Banning Lewis Ranch

Case has been attending Banning Lewis Ranch full day kindergarten 5 days a week from 8-3:30 for the past 2 weeks.  After the first day of school Case came home and promptly told me 'Ayden was a trouble maker' who talked when the teacher talked and walked slow in the hallway.  He also said, 'Grace was terrible with scissors' and cut off the cut out bears ears and legs.  His honesty and assessment of the situation cracked me up.  After the first day was over, when I asked Case what he learned in class, he said 'don't talk in the hallway.'  Good lesson to learn.

Every day Case comes home with 2 stamps on his hand and tells me which classmates only got 1 stamp.  2 stamps = a good day, 1 stamp = hardship with the rules, 0 stamps = parents need to talk to the teacher.  After a particular trying day resulting in 6 students returning home with 1 stamp, Case told me "I hope Mrs. Gellerman has a better day today because no one was listening yesterday."  Every afternoon during pick up Case says, "best day yet."    

During the day, they have 1 lunch break, 2 snacks, 3 recesses and a 20 minute quiet time.  He attends Spanish, PE, music and art classes throughout the week.  They are drawing tooth fairies in art class, racing in PE and learning the basics in Spanish such as: uno, dos, tres, buenos dias, buenos tardes, buenos noches.  Even though the real curriculum won't start until September, he has already learned 3 different songs about coins (pennies, nickels and quarters) identifying the coins value, size and name.

I have talked to several other mothers with new kindergartners going to different schools and no one has been pleased.  Problems with poor lunch supervision resulting in kids crying because they couldn't get their lunches opened.  No organized pick up system which leads to a 45 minute pick up routine.  Poor implemented security systems where a mother saw a kindergartner leave the classroom and walk outside unattended for at least 10 minutes before the teacher realized the child had left and went to find them.  Blessed, blessed, blessed.  I can not say enough how blessed our family is. I have nothing negative to say about Banning Lewis Ranch thus far.   The teacher seems kind and fair.  She has 3 boys which means she must love the little men.  The school had a quick and efficient drop off and pick up system that doesn't take more than 10 minutes.  The school year has started and it is a success.  I am very grateful.