how did you decide?

we are looking at what schools to send makon to...
but how do you decide?

we have access to all types of schools(and money isnt an issue)
in our town we have a public school of 300(but town has had a massive boom in the last 5/10 yrs so school will have to grow)

then we have
waldorf (stiener based) that is from 1st throught to 12th with its own kindy
private catholic R-12
montessori 1st cycle through to 3rd cycle (primary years)
public Inernational bacclaurete(sp?)
public area school r-12 (500 students all up)
Private lutheren school international bacclaurete(school DH went to)

we are spoilt with choice i know! but im really not sure of where to go!
i love the idea that the kids could/would walk to school. and that all their friends would be with in our town but im not sure i like the idea of the school growing more then 300!(this is also the school i went to as a child)

so how did you decide which school to send your kids to??

help me decide!

i asked around my friends and asked if they had heard anything about the local schools and if they knew people that had children at these schools and what they thought about them. We also attended fetes and open days and finally went to interviews with the principals of the schools. In the end we choose a small private school thats close to home, over the larger private schools in the area and the local public schools, we just felt a positive vibe .

I am already asking myself the same thing. I have started going to visit the schools, have a look around and talk to the principal/teachers. So far the local state school is looking most promising and my reasons are that it's small, so there are no more than 15 kids to a teacher, and I think, for a variety of reasons, that it will really suit Jack. I think that's the best way to decide - go and see what your instincts tell you is right for your child. They are all different so there is no one set of criteria to look for.

Your lucky to have all that choice Elli !! Well I do too, but with no 2nd car I had to take my kids to the one in walking distance. It is R-12 but junior, middle, and senior schools are all separated on the one campus and so far has been great.

Love

I have been investigating schools this year. I am doing just what MantaRay is doing, I'm going & visiting, asking questions, asking parents at drop off time what they think.

Matilda goes to a Montessori but it ends at 6yrs old, and the nearest Montessori school is almost an hour drive away, so its not an option where we are living. But I don't know if its the "Montessori" of the "kindy" that I love, but the teachers & how they handle Matilda.

Elli, you have a grat choice and selection...it makes it so hard, doesn;t it.

We are in the same boat.....about 7 good primary schools to chose from (Stradbroke, Saints, Magill, East Marden, St Ignatious, to name but a few!)

In the end, despite being an IB school, we decided against Stradbroke due to size, and opted for a smaller school that I felt had the best vibe. They operate a SHIP program and it is very small, but I have spent a year asking around, asking other parents, visiting all the primary schools in the area, and this one stands out for us.'

So my adive would be to check out all their websites, arrange a visit, ask locally, and then align a choice to the values that best match your own.......

Good luck!

assuming I liked them all, I would choose either the public or the Lutheran IB school.
I am in love with the primary IB curriculum, its sounds so wonderful. I wish we had a school around here that offerred it.