So what happens to split feeders with the new AAP proposal?

[Anonymous]

Just wondering, were there any talks/discussions or projections about what happens with split feeders, if they are really trying to do the "kids stay in the same pyramid through out till high school"?

Example, Floris elementary students (in Westfield pyramid) go to Carson(in Oakton Pyramid) which is their base middle school. Will this change according to the new plan?

[Anonymous]

We were told at the cluster 6 meetings that they will remain split feeders.

They are only concerned with keeping AAP kids in the same period.

[Anonymous]

Should say same pyramid, not period

[Anonymous]

Yes, I agree that split feeders pose an even greater problem for AAP kids under the proposed plan since you are already talking about a small number of kids, then you cut them in half or in thirds. That is exactly what will happen to Waples Mill and Navy, too. Ironically, it sounds like the Floris situation complements the Waples Mill/ Navy situation nicely because Waples Mill and Navy feed to Franklin, and we would rather have our kids go to Carson since Carson is in the Oakton pyramid (our pyramid). Just one more example of how boundries are ridiculous in the county.

[Anonymous]

I like the proposal, because our base school, which is also our AAP center, pulls AAP kids from completely different pyramids. My DC is making great friends with kids who will go on to thoreau/madison or rocky run AAP/fairfax HS. With the new proposal, AAP kids will go onto to our MS and HS. So, yes, selfishly, I am all for this change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the proposal, because our base school, which is also our AAP center, pulls AAP kids from completely different pyramids. My DC is making great friends with kids who will go on to thoreau/madison or rocky run AAP/fairfax HS. With the new proposal, AAP kids will go onto to our MS and HS. So, yes, selfishly, I am all for this change.

I don't understand this fixation on keeping friends together. So what happens after HS? They all go to the same College (if they even can)? Don't you have to draw a line somewhere? So what's wrong with drawing it earlier? Why not expose them to change now so they can better adjust to the major changes you know life will throw at them? Our kids are a lot more resilient than we parents give them credit for.

[Anonymous]

And why do the AAP centers get this benefit verses the general ed students? Even more, how in the world does this do anything to help minorities?

[Anonymous]

I'm still confused. Can I give a concrete example: Vienna ES is in the Madison "pyramid," but it splits as between Thoreau/Madison and Kilmer/Marshall. Would an kid zoned for Kilmer/Marshall now go to MS AAP at Thoreau, because Thoreau is in the Madison pyramid, or would he/she continue to go to Kilmer?

[Anonymous]

The child zoned for Kilmer would go to Kilmer. FCPS is trying to say that they are keeping pyramids together, but they are not. In our case, our base MS is not only in a different HS pyramid, but it is in a different cluster. Our AAP MS is in our HS pyramid. So, by taking away our AAP center, FCPS is forcing our kids out of our pyramid and out of our cluster.

It is a ridiculous pretense to hide behind for FCPS to say that they are doing this to keep kids in their pyramids, or to "maintain continuity of services in pyramids" which is what it said on the PPT slides at Tuesday's meeting.

[Anonymous]

Split feeders are a nightmare and many parents are quiety angry about this. Their DC makes friends in 3rd -6th grades. Very close knit families and groups of friends. In 6th grade they say good-bye to all their AAP freinds who then go to different MS, different high schools. We have attended three different schools in the 6 years we have lived here. And the DCs friends are all over the map. We live in Vienna. The split is base school to center school, split for MS, split again for HS. Madison/Marshall cluster (Kilmer MS, AAP center for half of Vienna). Some kids are going to Oakton, Fall Church, Madison also (from Jackson MS, AAP center for the other half of Vienna) I think the system should be changed.

[Anonymous]

Would kids who are slated for Lemon Road/Longfellow/McLean be able to attend the center at Lemon Road, or would they be excluded from their base school AAP center and sent to Haycock?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Split feeders are a nightmare and many parents are quiety angry about this. Their DC makes friends in 3rd -6th grades. Very close knit families and groups of friends. In 6th grade they say good-bye to all their AAP freinds who then go to different MS, different high schools. We have attended three different schools in the 6 years we have lived here. And the DCs friends are all over the map. We live in Vienna. The split is base school to center school, split for MS, split again for HS. Madison/Marshall cluster (Kilmer MS, AAP center for half of Vienna). Some kids are going to Oakton, Fall Church, Madison also (from Jackson MS, AAP center for the other half of Vienna) I think the system should be changed.

Split feeders are not an AAP-only issue.

Split feeders are for the most part a gen ed issue. They affect far more gen ed students than they do AAP students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the proposal, because our base school, which is also our AAP center, pulls AAP kids from completely different pyramids. My DC is making great friends with kids who will go on to thoreau/madison or rocky run AAP/fairfax HS. With the new proposal, AAP kids will go onto to our MS and HS. So, yes, selfishly, I am all for this change.

I don't understand this fixation on keeping friends together. So what happens after HS? They all go to the same College (if they even can)? Don't you have to draw a line somewhere? So what's wrong with drawing it earlier? Why not expose them to change now so they can better adjust to the major changes you know life will throw at them? Our kids are a lot more resilient than we parents give them credit for.

Yes, kids are resilient. But speaking from experience, uprooting your kids from their friends can be damaging. I'm all for minimizing it.

[Anonymous]

Our base school is not a split feeder, all kids go to the same MS and HS, yet the AAP center (in our base school) is a split feeder to 4 different MS and 3 different HS. I agree, though, kids are resilient, but this is a good example of why the change is being made and I support the change the FCPS SB is suggesting.

[Anonymous]

The proposal is based on high school -- so kids would be placed in the center for their high school, regardless of their base elementary school assignment.