Beacon Park Elementary School

rickr

New member
Looking for community opinion on Beacon Park Elementary School. We moved into PP this past summer and our son started going to Beacon Park. Previously he was in Woodbury Elementary and Stongegate prior to that.

Our experience has been up and down so far this year. Understand this is Beacon's first year and there are challenges that they need to get through.

Not looking to bash the school, there are some positive points to it. Just does not compare to our previous experiences to the other Irvine schools.

 
what were the main positives with Woodbury and Stonegate that you haven't yet seen with BP?  My guess is that they'll eventually get their act together. 
 
same here, from friends that have their kids go there, they seem to like it

WB has year round going for them that no other in the area has
 
Curriculum has not been as difficult. Last year seemed much more challenging for my son. Also class has a lot of behaviorally challenging kids. Might just be the teacher and being able to get the class under control.

Again, not trying to bash, just gauging what others think and giving the school the benefit of the doubt.

Woodbury and Stonegate just seemed to be more organized and on the ball.
 
Extremely nice staff. Definitly not as organized and the the cluster of kids don't compare to the academically stronger groups we've seen on other campuses. There are lots of kids with IEPs and behavioral issues. They definitly are in a "growing" phase as more homes get sold and new families move in.
 
oh man I'm currently in this position so I'm glad you started up this thread.

I'm hearing a lot of mixed things too - some very positive (eg staffs are friendly, facilities are nice)

while also hearing mixed stuff, particularly regarding curriculum so that isn't isolated or a singular opinion. can you confirm that your son currently doesn't have homework? (I personally don't care for homework, just confirming what another person told my wife).

I think some of the more mixed/negative stuff may be personal/subjective in nature too, kids that have IEP that may not be getting the attention or need that they deserve. The constant changing classroom (new students coming in/out), constant construction (I think they're adding some covered parking shades?).

My daughter will be attending kindergarten later this fall - but she's already a year or two ahead in terms of academics so she's going to be bored out of her mind - which isn't a big deal per se, but after attending orientation night I wasn't exactly impressed either. The staff seemed nice enough, but I came away with a feeling that they're setting expectations fairly low.

We moved to Irvine for the schools and I'm fully aware and realistic in transition period for any new facility/schools - but perhaps our expectations were a bit higher, or we're comparing unfairly Le Port's private school vs. Irvine's public school.
 
capboba said:
We moved to Irvine for the schools and I'm fully aware and realistic in transition period for any new facility/schools - but perhaps our expectations were a bit higher, or we're comparing unfairly Le Port's private school vs. Irvine's public school.

You can commiserate with RandomG:http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,15289.msg308210.html#msg308210

But as R2D points out, it doesn't matter how far ahead your kid is at LePort, because when she gets to public school, she'll be stuck at the same grade level as everyone else.
 
capboba said:
Can you confirm that your son currently doesn't have homework? (I personally don't care for homework, just confirming what another person told my wife).

Let me put it this way, last year in Woodbury, my son would be working on his homework until 9-10pm every night and barely able to complete his assignments. He was also mandated to read a significant amount of books throughout the year. His teacher was pretty demanding though. Maybe more so than other teachers at the school. We also had to stay on top of it and make sure everything was getting completed and he was keeping up.

This year, I have yet to come home from work and see him still working on homework. I  constantly ask my wife "He is done already???" We are also completely hands off this year. We are not monitoring his homework and letting him be more responsible. He is getting very good grades so I can't say he is not doing his work.  Just not sure he is learning and progressing as much comparing to the challenging environment he was in years past.

Son loves it because he is done quick and can enjoy his downtime. We need to hide his IPAD from him. :)
 
WTTCHMN said:
capboba said:
We moved to Irvine for the schools and I'm fully aware and realistic in transition period for any new facility/schools - but perhaps our expectations were a bit higher, or we're comparing unfairly Le Port's private school vs. Irvine's public school.

You can commiserate with RandomG:http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,15289.msg308210.html#msg308210

But as R2D points out, it doesn't matter how far ahead your kid is at LePort, because when she gets to public school, she'll be stuck at the same grade level as everyone else.

I agree and its why we're considering going the full K-8 at LePort. But I think missing out on a regular public school, particularly the social aspect (neighborhood kids/friends) is not exactly healthy too.

Thanks for the other thread. I think maybe I need to set proper expectations for 1st-6th grade as well.
 
rickr said:
capboba said:
Can you confirm that your son currently doesn't have homework? (I personally don't care for homework, just confirming what another person told my wife).

Let me put it this way, last year in Woodbury, my son would be working on his homework until 9-10pm every night and barely able to complete his assignments. He was also mandated to read a significant amount of books throughout the year. His teacher was pretty demanding though. Maybe more so than other teachers at the school. We also had to stay on top of it and make sure everything was getting completed and he was keeping up.

This year, I have yet to come home from work and see him still working on homework. I  constantly ask my wife "He is done already???" We are also completely hands off this year. We are not monitoring his homework and letting him be more responsible. He is getting very good grades so I can't say he is not doing his work.  Just not sure he is learning and progressing as much comparing to the challenging environment he was in years past.

Son loves it because he is done quick and can enjoy his downtime. We need to hide his IPAD from him. :)

Thanks for reply.

its probably personal in nature but I'd much rather my kid not have to deal with homework till the late hours, being challenged or not. There's probably a balance somewhere between being stuffed with work and having too little work.
 
So I was at the PP pool this weekend talking to a friend about Beacon Elementary. Told him my thoughts about BP not giving any homework and my assessment of the school.

Had another parent who has a 3rd grader approach us and join in on the conversation. He said he was relived that he is not alone in his amazement that his daughter has zero homework every night. He has complained to the administration but has gotten no traction. His daughter was at Stonegate last year and it was night and day.

My friend called it out as IP conspiracy to bring down five point. Ha!

I tend to agree

 
I would love a no homework school. :)

Do most of you guys like to do work at home after you're done with your job for the day?

I know many of you may work even after work... and all I have to say is to enjoy the 99%er life!!
 
HOME-WORK! HOME-WORK!

You see, I'm a stay at home mom, so when my kids get home from school, I pounce on them! Homework, anyone? Please tell me you have some homework for me today! But, alas, nothing!

A little exaggerated, but minimal amount of homework. (Funny example, in 2nd grade they get a spelling list of 10 words, once a month. There is a test at the end of each month. Once a month! Why even bother!) Which for the lower grades, I am learning to deal with, but for my 6th grade son, it kills me to see him waste his afternoon. So I do end up assigning extra-work, and that's how I've earned the title of the meanest mom on earth!!
I think I read somewhere that homework in grade 6 should take about 60 minutes or so every day. That would be reasonable, imo. They'd still get a few hours of doing other stuff. I'd say on average my son's HW takes 10 min/day.
 
RandomG said:
HOME-WORK! HOME-WORK!

You see, I'm a stay at home mom, so when my kids get home from school, I pounce on them! Homework, anyone? Please tell me you have some homework for me today! But, alas, nothing!

A little exaggerated, but minimal amount of homework. (Funny example, in 2nd grade they get a spelling list of 10 words, once a month. There is a test at the end of each month. Once a month! Why even bother!) Which for the lower grades, I am learning to deal with, but for my 6th grade son, it kills me to see him waste his afternoon. So I do end up assigning extra-work, and that's how I've earned the title of the meanest mom on earth!!
I think I read somewhere that homework in grade 6 should take about 60 minutes or so every day. That would be reasonable, imo. They'd still get a few hours of doing other stuff. I'd say on average my son's HW takes 10 min/day.

Never Mind the Students; Homework Divides Parents

At some New York public schools, worksheets are out, passion projects are in, but some say the push against homework favors families with money and time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/nyregion/homework-ban-new-york-city-schools.html
 
I'm okay with 60 minutes of HW on average (starting around 5th or 6th grade). Before that, I think a little less is good and I'm a believer in allowing kids time to do various activities, etc...cause those things help them develop other important skills.  The stories I hear of people with kids in 4th or 5th grade and their kids regularly have 2+ hours of homework a night is just a little ridiculous to me. 
 
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