First Day(s) of School

This fall has been crazy, and the beginning of school was no exception.  

Austin started high school this year at my alma mater, Benilde-St. Margaret's School.

 

Last year, all 3 kids attended Shakopee Area Catholic School (SACS). Austin graduated and moved on to high school. Sarah and Trevor were going to continue to attend SACS, but sadly, the school is sorely lacking in leadership and was no longer demonstrating a culture we were willing to be a part of. 

Last year, SACS was able to maintain in person learning for most of the year due to the lower student numbers and ability to implement social distancing and pandemic safety measures due to this.  We still had COVID exposure there - Trevor was exposed in school and all 5 of us ended up getting COVID last November.  This summer, COVID cases were decreasing in June and we hoped that the pandemic was coming to a close. However, number spiked right back up (along with many other illnesses) in the end of the summer, and July and August were looking pretty dire for return to school plans.  School board meetings around the state and country became battle grounds for anti-science nut jobs to raise hell and abuse and attack physicians and scientists.  Pleas to schools, including ours, to listen to the recommendations of the AAP, MDH, and CDC were largely ignored. Some school districts made solid plans for return to school, with the goal of keeping kids in person for learning, which is what pediatricians all over are advocating for.  Our city school district, as well as our neighboring district Prior Lake, appropriately mandated masks for the younger students due to rising case numbers in the community. Austin's high school (BSM) mandated masks. 

A week before school was due to being, SACS mandated masks for return to school. Then, at 4:30pm on Friday before Labor Day weekend (when school was set to begin on Tuesday after the holiday), they reversed their mask mandate, citing the trustees as the reason for overturning the appropriate decision they had previously made.  We come to find out that the school had been threatened to the point of needing a police presence the day before. The school has no principal, no pastor, no leadership and politicians and wealthy trustees were throwing their influence and money around to make decisions they had no business making. Not only that, I was attacked online and at my place of business for daring to present accurate medical information that I am well qualified to comment on. We felt that the culture of this school was no longer one we were willing to support with our "time, talent, and treasure" - the most important of which are my precious children. 

We withdrew our children immediately, but given that they pulled this at 4:30pm on the Friday before the holiday weekend, we could not accomplish the change before school started on Tuesday.  Thus, the kids went to SACS on Tuesday morning for their first "First Day of School".  

We prepared and submitted all documentation needed to open enroll in the neighboring school district over the weekend and by 9am on Tuesday morning, while the kids were at SACS, they were accepted to their new schools.  We were able to e-mail their SACS teachers to send them home with their school supplies and officially withdrew that day. We had to get some different school supplies for their new schools, which is a bit difficult when it is that late in the game - everything was unbelievably picked over!  

We chose to enroll in Prior Lake schools instead of Shakopee because the honors classes and gifted and talented programs the kids needed were stronger at Prior Lake.  Sarah already had lots of friends at Prior Lake schools due to being in 2 dance studios in Prior Lake within the last 8 years. We had Trevor tested to join the SAGE program, which is the 3rd-5th grade gifted and talented program there. He started at the school that houses that program while completing his testing in the first week, then was accepted to the program and transferred into his new class a few days into the school year. 

Sarah was able to start school on time with her peers on Wednesday! After enrolling on Tuesday, they already had a class schedule, locker, and iPad ready for her when she arrived on Wednesday morning. While she attended her first class, the guidance counselor and I tweaked her schedule to get her in the right math class (advanced 7th grade pre-algebra - she has been more than a year ahead in math).  She is enjoying having 4 honors classes.  The school was unbelievably helpful, welcoming, and efficient in getting this transfer done in a way that allowed Sarah to have a seamless transition. 

Sarah's second "First Day of School"

Trevor started with his peers on Friday, but started in another class while his testing for the SAGE program was underway.  He qualified for entrance to SAGE, so he transferred classes a few days into the school year. 

Trevor's first day in his SAGE class with his new teacher.

Trevor absolutely LOVES his new school and class!  He is being challenged more and has amazing opportunities to learn with his fellow gifted classmates.

So in the end, we have 3 kids at 3 new schools (with no buses since we're at 1 private school and 2 schools out of our home district).  It takes a village!  For Austin's transportation, we have a carpool with another family near us. For Sarah and Trevor, we have friends that live in the district and go to the same schools as Trevor and Sarah. Trevor goes to their house for about an hour in the morning and rides the bus in with their child, while Sarah is dropped off on the way to Austin's carpool pickup and then rides the bus home with her friend and stays there until we pick them up for dance and then pick up Trevor!  Craziness, but through the generous help of friends, we are making it work!