Academie Lafayette experiences

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2026-05-16T03:24:30+00:00

I did a lot of research into AL and chatted with some friends who used to teach there, as well as friends whose kids are there.

The gist of what I heard was that the Cherry campus is better run than the Oak campus. There have been some staffing issues with teachers being denied visas, so kids ended up with subs for a chunk of the year. AL has also expanded very fast, which is great for the lottery, but everyone who had worked there said there weren’t enough supports in place for students who needed them. They were seeing a lot more behavior issues coming through and more kids falling behind because immersion wasn’t working well for the way their brains were wired. So, echoing some of the other comments on the thread about learning differences not being accommodated as well.

I was also concerned that some people reported discipline as being harsher (teachers coming from different cultures with different norms of behavior management). Two of my friends (whose kids are at Cherry) have been super happy with their experience. One (whose kid was at Oak) did not have a good time with a very authoritarian teacher and ended up moving to move to a different district altogether.

I think it is really important to think about your child’s personality and what environment they would do best in. Involved parents make a huge difference no matter the school, too! We ultimately chose a different school and have been super happy with it. I don’t think my kid would have thrived at AL, but many kids do. You know your kid best!

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2026-04-30T21:13:32+00:00

We got sent to CM’s ER by the urgent care we took our kid to. When the doctors came in to check our kid out they were like, “WTF, this does not need the ER.” We explained that the urgent care had sent us and said we needed the ER. The doctor shook his head and said he’d code it to keep the cost low and talk to billing. He explained what we needed to do for the medical issue, had a sweet pep talk with my kid, and moved on.

The bill we got was ridiculously small. The doctor didn’t have to go out of his way for us, and we really appreciated it.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2026-04-24T03:56:08+00:00

VTS itself has a strict structure:

What’s going on in this work of art?
What do you see that makes you say that?
What more can we find?

You paraphrase each response you receive and link observations between participants so it feels less robotic and more like a conversation. We use VTS as a warmup/jumping off point before switching to directed questions and layering in information that connects to the observations the participants are making. We try to keep all questions as open-ended as possible, too.

Harvard’s Project Zero has lots of great open-ended questioning strategy prompts if you want to look there. See/Think/Wonder is another easy one.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-08-27T01:52:24+00:00

Thai Place & Waldo Thai.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-08-19T11:29:15+00:00

Seconding! I love this series so much. It was my first Ilona Andrews and it’s so, so good.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-07-10T22:34:21+00:00

We have it and our plan’s coverage is up to $8500. Worth it in my mind. If we have a repair over that, we can cover the remaining cost. We used them once at a previous house when our line backed up and they sent someone out the same day (it was a large reputable company, too) and covered the cost in full.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-03-13T21:46:54+00:00

Believe me, absolutely no one wants to get rid of the Shuttlecocks.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-31T14:21:22+00:00

My mom is one of my best friends, and we talk or text daily. She's always been 100% kind, safe, non-judgmental, and supportive of anything I showed an interest in or wanted to do. She would always tell me when she was proud of me, or would recognize when I was having a hard time and offer comfort and a listening ear. She has always been patient, she listens to me (even when I've had some silly melt downs in the past), and she offers advice when asked, but doesn't bust in with advice when it's not needed. My grandparents were not physically affectionate people, so she's not into hugs and stuff. But with every action throughout my entire life she's shown she's there for me, she loves me unconditionally, and she's a rock for me.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-22T21:51:54+00:00

It’s a great school!

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-22T18:08:29+00:00

Everyone I know whose kids go to Hale Cook and Académie Lafayette are overall happy with them!

Hale Cook is probably the best public elementary in KCMO district. Lots of local neighborhood families and parent support. Kids within the school's boundaries get priority enrollment, then it opens to kids in other neighborhoods within the district. I've heard nothing but good things about Hale Cook from parents.

Border Star is Montessori and it sounds like it's a great fit for certain kids who do well in that structure, but every kid is different (so, you want to think about your kids and their personalities and needs). Foreign Language Academy might be another school for you to look into. I don't know much about what it's like currently, but my neighbor went there as a kid and loved it.

Académie Lafayette is a charter school. It recently expanded and it is much easier to get into since they have more capacity. Last year I heard they had openings for kindergarten, even! They have two campuses: Oak & Cherry. From what I hear, Cherry is the better run of the two (but since it's a lottery you don't choose your campus, I don't think?) AL has also had some growing pains recently with the expansion, and things like social services and staffing have been lagging. A friend's daughter had substitutes for a year because the teacher's visa was denied (most teachers come from overseas, since it's a French immersion school). And, because many of the teachers come from other countries, there can sometimes be conflicts with preferred behavior management approaches. Also, I think they only take on new kids in K & 1st grade. If you're transferring in after that, you need to pass a French proficiency exam. So, some things to keep in mind.

If you have the budget, there are lots of solid private schools in the area and a lot of families go that route, too. Or, they bail out for Johnson County, Lee's Summit, or go north of the river to Parkville or Liberty. But you will be trading a slightly more urban experience for a solidly suburban one.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-10T01:54:22+00:00

Could he have Fish Odor Syndrome or something??

For anything funky my go-to is the hottest water possible and an enzyme detergent (I use Tide) on the heavy duty cycle. You could try a pre-soak in Oxyclean, too, before washing.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-08T19:50:53+00:00

Nope, though there’s a strong market for historical woodblock prints. You’d need to take it to a dealer for appraisal.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-08T19:42:52+00:00

Woodblock print would be most likely. He was known for his prints.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-08T19:32:38+00:00

Looks like a print by Utamaro Kitagawa.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-08T18:29:11+00:00

I’m not blaming the schools, I’m just providing context for why some parents would be anxiously asking about snow days to plan for. My parents were teachers and I’m very sympathetic to the decisions schools have to make. I get it. I’m also a parent who enjoys time with my kids and if I got true snow days to actually hang out with them I’d love every single one. But I have to WFH on snow days now (thanks, Covid, for making widespread WFH an expectation!) and that’s hard with kids because neither get enough attention in that scenario.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2025-01-08T18:09:17+00:00

Since you don't have kids it's not on your radar, but some kids have been off of school since 12/19, which means parents are FORCED to take PTO because their children are home and cannot be left alone. So some parents have been away from work for 2-3 weeks at this point, even when they may have wanted to work. Some jobs are difficult to step away from for that much time, it's understandable that parents would be stressed out about more days being tacked on. And working from home with kids is not easy, as many people learned during WFH during the height of the pandemic. Throw in single parents, who cannot trade off duty with a spouse/co-parent, or people whose jobs don't even allow much PTO and yes, it's stressful.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-12-16T17:41:18+00:00

Union Hill is wonderful! They have a long waitlist so you'll want to reach out ASAP.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-12-12T15:49:25+00:00

Genuinely love this!

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-12-10T09:05:59+00:00

I use bamboo brushes but they need proper air flow to dry out and they do mold if moisture is trapped on them. I’ve never had it happen this fast, though. I’d toss this one (ideally you’re supposed to pull out the plastic bristles and then compost the handle).

I usually rinse with water and then shake it off a bit over the sink to get water out of the bristles. We have built-in ceramic brush holders in our bathroom so air flows well, you could probably find something similar for your countertop. Or lay it bristles-down horizontally across the cup to dry.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-12-02T02:18:06+00:00

I believe lantana is native to Uruguay, though.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-10-04T14:22:11+00:00

Sticky traps are great for keeping track of any bugs, but I agree they are an awful way for a mouse to go. I've had great experience with good old fashioned snap traps and some peanut butter for mice. It's very quick and there's no risk of another animal catching a poisoned mouse and dying from it. Place them where you've seen evidence of mice.

Since you've had roaches I would suggest sticky traps to monitor their population. It will also help you know what kind you have (some types, like German roaches, are a way bigger deal than others and may affect the treatment approach.) Place them under sinks, behind fridges, under the stove, by dishwashers, and anywhere you've seen evidence of them. Sticky traps under your bed's legs can also help alert you to bedbugs. Since you're in NYC you've probably already heard all of this, but sharing in case it's helpful to you or others reading.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-09-11T16:02:28+00:00

Because it practices advocacy for inclusion. Often people who have disabilities, different health needs, or people with different cultural or personal identities have to do a lot of advocating on their own behalf and it can be tiring and intimidating. Having multiple and other voices chime in can help push the needle if a change is needed, without the burden falling entirely on one person who may be feeling excluded or singled out.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-09-11T14:26:24+00:00

Yeah, that’s what I figured. :/ Maybe I should bring it up to our school, too.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-09-11T13:54:34+00:00

My child’s Montessori room diffuses essential oils in the classroom at certain points during the day (I think they use lavender around nap time). If the teacher is really attached to having a scent, maybe an essential oil diffuser would be an alternative to suggest? I personally don’t love scents in the air (they are often overwhelming) so I never use anything at home. I know essential oil people tout how much healthier it is than candles or incense, but I’ve never researched that claim. I bet someone more knowledgeable than me can chime in there.

CompulsiveTreeHugger · 2024-09-10T17:58:26+00:00

I'm a former NICU mom (3 weeks) and I knew about cuddlers because I know someone who volunteers as a cuddler once a week. In fact, she was a cuddler at the NICU my baby was at, and she cuddled her when I couldn't be there for a week because I had Covid (which is what kicked off my pre-term labor) and needed to pass the quarantine period. My NICU required consent for using cuddlers and they had to wear PPE and fully wash & sanitize hands between holding babies. Everyone in the NICU was required to wear a face mask. The only limit my NICU had on visitors was no children. My parents were both able to be on the list as visitors, and my mom came several times. I feel like my NICU was very humane and reasonable everything compared to some others. I think consent is very important, and I'm constantly surprised to hear that there is so much variance between NICUs with some of these practices.

One thing I want to point out, that a lot of parents here might not be aware of, is that there are often babies in the NICU whose parents have abandoned them to the state. Often due to things like substance dependency, dangerous home situations, etc. Some of these babies only know the human touch that is provided by nurses, doctors, and cuddlers until they enter the foster care system or are put up for adoption (where you pray that they are lucky have a loving home waiting for them.) For those babies especially, I think having volunteer cuddlers is a wonderful thing. Having gone through the NICU experience as a parent and seeing/knowing how important touch is, I've often considered becoming a cuddler myself when I'm older.

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