Safra-Knit

I know that I owe a post about our move, but other things are popping up left and right. Seeing that our Big Girl is turning six this month, we have been thrust into the selection process for first grade. You would think, she is only six–what kind of process could their be? Well, this is the advantage and dis-advantage of being in Israel. If we were still in Milwaukee, there would be fewer options (on second thought, that isn’t true–but the options would be less appealing.) but the process here isn’t so easy.

Here are the choices:
1. Religious Public School, mixed sex, average of 35 children per class, 3 first grade classes, located in our neighborhood.
2. Religious Semi-Public School, separate sex, 25 children per class, only one first grade class, located 3 blocks from neighborhood school–kids from all over city, only been in existence as girl’s school for 4 years (boys is much older).
3. Religious Semi-Public Girls School, about 25 children per class, not near our home–transportation issues.
4. Religious Semi-Public School, boys & girls not allowed to look at each other, parents must follow dress code….

Obviously there are more things about each school, and it has come down to #1 and #2.

The issue with #2 was the three hour interview. Well, actually I didn’t know it was happening, so I don’t know what to say. Two days before their open house, I happened to talk to a mother who has a child at that school, and she told me that Tuesday was the open house…be there at 4:30 with your child and a passport picture. The big girl and I went straight from childcare to the meeting in the pouring rain. The parents went downstairs to listen to the Principal and Assistant Principal speak, and the girls were herded upstairs. At 7:15 when she finished, I found out that they had been having “testing”–math, art, music etc… She had a good time, but since there were more than 50 girls going for 25 spots–and siblings are guaranteed a place, I didn’t expect any miracles.

But yes, you can guess the ending—this week we received a letter from school #2 saying that in the next week we need to go to the school and sign up for automatic withdrawal of funds if we want to send our daughter to this school.

I’m proud that the big girl is smart enough to get in, and I think it will be a good place for her, but there are still some issues….what is she loosing out by not being in the neighborhood school? will her friends live too far away? many of her current classmates will be at the neighborhood school–how much work will we be doing to maintain those friendships?

Just a note: we did check out the neighborhood school, and it does look good. I wouldn’t have felt bad sending her there, but it is nice to have the opportunity to send her to a smaller school.