More like last week at MOPS at this point!
Been one of those weeks when I wish I had a few extra arms or a stunt double... just for a few hours!
Our speaker was Tamani Anderson Powell, director of Marketing and Communications for Wake County Public Schools, and she spoke on WCPSS' magnet programs and kindergarten registration.
As a momma of a rising kindergartener, I found it very helpful and hope this post will help for those who were not able to come!
Rising kindergarten parents need to go to your base school to register starting January 15, 2015.
Go here to find out your base: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/student-assignment/
All registration forms for kindergarten can be found here: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/kindergarten/
It's easier to fill them out beforehand, especially if you're juggling kids with you when you go!
You need to bring proof of residence when you go (utility bill, etc) from within 30 days.
You
can contact the school ahead of time to find out when exactly the
specific school will start registering as some wait until after current
students arrive.
If you are happy with your school assignment, no action
is required after you register.
If you wish to apply for a change in this assignment, you
must participate in an application process.
If you would like to transfer to another school, including a school with a different calendar, request a calendar change online from February 20-26, 2015. Selection is based on seat availability.
What is taught in all WCPSS schools is the same; what makes Magnet Schools different is how that curriculum is delivered. Request a magnet school from January 26 - February 5, 2015.
With both of these transfer options, you MUST have registered at your child's base first as you will need their ID number.
There are 3 new elementary magnets this year:
Jefferey's Grove - Spanish immersion (not all K classes and beginning with just K this year)
Stough - Mandarin Chinese immersion (not all K classes and beginning with just K this year)
Hodge Road - Dual Language Spanish
Broughton High School and Daniels Middle School will be remagnetized.
All magnet elementary schools are on traditional calender except for Partnership that is on a modified year round calendar.
The biggest thing I took away from the meeting is the no decline option. Once a student is selected for a school that school becomes their assigned school. To attend a different school or return to the base, they must apply during the early or final transfer rounds.
WCPSS offers transportation for all base schools. Some magnets also offer transportation. When you look up your base schools it will tell you if you're eligible for this next to the magnet school name. This could be neighborhood transportation ("normal") or express busing (meet the bus at a satellite location).
Click on the documents Tamani passed out to enlarge for easier reading.
Note in the dates below that the large magnet fair has already happened but there are 2 mini-fairs for rising K families on December 2nd and 9th.
The document below shows the feeder patterns for magnets from elementary to middle to high.
There was one other document she passed out that she did not e-mail me.
It was descriptions of all the different magnet times but you will find all this information at their site:
http://www.wcpss.net/what-we-teach/programs/magnet/
To find out more information about schools, look up individual scores here:
http://www.wcpss.net/school-directory/
Once at the school's page, click on "test results."
Tamani
gave a word of caution as to narrative comments on websites such as
GreatSchools.net. The test results are accurate but keep in mind the
narratives are written by parents and may not necessarily reflect the
entire school.
Contact Information for Tamani & Other Links
919.431.7349 (office)
tanderson-powell@wcpss.net
www.wcpss.net/magnet
https://twitter.com/wcpssmagnets
www.facebook.com/WCPSSMagnetPrograms
A few other notes...
Our Yankee Candle fundraiser is about to wrap up.
All forms and money must be turned in at our next meeting on November 11th.
http://crossroadsraleighmops.blogspot.com/2014/10/yankee-candle-fundraiser.html
We
will have a special raffle at our December meeting! You can "earn"
entries into the raffle by
inviting friends to MOPS: one entry for a friend visiting and 4
additional entries into the raffle if that mom
registers for MOPS and pays her dues. It doesn't have to just be a
friend; it could be moms you meet at the park, library, or anywhere!
If you haven't done so already, please pay your dues. There is a $24.95 MOPS International fee, and
local dues are collected in the fall and the spring ($50 each) to
cover child care, craft and other expenses. You can pay online with a card at
http://crossroads.org/mops (click "Register") as well as with exact cash or check made out to Crossroads MOPS at our next meeting.
Please don't let finances get in the way of joining something incredible. We have scholarships readily available. Please email here for more information.
Many
thanks to Sarah
Rose with Discovery Toys for sponsoring our meeting. These are high quality educational toys for
children of all ages. This is a great time to get some Christmas and
Birthday gifts - or to check them out as suggestions for the
grandparents!
She is also happy to book shows for anyone who is interested.
dtwithsarah@gmail.com
Our speaker for the next meeting is Shannon Foster Bradley.
She is a photographer and member of Crossroads who will be giving some pointers about photographing our families.
http://www.shannonbradleyphotography.com/
The small group leaders decorated the tables beautifully! 
Sherry
French, one of our own MOPS moms, shared her testimony with
us. Sherry has 7 children and 4 grandchildren. Two of her children were adopted from Uganda. She challenged us to pray for God to sustain, guide, and direct us.
