School troubles....and it hasn't even started yet!

(I apologize for the long post...I had to get it all out! LOL!)

I haven't been looking forward to this coming school year. Both my little ones will be gone...Blake for the morning in preschool and Morgan will be in full day kindergarten. Nonetheless, they were both signed up for this school year in the Spring. Blake was easy to sign up(with the exception of the hand cramp from the paperwork-lol), but Morgan we went to the elementary school for her kindergarten round-up, then went back a couple weeks later for testing. At that point the principal asked if I wanted her with her teacher in the morning or afternoon. I told her she was definitely a morning person, since she usually got me up in the morning, and I felt she'd learn better in the mornings. (The kids are with a paraprofessional the other half of the day.)

After all the registration stuff, we were pretty much set until school started in the fall. We've went about our summer like usual. I've picked up the boatload of school supplies and they're ready and waiting for the first day. In the meantime, the schools have been going through renovations. Last year the kindergarten teachers were in the elementary school, while the paraprofessionals were in the school with the preschool classes, but all the kindergarten will be with the preschool this year. They also added bathrooms to all the classrooms and made some other changes for security reasons. (Not that our little town needs them...apparently it's due to regulations at the state level.)

So, last week we went to see the class lists posted to see what teacher Morgan will have. Turns out we were a day early, but there were people at the school and they let us know anyway. Morgan has our Pastor's wife for her teacher, who she has already had some contact with in school being that she was the young 5's teacher last year and Morgan's preschool class did activities with the young 5's. The paraprofessional she will have was Rich and my favorite of the two we met, so that was cool too. BUT, they put her in the afternoon with the teacher...the opposite of what I asked for. We found out there would be an Open House the following week (suppose to be yesterday), so I figured I'd just ask if she could be switched at that point.

Well, turns out that the Open House was cancelled, because the contractors weren't done in the school yet, and they couldn't allow the public in until after the final inspection. Luckily the school called to tell me the Open House was cancelled and I asked if she could be switched to the morning class while I was on the phone and the secretary said she'd make a note of it. I was still bummed about the Open House, though. My mom always took me to meet my teacher and see my classroom before school started, so I'd be more at ease the first day, and Morgan won't have that opportunity this year.

In the meantime, I realized I didn't know what the bus schedule was. I planned on taking both kids to school in the morning (since they're still little and would be going to the same school), but I thought I'd let them both ride the buses home at the times they got out. I'd been through the preschool thing before and knew the teachers would let me know Blake's bus schedule, but Morgan's I had no clue how to find it. Turns out it was posted online and they had her riding the bus for 1-1/2 hours and she wouldn't be home until 5:05pm!!! Not acceptable for a 5 year old in her mom's eyes ;-) So, I called the bus garage yesterday to ask about that and the fact that they had the bus going to another elementary school altogether in a whole different town. I had figured she must switch buses somewhere to go to her school, but NO! They had her going to another school!!! Not only that, but no buses from the school she is going to (all the same district) were going by our house, so I was going to have to pick her up from school as well. *sigh*

So, since I was trying to get everything settled yesterday, I also called the school and asked if the secretary had the chance to talk to the principal about changing Morgan into the morning class...plus told the ordeal about the busing problem. She then asked where we live and went on to tell me that Morgan was actually suppose to go to the other school! WHAT?! We live 2.5 miles from the school we THOUGHT and PLANNED for her to go to AND registered her at and the other school is 5 miles away...totally different zip code, different town, etc....didn't make sense, so we never would have thought otherwise. And even after filling out our address a million times during kindergarten round-up we were never told otherwise!

Rich and I are at a loss...I'll be driving the kids to school and picking Morgan up. (Blake's program has a bus that drops him off at home.) It'll cost me about $10 a week in gas, which will be close to $400 over the school year. (And I thought spending $20-$25 in school supplies was a lot! LOL!) Morgan will be going to the school she is currently registered, but what happens next year? Will they never have a bus from her school go by our house and will I always have to drive her if I want her to go to that school? Or am I going to have to have her switch schools next year, make her leave new friends, etc? We want her in the school she is in, but if they can't bus her (and Blake) to and from there to home, then she'll have to switch schools....I won't be able to drive them all the time if I go back to work....

There is a bright side for this year at least. Despite all the problems, the secretary did get Morgan switched into the morning class for me. She'll have a teacher that I know shares the same values (and beliefs) as us and have a super sweet para-pro in the afternoon. We already LOVE Blake's teachers (the ones Morgan had last year), so that was never an issue. Plus, I guess I won't have to worry about any influences from the older kids on the bus, which is a bonus! :-)