Regarding Franklin Sherman Elementary School

[Anonymous]

Hi
We are moving to McLean this Summer and are zoned for Franklin Sherman Elementary School. Wanted to get an honest feedback on how the school is academically 1st grade through 3rd Grade. We have heard differing opinions about the schools from parents there and are on the fence on whether to look for some other options. How are the teachers at the school? After COVID-19, many kids are yet to become normal especially socially and emotionally - it feels like many kids are more shy and introverted than before (not all, but at least some). Are the teachers caring and understanding? Also, how is the support for academically advanced kids and AAP program? Are there field trips and other such activities organized at/by the school? How are the after school activities at the school?

any insight on this would be greatly appreciated... especially if your kids are in grade 2 or 3 at the school.. please do provide your thoughts on the school/class.

Thanks in advance..

[Anonymous]

I have two kids at FS and we’ve been pretty happy overall. Some of the teachers are really experienced and have been there for decades. It’s a small school which we really like. The class sizes have been smaller than at other schools in McLean. They are making strides towards advanced curriculum but don’t have a full time level IV program and the principal has made it clear she doesn’t believe in AAP because she thinks students shouldn’t be separated depending on intellectual ability. Since it’s the feeder school for all special needs children in the area there can be kids with pretty serious behavioral issues in the classroom which can be a bit of a challenge. It’s a no homework school up until 5th or 6th grade and even then it’s minimal, maybe just math. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

[Anonymous]

So far, my kids had one field trip each this year and I’m guessing that’s all it will be. I’m not sure how that compares to other schools. Most of the children who get into AAP. Leave Franklin sherman after second grade and go to Haycock which is the center school (if your child gets in to AAP, you can send them to Haycock). You can ask for level III services at FS.

[Anonymous]

After we moved here, everyone (including an FCPS teacher talking to us outside a school setting) told us that in FCPS, AAP is now the standard track and GenEd is really the slow track.

I would suggest looking into AAP and trying to get your kids into that. Chesterbrook ES on Kirby hosts the local AAP magnet elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After we moved here, everyone (including an FCPS teacher talking to us outside a school setting) told us that in FCPS, AAP is now the standard track and GenEd is really the slow track.

I would suggest looking into AAP and trying to get your kids into that. Chesterbrook ES on Kirby hosts the local AAP magnet elementary school.

Both Franklin Sherman and Chesterbrook offer LLIV services but the local AAP magnet is Haycock, not Chesterbrook.

[Anonymous]

The difference between Franklin Sherman and some schools is that the principal has no interest in having classes with only LLIV-eligible kids. So they "offer" LLIV services but because the principal refuses to have LLIV-only classes and prioritizes the sense of community there are a lot of families who move their kids to the AAP center at Haycock starting in 3rd grade.

I wouldn't be surprised, though, if in connection with the Kent Gardens overcrowding one option they might be considering is making FS an AAP center for the kids from both FS and KG. Having AAP at FS might balance the enrollments at the local ES (Haycock, FS, KG). The AAP kids from Chesterbrook could still go to Haycock if they wanted to (many now stay at Chesterbrook).

[Anonymous]

I have five kids that attended FS, with the youngest one finishing his 6th grade in about a month before moving onto Longfellow MS in August.  I live about one block from FS and I love everything about FS.  I am also a very close friend of the principal and the school is very well run.  All of my kids stayed at FS through sixth grade and didn't want to go to Haycock.  I could have sent my kids to Potomac but FS is just as good for my kids. I used to live on Lundsen and zoned for KG but decided to move to Kurtz road so that my kids could attend FS.  FS is just under the capacity in terms of enrollment.  It is because so many kids in the neighborhood attend private schools such as Potomac, Sidwell, St. Albans, NCS, etc...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The difference between Franklin Sherman and some schools is that the principal has no interest in having classes with only LLIV-eligible kids. So they "offer" LLIV services but because the principal refuses to have LLIV-only classes and prioritizes the sense of community there are a lot of families who move their kids to the AAP center at Haycock starting in 3rd grade.

I wouldn't be surprised, though, if in connection with the Kent Gardens overcrowding one option they might be considering is making FS an AAP center for the kids from both FS and KG. Having AAP at FS might balance the enrollments at the local ES (Haycock, FS, KG). The AAP kids from Chesterbrook could still go to Haycock if they wanted to (many now stay at Chesterbrook).

Kent Gardens has a great in house level 1V program so very few kids elect to go to the AAP Center at Churchill. So that idea will not really make any type of dent in the overcrowding issue at KG

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The difference between Franklin Sherman and some schools is that the principal has no interest in having classes with only LLIV-eligible kids. So they "offer" LLIV services but because the principal refuses to have LLIV-only classes and prioritizes the sense of community there are a lot of families who move their kids to the AAP center at Haycock starting in 3rd grade.

I wouldn't be surprised, though, if in connection with the Kent Gardens overcrowding one option they might be considering is making FS an AAP center for the kids from both FS and KG. Having AAP at FS might balance the enrollments at the local ES (Haycock, FS, KG). The AAP kids from Chesterbrook could still go to Haycock if they wanted to (many now stay at Chesterbrook).

Kent Gardens has a great in house level 1V program so very few kids elect to go to the AAP Center at Churchill. So that idea will not really make any type of dent in the overcrowding issue at KG

I’m not so sure about that. Few people from Kent Gardens go to Churchill Road now because almost everyone else at CR goes to Cooper. When the rest of the AAP kids from CR also went to Longfellow more KG kids went to CR. If Franklin Sherman was the AAP center for KG and all the kids went on to Longfellow you might see more AAP kids from KG at FS than are now at CR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After we moved here, everyone (including an FCPS teacher talking to us outside a school setting) told us that in FCPS, AAP is now the standard track and GenEd is really the slow track.

I would suggest looking into AAP and trying to get your kids into that. Chesterbrook ES on Kirby hosts the local AAP magnet elementary school.

This is not exactly true, especially since there have been changes in the selection of AAP students. Kids can score 99th percentile on the tests and still not be accepted. In our McLean school there is hardly any difference in AAP versus Gen Ed, except for accelerated math.

[Anonymous]

In elementary school through 8th grade there is an AAP program that separates the kid. Once you're in high school all that goes away and everyone gets honors. It's not true that if your child is not in level four they can't get on the honors track.

[Anonymous]

OP here.. does each child get individual attention since the school size is small compared to the other elementary schools in the area?
Are the teachers understanding and caring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The difference between Franklin Sherman and some schools is that the principal has no interest in having classes with only LLIV-eligible kids. So they "offer" LLIV services but because the principal refuses to have LLIV-only classes and prioritizes the sense of community there are a lot of families who move their kids to the AAP center at Haycock starting in 3rd grade.

I wouldn't be surprised, though, if in connection with the Kent Gardens overcrowding one option they might be considering is making FS an AAP center for the kids from both FS and KG. Having AAP at FS might balance the enrollments at the local ES (Haycock, FS, KG). The AAP kids from Chesterbrook could still go to Haycock if they wanted to (many now stay at Chesterbrook).

Kent Gardens has a great in house level 1V program so very few kids elect to go to the AAP Center at Churchill. So that idea will not really make any type of dent in the overcrowding issue at KG

I’m not so sure about that. Few people from Kent Gardens go to Churchill Road now because almost everyone else at CR goes to Cooper. When the rest of the AAP kids from CR also went to Longfellow more KG kids went to CR. If Franklin Sherman was the AAP center for KG and all the kids went on to Longfellow you might see more AAP kids from KG at FS than are now at CR.

Maybe some but not that many. The time when a lot of kids went to Churchill was also before KG had level IV. Once that program was well established at KG, the majority of kids stayed at KG. The principal at KG is so great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.. does each child get individual attention since the school size is small compared to the other elementary schools in the area?
Are the teachers understanding and caring?

This really isn’t something you can generalize. Class sizes can vary year to year and every school has teachers you’d love and some you won’t love. There’s a fair bit of teacher turnover every year at all these schools (even aside from recent issues with Covid and teacher dissatisfaction there’s just life stuff - spouses get transferred etc)