Arlington Traditional School
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Anonymous
| We moved late to Arlington so I was late to putting my son on the waitlist for kindergarten. He is #90 so not getting in this year. He is attending Innovation and is enjoying it. If we apply next year, are chances pretty slim for first grade? I saw that this year there were 0 open seats. I really want him to attend ATS, especially because he is academically strong. His current teacher already said he is at first grade level so I want him to be challenged. |
Anonymous
| No one leaves ATS unless they move. |
Anonymous
| Yes. |
Anonymous
| If he’s academically strong, consider giving him the challenge of learning in a second language by entering the lottery for Key or Claremont. Kids can start in K or 1st. He has almost no chance of getting a spot at ATS. But he will also be fine at a plain old APS neighborhood school. |
Anonymous
|
It’s unlikely he will get into ATS in the next few years. He might get lucky in an older grade or if you get a younger sibling in through K or VPI if you qualify.
I question your premise that he will be challenged more at ATS than your current school. All APS schools follow the same curriculum, so the content isn’t moving any faster at ATS. Also, today is the 11th day of school. If he is so advanced that his teacher already declared him ready for 1st, maybe he should skip K. |
Anonymous
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What’s wrong with Innovation? Any elementary school in Arlington can serve smart kids well.
You’re never, ever getting in ATS with that high of a number. If you don’t like Innovation, move. If this was so important to you shouldn’t have settled in the Innovation boundaries in the first place. Did you do any research? |
Anonymous
| People do not willingly leave ATS. APS really needs to open another ATS - and, yes, there is enough demand to fill a 2nd ES on that model. |
Anonymous
|
ATS is not more academically challenging. Its that the students don't move because they always have free transportation throughout the county whenever they move. There is zero transience in that school, kids enter in K and leave in 5th grade, no matter what your SES is, thats why their test scores are high.
Same curriculum, same pacing, same text books, same tests. There are plenty of reasons to stay at your neighborhood school. |
Anonymous
Laugh. People are not choosing ATS because of free transportation. Our kid is not in ATS, but I would have chosen it over any other APS ES. This does not mean those other schools are bad. It just means my kid would learn more in that environment. Some other kid might learn better at some other ES. |
Anonymous
| The truth is that no APS elementary school will challenge him to that level if he’s a grade ahead. My kids are like this and we supplement. It works well to challenge them. |
Anonymous
| Supplement with what? Can you please elaborate? |
Anonymous
DP. Russian school of math or similar. Workbooks to do at home - general grade level, grammar, math practice. Kids book clubs at libraries or other enrichment like odyssey of the mind. |
Anonymous
| You will never get in |
Anonymous
Also, instrument lessons, art classes, or coding/robotics classes. Chess club. |
Anonymous
This thread has lots of ideas for supplementing. For a 5 yo, I do NOT recommend extra worksheets as the best way to supplement. It’s a great age for hands-on learning. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1288827.page |