School Within a School

[Anonymous]

Can someone explain this to me? This is an odd name for a school. I am under the impression they use an old Elementary school building.

Also, I heard they are on a different campus now. I can’t find their website only a Facebook page.


Any scoop on this school good or bad is appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain this to me? This is an odd name for a school. I am under the impression they use an old Elementary school building.

Also, I heard they are on a different campus now. I can’t find their website only a Facebook page.


Any scoop on this school good or bad is appreciated!

seriously?

https://schoolwithinschool.org/

[Anonymous]

Also a school profile on the My School DC site

https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/96/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain this to me? This is an odd name for a school. I am under the impression they use an old Elementary school building.

Also, I heard they are on a different campus now. I can’t find their website only a Facebook page.


Any scoop on this school good or bad is appreciated!

I think this is competition to School Without Walls.

[Anonymous]

This thread is word salad so far, so I'll weigh in.

School-Within-School started within Peabody elementary, which is why it's named that. It's campus is at 10th and G NE, but it's in a swing space this year. It'll be back in the Cap Hill location next year.

It's a great school, very strong academics, great teachers, very involved parent community.

It's extremely hard to get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is word salad so far, so I'll weigh in.

School-Within-School started within Peabody elementary, which is why it's named that. It's campus is at 10th and G NE, but it's in a swing space this year. It'll be back in the Cap Hill location next year.

It's a great school, very strong academics, great teachers, very involved parent community.

It's extremely hard to get into.

Just to add, our family LOVES this school. Our kids are happy going every day. The teachers are excellent and also just so caring and loving. The school’s motto is “nothing without joy” and we have found it to be an overall joyful, deeply caring environment. Very strong SPED team, great principle, strong arts program (in line with its Reggio Emilia philosophy). The community aspect has struggled with Covid and being in a swing space but it should be back in a newly renovated building next year. If you are thinking of applying in the lottery I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is word salad so far, so I'll weigh in.

School-Within-School started within Peabody elementary, which is why it's named that. It's campus is at 10th and G NE, but it's in a swing space this year. It'll be back in the Cap Hill location next year.

It's a great school, very strong academics, great teachers, very involved parent community.

It's extremely hard to get into.

Just to add, our family LOVES this school. Our kids are happy going every day. The teachers are excellent and also just so caring and loving. The school’s motto is “nothing without joy” and we have found it to be an overall joyful, deeply caring environment. Very strong SPED team, great principle, strong arts program (in line with its Reggio Emilia philosophy). The community aspect has struggled with Covid and being in a swing space but it should be back in a newly renovated building next year. If you are thinking of applying in the lottery I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

I’m the PP and our family also loves the school. We have zero complaints.

[Anonymous]

I attended the open house last year and was very turned off. On the Hill it's "the school" that everyone talks about but I found that once I dug in, the reputation wasn't warranted. The language and science curriculums are weak and I have had three parents when talking up the school tell me that it's better than other Hill schools because of the "diversity" of the school. I'm not a fan of racism from middle class white people who want to feel good about themselves for attending public school but self select into the whitest schools. Whole thing turned me off and we didn't even put it on our list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended the open house last year and was very turned off. On the Hill it's "the school" that everyone talks about but I found that once I dug in, the reputation wasn't warranted. The language and science curriculums are weak and I have had three parents when talking up the school tell me that it's better than other Hill schools because of the "diversity" of the school. I'm not a fan of racism from middle class white people who want to feel good about themselves for attending public school but self select into the whitest schools. Whole thing turned me off and we didn't even put it on our list.

In summary: you have zero actual experience with the school.

FWIW, as a person with kids attending the school, I have been impressed with the science curriculum.

No idea wtf you’re talking about with diversity. The Hill schools are all pretty white.

[Anonymous]

So what’s the deal with the science curriculum?

[Anonymous]

They don’t have a science curriculum unless you count footprints.

[Anonymous]

I have heard nothing but wonderful things about SWS but it always bothered me that a school that you can only get into via lottery and sibling preference is 60% white. The only other Hill elementary with those demographics is Brent (which has a boundary preference). It’s weird to me. If it’s so great, why aren’t more POC families lotterying into it? There are tons of POC on the Hill, H Street, Trinidad who are close enough for SWS to be a great and workable option. So it seems like they are self-selecting out.

No one has ever been able to explain this to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard nothing but wonderful things about SWS but it always bothered me that a school that you can only get into via lottery and sibling preference is 60% white. The only other Hill elementary with those demographics is Brent (which has a boundary preference). It’s weird to me. If it’s so great, why aren’t more POC families lotterying into it? There are tons of POC on the Hill, H Street, Trinidad who are close enough for SWS to be a great and workable option. So it seems like they are self-selecting out.

No one has ever been able to explain this to me.

Probably has something to do with its original status as a component of Peabody, which has similar demographics. When SWS broke off from Peabody, the Peabody students came with. Factor in sibling preferences and community familiarity, and it’s not so surprise.

But, hey, I get your drift. Never pass up a chance to imply racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard nothing but wonderful things about SWS but it always bothered me that a school that you can only get into via lottery and sibling preference is 60% white. The only other Hill elementary with those demographics is Brent (which has a boundary preference). It’s weird to me. If it’s so great, why aren’t more POC families lotterying into it? There are tons of POC on the Hill, H Street, Trinidad who are close enough for SWS to be a great and workable option. So it seems like they are self-selecting out.

No one has ever been able to explain this to me.

Probably has something to do with its original status as a component of Peabody, which has similar demographics. When SWS broke off from Peabody, the Peabody students came with. Factor in sibling preferences and community familiarity, and it’s not so surprise.

But, hey, I get your drift. Never pass up a chance to imply racism.

I have had two kids at SWS. The school was slow to take action even after parents repeatedly raised it. While we were there, we saw some changes, but it took a lot of work and the school was always behind the curve. And in talking to the administration, they would refer to what the community could tolerate in terms of change. I do think the school is coming around, but it's no leader in this regard.

I think the best thing SWS has going for it is its approach of 'nothing without joy', and I am thankful for that.

[Anonymous]

SWS is very clubby and, yes, too white. It's the vestiges of the days when the black families picked Peabody and the white parents opted for the more hippie dippie emilia reggio curriculum of SWS.