So frustrated with PG County specialty schools lottery!

[Anonymous]

I am waiting on the lottery. Should i just accept the private school #1 that she has gotten into but once i sign i am liable for full price. Private school number 2 that says we will just keep your deposit if you decide to leave us. ugh! I hear the lottery is just not something you should bank on. We also got on the waitlist for a charter which is 37, if any hope is there. What should we do?

[Anonymous]

Which program are you hoping for via lottery? The TAG programs have far friendlier odds and that would probably be worth declining private school 1 and maybe putting a deposit on private school 2 since you'd have a good chance of DC getting in and school 2 just being a safety net.

If it is one of the other programs (particularly Montessori or French Immersion), the odds are terrible, so you have to decide how much you like private school 2 I think. If you feel that private school 1 is far superior to 2 then probably pull the trigger on that one. If you're waiting on one of the specialty programs with poor odds AND you really feel private 1 is better for your child than private 2, commit to that one and be done with it.

[Anonymous]

and name the school 1. That's the kind of gotcha other parents should be aware of.

[Anonymous]

I agree with 12:14. Even the 35K a year private schools typically have ways to get out of the contract up until June without being on the hook for the whole thing. A school really locking people in completely to the contract this early is not the norm so naming the school would probably be useful for folks so they know that is the situation at that school before they apply.

Also which charter did you get waitlisted for? If it is the new College Park Academy there will definitely be movement on that waitlist as we know a couple of people who got in but have cold feet about the newness of it and will decline the spots.

[Anonymous]

12:14 here, I just want to hazard a guess, Holy Trinity in Bowie? A few years ago I complained to AIMS (Association of Independent Maryland/DC schools) At the time in their policies members agreed to adhere to a common response date, so parents weren't asked to commit before they had heard about admission from other AIMS schools. Holy Trinity was asking for response with deposit before that. I notice that's no longer mentioned on the AIMS site, either. 12:52 relates my experience too, you put a deposit down but you're not committed to the full amount until June. Some schools you can petition the board to release you but if their contract is written that way I'd ask some hard questions.

[Anonymous]

Yes holy trinity in bowie has a contract that states once you sign it is full tuition. The charter school i was 37 at imagine and i am waiting for robert goddard and thomas pullen. I am also thinking about saint ambrose in cheverly as another private school. I am tired and just want to say forget the lottery and go with the private school number 2. At least i will have piece of mind that my child will have a placement for next year that i am happy with.

[Anonymous]

Goddard has terrible odds. I've heard, anecdotally, that Pullen's odds are not bad though. Maybe put the deposit down at private school 2 and be ok with losing it if the lottery goes your way. Kind of frustrating to spend money like that, but it would buy you some sense of security. I'm not sure how much movement happens on Imagine's wait list. You could post about that and see if you get a response. There aren't a ton of PG County parents on here but maybe someone has personal experience with that school's waitlist.

That is crazy on Holy Trinity's part. No one else locks you in to tuition that early (that I know of).

And it is kind of crazy how late PG County informs folks of lottery results. I feel your pain PP. We're waiting to hear on the lottery for PG again. We have never been successful for the early years PK3-K for either of our kids. This is the final attempt for K for DD but I'm not hopeful. We put a deposit down to hold a spot at our parish school and are assuming we'll have to use it.

[Anonymous]

I would urge punishing Holy Trinity for this. They understand the deal with the county's reponse dates. Can they not compete otherwise? Holy Redeemer, Friends Community, St Jerome's, several other private PG schools do not. If you had to leave for other reasons I don't think they'd be helpful at releasing you from your contract either...new job, kids having an LD diagnosis, etc.

[Anonymous]

The wait is on i am assuming the lottery has taken place this week. The waiting game for April. I thought it said letters will be mailed out in April. Are there anyone on the forum waiting for the lottery or have you guys given up!

[Anonymous]

Letters for the lucky winner are supposed to be coming out at the end of April. Waitlist letters in May. Though the past couple of years the timelines they gave have been off. We've gotten our waitlist letters a few weeks after they projected on the timeline. http://www1.pgcps.org/lottery/index.aspx?id=127716

We're waiting. We have a deposit in at a Plan B but hoping we finally get lucky in the lottery this year.

[Anonymous]

good luck same here, we are waiting as well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would urge punishing Holy Trinity for this. They understand the deal with the county's reponse dates. Can they not compete otherwise? Holy Redeemer, Friends Community, St Jerome's, several other private PG schools do not. If you had to leave for other reasons I don't think they'd be helpful at releasing you from your contract either...new job, kids having an LD diagnosis, etc.

Its true. There is one embittered parent who posts on greatschools and elsewhere that Trinity went after them for tuition even after a job loss. They play hardball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, not for public. I mean there is the immersion program at Hanson, but that doesn't give you an extra option, only Hanson or Goddard is available based on your address. They were doing some sort of partial immersion at Paint Branch I think for Chinese, but there was no way to get in to that unless you were in boundaries.

I think Maryland International Day School offers Spanish Immersion, but I think it is also only partial immersion.

My son is at Paint Branch Chinese immersion program. We love it there. Two wonderful teachers in the K classroom so the kids get a lot of attention. We live in the neighborhood but I know some of the kids from my son's class are not, but I don't know how they get into program. You can contact the Principal about the program. Nice guy and very approachable.

[Anonymous]

We are holding out for TAG specialty lottery. I thought I read that the odds of getting into this program is much better especially in second grade. If anyone is out there that did the TAG lottery before, what were your results. I am holding out on signing for private.

[Anonymous]

My Daughter just got accepted to Lonfields Elementary TAG program via the lottery. Does anyone know if older siblings are allowed to attend, as well?