Current Ludlow families… what say you?

[Anonymous]

If you’re child is currently enrolled at LTES, how are you feeling about the school? it’s leadership? Are you staying?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I don’t think the leadership is great. But I think the teachers are incredible — the classroom teacher turnover is very low compared to comparable schools; many have been there 10+ years — and the community of families is amazing. The PTO is as strong as at any school and that plus the teachers makes up for the mediocre admin. Oh, the afterschool clubs and aftercare are all organized by teachers and the offerings are better than the “fancier” schools nearby. There’s a choice of like 8 clubs every day plus normal aftercare (which is cheap comparatively).

We are definitely staying. Didn’t even play the lottery (and my older kid is at an age where we could have jumped to somewhere if we wanted to).

Any specific questions? I’m feeling really high on the school after International Night yesterday. It was really unbelievably great.

[Anonymous]

Can you tell me more about aftercare. Do you mean that it is completely run in-house with no outside provider? Are there slots for everyone who needs it?

For K and 1st grade are there teaching assistants in the class along with teachers?

[Anonymous]

Just got in for PK3 so following this thread closely! Deciding if we want to wait a year to enroll due to a sibling preference with our current care.

[Anonymous]

There are two after school programs. The traditional before and aftercare is called Rising Stars. It’s run by a K teacher and is entirely staffed by LT teachers & aides. This year it is $250/month with sibling discounts & 100% of FARMS-eligible students on full scholarship. This is much cheaper than other local schools because it’s in-house. Families are very satisfied. Slots are guaranteed for everyone and there are drop-in options too.

Then there’s the afterschool enrichments program, which is basically clubs. It’s called Rising Stars and run in-house by the ECE Head Teacher. It’s truly amazing, though many clubs are not cheap (though some are). There’s everything from a Spring Musical drama club to an amazing dance program (ABL 100 kids participate) to cross country running club to a cooking club to a book club to yoga to sewing to Harry Potter STEAM to legos to Pokémon to making films club to an amazing art club to basketball (with an ex-WNBA player). Most clubs are taught by teachers and aides (who set their own prices, so lots of variation, but it’s a great way for aides in particular to supplement their salary.) There are scholarship slots available. Some clubs fill quickly, but registration is in 6 week sessions, so plenty of time to try things out and get into what your kid wants at some point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you tell me more about aftercare. Do you mean that it is completely run in-house with no outside provider? Are there slots for everyone who needs it?

For K and 1st grade are there teaching assistants in the class along with teachers?

Each K classroom had a dedicated aide. 1st grade classes do not. There are 2 ELA coaches/interventionists and a math interventionist who work with 1st & up in pullouts/support, but no in class dedicated aide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just got in for PK3 so following this thread closely! Deciding if we want to wait a year to enroll due to a sibling preference with our current care.

PK3 team is great! 2 have been at the school like 10+ years and one is new, but was at LT as a PK aide for years before that & is the head of the amazing after school art program. You can’t go wrong.

If you’re IB, you can do whichever you’d prefer (though I personally would get my kid situated in their long-term school; about 50% of PK3 kids go all the way through, so good way to make friends), because historically IB families get in by PK4 (though a bad number could possibly make it a nail biter summer).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are two after school programs. The traditional before and aftercare is called Rising Stars. It’s run by a K teacher and is entirely staffed by LT teachers & aides. This year it is $250/month with sibling discounts & 100% of FARMS-eligible students on full scholarship. This is much cheaper than other local schools because it’s in-house. Families are very satisfied. Slots are guaranteed for everyone and there are drop-in options too.

Then there’s the afterschool enrichments program, which is basically clubs. It’s called Rising Stars and run in-house by the ECE Head Teacher. It’s truly amazing, though many clubs are not cheap (though some are). There’s everything from a Spring Musical drama club to an amazing dance program (ABL 100 kids participate) to cross country running club to a cooking club to a book club to yoga to sewing to Harry Potter STEAM to legos to Pokémon to making films club to an amazing art club to basketball (with an ex-WNBA player). Most clubs are taught by teachers and aides (who set their own prices, so lots of variation, but it’s a great way for aides in particular to supplement their salary.) There are scholarship slots available. Some clubs fill quickly, but registration is in 6 week sessions, so plenty of time to try things out and get into what your kid wants at some point.

Forgot to add that many kids do both programs. So go to a club 2-3 days a week from 3:30-4:30/5 and then otherwise do aftercare. They work together seamlessly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are two after school programs. The traditional before and aftercare is called Rising Stars. It’s run by a K teacher and is entirely staffed by LT teachers & aides. This year it is $250/month with sibling discounts & 100% of FARMS-eligible students on full scholarship. This is much cheaper than other local schools because it’s in-house. Families are very satisfied. Slots are guaranteed for everyone and there are drop-in options too.

Then there’s the afterschool enrichments program, which is basically clubs. It’s called Rising Stars and run in-house by the ECE Head Teacher. It’s truly amazing, though many clubs are not cheap (though some are). There’s everything from a Spring Musical drama club to an amazing dance program (ABL 100 kids participate) to cross country running club to a cooking club to a book club to yoga to sewing to Harry Potter STEAM to legos to Pokémon to making films club to an amazing art club to basketball (with an ex-WNBA player). Most clubs are taught by teachers and aides (who set their own prices, so lots of variation, but it’s a great way for aides in particular to supplement their salary.) There are scholarship slots available. Some clubs fill quickly, but registration is in 6 week sessions, so plenty of time to try things out and get into what your kid wants at some point.

Forgot to add that many kids do both programs. So go to a club 2-3 days a week from 3:30-4:30/5 and then otherwise do aftercare. They work together seamlessly.

LOVE this and my child would definitely do a club and aftercare. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I don’t think the leadership is great. But I think the teachers are incredible — the classroom teacher turnover is very low compared to comparable schools; many have been there 10+ years — and the community of families is amazing. The PTO is as strong as at any school and that plus the teachers makes up for the mediocre admin. Oh, the afterschool clubs and aftercare are all organized by teachers and the offerings are better than the “fancier” schools nearby. There’s a choice of like 8 clubs every day plus normal aftercare (which is cheap comparatively).

We are definitely staying. Didn’t even play the lottery (and my older kid is at an age where we could have jumped to somewhere if we wanted to).

Any specific questions? I’m feeling really high on the school after International Night yesterday. It was really unbelievably great.

OP here. We were matched for K! We are currently in the Cluster and really love the family and teacher community, so I have very high expectations on making a switch. I have always had a fondness for Ludlow (hence why we ranked them number 2!) and know about the school’s fantastic offerings and programs. Only reason we lotteried at all was for stronger language and music options - we have quite the little songbird and Spanish is important to us. We don’t want to keep doing school hopscotch - wherever we decide for K is where we’d like to stay through middle for the sake of her development and friendships - barring some dramatic series of events. We also want to create sibling preference for our young toddler with one drop off! We do love that LTES feeds back into the Cluster for middle, too. Seems like a win win but I want to be sure we aren’t wearing blinders.

[Anonymous]

This has been our 4th year at Ludlow and can say that it has been a fantastic year. The past couple of years have been bumpy, but this year things feel settled and is now the community I had hoped to join 4 years ago. I find the principal to be much more interested in problem solving and involved than any of our other principals. The teachers are fantastic. My kids are extremely happy. The aftercare program is excellent and I get in trouble if I pick up too early. My daughter is in the schools play Annie and in their dance troop. My son is obsessed with his cooking club and learned to play chess in the game club. The kids my daughter started in ECE with are still at the school, which has meant a very cohesive class with involved parents that are invested in the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has been our 4th year at Ludlow and can say that it has been a fantastic year. The past couple of years have been bumpy, but this year things feel settled and is now the community I had hoped to join 4 years ago. I find the principal to be much more interested in problem solving and involved than any of our other principals. The teachers are fantastic. My kids are extremely happy. The aftercare program is excellent and I get in trouble if I pick up too early. My daughter is in the schools play Annie and in their dance troop. My son is obsessed with his cooking club and learned to play chess in the game club. The kids my daughter started in ECE with are still at the school, which has meant a very cohesive class with involved parents that are invested in the school.

Love to hear this!

[Anonymous]

Special education team is a hot mess, so stay away if you'll need those services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I don’t think the leadership is great. But I think the teachers are incredible — the classroom teacher turnover is very low compared to comparable schools; many have been there 10+ years — and the community of families is amazing. The PTO is as strong as at any school and that plus the teachers makes up for the mediocre admin. Oh, the afterschool clubs and aftercare are all organized by teachers and the offerings are better than the “fancier” schools nearby. There’s a choice of like 8 clubs every day plus normal aftercare (which is cheap comparatively).

We are definitely staying. Didn’t even play the lottery (and my older kid is at an age where we could have jumped to somewhere if we wanted to).

Any specific questions? I’m feeling really high on the school after International Night yesterday. It was really unbelievably great.

OP here. We were matched for K! We are currently in the Cluster and really love the family and teacher community, so I have very high expectations on making a switch. I have always had a fondness for Ludlow (hence why we ranked them number 2!) and know about the school’s fantastic offerings and programs. Only reason we lotteried at all was for stronger language and music options - we have quite the little songbird and Spanish is important to us. We don’t want to keep doing school hopscotch - wherever we decide for K is where we’d like to stay through middle for the sake of her development and friendships - barring some dramatic series of events. We also want to create sibling preference for our young toddler with one drop off! We do love that LTES feeds back into the Cluster for middle, too. Seems like a win win but I want to be sure we aren’t wearing blinders.

I don’t know if things have settled down at Watkins recently, but LT is much more peaceful. PTO meetings are pleasant ways to get to know what’s going on at the school and lobby the principal a bit; there is none of the toxic fighting that has been my experience at Watkins. (Peabody has always been lovely, but that is pretty easy at a ECE-K that is almost exclusively UMC.)

The music teacher is quite a character but fantastic. The chorus and keyboarding programs he does are also super popular and culminate in appearances at the two school fairs and the Kennedy Center. The dance program is crazily good for a school-based program. The musical (Annie) and vocal tech clubs are also great musical outlets. (Vocal tech is only $35 for 6 1 hour small group vocal classes.) The Spanish teacher is great and very involved in school stuff (had a table at International Night and has run after school clubs in around the world/culture, Romance languages and a very popular fantasy creative writing clubs for older kids).

I could not be happier with the choice to move my kids to LT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Special education team is a hot mess, so stay away if you'll need those services.

+ 1000

Also, as someone mentioned, leadership is not good. And unfortunately, leadership makes or breaks a school. LT is more on the side of sinking at the moment.