For MtP/Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights 16th Street Parents

[Anonymous]

Given recent inquiries re public and charter school options in the 16th Street corridor, am cross-posting from the MtP Parents listserv:

Dear Friends and Fellow Parents in NW DC,

The DC twins group recently sponsored a school forum at All Souls Church in DC to share with other neighborhood parents about our 3 year olds' PreK experiences this year (in public charter schools and private schools), and to discuss our plans for the future. We had over 70 people there!!!!! It was a great evening where we got to see old playground friends and share information about DC school experiences.

One of the not-so-secret goals of the event was to study a way for a
number of our kids living in the Dupont / Kalorama /Adams Morgan / Mount Pleasant / Columbia Heights area to all attend the same school,
within a reasonable distance from our homes.

Following last night's presentations, many of us got excited about
H.D. Cooke Elementary which in September will be returning to a
freshly renovated, multimillion dollar, state-of-the- art building
(computers in every classroom and DC's first "green" school which
translates into the use of natural light and ventilation, healthy air
quality, energy-efficient heating and cooling, water conservation and
rainwater management). The school is located in Adams Morgan, on 17TH
street, a block south of Columbia Road and two blocks north of the
Harris Teeters, so it's actually the most centrally located school for
many of us. The principal, Kathleen Black, attended our meeting, and we were very impressed with her.

H.D. Cooke, which has been around since 1909, has been operating
off-site for the last five years and has thus lost many of the
students from the surrounding area. It was originally slated for
closure due to low enrollment, but a group of parents fought to keep
it open and have it refurbished instead. So, there is already strong
neighborhood support for the school. We are working with the H. D. Cooke School Improvement Team and ANC1C to move forwards.

The school has an ambitious Principal who in the last year hand picked
60% of the school?s teachers. At present the school has about 250
students but next year will be moving back into a building which can
hold about 450. This opens up many slots for in and out-of-boundary
students for next year, including two preschool and pre-K classes each
for 3 and 4 year olds.

Features:

- international baccelaureate program - great for the
internationally- minded parent or the parent who plans to spend time
overseas
- Spanish and English speaking teachers in every classroom (not
bilingual immersion, but bilingual teachers)
- motivated principal who is very eager to work with us

So we are calling to fellow parents of 3 and 4 year olds to join us in
applying to H.D. Cooke and making a commitment to work together to
build the kind of neighborhood school we would want to send our kids
to. Wouldn't it be great if we could all walk to school together?

We are not asking for a commitment now. In the short term we are only
asking that you go to the DCPS website and submit on-line applications
for HD Cooke?s preschool or preK classes. The deadline is Friday, March 13. Just got to http://www.k12 . dc.us/enrollment/ pre-school- pre-k.htm.

Some of us can also go visit Cooke?s classes at its offsite location
near Howard University and report back on their pre-school and pre-K
classes. We will plan this at a neighborhood meeting, to be held (probably) in two weeks time.

We hope we can count on your support and look forward to being on
the PTA with you.

PS: if you've already applied to OOB schools and would like to add HD Cooke,
do the following:

Call Mike Rowan at 202 719 6649 and he can assist you. He will actually have to delete your application and ask you to complete another one, but you will not lose any advantage because there is no priority for when you file an application.

if you run into problems, call

Margie Yeager
Office of the Chancellor
DC Public Schools
202-442-5612
margery.yeager@ dc.gov

[Anonymous]

(Big thanks to the person who edited this per my request in the Website Feedback forum.)

[Anonymous]

So? HD Cooke parents? Are you out there? Did yo enroll your 3 and 4 year olds for September 2009? I really hope this school works. Lets keep up the discussion and the positive attitude.

[Anonymous]

So? HD Cooke parents? Are you out there? Did yo enroll your 3 and 4 year olds for September 2009? I really hope this school works. Let's keep up the discussion and the positive attitude and work together to make a great neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

we did. pulled our 4yo from private. she will be going to HD cooke pre-school next year.

[Anonymous]

i mean pre-k (from above).

[Anonymous]

I want to wish you luck.

So please stop with the over-hype. It looks like a DCUM infomercial.

I don't care about the Tony Robbins tapes, just please be quiet and leave us alone.

[Anonymous]

We did not enroll our daughter. Full-day, 5-days for preschool just isn't going to be right for her or us. But we certainly hope to use Cooke in the future. I honestly liked what I saw at the open house I attended.

[Anonymous]

We did not enroll our son, who would have just barely made the 3yo cut-off, for two reasons: (1) we're leaning toward tracking him as one of the older kids in his class rather than the very youngest; and (2) we want to get a feel for this "new Cooke" before pulling him from his private preschool to attend. We'd love to enroll him in a couple of years, though, if Cooke's promise is being realized.

[Anonymous]

My two kids are going. There are about 30 families enrolled on the new listserv, about 20 of which were on the original list compiled after the meeting at All Souls.

FWIW, I did not post the announcement above (3/13/09).

[Anonymous]

My 5yo is going. 2 yo will follow in a few years if all goes well.

[Anonymous]

future Cooke parents:

hello. i live in the neighborhood with my toddler. i was wondering--do many of you plan to also send your child to Cooke aftercare?

just curious about how aftercare is run and how folks like it as i will be working a full day when it is time for my son to attend pre-s/pre-k.

thanks!

[Anonymous]

I also have a toddler and would probably use the aftercare. But I'd need to take a close look at how it is run.

I am very excited about the new HD Cooke and hope all of us here stick to our idea of sending our kids. If a good group of dedicated parents who care about education send their kids to the school, it can be as good as any of the "west of the park" elementary schools.