APS middle school boundary process

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bottom line is that Williamsburg becomes even richer; Swanson and Stratford become THE middle schools for the "we love diversity, just not too much" W-L crowd; Gunston emerges relatively unscathed, and between the redistricting and future development Kenmore and Jefferson are screwed.

I don’t see how TJ gets screwed?
They basically stay the same.

But yes- Kenmore got screwed. Pretty building though.

TJ and Wakefield are the saving grace of being zoned for Barcroft it seems, but hopefully that school will be better too, by the time we get there. When is too soon to tour the school?

[Anonymous]

Tour fall the year before you need it. You will need enough time to tour and apply for private schools or sell and move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No really I’m very serious. Slow claps. You all believed and achieved. I didn’t understand when I bought in south Arlington, that education was a zero sum game in APS. I’m clear about it now. I’m truly happy for you all.

Let me get this straight. You bought in Arlington, knowing that for the most part schools were zoned by neighborhood. Some outliers like Buckingham being bused to Swanson and the Williamsburg island, but overall Arlington has been built around neighborhood schools at least in the twenty years that I've lived here.

Knowing this, you bought in a part of Arlington that it sounds like has less stellar schools, and you're upset that APS didn't turn the entire system on its head to bus kids all over the place thus improving your kids' school for you? I'm not sure where the righteous indignation comes from. Either you bought in a neighborhood you liked and which had schools that worked for you, in which case you shouldn't be upset that people all over Arlington did the same thing by buying in neighborhoods close to schools that work for their family. Or, you bought hoping that the system would bend to your will, in which case you can't really be upset that you lost that battle.

NP - We live in S Arlington and will apply to every choice elem, because we're zoned for Barcroft. Any choice school is better. I would love to hope we'll be rezoned to the new school because we live east of Mason, but that seems like a poor plan. Barcroft is the most under capacity school in S Arlington, I think. We bought in S Arlington because of the choice option as a fall back, but hoping the school we were zoned for got better. It's only gotten worse. But then, that huge apartment complex, also called Barcroft is supposed to become townhouses? And Food Star is set to become nice apartments. Change is coming!

Dp - WTF?!?!?! Are you talking about?
Seriously, where on earth did you get that Barcroft apts is going to turned into town homes? I need to know where you heard this, but it can not be a credible source.
Sure, if Barcroft were gone -Wakefield, Barcroft, and Randolph would see a substantial shift in their demographics. Yes.
Except NO, because it ISN’T going to happen.
Unless your name is Delashmutt and you have some news to share...
I’m guessing not.
There are plans to ADD MORE AFFORDABLE APTS to BARCROFT APARTMENTS. HUNDREDS MORE!

Please, for the love of god, go read the the Columbia Pike plan.
Barcroft apts is a lynchpin in the affordable housing mafia’s agenda. I guarantee the development rights have been transferred. It’s a hill they will die on. It’s 57 acres and it will remain a blight on Arlington for years to come.
Oh, and guess what? Our lovely county voted just voted to conserve housing districts. So those older apartments can’t be turned into sfh’s now. Just voted on.

You people really have no clue.

NP. My spouse and I voted in the primaries and guess what, our candidate came in dead last. I don't know why all these people just assume "democrat" means doing the right thing (and trust me when I say, we are not Trump supporters). Who the hell told these stupid CB members do conserve housing districts. Didn't the papers say something like 14 of them?


SERIOUSLY--we all need to vote these people out of office now.

Vote them out and replace them .... With similar minded people. That's all that happens. Want an actual change? Stop pretending yo be so liberal.

Poster directly above. We live in N. Arlington and we did vote during the Democratic primary and our candidate came in last. Guess what? There are no opposition candidates in the election.

What the people who live in those zones should do is sue the County Board for making these whole sale asinine decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be fair, most of us had no idea about the plan. We were busy with jobs and little children. And our civic association presidents didn't even report back to us on it and just voted and acted how they personally felt (there is literally nothing in our CA minutes about the neighborhoods plan for he entire year prior to the vote to adopt). The plan as written certainly did not reflect what the majority of SFH would have voted for. Additionally, the plan was enacted when the streetcar was coming. In fact it's mentioned in the plan over 100 times. I think the plan needs to be revisited now that the streetcar has been scrapped. That certainly changes what kind of density the area can handle. Infill development here can't be allowed. The infrastructure can't support it.

Just like at the national level, this is what the nefarious they are counting on. From the neighborhood civic association to the county level to the national level, if you care then you have to find ways to engage. Convincing parents in our neighborhood that boundary decisions made now would impact their preschool and kindergarteners, but getting involved matters. Spend a term or two on your civic association board, I can almost guarantee they need more volunteers. If everyone sits back and says "but I'm busy", then nothing ever gets done.

This is not completely true. I watched and participated in the farce of the mini re-zoning for the high schools last fall and early January. At the final hour Kanninen rolled out a plan B and then before you could say abra ca dabra, it was voted on. Isnt' that how stupid Murphy got his K renewed for 3 for 4 years, at the very last board meeting in early summer when a lot of people were out of town? They deliberately keep things vague and pretend there's community input. I say they should have to publish the actual plans like federal govt rule making. That way they get locked in and can't make things up later but in the meanwhile give off the cuff reassurances to the public.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm, I like that idea, require school boundaries to be conducted like federal rulemakings.

I used to be an advocate for changing things up in arlington and I have up. I will just move before my kid gets to middle school. We all have jobs, kids and lives and this just eats all the time and nothing ever changes. I am done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

+1--- Randolph parent. We have friends with kids at Barcroft. They are happy.

[Anonymous]

It works for some. Not for others. It really depends upon how important academics are to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

+1--- Randolph parent. We have friends with kids at Barcroft. They are happy.

Those parents need to speak up more, so that people aren't scared off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

+1--- Randolph parent. We have friends with kids at Barcroft. They are happy.

Those parents need to speak up more, so that people aren't scared off.

Schools like Randolph and Barcroft are poised to have stronger cohorts of kids in the coming years, but parents need to be reassured by more than their neighbors. They need to feel supported by the school board and APS. Michelle Rhee literally went knocking on doors and spoke to parents about the neighborhood schools. Is time for APS to step up and serve all of their students, in all schools. Randolph is largely serving Barcroft apts, not the SFH’s that surround it. Those families need to be convinced that their children won’t be overlooked for 6 years, because “ they will be fine”. They need to be reassured that their kids won’t be subjuncted to the lowest common denominator “ teach to the test and only the test” drill drill drill classroom. If that means school within schools, like they do conversely in Fairfax, then it needs to happen. Perhaps IB at Randolph could be part of that solution. UMC families at Barcroft can choice to Randolph. Between Alcova, Barcroft, and Douglas Park a larger high performing group could be achieved. I’m not saying to write off Barcroft elementary, but I think it’s going to have to happen 1 school at a time. Henry is great, Hoffman Boston is doing really well... I think you focus on the next school you can meaningfully impact. I suggest Randolph. It has a history of IB, and most importantly a school board member living within it’s neighborhood.
I know there are umc parents happy enough with those schools right now, and I don’t mean to challenge their experiences. This should be about a stronger push to increase their numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

+1--- Randolph parent. We have friends with kids at Barcroft. They are happy.

Those parents need to speak up more, so that people aren't scared off.

Schools like Randolph and Barcroft are poised to have stronger cohorts of kids in the coming years, but parents need to be reassured by more than their neighbors. They need to feel supported by the school board and APS. Michelle Rhee literally went knocking on doors and spoke to parents about the neighborhood schools. Is time for APS to step up and serve all of their students, in all schools. Randolph is largely serving Barcroft apts, not the SFH’s that surround it. Those families need to be convinced that their children won’t be overlooked for 6 years, because “ they will be fine”. They need to be reassured that their kids won’t be subjuncted to the lowest common denominator “ teach to the test and only the test” drill drill drill classroom. If that means school within schools, like they do conversely in Fairfax, then it needs to happen. Perhaps IB at Randolph could be part of that solution. UMC families at Barcroft can choice to Randolph. Between Alcova, Barcroft, and Douglas Park a larger high performing group could be achieved. I’m not saying to write off Barcroft elementary, but I think it’s going to have to happen 1 school at a time. Henry is great, Hoffman Boston is doing really well... I think you focus on the next school you can meaningfully impact. I suggest Randolph. It has a history of IB, and most importantly a school board member living within it’s neighborhood.
I know there are umc parents happy enough with those schools right now, and I don’t mean to challenge their experiences. This should be about a stronger push to increase their numbers.

UMC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

+1--- Randolph parent. We have friends with kids at Barcroft. They are happy.

Those parents need to speak up more, so that people aren't scared off.

Schools like Randolph and Barcroft are poised to have stronger cohorts of kids in the coming years, but parents need to be reassured by more than their neighbors. They need to feel supported by the school board and APS. Michelle Rhee literally went knocking on doors and spoke to parents about the neighborhood schools. Is time for APS to step up and serve all of their students, in all schools. Randolph is largely serving Barcroft apts, not the SFH’s that surround it. Those families need to be convinced that their children won’t be overlooked for 6 years, because “ they will be fine”. They need to be reassured that their kids won’t be subjuncted to the lowest common denominator “ teach to the test and only the test” drill drill drill classroom. If that means school within schools, like they do conversely in Fairfax, then it needs to happen. Perhaps IB at Randolph could be part of that solution. UMC families at Barcroft can choice to Randolph. Between Alcova, Barcroft, and Douglas Park a larger high performing group could be achieved. I’m not saying to write off Barcroft elementary, but I think it’s going to have to happen 1 school at a time. Henry is great, Hoffman Boston is doing really well... I think you focus on the next school you can meaningfully impact. I suggest Randolph. It has a history of IB, and most importantly a school board member living within it’s neighborhood.
I know there are umc parents happy enough with those schools right now, and I don’t mean to challenge their experiences. This should be about a stronger push to increase their numbers.

UMC?

Upper middle class. But really it’s just short hand for educated middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

+1--- Randolph parent. We have friends with kids at Barcroft. They are happy.

Those parents need to speak up more, so that people aren't scared off.

Schools like Randolph and Barcroft are poised to have stronger cohorts of kids in the coming years, but parents need to be reassured by more than their neighbors. They need to feel supported by the school board and APS. Michelle Rhee literally went knocking on doors and spoke to parents about the neighborhood schools. Is time for APS to step up and serve all of their students, in all schools. Randolph is largely serving Barcroft apts, not the SFH’s that surround it. Those families need to be convinced that their children won’t be overlooked for 6 years, because “ they will be fine”. They need to be reassured that their kids won’t be subjuncted to the lowest common denominator “ teach to the test and only the test” drill drill drill classroom. If that means school within schools, like they do conversely in Fairfax, then it needs to happen. Perhaps IB at Randolph could be part of that solution. UMC families at Barcroft can choice to Randolph. Between Alcova, Barcroft, and Douglas Park a larger high performing group could be achieved. I’m not saying to write off Barcroft elementary, but I think it’s going to have to happen 1 school at a time. Henry is great, Hoffman Boston is doing really well... I think you focus on the next school you can meaningfully impact. I suggest Randolph. It has a history of IB, and most importantly a school board member living within it’s neighborhood.
I know there are umc parents happy enough with those schools right now, and I don’t mean to challenge their experiences. This should be about a stronger push to increase their numbers.

UMC?

Upper middle class. But really it’s just short hand for educated middle class.

Ah okay. I agree with what is being said here. I've been watching those schools, though Henry is so far over capacity we can't transfer there. It would be nice to know that my kids won't be lost in the shuffle if we go to Barcroft and aren't just sitting around "being fine" while others play catch up. Can people propose that to the county? I have written several times to express my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

Ditto. We have friends who were zoned Kenmore-->W&L, very happy with their experience at Kenmore and one of their kids chose to transfer to Wakefield and has done well there. We have friends all over Arlington and I hear more complaints about Yorktown than I do about Wakefield, although that could be more a reaction to expectations based on the reputations you hear about, so once actually in the schools they end up pleasantly surprised by Wakefield, mad that Yorktown isn't perfect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

This. I have heard good things about these schools, too. I know people in W&L zone that sent their kids to Wakefield because they liked it. I have heard there is less bullying there.

+1--- Randolph parent. We have friends with kids at Barcroft. They are happy.

Those parents need to speak up more, so that people aren't scared off.

Schools like Randolph and Barcroft are poised to have stronger cohorts of kids in the coming years, but parents need to be reassured by more than their neighbors. They need to feel supported by the school board and APS. Michelle Rhee literally went knocking on doors and spoke to parents about the neighborhood schools. Is time for APS to step up and serve all of their students, in all schools. Randolph is largely serving Barcroft apts, not the SFH’s that surround it. Those families need to be convinced that their children won’t be overlooked for 6 years, because “ they will be fine”. They need to be reassured that their kids won’t be subjuncted to the lowest common denominator “ teach to the test and only the test” drill drill drill classroom. If that means school within schools, like they do conversely in Fairfax, then it needs to happen. Perhaps IB at Randolph could be part of that solution. UMC families at Barcroft can choice to Randolph. Between Alcova, Barcroft, and Douglas Park a larger high performing group could be achieved. I’m not saying to write off Barcroft elementary, but I think it’s going to have to happen 1 school at a time. Henry is great, Hoffman Boston is doing really well... I think you focus on the next school you can meaningfully impact. I suggest Randolph. It has a history of IB, and most importantly a school board member living within it’s neighborhood.
I know there are umc parents happy enough with those schools right now, and I don’t mean to challenge their experiences. This should be about a stronger push to increase their numbers.

UMC?

Upper middle class. But really it’s just short hand for educated middle class.

Ah okay. I agree with what is being said here. I've been watching those schools, though Henry is so far over capacity we can't transfer there. It would be nice to know that my kids won't be lost in the shuffle if we go to Barcroft and aren't just sitting around "being fine" while others play catch up. Can people propose that to the county? I have written several times to express my opinion.

Reid Goldstein would be a wonderful ally in this. He could help make this happen. I bet he would even go visit some families. It is time for someone to host a coffee with him and parents currently at the school. One school at a time. It can be done.