Middle school starts at sixth.
Part of what is making this difficult is that this is the school with the awesome curriculum in his favorite subjects history, science and reading.
This is a post from back at the beginning of school:
"For science they're studying biomes, ecology, food webs, and animal classification. Lots of really interesting projects DS is already excited about. There are built in expansion activities for kids who want to go further in a topic for every lesson.
In history the first semester will cover our state and includes the history of the local tribes. The second semester is civics covering all forms of government - past and present.
They're doing campaigns and elections, mock trials, writing stories, making movies and maps and going on lots of field trips.
.... For example for just part of what they're doing on totalitarianism, they're covering Stalin's rise to power, reading the short story The Composition by Antonio Skarmeta and discussing how life would be different for the characters in the USA and reading and discussing Ray Bradbury's The Pedestrian. It is a mix of past, present, and a dystopian future."
DH wants him to stay at the Montessori. His main points are: 1) awesome curriculum, and 2) good relationship with staff. He points out DS has many same age friends outside of school already and a very busy social calendar of sleepovers and parties. He thinks DS's gifted needs are met best at this school and that we can deal with middle school when it is time for middle school. And that if he needs to work more on writing with his iPad (which he isn't convinced of), he could do it at the Montessori where there's a 5:1 student teacher ratio.
I am interested in him trying public school. My main points are: 1) He doesn't want to be at the Montessori with the girls and younger boys which is understandable, 2) the public school has professionals that could help with the his LDs, 3) we'd start getting accommodations in place at an easier age so they'd grow with him rather than trying to figure it out in middle school when he might be resistant and implementation might be more difficult. I think we could after school the gifted side.
