Comments for Keep Eaton Year-round http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com Sun, 05 Sep 2010 09:44:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by admin http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-11 admin Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:56:04 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-11 medewards, We appreciate you taking time to comment. The most significant inaccuracy in your comments is your point 5, so we will limit our comments to it. We have personally spoken to several Marsh Oaks parents IN TEARS because they feel their trust was violated. They believe their names are on petitions to get rid of Eaton, and they are completely distraught. This was not from just one air head parent who was not paying attention when the petition came by. This has come from many parents. We won’t tell their stories on the website second hand; we don’t feel that is credible. We are encouraging them to speak out themselves on the blog or at the meeting, but they are concerned about poor treatment from their neighbors, which some have already experienced. You personally may have nothing to do with a misleading petition or poor treatment of neighbors for anyone supporting Eaton as YRS, but that doesn’t change the fact it is happenning. These Marsh Oaks Eaton parents are not making this up with tears on their faces…they are not that good at acting. Their pain is real, as are the actions behind it. As a supported of that group who is committing acts in your name, you should investigate these actions rather than summarily assume they are propaganda. medewards,

We appreciate you taking time to comment.

The most significant inaccuracy in your comments is your point 5, so we will limit our comments to it.

We have personally spoken to several Marsh Oaks parents IN TEARS because they feel their trust was violated. They believe their names are on petitions to get rid of Eaton, and they are completely distraught. This was not from just one air head parent who was not paying attention when the petition came by. This has come from many parents. We won’t tell their stories on the website second hand; we don’t feel that is credible. We are encouraging them to speak out themselves on the blog or at the meeting, but they are concerned about poor treatment from their neighbors, which some have already experienced.

You personally may have nothing to do with a misleading petition or poor treatment of neighbors for anyone supporting Eaton as YRS, but that doesn’t change the fact it is happenning. These Marsh Oaks Eaton parents are not making this up with tears on their faces…they are not that good at acting. Their pain is real, as are the actions behind it.

As a supported of that group who is committing acts in your name, you should investigate these actions rather than summarily assume they are propaganda.

]]> Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by medwards http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-9 medwards Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:27:41 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-9 The reason I did not state specific errors was because I did not want to get into a shouting match. I am not a child and I am assuming that you are not either. But if you insist on going there here it is. 1. You stated: They could care less about Codington, whether it stays year-round or turns traditional. However, if they attack only Eaton, then their “year-round” arguments are completely hypocritical. But Marsh Oaks DOES mention both schools equally but Eaton happens to be the schools closest to Marsh Oaks and the Porter's Neck area. It would make no sense for them or anyone in this area to focus on Codington but I assure you that if Codington were the closest school than that would be the one mostly focused on. 2. You stated: At the Sept 23 meeting, many of the Marsh Oaks special interest group stated that they tried to get their kids into Eaton, but were unsuccessful in the lottery. REALLY? Why on earth did they try to do that then, when now they want to get rid of the year-round program? Was it a better program then, but now its not? I have two words for you "REDISTRICTING" and "CONVENIENCE". It seems like New Hanover County has been redistricted just about every two years or so and most parents want to avoid this as much as possible. Why not try to get your child into a public school that is treated like a private school. Most parents I know love the year-round idea because of CONVENIENCE and proximity. 3. You stated: The old “since I can’t have it, no one should have it” response that, while expected from the students of elementary schools, is ridiculous coming from the parents of elementary school children. This comment was totally uncalled for. If that were the case than Eaton and Codington would have been fought over a long time ago. 4. You stated: And how many kids are involved in the Marsh Oaks redistricting? According to the New Hanover County website, the total number is 19. I know that you got this number from the NHCS website but it does not mean what you are stating it does. Ogden is over capacity by 135 students. I have 7 Ogden students in my little neighborhood alone. I can assure you there are a lot more in Marsh Oaks. To make a statement like that without all the knowledge is wrong. 5. You stated: Most Eaton parents support the content of their petition, as shown above. However, many Eaton parents living in Marsh Oaks that signed the petition to help the Ogden parents are NOW concerned that the Marsh Oaks special interest group is using their names on a petition for neighborhood schools to represent a different petition calling for converting Eaton. This statement is so wrong in so many levels. The Marsh Oaks Ogden Parents had two completely different petitions being signed. Everyone was told what each of the petitions stated and if they did not want to sign the petition about Eaton becoming traditional they were not forced or coerced into doing so. As a matter of fact they did not blame the Eaton parents for not signing that particular petition. Shame on you for insinuating that there is a war going on in Marsh Oaks. If there is any type of friction it is all because of the incorrect contents in this website. 6. You stated: If you look at the statistics above, Eaton is already at capacity, just like Ogden, Blair, and Murrayville. The key word here is “AT”. While Eaton may be “AT” Capacity, Ogden and Blair are “OVER” Capacity. I will not comment on Murrayville’s status because I do not know it. 7. You stated: How can you redistrict two schools open to the entire county? They may be open to the entire county but I am pretty sure that a student choosing to attend a year-round school living in the Carolina Beach area must apply to Codington not Eaton and a student living in the Ogden area must apply to Eaton not Codington. Is this not correct? 8. You stated: So what? Redistricting is not about cutting costs. It’s about dealing with overcrowding. If we want to cut transportation costs, why not eliminate all sporting events where the school teams have to travel outside of New Hanover County? Why not shut down all school trips…they can see the museums on the web, right? With today’s economy, everything is about costs! If that were not the case than why would anyone purchase land and build a brand new school all the way out on Holly Shelter Rd. This was another comment that was way out of line. I can’t believe you don’t want to hurt the children with this comment. I don’t know about Eaton but I don’t remember the last time my child went outside of the county for any sports event. Nor are the field trips every month or every other month. And the last time I checked I pay for my child to go on those field trips. I could certainly go on but I don’t have the time. Like I stated in my previous blog, something has to change for all our children. This redistricting is about ALL our public schools. If we don’t come up with some type of agreement with the school board than we will be in this same position two years from now. If the long term solution is making Ogden a multi-track than fine but since Eaton and Codington are already on year-round schedules does it not make more sense and easier to make them multi-track. The saddest part is that all the parents, including Marsh Oaks facing redistricting are concerned with the overall, county wide affect it will have on all our children but Eaton parents seem to be more concerned about keeping themselves protected. The reason I did not state specific errors was because I did not want to get into a shouting match. I am not a child and I am assuming that you are not either. But if you insist on going there here it is.
1. You stated: They could care less about Codington, whether it stays year-round or turns traditional. However, if they attack only Eaton, then their “year-round” arguments are completely hypocritical.

But Marsh Oaks DOES mention both schools equally but Eaton happens to be the schools closest to Marsh Oaks and the Porter’s Neck area. It would make no sense for them or anyone in this area to focus on Codington but I assure you that if Codington were the closest school than that would be the one mostly focused on.

2. You stated: At the Sept 23 meeting, many of the Marsh Oaks special interest group stated that they tried to get their kids into Eaton, but were unsuccessful in the lottery. REALLY? Why on earth did they try to do that then, when now they want to get rid of the year-round program? Was it a better program then, but now its not?
I have two words for you “REDISTRICTING” and “CONVENIENCE”. It seems like New Hanover County has been redistricted just about every two years or so and most parents want to avoid this as much as possible. Why not try to get your child into a public school that is treated like a private school. Most parents I know love the year-round idea because of CONVENIENCE and proximity.

3. You stated: The old “since I can’t have it, no one should have it” response that, while expected from the students of elementary schools, is ridiculous coming from the parents of elementary school children.

This comment was totally uncalled for. If that were the case than Eaton and Codington would have been fought over a long time ago.

4. You stated: And how many kids are involved in the Marsh Oaks redistricting? According to the New Hanover County website, the total number is 19.
I know that you got this number from the NHCS website but it does not mean what you are stating it does. Ogden is over capacity by 135 students. I have 7 Ogden students in my little neighborhood alone. I can assure you there are a lot more in Marsh Oaks. To make a statement like that without all the knowledge is wrong.

5. You stated: Most Eaton parents support the content of their petition, as shown above. However, many Eaton parents living in Marsh Oaks that signed the petition to help the Ogden parents are NOW concerned that the Marsh Oaks special interest group is using their names on a petition for neighborhood schools to represent a different petition calling for converting Eaton.
This statement is so wrong in so many levels. The Marsh Oaks Ogden Parents had two completely different petitions being signed. Everyone was told what each of the petitions stated and if they did not want to sign the petition about Eaton becoming traditional they were not forced or coerced into doing so. As a matter of fact they did not blame the Eaton parents for not signing that particular petition. Shame on you for insinuating that there is a war going on in Marsh Oaks. If there is any type of friction it is all because of the incorrect contents in this website.

6. You stated: If you look at the statistics above, Eaton is already at capacity, just like Ogden, Blair, and Murrayville.

The key word here is “AT”. While Eaton may be “AT” Capacity, Ogden and Blair are “OVER” Capacity. I will not comment on Murrayville’s status because I do not know it.

7. You stated: How can you redistrict two schools open to the entire county?

They may be open to the entire county but I am pretty sure that a student choosing to attend a year-round school living in the Carolina Beach area must apply to Codington not Eaton and a student living in the Ogden area must apply to Eaton not Codington. Is this not correct?

8. You stated: So what? Redistricting is not about cutting costs. It’s about dealing with overcrowding. If we want to cut transportation costs, why not eliminate all sporting events where the school teams have to travel outside of New Hanover County? Why not shut down all school trips…they can see the museums on the web, right?
With today’s economy, everything is about costs! If that were not the case than why would anyone purchase land and build a brand new school all the way out on Holly Shelter Rd.
This was another comment that was way out of line. I can’t believe you don’t want to hurt the children with this comment. I don’t know about Eaton but I don’t remember the last time my child went outside of the county for any sports event. Nor are the field trips every month or every other month. And the last time I checked I pay for my child to go on those field trips.

I could certainly go on but I don’t have the time. Like I stated in my previous blog, something has to change for all our children. This redistricting is about ALL our public schools. If we don’t come up with some type of agreement with the school board than we will be in this same position two years from now. If the long term solution is making Ogden a multi-track than fine but since Eaton and Codington are already on year-round schedules does it not make more sense and easier to make them multi-track. The saddest part is that all the parents, including Marsh Oaks facing redistricting are concerned with the overall, county wide affect it will have on all our children but Eaton parents seem to be more concerned about keeping themselves protected.

]]> Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by admin http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-8 admin Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:08:05 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-8 Medwords, You say "Most of the information is wrong or it has been taken way out of context." but you failed to cite any examples. If you have specific information you believe is wrong on the website, please cite it, and then provide your reasons for believing it is wrong. This website was put up in a hurry after the attack from Marsh Oaks, and we are still assembling research and information WHILE we are on intersession break. We welcome corrections, but you must provide specifics. Your suggestion about changing all schools to either traditional or year-round is dead wrong. Most places in the USA where a firestorm of anger has occurred about year-round schools have been when it was made mandatory and not given as a choice. New Hanover needs both year-round and traditional schools to meet the wishes of parents. Multi-track schools are a nightmare. No one in the USA likes multi-track. The driver behind multi-track is almost always reduced costs, not improving education. However, since you suggest multi-track, why not multi-track Ogden, the school with the biggest overcrowding? Medwords,

You say “Most of the information is wrong or it has been taken way out of context.” but you failed to cite any examples. If you have specific information you believe is wrong on the website, please cite it, and then provide your reasons for believing it is wrong. This website was put up in a hurry after the attack from Marsh Oaks, and we are still assembling research and information WHILE we are on intersession break. We welcome corrections, but you must provide specifics.

Your suggestion about changing all schools to either traditional or year-round is dead wrong. Most places in the USA where a firestorm of anger has occurred about year-round schools have been when it was made mandatory and not given as a choice. New Hanover needs both year-round and traditional schools to meet the wishes of parents.

Multi-track schools are a nightmare. No one in the USA likes multi-track. The driver behind multi-track is almost always reduced costs, not improving education.

However, since you suggest multi-track, why not multi-track Ogden, the school with the biggest overcrowding?

]]> Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by medwards http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-7 medwards Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:24:04 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-7 I am a parent of an Ogden student but I don't live in Marsh Oaks but I have to say that I am very disappointed with the information posted on this website. Most of the information is wrong or it has been taken way out of context. There are 7 children in my neighborhood alone being moved out of Ogden. I know several parents in Marsh Oaks and I believe their intention was to give the board other options to look into and consider looking outside of the box when it comes to redistricting all our children not just Marsh Oaks. If one compares Eaton to Ogden there isn't a lot of differences. Both schools are very similar in rating, test scores and parent involvement. So, no I do not agree that a year-round school or a traditional school makes it or breaks it. I believe it is the faculty, staff, parents and most of all the students that make the school what it is. The parents at Eaton need to ask themselves what they would do if their child had not been accepted to Eaton and if they were faced with the possibility of their child being bused all the way from Porter's Neck Rd. to McRae St. and along the way they had to pass 3 perfectly good public schools, Ogden, Blair and Eaton. That makes absolutely no sense. The fact is that most of the schools in New Hanover County are Over-Capacity not just At-Capacity and our children are the ones suffering for it. We need to find a long term solution to the problem. If that solution means making all schools traditional, year-round and or multi-track than that is what needs to happen. Moving children from school to school every other year or so should not be the answer and when it comes to finding a resolution all public schools should be included. I am a parent of an Ogden student but I don’t live in Marsh Oaks but I have to say that I am very disappointed with the information posted on this website. Most of the information is wrong or it has been taken way out of context. There are 7 children in my neighborhood alone being moved out of Ogden. I know several parents in Marsh Oaks and I believe their intention was to give the board other options to look into and consider looking outside of the box when it comes to redistricting all our children not just Marsh Oaks. If one compares Eaton to Ogden there isn’t a lot of differences. Both schools are very similar in rating, test scores and parent involvement. So, no I do not agree that a year-round school or a traditional school makes it or breaks it. I believe it is the faculty, staff, parents and most of all the students that make the school what it is. The parents at Eaton need to ask themselves what they would do if their child had not been accepted to Eaton and if they were faced with the possibility of their child being bused all the way from Porter’s Neck Rd. to McRae St. and along the way they had to pass 3 perfectly good public schools, Ogden, Blair and Eaton. That makes absolutely no sense. The fact is that most of the schools in New Hanover County are Over-Capacity not just At-Capacity and our children are the ones suffering for it. We need to find a long term solution to the problem. If that solution means making all schools traditional, year-round and or multi-track than that is what needs to happen. Moving children from school to school every other year or so should not be the answer and when it comes to finding a resolution all public schools should be included.

]]> Comment on Civil War Developing in Marsh Oaks by tonygarcia http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=113#comment-6 tonygarcia Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:00:59 +0000 http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=113#comment-6 Fortunately for us it has not gotten to that point. Although it seems like we have had less interaction with neighbors (ogden parents in support of involving Eaton in the redistricting). I am chalking it up to busy schedules. We are fond of our neighbors- all of them- whether they go to Ogden, Eaton, St Marks, or any other school- and our kids enjoy playing together and I know that when they visit each other we have always trusted each other to look after the kids and keep them safe. So it completely confuses me to think that some how, some one, came up with the idea of involving hundreds of more kids- including mine- in the chaos and anxiety of redistricting. I can imagine the spectrum of emotions that the Ogden parents have had to go through. First the shock and dismay of finding our your school is being redistrict, then the sickening feeling of- "what do we do?!", the worry for their kids- knowing that they are settled in their schools and have made friends, know the teachers, engaged in PTA, etc. The Parents themselves have made friends and accepted invitations to birthday parties, volunteer, support school events. The scared feeling of having to move the kids to a new school- the extra few miles on a bus is not good- but not the worse of it- its the relationships, the security, the confidence the kids and parents have in the teachers- the emotinal investment. Whether they applied to Eaton in the past and didn't get selected is no longer the issue- the have embraced and engaged themselves in Ogden. Their kids are also aware of the angst this is cuasing- not through intentional efforts by the parents- but they know when mommy and daddy are worried, upset and even angry. They know it is about their school- and the parents try to protect them even more from the chaos of emotinos. So its with all of this trepidation in mind that I ask- Why would you want hundreds and hundreds of more kids and parents to have to go through all of this? Why? Why would you do this to my kids or anyone elses kids? You are all good people- why would you choose this path to resolve the issue. I am sure that all Eaton parents would stand with you in support of keeping the small number of Marsh Oaks Ogden kids IN OGDEN. But some how, someone, decided that the best course action was to spread the pain and involve year round schools and all the kids and parents. As if this is going to stop your kids from having to change schools, teachers, friends, or protect them from the disappointment and negative impact. As if having hundreds of more kids join in the sadness and feelings of insecurity will do what it is you want- to STAY in Ogden. To Ogden parents- FOCUS on your goal- Option 4 with a minor tweak would work and keep your kids in their school. The old Option 3 has Marsh Oaks at Ogden. Focus on fixing the issue- and not making it a bigger issue for more and more kids. That's not neighborly- and you are our neighbors. Fortunately for us it has not gotten to that point. Although it seems like we have had less interaction with neighbors (ogden parents in support of involving Eaton in the redistricting). I am chalking it up to busy schedules. We are fond of our neighbors- all of them- whether they go to Ogden, Eaton, St Marks, or any other school- and our kids enjoy playing together and I know that when they visit each other we have always trusted each other to look after the kids and keep them safe. So it completely confuses me to think that some how, some one, came up with the idea of involving hundreds of more kids- including mine- in the chaos and anxiety of redistricting. I can imagine the spectrum of emotions that the Ogden parents have had to go through. First the shock and dismay of finding our your school is being redistrict, then the sickening feeling of- “what do we do?!”, the worry for their kids- knowing that they are settled in their schools and have made friends, know the teachers, engaged in PTA, etc. The Parents themselves have made friends and accepted invitations to birthday parties, volunteer, support school events. The scared feeling of having to move the kids to a new school- the extra few miles on a bus is not good- but not the worse of it- its the relationships, the security, the confidence the kids and parents have in the teachers- the emotinal investment. Whether they applied to Eaton in the past and didn’t get selected is no longer the issue- the have embraced and engaged themselves in Ogden. Their kids are also aware of the angst this is cuasing- not through intentional efforts by the parents- but they know when mommy and daddy are worried, upset and even angry. They know it is about their school- and the parents try to protect them even more from the chaos of emotinos. So its with all of this trepidation in mind that I ask- Why would you want hundreds and hundreds of more kids and parents to have to go through all of this? Why? Why would you do this to my kids or anyone elses kids? You are all good people- why would you choose this path to resolve the issue. I am sure that all Eaton parents would stand with you in support of keeping the small number of Marsh Oaks Ogden kids IN OGDEN. But some how, someone, decided that the best course action was to spread the pain and involve year round schools and all the kids and parents. As if this is going to stop your kids from having to change schools, teachers, friends, or protect them from the disappointment and negative impact. As if having hundreds of more kids join in the sadness and feelings of insecurity will do what it is you want- to STAY in Ogden. To Ogden parents- FOCUS on your goal- Option 4 with a minor tweak would work and keep your kids in their school. The old Option 3 has Marsh Oaks at Ogden. Focus on fixing the issue- and not making it a bigger issue for more and more kids. That’s not neighborly- and you are our neighbors.

]]> Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by admin http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-5 admin Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:13:40 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-5 We appreciate that. Several Marsh Oaks/Eaton parents spoke against the "get rid of year round" group at the Sep 23 meeting. On the website, we tried to refer to the "Marsh Oaks Special Interest Group" to differentiate it from the entire community. We appreciate that. Several Marsh Oaks/Eaton parents spoke against the “get rid of year round” group at the Sep 23 meeting. On the website, we tried to refer to the “Marsh Oaks Special Interest Group” to differentiate it from the entire community.

]]> Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by kriemens http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-4 kriemens Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:50:12 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-4 I want to make one thing clear; not all of Marsh Oaks residents agree with the petition, in fact, many don't. I live in Marsh Oaks and when asked to sign it, I refused mostly because it did not solve the problem for the preponderance of the children. I agree with shannonblizzard above; make all elementary schools in NHC year-round, and while you're at it, let's transition at least one middle school as well to give parents more choice after elementary school. I want to make one thing clear; not all of Marsh Oaks residents agree with the petition, in fact, many don’t. I live in Marsh Oaks and when asked to sign it, I refused mostly because it did not solve the problem for the preponderance of the children. I agree with shannonblizzard above; make all elementary schools in NHC year-round, and while you’re at it, let’s transition at least one middle school as well to give parents more choice after elementary school.

]]> Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by shannonblizzard http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-3 shannonblizzard Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:17:54 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-3 and furthermore, I am a single parent with three sons...and it works out better for me to have the breaks throughout the year..... and furthermore, I am a single parent with three sons…and it works out better for me to have the breaks throughout the year…..

]]> Comment on Redistricting Meeting - Oct 6 - 6:30 pm - At Eaton by shannonblizzard http://www.keepeatonyeararound.com/?p=1#comment-2 shannonblizzard Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:14:53 +0000 http://216.246.56.81/~keepeat/?p=1#comment-2 I wanted to post my thoughts and views on the different views that I have hears....I agree whole heartedly with the persons who stated that Johnson Elementary failed as a year round school because of its location....I myself went there when I was in 3rd grade(which was some time ago) and never felt safe there. It is directly across the street from a middle school that has been known to have issues. Tons of pressure is placed upon the school board in regards to districting and re-districting due to intergration and segregation, however there was not an emphasis on that at Johnson elementary...unfortunately. I don not think either...that it success as a school had anything to do with the fact of it being a year round school. I would personally rather see all of the elementary schools be year round....Children are at the prime learning times between 4 and 8 years of age....having a 3 month vacation, in which their minds are not stimulated...is in wide the reason I feel alot of children are at a disadvantage. As an adult trying to help my children with their homework...I have became alot more aware of "if you dont use it, you lose it"....Being in school for 9 weeks and then 3 allows the children to become more refreshed more often. I know as a parent...by the time the 8th week rolls around I am so ready to not get up at 6am...so I am sure that my children are ready...I think that it keeps them from becoming burnt out and they have a higher retention of knowledge...I feel the parents to whom have caused this really have no idea what they are talking about, as far as the differences between traditional and non traditional schools...they should really do research before they start talking about something that has no value....I mean really...I am sure that these parents obviously are very educated people....they think by making Eaton traditional that they will not be overcrowded...really, well Eaton Children will have to go to school somewhere, and most of the children that go there will still be districted to go there...I mean for cryin out loud...if you want to complain about transportation issues...they need to look at the local pre-k program where the children get picked up from their home with Eaton students starting at 6:45 am and ride with Eaton students to Eaton...get on a different bus...and then ride across town to Mary Washington Howe Pre-K and do not arrive there until 8:05....that is an hour and twenty minutes and who knows how many miles...and they are only 4 years old....now that is a transportation issue.... I wanted to post my thoughts and views on the different views that I have hears….I agree whole heartedly with the persons who stated that Johnson Elementary failed as a year round school because of its location….I myself went there when I was in 3rd grade(which was some time ago) and never felt safe there. It is directly across the street from a middle school that has been known to have issues. Tons of pressure is placed upon the school board in regards to districting and re-districting due to intergration and segregation, however there was not an emphasis on that at Johnson elementary…unfortunately. I don not think either…that it success as a school had anything to do with the fact of it being a year round school. I would personally rather see all of the elementary schools be year round….Children are at the prime learning times between 4 and 8 years of age….having a 3 month vacation, in which their minds are not stimulated…is in wide the reason I feel alot of children are at a disadvantage. As an adult trying to help my children with their homework…I have became alot more aware of “if you dont use it, you lose it”….Being in school for 9 weeks and then 3 allows the children to become more refreshed more often. I know as a parent…by the time the 8th week rolls around I am so ready to not get up at 6am…so I am sure that my children are ready…I think that it keeps them from becoming burnt out and they have a higher retention of knowledge…I feel the parents to whom have caused this really have no idea what they are talking about, as far as the differences between traditional and non traditional schools…they should really do research before they start talking about something that has no value….I mean really…I am sure that these parents obviously are very educated people….they think by making Eaton traditional that they will not be overcrowded…really, well Eaton Children will have to go to school somewhere, and most of the children that go there will still be districted to go there…I mean for cryin out loud…if you want to complain about transportation issues…they need to look at the local pre-k program where the children get picked up from their home with Eaton students starting at 6:45 am and ride with Eaton students to Eaton…get on a different bus…and then ride across town to Mary Washington Howe Pre-K and do not arrive there until 8:05….that is an hour and twenty minutes and who knows how many miles…and they are only 4 years old….now that is a transportation issue….

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