{Angie, I hope this answers your question & thanks for asking!!!}
{Sofia, Ian, Gabi}
I will admit, since we had PK3 & PK4, we had an opportunity to experiment.
Let me go in to it a bit for ya!
For PK3, there were only 2 classes.
We didn't have much of a choice how they were place, only who would be together,
and who would be alone which is a pretty big deal since triplets have a certain dynamic.
Sofia, at the time, seemed to be the most "independent".
We lovingly refer to Sofi as the "only child" because I have a feeling
she would absolutely LOVE to be alone more than to be with her siblings.
This made our decision easy.
Sofia would have her own teacher.
That put Gabi (our best communicator) with Ian (our speech therapy boy).
The cards fell perfectly the first time out of the gate.
And it went smoothly until mid-year.
Sofia so badly wanted to be with her siblings
But we didn't switch her.
The year finished out.
Everyone seemed to thrive.
{Gabi, Sofi, Ian}
We originally were going to put all 3 in the same class since Sofi wanted to mid-year.
But we had a great opportunity for Gabi to join the Bridge class (advanced PK4).
Of course, we ran with it & quickly decided to separate them all.
Sofi was placed w/ the same teacher as the year before which was great.
Ian got a new teacher, as did Gabi.
They absolutely LOVED being apart.
It worked really well...until it was time for class parties.
Then the crazy triplet momma was in for a huge mess.
Unfortunately, the bad about separating them is that you don't get to be with them the whole time.
I would literally run between the 3 classes. Never spending too much time in one class.
It sucked because I felt they were losing out on Mommy/Daddy time.
That was the downfall.
It also spurred discussions between the hubs & I about how we were going to place them in Kinder.
We automatically thought all together.
One, to ease our pain.
Two, to ease our pain.
Three...well, you get the picture.
I mean, in a perfect world, separate would be best.
But our first year in public school, we wanted a smooth transition.
One teacher, 3 kids.
That meant only having to communicate with 1 person.
One class for parties.
One set of rules to teach the kids.
Homework assignments being the same.
We were set.
So it was decided.
I called the school to make an appointment with the AP for Kinder.
In Texas, parents of multiples have the law on their side.
You get to decide placement and they have to comply.
Period.
But then I really started to think about it.
We didn't even bother to ask the kids.
How could we not ask the kids?
I mean, they have a valid opinion.
So I sat down with them.
And the truth came out.
Gabi said, "Mommy I want to be alone. I don't want my brother and sister telling me what to do in class and interrupting my learning!"
How could we say no to that?
Sofi and Ian were happy to stay together.
Game plan change.
{Gabi, Sofi, Ian}
Meeting with Mr. P was amazing.He heard our concerns and answered all our questions.
We decided partner teachers and a 2/1 split.
Everyone walked out happy.
I was comforted.
Hubs was content.
And that is how we started off the year.
This doesn't mean we won't do something different next year although I have a feeling Gabi will continue to want to be alone in class.
As their kinder year comes to a close in May, we will revisit this discussion.
Until then, I am so excited for my babies & their future!
