So how many IB are going to really be at Hardy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

I have definitely heard people discussing this option. Hearst has OOB space so why not apply and try to get to Deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watta troll! We've gone from a discussion of IB/residents and IB/feeder to IB/own vs. rent!! This is some triflin' stuff. At least it keeps the limbo game going. Keep the thread alive!

But uniforms. That gets to the heart of it -- who's with me?!

I don't know what the uniforms look like at Hardy, but my oldest really liked her uniform at Washington Latin. She is now at Basis, and we feel the financial hit and the hassle of having to buy clothes that probably the younger girls will not wear (tweens can get really picky)....

I am hoping to feel quite confident about Hardy by the time my next girl is ready to go in a couple of years, and uniforms would be such a blessing to me as a parent for this child I really don't care she thinks. Since the alternative would be to go to Basis I don't think I will have a problem. I had a uniform at NCS which for 4th - 6th was awful - it was a striped pastel dress that had pleats at the bottom that allowed any boy who got near enough to do a "bloomer check." These uniforms allow the girls to wear pants, so I am not sure what the problem is. Once going to Hardy does not seem like a stigma, the uniforms won't either. Uniforms to me definitely don't mean anything except that a child goes to a particular school - we see Catholic kids in uniforms at after school church activities all the time.......

I'm sure it seems silly to some, but the uniforms are an issue that keeps IB families away from the school. Uniforms at Hardy vs. No Uniforms at Deal just reinforces that these schools are different and not necessarily in a favorable way for Hardy. Those who CHOOSE uniforms at private or charters are making an affirmative choice to do so. Why should some public schools wear uniforms and others not? If the Chancellor decided that all DCPS kids would wear uniforms, then I would not have a problem with it, but why should my child be told to wear a uniform at Hardy while her friends at Deal don't have to. If the Hardy community wants to get more IB students -- and I'm not sure they do -- the principal should reconsider the uniform policy.

Oh my. The spoiled brat tone of this is breathtaking. Consolation is that you reap what you sow indulging children in that kind of thinking.

Not the PP, but nonsense. It's pretty easy to understand why a parent would be sensitive to her child feeling VERY different from her friends at a touchy age. Don't play dumb. It detracts from any credibility you want to assert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

I have definitely heard people discussing this option. Hearst has OOB space so why not apply and try to get to Deal?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Please allow me to kindly tell you that you are wrong, for a number if reasons:

The Principal would not change the policy without consulting with current parents and prospective IB parents.
Current parents , including the IB component (which I belong to) are all for uniforms. Once you experience on your skin the changes and peer pressures middle school students are subject to, you start see things differently. Uniforms simplify things at a time in life when boys and girls are building their self-identity (seek your inner identity, not your look). And help keeping a focus on the academic aspects of the school experience.
The several and repeated consultations with the prospective parents (4th and 5th grade) unanimously showed a focus on curriculum, academic enrichment, sport activities, and social/behavioral discipline. Almost no concerns were expressed on uniforms by parents close to the decision point. Some parents pointed out that, from a "marketing" prospective, removing the uniforms would have maybe helped a bit for the school perception in the neighborhood. But just "maybe" and "a bit" .
The Principal, the current parents, including IB parents, and the 4-5th grade parents who are seriously looking into Hardy are well-aware that the school is in a transitioning phase, with a very high degree of "diversity" especially in higher grades. In this context, uniforms are an effective and smart measure to mitigate such diversity. Hardy students, especially in higher grades, come from a multitude of backgrounds, and areas of the city. In the absence of uniforms, this would be reflected in their look, generate unwanted social profiling in a school context which has finally found its way into integration and improvement.
All these considerations in favor of uniforms are at the moment considered very important to the Principal, to current parents (including IB). And uniforms seem to be very low in the wish-list of prospective IB parents with kids in 4th-5th grade. This community of stakeholders believes that the "maybe" and "a bit" marketing effect is not a strong enough benefit to drop uniforms in the present context.
This decision could well be re-assessed in the future or near future. But current parents, including IB parents, and parents seriously looking into the school for next year are informed and responsible decision-makers, and as such believe that uniforms are helping and instrumental to the current smooth and successful changes undergoing at Hardy. Those who say (and have a right to say so, I am not criticizing them) "Hardy uniforms are so-ghetto" are not serious prospective parents for the near future (have no affinity or tolerance for the transitioning status of the school and have already made up their mind for alternative middle school options) and are thus not relevant stakeholders to the school at the moment.
Auspices for a uniform-free future Hardy are welcome and respected. But if you are a prospective parent in 4th or 5th grade, I would invite you to review your position at the light of the above considerations.

OMFG, paragraphs; use them.

[Anonymous]

Please don't use colors or encourage others to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will kids still go from SP to eaton? And will Eaton families try to lottery in to Hearst for the Deal feeder?

I have definitely heard people discussing this option. Hearst has OOB space so why not apply and try to get to Deal?

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watta troll! We've gone from a discussion of IB/residents and IB/feeder to IB/own vs. rent!! This is some triflin' stuff. At least it keeps the limbo game going. Keep the thread alive!

But uniforms. That gets to the heart of it -- who's with me?!

I don't know what the uniforms look like at Hardy, but my oldest really liked her uniform at Washington Latin. She is now at Basis, and we feel the financial hit and the hassle of having to buy clothes that probably the younger girls will not wear (tweens can get really picky)....

I am hoping to feel quite confident about Hardy by the time my next girl is ready to go in a couple of years, and uniforms would be such a blessing to me as a parent for this child I really don't care she thinks. Since the alternative would be to go to Basis I don't think I will have a problem. I had a uniform at NCS which for 4th - 6th was awful - it was a striped pastel dress that had pleats at the bottom that allowed any boy who got near enough to do a "bloomer check." These uniforms allow the girls to wear pants, so I am not sure what the problem is. Once going to Hardy does not seem like a stigma, the uniforms won't either. Uniforms to me definitely don't mean anything except that a child goes to a particular school - we see Catholic kids in uniforms at after school church activities all the time.......

I'm sure it seems silly to some, but the uniforms are an issue that keeps IB families away from the school. Uniforms at Hardy vs. No Uniforms at Deal just reinforces that these schools are different and not necessarily in a favorable way for Hardy. Those who CHOOSE uniforms at private or charters are making an affirmative choice to do so. Why should some public schools wear uniforms and others not? If the Chancellor decided that all DCPS kids would wear uniforms, then I would not have a problem with it, but why should my child be told to wear a uniform at Hardy while her friends at Deal don't have to. If the Hardy community wants to get more IB students -- and I'm not sure they do -- the principal should reconsider the uniform policy.

Oh my. The spoiled brat tone of this is breathtaking. Consolation is that you reap what you sow indulging children in that kind of thinking.

Not the PP, but nonsense. It's pretty easy to understand why a parent would be sensitive to her child feeling VERY different from her friends at a touchy age. Don't play dumb. It detracts from any credibility you want to assert.

Seriously, parents are worried about how their kids will feel because their friends at DIFFERENT school don't wear uniforms? give me a break. It would be one thing if only certain kids within a school had to wear uniforms but to hoenstly worry about kids at another school? That is the dumbest thing I have heard on DCUM today (and thats saying a lot).

[Anonymous]

At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

[Anonymous]

If Hardy has the IB numbers for this year, they should just release them rather than apparently trying to figure out a way to spin them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Hardy has the IB numbers for this year, they should just release them rather than apparently trying to figure out a way to spin them.

Totally agree. Put out the # from feeder schools AND the # of IB students. As long as they delay release or spin the numbers, people will assume the worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

Oh please. Kids split up after elementary and go to different middle schools all the time. A large number will peel off for privates. Talk about haves and have-nots! The kids will be fine; it's the adults who are freaking out. The kids don't have to go to the same middle school to remain friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

Oh please. Kids split up after elementary and go to different middle schools all the time. A large number will peel off for privates. Talk about haves and have-nots! The kids will be fine; it's the adults who are freaking out. The kids don't have to go to the same middle school to remain friends.

+1

So true.

Eaton parents, I can understand why you are upset. But complaining about it here isn't going to help much. You should work with your elected leaders to try to change this policy. But if you cannot, you have three choices:

1. Move
2. Send your kid to private
3. Send your kid to Hardy.

if you choose Hardy - and I hope you do - then you should know that your kids will be going to a perfectly good school. Better than Deal in some ways (yes, its true), worse in others. But nothing that can't be overcome by involved parents and - this is important - a good attitude.

If you are insisting that your child is going to be miserable about Hardy, your child will pick that up, and will in fact, be miserable.

If you go in with the attitude that Hardy is good, but not perfect - and where it is not perfect we'll work to make it better - your kid will have a great experience, learn a lot, and then go on to excel in high school and college.

[Anonymous]

This post is really sensible, and I tend to agree with much of it. My biggest concern is that the Hardy kids are not getting the same preparation as the Deal kids and are not placed in the highest level classes at Wilson. As a high school, Wilson may be the best DC has to offer, but it's not ideal, and I've been told you really need to be in the highest classes to have a good experience. Friends at Wilson tell me that the kids from Hardy rarely make it into the highest classes. Can anyone comment on that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

Oh please. Kids split up after elementary and go to different middle schools all the time. A large number will peel off for privates. Talk about haves and have-nots! The kids will be fine; it's the adults who are freaking out. The kids don't have to go to the same middle school to remain friends.

+1

So true.

Eaton parents, I can understand why you are upset. But complaining about it here isn't going to help much. You should work with your elected leaders to try to change this policy. But if you cannot, you have three choices:

1. Move
2. Send your kid to private
3. Send your kid to Hardy.

if you choose Hardy - and I hope you do - then you should know that your kids will be going to a perfectly good school. Better than Deal in some ways (yes, its true), worse in others. But nothing that can't be overcome by involved parents and - this is important - a good attitude.

If you are insisting that your child is going to be miserable about Hardy, your child will pick that up, and will in fact, be miserable.

If you go in with the attitude that Hardy is good, but not perfect - and where it is not perfect we'll work to make it better - your kid will have a great experience, learn a lot, and then go on to excel in high school and college.

Can you be more specific about how it is better and how it is worse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At Eaton, some kids will go to Hardy and some to Deal. Kids with siblings at Deal will be able to get in and some OOB kids at Eaton, who are IB for Deal, will also take the opportunity to go to a better school. It's terrible that friends will be split up like that. The uniforms are just a symbol of that. The two middle schools are not equal. There are haves and have nots in this scenario.

yeah, that happens whenever there is redistricting though, right?

And there are haves and havenots throughout DC. and in every suburban county. and between suburban counties. We live in a have and have not country, or haven't you noticed?