athomeontheprairie Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 (edited) The school my kids would be zoned for here in Cypress, TX goes from about 8:50 to 4:00, so about 7 hours, I guess. But the neighbor boy who goes gets on the bus at 8:30am and doesnt get off in the afternoon until 4:30pm. That just seems so LONG to me! I would miss my daughter too much. :crying: My kids would be on the bus/at school from 6:20-5. It was the number one reason we started homeschooling ask those years ago. Comparatively, 8:30-430 doesn't sound too bad. Edited January 15, 2016 by athomeontheprairie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 (edited) Something like 6 hours, 10 min, though the kids are lining up in the hallways to leave about 10 minutes before dismissal time and are often out the door 5 minutes before dismissal time. If you take the school bus though, you'll be gone from home for over 7 hours even though the furthest you can live from the school is about 2 miles (because they take you early enough to have breakfast at school, because some kids are on the free breakfast program). When I was in elementary school, it was iirc 6.5 hours on MTThF, and 3.5 hours on W. I'm not 100% sure of the exact times, so I could be a little off, but I do know Wednesdays were mornings only, all the way through 6th grade. ETA: when Celery started pre-K just after turning 3yo, he was in school 6.5 hours/day, 5 days a week, and since mixed SpEd/reg ed program was 23 miles away, he was gone from home for over 8 hours/day. He often slept on the school bus on the way home, even though he'd stopped napping before he was 2yo. ETA2: Oh, and I didn't have homework in elementary school either. Homework started in 7th grade. You don't need a longer school day to make elementary school "homework free". Edited January 15, 2016 by luuknam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberly in IN Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 The school day begins at 7:39 and ends at 2:45, according to the school's website. I know the elementary bus stops in front of my house at 7:05 for pick-up on my street. I am picking up my own high school students from the local Catholic high school when the bus drops off but we are home by 3:40 and so are the neighborhood elementary students. I don't know about recess. My dd is in 5th grade and her public school friends in the neighborhood are as well. They seem to have a bit of homework every night. At least 4 of her friends have dropped all extra-curricular evening activities this year (dance, gymnastics, children's theater kinds of things) b/c of homework loads. Otoh, all of these girls are straight A students. (proud parents share quite a bit) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 The elementary (K-8) kids in my town start at 7:45 AM and get out at 3:45 PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calihil Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 My kids would be on the bus/at school from 6:20-5. It was the number one reason we started homeschooling ask those years ago. Comparatively, 8:30-430 doesn't sound too bad. Yeah that's true. When I was in school both my parents worked so I was at school (and then Girls Inc, an after school program) from about 8 to 6. It was normal for me then but looking back no wonder I was always exhausted, had behavior problems, and was not as bonded to my mom as I could have been. (Please no one read into that, only speaking from my own experience) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 For 2,5 yo and older school is from 8.20 am - 16.05 pm four days a week, a fifth day is until 12.00 From 1 st grade, children got homework everyday, and semester exams in december and June. I don't think they learn 'more' or 'in depth'. Is it bad that I had to stop and calculate your times in my head? :leaving: My kids would be on the bus/at school from 6:20-5. It was the number one reason we started homeschooling ask those years ago. Comparatively, 8:30-430 doesn't sound too bad. I think this is part of the concern here. We are a rural county (at least in some parts), so some kids have a long ride, and the thought of kindergarteners being outside waiting on the bus before 6am is a little much. And then not getting home until 4:00? That's a looooong day. I think I said earlier that many of the counties around us have a 7-hour elementary day already, but that was incorrect, at least according to the news article I read today. Apparently this move will give our county one of the longest elementary school days in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 The elementary schools here used to be 9-3:45, so 6 hours and 45 minutes. The middle school started at 8 and the high school started at 7:30. Before school programs like band started at 6:30 am. Release times were also tiered. After I pulled my kids the district switched the times, now the high school starts at 9. I no longer know the end time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 In contrast, the K-5 here start at 7:30 and go to 3:00. Break is 9:15)-9:30 and lunch from 11:00-11:30. Kids come to school and eat a mandatory breakfast at their desks, but lunch in the cafeteria. High school here goes from 8:00-4:00, with a 40 minute lunch at 12:00. ETA: Playing outside before school is discouraged because there is no aide on duty at that hour. Students go directly to their classrooms.[ The teachers would prefer the kids got fresh air and ran off steam before coming inside. I think the official ministry guidelines are to be open half an hour before starting and 15 minutes after but our school opens an extra 15 minutes early to allow parents to start work at 8.30. They like the the kids there by 8.45 so they have time to get organised but the bell hoes at 9 to start class. We don't really do school meals here which is why the kids are just sent outside to eat lunch with one or two teachers supervising. There is probably 4.5 hours class time but i estimate at least half of it is PE, art, assemblies and other non academic things. They get homework but it is not really related to their schoolwork and there are no textbooks. I like the play etc but i would love to be able to say they are doing x for maths and buy a copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearWallowSchool Posted January 16, 2016 Share Posted January 16, 2016 Bus runs past our house at 6:30am and 4:00pm. School day is from 7:40 to 3:00. Too long for a 5 year old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 I think this is part of the concern here. We are a rural county (at least in some parts), so some kids have a long ride, and the thought of kindergarteners being outside waiting on the bus before 6am is a little much. And then not getting home until 4:00? That's a looooong day. I think I said earlier that many of the counties around us have a 7-hour elementary day already, but that was incorrect, at least according to the news article I read today. Apparently this move will give our county one of the longest elementary school days in the area. The school board should ABSOLUTELY be taking unto account children on the ends of the bus route. In our state we have a "recommendation" for no more than one hour on the bids one way. The school board laughs at at the recommendations. If they extend the day, they really should find a way to get those kids home quicker (more buses). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 I just looked mine up. 6 hours, 35 minutes. Most kids are bussed, and most bus routes run at least 30 minutes each way. (My son's was about 40.) Kids are also supposed to be at stops at least 15 minutes before scheduled. It took us about 10 minutes to drive to and park at the bus stop. So it was about an 8.5 hour day for him, door to door, without after school activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 I clicked 6.5-7 hours and should have clicked over 7 hours. 7 hours 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 My kids would be on the bus/at school from 6:20-5. It was the number one reason we started homeschooling ask those years ago. Comparatively, 8:30-430 doesn't sound too bad. I have to be at work at or near 8 am. I live about 20-25 minutes away. Often it is the school bus that wakes me up in the morning. It stops in front of our house. So, some poor kids are dressed and ready before I am even out of bed. That is madness. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 You can't just count hours in school. What is important is what the children are doing while they are there and how many of the hours are academic and sedentary. My youngest went to a private school here for a short time and kids were there 8:30-5:30, but a great deal of the time was spent in non-academic activity. The first 30 minutes were spent in assembly. Then they had classes until around 3 or 3:15 with a couple of hours swimming once a week, a 1 hour lunch break and two 20-30 minute breaks daily, and pe classes twice a week. In the afternoons they had sports four days a week and various fun activities one day a week (cooking, surfing, golf, etc), 30 minutes reading daily, and 30 minutes to do homework. So it was a very long day, but not overly academic. He loved it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 The school day runs from 8:30 to 3:30 with a 15 minute recess in the morning and 30 minutes total for lunch and afternoon recess. Kindergarten is five full days a week, so that is their schedule as well. If Peter attended and rode the bus he would leave the house around 7:45 and get home around 4:15...which is absolute insanity because we can literally see the school from our house, but due to safety concerns no students are allowed to walk even with parents. So, 8.5 hours door to door unless I loaded up all the kids to drive him there and back every day, in which case it would "only" be a 7.5 hour day. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 The school day runs from 8:30 to 3:30 with a 15 minute recess in the morning and 30 minutes total for lunch and afternoon recess. Kindergarten is five full days a week, so that is their schedule as well. If Peter attended and rode the bus he would leave the house around 7:45 and get home around 4:15...which is absolute insanity because we can literally see the school from our house, but due to safety concerns no students are allowed to walk even with parents. So, 8.5 hours door to door unless I loaded up all the kids to drive him there and back every day, in which case it would "only" be a 7.5 hour day. Wendy That is nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted January 19, 2016 Author Share Posted January 19, 2016 You can't just count hours in school. What is important is what the children are doing while they are there and how many of the hours are academic and sedentary. My youngest went to a private school here for a short time and kids were there 8:30-5:30, but a great deal of the time was spent in non-academic activity. The first 30 minutes were spent in assembly. Then they had classes until around 3 or 3:15 with a couple of hours swimming once a week, a 1 hour lunch break and two 20-30 minute breaks daily, and pe classes twice a week. In the afternoons they had sports four days a week and various fun activities one day a week (cooking, surfing, golf, etc), 30 minutes reading daily, and 30 minutes to do homework. So it was a very long day, but not overly academic. He loved it. That's true. But, given the choice, I would prefer that my children not be in scheduled/structured activities of any kind for that many hours of the day. Maybe it's the introvert in me, but much of the reason we homeschool is because I want them to have some time on their own to play or read or just sit and daydream. To me, that's the best part of childhood. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.