APS - HB Woodlawn Lottery

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not some conspiracy about HB. The principal is not letting her cronies in. Even staff kids don’t get spots except through the lottery or a few admin placements for sped needs. And by admin I am referring to District level.

My kid got a lottery spot. We don't have any connections and I've never even met the HB principal, unless you count sitting in the audience in the info session.

Just got lucky in the lottery, pure and simple.

There are some people on this board who just won't accept this for some reason.

No one claims there is no lottery; just a large population of suspect winners or special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not some conspiracy about HB. The principal is not letting her cronies in. Even staff kids don’t get spots except through the lottery or a few admin placements for sped needs. And by admin I am referring to District level.

My kid got a lottery spot. We don't have any connections and I've never even met the HB principal, unless you count sitting in the audience in the info session.

Just got lucky in the lottery, pure and simple.

There are some people on this board who just won't accept this for some reason.

No one claims there is no lottery; just a large population of suspect winners or special needs.

NP. The baseless accusations are so old. If you have actual evidence, share it. If this is just your disbelief at not getting exactly what you want at every turn, stop. Entitlement is ugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not some conspiracy about HB. The principal is not letting her cronies in. Even staff kids don’t get spots except through the lottery or a few admin placements for sped needs. And by admin I am referring to District level.

My kid got a lottery spot. We don't have any connections and I've never even met the HB principal, unless you count sitting in the audience in the info session.

Just got lucky in the lottery, pure and simple.

There are some people on this board who just won't accept this for some reason.

No one claims there is no lottery; just a large population of suspect winners or special needs.

NP. The baseless accusations are so old. If you have actual evidence, share it. If this is just your disbelief at not getting exactly what you want at every turn, stop. Entitlement is ugly.

I think we just need to call her what she is - an ugly troll. Always always on here spouting off conspiracy theories, no basis in fact. Troll - it's easy to be one when you're anonymous.

[Anonymous]

Our old PTA President had 3 sons who all got into HB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at HB and my other kid has now been waitlisted twice. I'm also a very active school volunteer, friendly with Board members and APS senior staff, etc, etc. I find this wait-listing very surprising! (Or....maybe.....there is no conspiracy.....)

Can you talk about HB? We're on the fence - never thought we'd get in. My son is going into 9th.

If your kid likes or needs structure and having lots of choices, stay in your neighborhood school. If your kid is self-directed and self-motivated and would, for example, be interested in working with a teacher to create the high school equivalent of a college independent study course, HB would be a good place. Think about how your kid has handled things like science fair in the past--can he manage projects like that on his own? Does he get into it? Or does he dread it? A lot of HB classes at the high school level are more like college--they aren't homework-every-night, test-every-two-weeks, they are more project-based, grade-yourself on how much you think you learned kinds of things. If your kid has a tendency to slack, HB could be a big problem. But if your kid is ambitious and, for example, reads a lot on his own, HB would be great. Also if he gets really into things and could do his own focused study, like film or ecology or some weird subfield in history. The teachers at HB will totally accomodate kids who have intense interest in certain areas. They aren't set up to motivate kids who just want to do an assignment every day.

Also no sports except ultimate. Some kids take the sports bus but it seems to be a pain. Music programs are great. A lot of kids take a class or two at the Career Center in the AM.

Thank you so much. In many ways, I think this could be a good fit. My son is very self-motivated - he comes home every day from middle school and just does his homework before anything else. He also studies for tests and quizzes without prompting, and when everything was pushed back last week because of the snow/cold, he continued to review until he actually had his exams this week. He has done exceptionally well in middle school and is a great reader. However, I am not sure he is the type of kid who is so self-directed that he would propose his own independent study or focus for himself. He does very well, but he also likes direction and guidance about what he is supposed to do. I am so torn.

They don’t have to do independent study—it’s an option. Just an example of the kind of thing they have at HB to help show what kind of school it is. But they do have things like in third quarter they pick an independent focus for English, a topic or author or genre, which they do with a small group and a teacher (not necessarily the English teacher).

Your kid can always try it and switch back if he feels it’s not for him.

We had a kid who graduated from hbw and another kid who never got off the waitlist. Because of all the SOL requirements and Virginia diploma requirements, the academics aren’t that different from the base school, and most kids we knew took standard classes, not self-designed college level courses. In the olden days, I think hbw was freer, but now they take attendance for every class, tick off every homework assignment and offer AP classes like other schools. The main difference was that my kid had the same teachers several times eg in English, math, foreign language, band etc so the teachers do know kids better when it comes to college apps. Scheduling is trickier because HB might offer only one section of a particular class while bigger schools have multiple sections through the day

My spouse is a long-time teacher at HB (though none of our children were admitted) and I can confirm that this is accurate.

FWIW, spouse thinks HB is fab (and wanted our kids to go there) but was/has been very satisfied with the education our kids got/are getting at other APS middle and high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at HB and my other kid has now been waitlisted twice. I'm also a very active school volunteer, friendly with Board members and APS senior staff, etc, etc. I find this wait-listing very surprising! (Or....maybe.....there is no conspiracy.....)

Can you talk about HB? We're on the fence - never thought we'd get in. My son is going into 9th.

If your kid likes or needs structure and having lots of choices, stay in your neighborhood school. If your kid is self-directed and self-motivated and would, for example, be interested in working with a teacher to create the high school equivalent of a college independent study course, HB would be a good place. Think about how your kid has handled things like science fair in the past--can he manage projects like that on his own? Does he get into it? Or does he dread it? A lot of HB classes at the high school level are more like college--they aren't homework-every-night, test-every-two-weeks, they are more project-based, grade-yourself on how much you think you learned kinds of things. If your kid has a tendency to slack, HB could be a big problem. But if your kid is ambitious and, for example, reads a lot on his own, HB would be great. Also if he gets really into things and could do his own focused study, like film or ecology or some weird subfield in history. The teachers at HB will totally accomodate kids who have intense interest in certain areas. They aren't set up to motivate kids who just want to do an assignment every day.

Also no sports except ultimate. Some kids take the sports bus but it seems to be a pain. Music programs are great. A lot of kids take a class or two at the Career Center in the AM.

Thank you so much. In many ways, I think this could be a good fit. My son is very self-motivated - he comes home every day from middle school and just does his homework before anything else. He also studies for tests and quizzes without prompting, and when everything was pushed back last week because of the snow/cold, he continued to review until he actually had his exams this week. He has done exceptionally well in middle school and is a great reader. However, I am not sure he is the type of kid who is so self-directed that he would propose his own independent study or focus for himself. He does very well, but he also likes direction and guidance about what he is supposed to do. I am so torn.

They don’t have to do independent study—it’s an option. Just an example of the kind of thing they have at HB to help show what kind of school it is. But they do have things like in third quarter they pick an independent focus for English, a topic or author or genre, which they do with a small group and a teacher (not necessarily the English teacher).

Your kid can always try it and switch back if he feels it’s not for him.

We had a kid who graduated from hbw and another kid who never got off the waitlist. Because of all the SOL requirements and Virginia diploma requirements, the academics aren’t that different from the base school, and most kids we knew took standard classes, not self-designed college level courses. In the olden days, I think hbw was freer, but now they take attendance for every class, tick off every homework assignment and offer AP classes like other schools. The main difference was that my kid had the same teachers several times eg in English, math, foreign language, band etc so the teachers do know kids better when it comes to college apps. Scheduling is trickier because HB might offer only one section of a particular class while bigger schools have multiple sections through the day

My spouse is a long-time teacher at HB (though none of our children were admitted) and I can confirm that this is accurate.

FWIW, spouse thinks HB is fab (and wanted our kids to go there) but was/has been very satisfied with the education our kids got/are getting at other APS middle and high schools.

Forgot to add--in addition to the attention HB students get from teachers, there is also a real feeling of community there that just can't be found at bigger schools. It's a nice place, and I think a lot of different kinds of kids/students can thrive there.

[Anonymous]

There's definitely some principal write-ins. I just heard a parent talking today about how the principal at the school had gotten her DD into HBW and how "proud" of her DD she was. It seems totally unfair as a taxpayer that all of the kids aren't on a level playing field.

[Anonymous]

So same curriculum but smaller class size and close teacher interaction.

Private school on public dime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at HB and my other kid has now been waitlisted twice. I'm also a very active school volunteer, friendly with Board members and APS senior staff, etc, etc. I find this wait-listing very surprising! (Or....maybe.....there is no conspiracy.....)

Can you talk about HB? We're on the fence - never thought we'd get in. My son is going into 9th.

If your kid likes or needs structure and having lots of choices, stay in your neighborhood school. If your kid is self-directed and self-motivated and would, for example, be interested in working with a teacher to create the high school equivalent of a college independent study course, HB would be a good place. Think about how your kid has handled things like science fair in the past--can he manage projects like that on his own? Does he get into it? Or does he dread it? A lot of HB classes at the high school level are more like college--they aren't homework-every-night, test-every-two-weeks, they are more project-based, grade-yourself on how much you think you learned kinds of things. If your kid has a tendency to slack, HB could be a big problem. But if your kid is ambitious and, for example, reads a lot on his own, HB would be great. Also if he gets really into things and could do his own focused study, like film or ecology or some weird subfield in history. The teachers at HB will totally accomodate kids who have intense interest in certain areas. They aren't set up to motivate kids who just want to do an assignment every day.

Also no sports except ultimate. Some kids take the sports bus but it seems to be a pain. Music programs are great. A lot of kids take a class or two at the Career Center in the AM.

Thank you so much. In many ways, I think this could be a good fit. My son is very self-motivated - he comes home every day from middle school and just does his homework before anything else. He also studies for tests and quizzes without prompting, and when everything was pushed back last week because of the snow/cold, he continued to review until he actually had his exams this week. He has done exceptionally well in middle school and is a great reader. However, I am not sure he is the type of kid who is so self-directed that he would propose his own independent study or focus for himself. He does very well, but he also likes direction and guidance about what he is supposed to do. I am so torn.

They don’t have to do independent study—it’s an option. Just an example of the kind of thing they have at HB to help show what kind of school it is. But they do have things like in third quarter they pick an independent focus for English, a topic or author or genre, which they do with a small group and a teacher (not necessarily the English teacher).

Your kid can always try it and switch back if he feels it’s not for him.

We had a kid who graduated from hbw and another kid who never got off the waitlist. Because of all the SOL requirements and Virginia diploma requirements, the academics aren’t that different from the base school, and most kids we knew took standard classes, not self-designed college level courses. In the olden days, I think hbw was freer, but now they take attendance for every class, tick off every homework assignment and offer AP classes like other schools. The main difference was that my kid had the same teachers several times eg in English, math, foreign language, band etc so the teachers do know kids better when it comes to college apps. Scheduling is trickier because HB might offer only one section of a particular class while bigger schools have multiple sections through the day

My spouse is a long-time teacher at HB (though none of our children were admitted) and I can confirm that this is accurate.

FWIW, spouse thinks HB is fab (and wanted our kids to go there) but was/has been very satisfied with the education our kids got/are getting at other APS middle and high schools.

Forgot to add--in addition to the attention HB students get from teachers, there is also a real feeling of community there that just can't be found at bigger schools. It's a nice place, and I think a lot of different kinds of kids/students can thrive there.

Thank you. I'm the PP who posted above and was unsure about my rising 9th grader. We took the spot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So same curriculum but smaller class size and close teacher interaction.

Private school on public dime.

Same number of dimes per kid as the other schools in Arlington, so what difference does it make?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So same curriculum but smaller class size and close teacher interaction.

Private school on public dime.

Same number of dimes per kid as the other schools in Arlington, so what difference does it make?

Really?! That buliding? Same number of dimes per kid? Hmm. Have you seen Swanson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So same curriculum but smaller class size and close teacher interaction.

Private school on public dime.

Same number of dimes per kid as the other schools in Arlington, so what difference does it make?

Really?! That buliding? Same number of dimes per kid? Hmm. Have you seen Swanson?

Swanson is a great school, everyone was fighting to go there who possibly could

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So same curriculum but smaller class size and close teacher interaction.

Private school on public dime.

Same number of dimes per kid as the other schools in Arlington, so what difference does it make?

Really?! That buliding? Same number of dimes per kid? Hmm. Have you seen Swanson?

Oh, please. People have been making that same tired and inaccurate complaint about HB for years, long before the county forced them to move and started building the new building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So same curriculum but smaller class size and close teacher interaction.

Private school on public dime.

Same number of dimes per kid as the other schools in Arlington, so what difference does it make?

Yes, exactly. They cost the same as everyone else but get a superlative private school experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So same curriculum but smaller class size and close teacher interaction.

Private school on public dime.

Same number of dimes per kid as the other schools in Arlington, so what difference does it make?

Yes, exactly. They cost the same as everyone else but get a superlative private school experience.

So then the question remains why other schools can't do the same thing.