Clinton vs Seth Boyden

I am moving to Maplewood this summer and will most likely be zoned for Clinton. My daughter will be entering Kindergarten even though she will have completed K in NYC since her birthday is October 26th. I will have to have aftercare for her but was just told that Clinton is full already. I don't know what other options I would have if she couldn't get an aftercare spot-what do other folks do? Also I was told that Seth Boyden's afterschool doesn't usually fill up, so if I opt in to Seth Boyden  I should be covered. My question for those of you with experience in the school district is: 1. is there any hope for a spot opening up at Clinton for aftercare? 2: Is Seth Boyden a good school to go to? The rating seem a lot worse than Clinton, but you never can tell. Would love to hear from happy parents with experience there. 

Thanks!!!

Welcome!

My kids have attended both Clinton and Seth Boyden (our switch was motivated by being closed out of the Clinton on-site aftercare (yes - it happens even to those of us who have been in it for years), my younger kid's sense of adventure, other friends and family that have opted into SB, and finally a tour of SB after which my daughter didn't want to leave the playground. SB has an amazing space in the back with a garden, outdoor classroom, playground equipment, and blacktop area). 

My daughter has said she would like to mix & match her favorite things at both schools, and there is no sense that one is any 'better' than the other. She has come across teachers that have been a fabulous fit, as well as those that are not as great a fit, at each of those schools. And one teacher that is currently a very good fit to my daughter is not a good match for one of her friends. So, regardless of where you go, the teacher-to-kid match is luck of the draw.

1. It is unlikely that you will get into the Clinton on-site aftercare. I assume if you choose Clinton, you can still attend the off-site YMCA aftercare (at the Jefferson site), and pay extra due to the busing needed? Or is that full too?

2. Seth Boyden aftercare seems to play outside more. One of my complaints at Clinton aftercare was that there were a number of nice days where my daughter indicated that they were inside the whole time.

3. Test Scores/Ratings: I wouldn't put much stake in these. The test scores in the district tend to represent the wealth of the zoned area, and Seth Boyden is the elementary school with the highest proportion of students on free and reduced priced lunch. However, the curriculum seems about the same across the schools. My younger kid at SB is doing the same projects my older one had done at Clinton. Both my kids enjoy math and problem solving, and each has been given opportunities to do more advanced work. This year at SB, the 4th & 5th graders could select electives in math/engineering/chorus/or drumming (these are not yet available at other elementary schools). There have also been extra fun programs (Circus, Dance) from grants and Title I funding at SB. That said, Clinton puts on an amazing school production every spring that has many skits, and includes any kid that wants to be in it. It probably includes over 85% of the school. (Seth Boyden's play includes mostly the 5th graders, and is more traditional).

4. Note: Seth Boyden starts later. (Clinton starts at 8:05 and SB at 8:45). If you are a commuter, this may be a consideration.

5. Redistricting may be coming, so expect to see some school zoning changes. I expect school demographics and  'ratings' will be rebalanced in future years. 

Sprout, thank you for the info! So the off-site afterschool Y program is booked as well! It looks like my best option would be to opt in to Seth Boyden. When I told my daughter about an outdoor classroom she jumped up and down and begged to go there. It is really frustrating to hear that even current families cannot get a spot in after care there. Do people hire babysitters? Are working parents only left with the option to switch schools or pay a nanny? 

Unfortunately Raven that's about it for options. Lots of folks have afternoon babysitters around here, as well as full-time nannies.

mrincredible said:

Unfortunately Raven that's about it for options. Lots of folks have afternoon babysitters around here, as well as full-time nannies.

Do people do nanny shares or group afterschool babysitters?

I heard that the YMCA was looking to lease more off-site aftercare space. Hopefully that will materialize.  

FWIW: Current families get to enroll in the YMCA aftercare during an early-bird registration day. But Clinton aftercare is so in-demand that only those who arrived before 7:30am on the early-bird registration day (when doors opened at 8am for Clinton) got an on-site spot this year. I assume those who arrived later got the off-site spots.

If you're leaning towards SB, see if you can reserve aftercare through the YMCA now (and check if there's any fees if things change and you need to cancel later). You will need to apply to the district to switch (opt-in) to SB, and if possible, you may as well hold your aftercare spot while you wait.

Also, I recommend taking a tour of SB. I think your best bet is by reaching out to the PTA email address: http://sethboyden.com/about/school-tours/

Both great schools, as are all of the schools in our district.  Given the situation, I think you should go for Seth Boyden and I doubt that you will be disappointed.  The "ratings" are (nearly) all about test scores and test scores vary (for better or worse) with demographics.  All evidence indicates that the same child will have similar performance at any of our district's schools.  And, since SB is the school that typically does not fill up, your child might even have a slightly smaller class size which is usually a good thing.  (No guarantees on that, of course.)  

By the way, unless something has changed (always a possibility since it has been a few years for my family) ...Children who have late birthdays and prior Kindergarten experience like your child are not able to enroll in First Grade, but I believe that they are sometimes moved up once they arrive and start school if it is decided that they are ready.  I'm not sure if there is testing for this or just teacher observation.  But if that is important to you, you might inquire about it ahead of time so that you know what to expect.  Or you might decide that a "red shirt" Kindergarten year is a positive and just go with that.  (I know people who have gone both ways on that issue.)

Welcome to the community and best of luck as you begin to navigate the school system.

We've been very happy with St. Rose of Lima Academy in Short Hills. Our son transferred there in 1st grade and the small & supportive environment has been a wonderful fit for him. SRLA offers full day pre-school and runs K-8. Many of our Maplewood neighbors also have kids there. There is an open house on Friday, April 20th from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. 

If you are also looking at private schools, there is Our Lady of Sorrows on Prospect St. in South Orange. They have an aftercare program, a nursery program, a pre-school, and a K-8 program. There is a very active parent community, too. One of our granddaughters went there and we were happy with the school. She also had completed Kindergarten prior to starting at OLS and they evaluated her before school started and she went into first grade. It worked out fine for her. As a private school, they have a little more flexibility in decisions like this. They reviewed a portfolio of work she had done in her kindergarten and had her spend a day at the end of the school year with the class that was going into first grade in the fall. The teachers reviewed the work and how she functioned in class and that's how they made their decision, so she started in September with the kids she spent the rest of the year with and didn't have to move a month or two into the school year.

I have to say that I worked at Seth Boyden for several years (about 15 years ago) and I loved the school. The grounds, the mix of kids, the teachers - it was a special school and a special time. Some of the people I worked with are still there, I'm glad to say. And the gardens and grounds are lovely.

Good luck in making the best decision for your child and your family.

cody said:

If you are also looking at private schools, there is Our Lady of Sorrows on Prospect St. in South Orange. They have an aftercare program, a nursery program, a pre-school, and a K-8 program. There is a very active parent community, too. One of our granddaughters went there and we were happy with the school. She also had completed Kindergarten prior to starting at OLS and they evaluated her before school started and she went into first grade. It worked out fine for her. As a private school, they have a little more flexibility in decisions like this. They reviewed a portfolio of work she had done in her kindergarten and had her spend a day at the end of the school year with the class that was going into first grade in the fall. The teachers reviewed the work and how she functioned in class and that's how they made their decision, so she started in September with the kids she spent the rest of the year with and didn't have to move a month or two into the school year.

I have to say that I worked at Seth Boyden for several years (about 15 years ago) and I loved the school. The grounds, the mix of kids, the teachers - it was a special school and a special time. Some of the people I worked with are still there, I'm glad to say. And the gardens and grounds are lovely.

Good luck in making the best decision for your child and your family.

Thank you for the info. I am not looking into private schools, although I did look at Our Lady of Sorrows for the daycare for my 2 year old, but it is pricey!

sac said:

Both great schools, as are all of the schools in our district.  Given the situation, I think you should go for Seth Boyden and I doubt that you will be disappointed.  The "ratings" are (nearly) all about test scores and test scores vary (for better or worse) with demographics.  All evidence indicates that the same child will have similar performance at any of our district's schools.  And, since SB is the school that typically does not fill up, your child might even have a slightly smaller class size which is usually a good thing.  (No guarantees on that, of course.)  

By the way, unless something has changed (always a possibility since it has been a few years for my family) ...Children who have late birthdays and prior Kindergarten experience like your child are not able to enroll in First Grade, but I believe that they are sometimes moved up once they arrive and start school if it is decided that they are ready.  I'm not sure if there is testing for this or just teacher observation.  But if that is important to you, you might inquire about it ahead of time so that you know what to expect.  Or you might decide that a "red shirt" Kindergarten year is a positive and just go with that.  (I know people who have gone both ways on that issue.)

Welcome to the community and best of luck as you begin to navigate the school system.

Thanks sac,

I am torn about what to do with my daughter. She is a very bright and mature 5 year old, so I feel like she would be ok to move up to 1st grade if they approved her, but not sure if it would be better to let her start off with a new batch of Kindergartners so they can all move up together. I just don't want her to be bored repeating K since she is already reading books and doing pretty well in math. 

ravenmad007 said:

sac said:

Both great schools, as are all of the schools in our district.  Given the situation, I think you should go for Seth Boyden and I doubt that you will be disappointed.  The "ratings" are (nearly) all about test scores and test scores vary (for better or worse) with demographics.  All evidence indicates that the same child will have similar performance at any of our district's schools.  And, since SB is the school that typically does not fill up, your child might even have a slightly smaller class size which is usually a good thing.  (No guarantees on that, of course.)  

By the way, unless something has changed (always a possibility since it has been a few years for my family) ...Children who have late birthdays and prior Kindergarten experience like your child are not able to enroll in First Grade, but I believe that they are sometimes moved up once they arrive and start school if it is decided that they are ready.  I'm not sure if there is testing for this or just teacher observation.  But if that is important to you, you might inquire about it ahead of time so that you know what to expect.  Or you might decide that a "red shirt" Kindergarten year is a positive and just go with that.  (I know people who have gone both ways on that issue.)

Welcome to the community and best of luck as you begin to navigate the school system.

Thanks sac, I am torn about what to do with my daughter. She is a very bright and mature 5 year old, so I feel like she would be ok to move up to 1st grade if they approved her, but not sure if it would be better to let her start off with a new batch of Kindergartners so they can all move up together. I just don't want her to be bored repeating K since she is already reading books and doing pretty well in math. 

Then I would suggest you ask the registrar's office how that works.  My impression is that when they move children up, it happens fairly quickly near the start of school (first few weeks), but I'm not even absolutely sure that this is still done.  (My children are grown, so it was 15 or so years ago, but there were definitely some children who did this then.)

I can’t speak of the aftercare programs since we don’t use them, but we are a Clinton zoned family. My eldest was sent to Seth Boyden because we hadn’t registered him in time. In the fall my middle child will be entering kindergarten and we didn’t even try for Clinton, we decided to voluntarily enroll him in Seth Boyden.

We’ll most likely be moving before school starts, so he probably won’t end up there, but if we had stayed in the area we would have happily sent all three to Seth Boyden

ravenmad007, they won't move her ahead. I had a similar situation. My daughter's kindergarten teacher (from a private) school wrote  recommendation. The district was inflexible. I had to send my child to St. James in Springfield for first grade (instead of her repeating K in the district). Once your child is in 2nd grade from another school district, they will allow you to transfer and remain in that grade. 

sseverin said:
ravenmad007, they won't move her ahead. I had a similar situation. My daughter's kindergarten teacher (from a private) school wrote  recommendation. The district was inflexible. I had to send my child to St. James in Springfield for first grade (instead of her repeating K in the district). Once your child is in 2nd grade from another school district, they will allow you to transfer and remain in that grade. 

When your child entered 2nd grade did she have any issues being the youngest in her grade? My daughter is very bright and can read fluently and I just worry about her being bored repeating kindergarten. The policy in the district just seems so unfair to these children who have already finished kindergarten out of district. 

you should look more into the future.  Yes she is mature at this moment, but how will this play out when she's in middle school or HS.

ravenmad007 said:

sseverin said:
ravenmad007, they won't move her ahead. I had a similar situation. My daughter's kindergarten teacher (from a private) school wrote  recommendation. The district was inflexible. I had to send my child to St. James in Springfield for first grade (instead of her repeating K in the district). Once your child is in 2nd grade from another school district, they will allow you to transfer and remain in that grade. 

When your child entered 2nd grade did she have any issues being the youngest in her grade? My daughter is very bright and can read fluently and I just worry about her being bored repeating kindergarten. The policy in the district just seems so unfair to these children who have already finished kindergarten out of district. 

 My daughter is now in 7th and never had trouble being the youngest. She is tall and has always been physically and emotionally mature for her age. I think she would have been uncomfortable being in the younger grade.  The district told me that my child would have difficulty in the older years if she were the youngest. That may be true for some kids. However, parents know their kids best. I never thought it was fair that parents have the option to hold their child back a year if they feel that he or she isn't mature enough, but parents can't choose to move their kid ahead if they feel that it's best for their child.