You can never start planning early enough for that special time when your first child is about to enter Kindergarten. Two years before my son was due to start Kindergarten, I toured four schools. It was helpful to find out early what my options were and to spend a year observing my kid and solidifying in my mind what place fit him the best.
Morning tours are great because you can see the kids in the class; however, I find that visiting a school during a school event like an Open House can be hugely beneficial too. To be able to see other families and their kids is a great way to be introduced to the community. For example, my friend was impressed after visiting B.F. Day for their Science Fair. Kids showing off their science projects was way more telling than an average tour.
Even if you know what choice you are going to make, it never hurts to tour the other schools in the community too. Having a backup option never hurts if the school turns out to be a bad fit.
I’ve gathered all of the following information from online websites, so you might want to independently verify the tour times. Some tours also request reservations. Feel free to comment additional dates and I will update the post.
Wednesday, December 13th at 9:00 a.m.
Thursday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m. (Open House)
Wednesday, February 7 at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, February 9 at 5:30 p.m.
John Stanford International School
Wednesday, January 31 at 9:10 a.m.
Wednesday, January 31 at 5:30 p.m.
Monday, January 8th at 8:05 a.m.
Monday, January 8th at 6:30 p.m.
Friday, January 12th at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, February 9th at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, March 9th at 9:00 a.m.
Update
Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00-11:15 am. (Final tour is Tuesday, January 9th.)
Hi: I am the development director at St. Benedict Catholic School in Wallingford. Thanks for including the school tour info on the Wallyhood Blog– much appreciated! We have been operating in Wallingford for over 108 years and look forward to showing what we have to offer! Feel free to check out our website at http://www.stbens.net or contact me directly at [email protected] to sign up for a tour or ask any questions!
I suggest looking at previous threads and articles on Wallyhood. There are such different cultures in these schools from others in same area. JSIS & McDonald have language immersion programs which mean children have one teacher 1/2 of day and another the second half. This is not always ideal for some children. The language immersion programs are not ideal for all kids either.
Greenwood, West Woodland, Bagley and Meridian School are all nearby and are possible alternatives.
Northwest Montessori in Fremont is having an open house on Saturday, January 6 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM.
Thank you for adding The Meridian School on the list. If you reach further.. Kapka is an alternative. Further .. whittier, Adams & Salmon Bay.
When is tour night for School of Bike? A tragic accident left our grandson unable to pop sweet 180 nose pivots from the waist down.