Aloha...KINDERGARTEN!!!
Officially the last day of July and almost officially the first day of school!! Kindergarten to be exact. I am still having a bit of a time wrapping my brain around the fact that this girl of ours starts Kindergarten tomorrow. She's so excited.
A lot of people ask about the education system here. I've only dealt with Preschool and now prepping for K so...I am definitely not the most experienced parent to ask. But here's our situation...
We live in Waikoloa Village, which has its own elementary and middle school. For the past year, we've been driving to Preschool in a town called Waimea, which is about a 25 minute drive away. That means an hour commute in the morning and another hour in the afternoons. I got quite used to it and actually love the scenic drive. But, it is lengthy and costly between gas and fees for school. As we were rounding out the end of our PreK days, we thought very seriously about the next step and how it would affect our family. Many of C's fellow class mates will be attending private school (there are 3 options in Waimea) for elementary school. They are all excellent with great reputations. On the flip side, we've heard really good things about the elementary school here, in the Village, and decided to start out on this route. Yes, it's a public school on an island where public schools don't have the best ratings. But, it is a short walk from our home and in the community we live in...which also means connecting with more families who live directly around us. And again, we've heard great feedback. It also allows us to save a good chunk of money by not paying for private or having to make the long drive. We plan on saving that money into a travel account, which we always feel is a huge part of educating our whole family. So, there you have it. Public school it is. And it starts TOMORROW!!