Midyear Transfer into OUSD
Hello all,
I wanted to ask if anybody here might have gone through a midyear school transfer. We've been trying to keep our daughter in the Montessori system through kindergarten and then switch to the OUSD at 1st grade. Unfortunately, after some unexpected unemployment issues, we are facing the need to move her to a public school here in October or November. Is it likely we would get assigned to our local school? Are we going to struggle just trying to get her into something less desirable (non-judgmental, but we all just want the best for our kids, right)? Are there any other admission issues specific to the midyear change that I should know about? I went to ask questions at the main OUSD admissions office, but they couldn't tell me anything until I have a withdrawal slip from her current school in hand.
Thank you very much for any light you might be able to shed on the process here.
Parent Replies
You should know that Oakland has a public Montessori: Urban Montessori Charter School. It's not a private Montessori-- there are kids of all backgrounds, some new to Montessori-- so be aware it isn't a small, coddled environment and there are challenges like any public school in Oakland. But we're doing Montessori in the public sector! Check us out.
www.urbanmontessori.org
It all depends on what your neighborhood school is. Some schools will absolutely not have space for a kindergartner at this time of year, while others certainly will. I personally don't think kids need "the best" and can thrive in schools that are merely good enough. If you want only "the best" in Oakland, you can't get it midyear for kindergarten. But if you remain open-minded you might just be very pleasantly surprised at what Oakland has to offer.
OUSD momx3