OUSD canyon bus policy, the more nightmarish it becomes. Say the kids get breakfast at 6 am - by the time they get to school, two hours have passed. Lunch isn't until four hour later - at noon - six hours or so since breakfast!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So, by the time the kiddies get home they will have had a 10 hour day!

    ReplyDelete