Adding a year in elementary school

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

We are at aps and last year in fifth grade there was blatant bullying during recess and many many fights. Kids started calling each other racist slurs in fourth grade. This is at a north Arlington school too so not like you can blame the demographic. It’s not that different from middle school socially.

Really? Can't blame the demographics at a north Arlington school for using racist slurs?
Or is it the fights that you can't blame on the black and brown children because that's the demographic that bullies and fights in those south Arlington schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

We are at aps and last year in fifth grade there was blatant bullying during recess and many many fights. Kids started calling each other racist slurs in fourth grade. This is at a north Arlington school too so not like you can blame the demographic. It’s not that different from middle school socially.

Who mentioned demographics as the problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

I love this too! Middle school is usually a bad experience that i can't imagine a kid or parent wanting an extra year of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

I love this too! Middle school is usually a bad experience that i can't imagine a kid or parent wanting an extra year of it.

I don’t know what to tell you but multiple PPs have said their kids enjoy middle school more than elementary school. Also some of the behavior that back in the day was associated only with MS has crept into 5th grade, so you’re not really avoiding it by spending an extra year in elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

I love this too! Middle school is usually a bad experience that i can't imagine a kid or parent wanting an extra year of it.

Well, then, why don't we just eliminate middle school all together? Will that solve the issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

I love this too! Middle school is usually a bad experience that i can't imagine a kid or parent wanting an extra year of it.

Well, then, why don't we just eliminate middle school all together? Will that solve the issues?

Yes, actually I don't think there should be a middle school at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

I love this too! Middle school is usually a bad experience that i can't imagine a kid or parent wanting an extra year of it.

Well, then, why don't we just eliminate middle school all together? Will that solve the issues?

You don't think it will solve some issues? No solution is perfect, but it would help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an FCPS parent, I hated having 6th grade in ES. 7 years with the same kids was too much, the kids had physically outgrown the school, and the staff was not at all equipped to deal with the issues and drama of 6th graders.

I was in an elementary school that had K-6 and my kids did K-5. While I did have initial apprehension about my 11 year olds going to middle school for 6th, after seeing it both ways, I vastly prefer 6th in middle school.

The comment above about ES not being able to deal with social drama of 6th is spot on. 6th grade was my worst year of school. I did much better with a brand new group of kids and kids in different classes when I finally got to middle school in 7th.

Don't you feel like 6th grade in middle makes the kids grow up a little bit faster than they have to though?

No, I don't, especially if the schools do a good job supporting them.

Really, how so?

what's your question?

Why you don't think that MS starting in 6th or MS in general doesn't male the kids grow up quicker than they have to.

Perhaps it would be helpful if you explained why 6th grade in a building with 7th and 8th forces them to grow up faster than being in a building with K-5th graders. What is it specifically that is done differently in the different building scenarios that forces such tremendous maturation in one year?

We’re in FCPS and a 6th grader gets to enjoy a stress free environment, a playground, field trips, and time with friends. In middle school there are fights in the hallways, vaping and smoking in bathrooms, classes full of kids they don’t know.

I love this too! Middle school is usually a bad experience that i can't imagine a kid or parent wanting an extra year of it.

Well, then, why don't we just eliminate middle school all together? Will that solve the issues?

You don't think it will solve some issues? No solution is perfect, but it would help.

I don't see the difference between K-8 jump to HS and separating out a middle school (whether 6-8 or 7-8). It's how you manage/treat the kids at the various ages. And keeping the oldest kids separate from the youngest makes sense.
What issues do you think eliminating middle school entirely will solve? The parent issue of wanting their kid to be in elementary school/childhood longer?
Could someone with experience with K-8 system describe their experience and how the different grades were administered (ie, was there an assistant principal for the "middle school" grades? Was it essentially a school within a school? What's different (good/bad) from being in a separate school??)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It’s more wishful thinking on my part. We love our elementary school and wish that both kids have an extra year in it. But yes I recognize that 6-8 makes more sense.

If it makes you feel better, our elementary school was terrible and my son hated going to school each and every day. He was much happier when he got to middle school when the principal had less influence on his day-to-day school experience, he had more freedom, and one bad or mediocre teacher didn't determine what his year was like. DD's experience was similar. I'm not saying either way is better, but there are obvious advantages for kids in bad or mediocre elementary schools. (By the way we are zoned for Gunston so it's not like they're at some special middle school)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It’s more wishful thinking on my part. We love our elementary school and wish that both kids have an extra year in it. But yes I recognize that 6-8 makes more sense.

If it makes you feel better, our elementary school was terrible and my son hated going to school each and every day. He was much happier when he got to middle school when the principal had less influence on his day-to-day school experience, he had more freedom, and one bad or mediocre teacher didn't determine what his year was like. DD's experience was similar. I'm not saying either way is better, but there are obvious advantages for kids in bad or mediocre elementary schools. (By the way we are zoned for Gunston so it's not like they're at some special middle school)

I’m guessing you were at oakridge

[Anonymous]

I will say this too. Regardless of middle school or not, kids do need recess. I've seen many article that say play is crucial for middle schoolers too, which seems like a no brainer to me, that's how i grew up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will say this too. Regardless of middle school or not, kids do need recess. I've seen many article that say play is crucial for middle schoolers too, which seems like a no brainer to me, that's how i grew up.

And that could be accommodated in middle school without keeping them all in elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will say this too. Regardless of middle school or not, kids do need recess. I've seen many article that say play is crucial for middle schoolers too, which seems like a no brainer to me, that's how i grew up.

And that could be accommodated in middle school without keeping them all in elementary school.

Could it be though? Many ppl think due schedules/changing classes and lack of that it can't happen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This changed in the late 1990s due to space constraints. Honestly I think it was the canary in the coal mine about APS’ inability to build and allocate seats for their students after the idiotic decision to turn over school buildings (e.g. Madison) after the baby book waned. They’ve been shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic since.

This is silly. It is very common for school systems to have 6-8 middle schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This changed in the late 1990s due to space constraints. Honestly I think it was the canary in the coal mine about APS’ inability to build and allocate seats for their students after the idiotic decision to turn over school buildings (e.g. Madison) after the baby book waned. They’ve been shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic since.

This is silly. It is very common for school systems to have 6-8 middle schools.

Yes, but this is how that system developed in Arlington.