Jefferson Houston Middle: any current parents?
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Anonymous
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We want to look at JH for middle, but unsure if an open house will happen this year. Are there any current Middle School parents there? Can you talk about class offerings, honors, and the culture in general? We know some people in lower elementary, but curious specifically about Middle.
If you don’t have direct experience or anything constructive to offer, please do not comment. Thank you kindly. |
Anonymous
| I can only speak 2nd hand, but have spoken to someone who sent kids to middle there. They noted the small classes, particularly for honors. |
Anonymous
OP here thanks—good to know! |
Anonymous
Hello OP! JH parent here of two kids. Please reach out to the JH PTA at pta.jeffersonhouston@gmail.com and the exec board would be glad to chat and connect you to school admin as well. We have a vibrant and incredibly active parent community at Jefferson Houston. Here are a few other ways to stay updated on Jefferson Houston: Join the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) or attend a PTA meeting https://www.jeffersonhoustonpta.com/ Sign up to receive the Jaguar Junction (Jefferson-Houston School Newsletter) and ACPS Express (Alexandria City Public School System Newsletter) ACPS newsletter sign-up https://k12.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c264d43033e4f4ca3b673bfc6&id=343e386a8d Like the Jefferson-Houston PTA Facebook page to get notified of PTA updates: https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonHoustonPTA Like the Jefferson-Houston School Facebook page. This is the school's page where admin share lots of helpful information and updates https://www.facebook.com/JeffersonHoustonSchool |
Anonymous
| As member of the local Alexandria community and JH parent (who is high income household, privileged and could afford private school) I still choose to send my 3 kids to JH and here's why: I want my kids to attend their neighborhood school. It's diverse. It reflects our community. And it reflects the real world that I want my kids to grow up in for all the right reasons. The principal cares deeply, the parents are engaged, caring, enthusiastic and so are the teachers. The student body reflects all of the best things in Alexandria and the DC area. They are creative, diverse, unique, intelligent, multi-lingual, compassionate and people that i want my kids to be around. JH isn't a protective bubble, instead, it's a reflective bubble of the community around us. If you're the type of parent that only uses test scores to gauge your student's success (or the value of your local school) then JH (and ACPS) aren't the right place for you. Go to private school. Go to a rich, white, non-diverse school where test scores reflect just that. But if you want all of the things i've described above and you're willing to contribute to continue to grow the JH community, then we can't wait to welcome you to JH and into the ACPS community! |
Anonymous
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Hi,
Both of our kids went through ACPS k-12 (onto VATech) and K-10th grade. We have lived in Alexandria for over 20 years and have ridden the roller coaster of public schools in a diverse area. ACPS's history runs hot and cold with leadership, staffing resources. This is a separate thread! I echo the comments above regarding why we sent our kids to ACPS. Was the experience perfect? No. Were there frustrating moments with growing pains and changes? Yes. Would we do it again? YES!! Schools are only as good as the positive and supportive effort that parents and students PUT INTO the program and advocate for the school. It's all there if you are willing to access resources. Our son is gifted/learning disabled and the JH team did a GREAT job providing him with a well rounded middle school experience. Middle school is a hard transition for kids - it's very different than elementary school or high school. Of course there are cases that are not perfect - that's life. Test scores are 1 measure and 1 measure only, they don't tell the whole story. While our daughter chose GW for middle school, our son CHOSE J-H. He had different needs and wanted a smaller environment. Our son had a GREAT experience being in a more intimate setting with a defined focus. He was in the honors program and loved the technology/hands on program and orchestra. Many classes were blended with students with multi-level in a class. This was a great benefit for our son as he could demonstrate his learning by helping someone else and others helped him. When our son moved to ACHS in 2019, he was accepted into the George Washington University Health Sciences Academy. This is a program that allows student to explore the health sciences with the option to attend GW with a set of credits. When our daughter was looking at colleges she ONLY chose schools that reflected the diversity that ACPS offered (social, economic, cultural, diversity of thought and experience). She chose NOT TO APPLY to schools that were too homogeneous. She said that ACPS prepared her to think and adjust to many situations and people. She is a junior on the deans list and credits ACPS for a solid base. I encourage you to join the ACPS/J-H community and seek the opportunities to be part of the school and allow your middle schooler to transition to the next level of learning. |
Anonymous
I cannot comment about the post below describing the positive middle school J-H experience because my child has not been a middle school J-H student. I will respond to the post above since it is not so limited, mischaracterizing J-H for a good number students, and implying that parents who are concerned about whether their students’ education is sufficient (and that their children in safe in school) are racist. Specifically, the poster is writing from the UMC parent perspective whose children do not have special needs. Yes, such students do ok at J-H (regardless of the school’s deficiencies). If your child is special needs or needs extra help for whatever reason, there is a significant risk that your child will have a harmful experience at J-H. I say this as a parent of child who had two stints at J-H who was bullied and did not get special needs met. I know at least at one grade level this year there has been concerning disruptions of learning similar to a few years ago. J-H’s poor test scores reflect the school’s inability to serve its full population. Parents should go in with eyes open about whether whether J-H will met their children’s needs (and provide a safe learning environment) and doing so does not mean you are racist. |
Anonymous
Thanks for sharing your experience. I too am a parent of an elementary school child and my experience is totally the opposite. I have found the community and parents to be super active and engaged, the teachers and admin to be kind, warm, and invested, always responsive to all communication, and my child is thriving. But these experiences can be found at all ACPS schools not just JH and I do not think it is fair that JH continues to be singled out by those that perpetuate outdated attitudes. PP, did you ever reach out to the PTA? Every meeting I attend the PTA immediately activates to advocate for parents who need support. |
Anonymous
No, we did not contact the PTA. We were in direct contact with then Principal Berkowitz and AP T. Young who is still there as far as I know (and on some issues with the Central Office up to Hutchings). Also, I know there were major class disruption issues at one grade level for example in the 2018-2019 school year where the PTA brought in Hutchings for a meeting but he did nothing to address the situation. To be fair, my experience predates Dr. McCain. |
Anonymous
A lot has changed over the last two years since you were there under, Dr. McCain’s leadership and the leadership of the current PTA board. I don’t take away from what you experienced in that moment time, but this is what I reference when I say outdated attitude from past experiences. |
Anonymous
| My son attended for a year. It was very hard for him to make friends. It is a small school, and most of the students were also there together in elementary. He just couldn't break in - and he is not a kid who generally has trouble making friends. |
Anonymous
Maybe but the SOL scores for last year (especially in math) were so poor which does raise questions if there has been meaningful change. Also, one parent has told me about the problems I reference from 2018-19 resurfacing in that same class again. Also, a PTA that challenges school leadership would really be an outlier within ACPS and Barnes/Young are still there (and were in leadership in period that I commented on). I do agree with you that some of the issues are really ACPS issues and not J-H issues in particular. |
Anonymous
SOL scores were low across the board at ACPS during COVID, and singling out JH is unfair to the students, people, and community at JH. |
Anonymous
How is referencing the scores unfair when they are an objective measure of the school’s performance (subject to the issues with last year’s testing) unfair? Last year was McCain’s first year in charge after the disaster of Berkowitz’s time as principal. Rather than seeing less of a drop in scores compared with ACPS, J-H’s drop in scores were consistent and its scores were among the lowest in ACPS. I am not saying the scores prove that McCain has not started to fix things. I am just saying the scores suggest that the information from the pre-McCain era is still relevant since as of now there is no sign in the public data of any appreciable academic improvement overall. |
Anonymous
| We’ve been at JH for five years in elementary school. Our kids have had great teachers and have made great friends. The school has changed a lot in the past several years and new leadership has made a difference. The parent liaison is amazing and incredibly helpful if you need anything or have questions. |