Also, along with the above mentioned CONCERNS, the school has a new Principal this year who allowed the teachers to make up their own curriculum.  This is not unheard of but, all teachers to include first grade, scheduled recess for 15 minutes before school lets out.  How can anyone even justify this?  Isn't recess designed to break up the day and give the kids a break?  Is this happening at other schools?!  When I addressed this concern with the principal, she assured me that the school was well exceeding the required amount of hours for the children to have physical activity per week, and explained that the 1st grade teacher after deliberation decided to also give the class a ten minute recess at the end of lunch.  Note, these children had close to three recess times with the same teacher last year for kindergarten.  As for the other grades, to quote the principal, "they have classes scheduled immediately following lunch so they can not be given a recess at that time."  One big question, who is monitoring the decision process for this school this year and why aren't the children's needs coming first?  Oh, the school does not make the children wash their hands prior to lunch but asks us to send hand sanitizer to use INSTEAD.  What about swine flu my seven year old asked me?  Are they going to take responsibility SOMEHOW if a child falls ill to this and/or even dies?  NO, it will be to late then.  What do you think?