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Michaela
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| Posted: July 24 2008 at 7:07pm | IP Logged
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It's really   to admit, but I think I may have put my oldest in K too early.
(A move and different laws in the new state.)
Just wondering...
Nicholas turns 12 years old on September 15 and he's entering the 7th grade. Two of the three school districts would have had me delay a year. The school district we lived in a the time would have had him 3 weeks before he even turned five. (That is the original reason I decided to homeschool...didn't want to send my not yet 5yo to K)
I know it has a lot to do with ability, but I'd really like to know where mid-September children (w/ an August 31 cutoff) are supposed to be.
Thanks!
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Michaela
Momma to Nicholas 16, Nathan 13, Olivia 13, Teresa 6, & Anthony 3
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 24 2008 at 7:20pm | IP Logged
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Officially.. my boy with a mid-August birthday waited to start school until he was actually 6 yrs. I know people around here who've done the same with even older boys holding them to start until they were 6 yrs at the beginning of the year.
But.. on the flip side for CCD my girl with an early Oct birthday started K before she was 5.. but that's only for CCD.. small classes, people we know, and she's an easy child to deal with.. no way would I do the same with my boy who's birthday is a week later.. he can just wait until he can start K at age 5 and turn 6 very early in the school year.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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PDyer
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| Posted: July 24 2008 at 7:56pm | IP Logged
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My daughter (9/10) would be in first grade in the district where we live now (8/31 cutoff) and at the local Catholic school my son attends (June 30 cutoff). She would be in second grade in the next district over (September 30 cutoff), where we lived until two years ago. I call her a rising first grader when someone asks, because that would her default grade assignment if she went to public school in this district or to Catholic school.
However, I have made informal arrangements with our parish that she will be making her FHC in spring 2009, despite the fact she isn't "officially" in second grade. Some of her friends who have birthdays in February are thoroughly confused by that. 
Conversely, my son was in sixth grade when he was homeschooled, but the Catholic school placed him in fifth grade when we enrolled him in January. They made that decision based on his birthday (early July) and the fact that all the kids in sixth grade at the time were *at least* six months older. He was fine with the change in placement, knew the kids in the fifth grade class already, and the work was different enough from what he was doing at home that he wasn't bored. So that all worked out.
Hope this answers your question.
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Patty
Mom of ds (7/96) and dd (9/01) and two angels (8/95 and 6/08)
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Michaela
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| Posted: July 24 2008 at 10:02pm | IP Logged
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Whew!
It's very helpful to read. Grade level and maturity have both been on my mind because of the upcoming CCD year. The 7th-12th graders are the Youth Group (over nighters, missions, and being around teens who are going to be quite mature compared to my ds)
Thank you, Jodie and Patty, for your replies.
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Michaela
Momma to Nicholas 16, Nathan 13, Olivia 13, Teresa 6, & Anthony 3
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PDyer
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| Posted: July 25 2008 at 8:18am | IP Logged
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Michaela wrote:
| The 7th-12th graders are the Youth Group (over nighters, missions, and being around teens who are going to be quite mature compared to my ds) |
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I think you're being very wise!
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Patty
Mom of ds (7/96) and dd (9/01) and two angels (8/95 and 6/08)
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Lara Sauer
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| Posted: July 25 2008 at 11:15am | IP Logged
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All of my summer and fall children have started school later rather than earlier. I have always felt that there were very few 5 year olds who weren't "ready" for kindergarten...but I have always been far more worried about whether my 17 year would be ready for life. I have always opted for having a 6 year old kindergartener and an 18 year old high school graduate.
Good luck.
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You can take the girl out of Wisconsin, but you can't take the Wisconsin out of the girl!
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Michaela
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| Posted: July 25 2008 at 11:45am | IP Logged
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Lara Sauer wrote:
| I have always been far more worried about whether my 17 year would be ready for life. |
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This is another aspect that my DH and I have been talking about!
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Michaela
Momma to Nicholas 16, Nathan 13, Olivia 13, Teresa 6, & Anthony 3
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LisaR
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| Posted: July 25 2008 at 11:59am | IP Logged
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Sept 1st is the cut off here in IL, although when we lived in MI it was Dec 1.
I have my oldest, who is July 7 bday, in school for the first time last year. he is the youngest in his class that he knows of except two girls. The plus that I see to him being young and in school is that the pressure is so OFF of him to drive, have a car, etc. Also, he is HUGE! 5 11 1/2 last year and 155lb. I can't imagine what that would have looked like on him last year if he were an 8th grader instead of in HS!!
My 3rd ds has an Aug 10th b day, so even younger. The trend here is obviously to hold back summer bday boys who are "in school", but I have him in his "correct" grade. however, as his older brothers, I am sure at this age he lags in writing and reading proficiency....
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 25 2008 at 12:51pm | IP Logged
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You know Michaela, I find "grade level" to be very fluid.
I just talked to the parks and rec director about soccer this coming fall. My oldest is technically going into 6th grade.. but she's small for her age anyway.. and has been very disappointed that they don't have 6th grade soccer (parks and rec went to 5th grade and the schools start with 7th grade.. if we wanted to go that route)..
Anyway, I just talked to her today and she told me that even if they can't get 6th grade teams set up.. that she'd "work her in" to the 3-5th teams.. for me to just add a note that we'd talked about it to jog her memory when I sign them up.
I don't think I'd have any qualms about putting a young 7th grader into a 6th grade CCD class. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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sewcrazy
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I have ignored grade distinction for the last several years, and put my kids where their maturity level is, not grade level. My 15 yos is very mature for his age, deals well with older teens, while my 14 yos is quite immature for his age, and prefers to be with children a couple of years younger.
In my district in IL, they strongly urge you to wait a year for summer birthday boys. So I have always classified my 14 yos a grade "younger" We consider him as an incoming 8th grader right now. He will be 18 when he graduate from highschool (if we hold to a standard 4 year hs schedule) I won't let him join the teen youth group yet or the high school peer ministry. And he is ok with that. There is time enough to "grow up" no need to rush.
LeeAnn
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LeeAnn
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LisaR
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sewcrazy wrote:
In my district in IL, they strongly urge you to wait a year for summer birthday boys.
LeeAnn |
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true here in my part of IL also. which we did not know when we moved here from MI (cut off Dec 1) so we did not even think anything of our July boy being in K at age 5.
It IS refreshing here that there is not a huge competitive push for kids to "skip ahead" and most of my ds's school friends are about a full year older than him. I do think if they (our sons) were in school any earlier than High School we'd have ended up holding them back.
what I do not like (from an institutional school standpoint) is seeing freshmen and seems like all sophmores driving around!! ds will take drivers ed through school,as a soph, with almost all freshmen, 2nd quarter this coming school year.
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Lisa
dh Tim '92
Joseph 17
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Maria Gianna 5
Isaac Vincent 9/21/10! and...
many little saints in heaven!
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LLMom
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| Posted: July 26 2008 at 8:43am | IP Logged
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I have kept back a ds who has a March b-day. It has helped him tremendously BUT now that he is in 9th grade, many people ask him why he is 15 1/2 and just starting 9th grade. They assume he has "failed" and that has been a bit hard on him. He has caught up through the years so he might finish in 3 years, depending on his maturity. I have another ds who will be five in a week. I am not going to start him as a K this fall. He needs to learn to sit still and obey better first!
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graciefaith
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Dd's bday is Sept. 12 and i felt she wasnt ready for K. We were limited in our options which is why we got into homeschooling and love it! So, she turns 7yo in Sept and she's in 1st grade. Of course, grades dont really matter at this time but this is for the sake of sports and CCD, which go by grades.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Fall Birthday - Grade level
