ATS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just offered a position off the waitlist at ATS. Neighborhood school is Nottingham. Would love to hear from ATS parents - looking to understand the good and the bad. We applied because a friend told us that they emphasize music art which my daughter is obsessed with (is taking private violin lessons and I know that no school can replace private lessons).

ATS doesn't have drastically more art/music than other schools. All schools offer band/orchestra and chorus to upper grades and regular music classes for all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just offered a position off the waitlist at ATS. Neighborhood school is Nottingham. Would love to hear from ATS parents - looking to understand the good and the bad. We applied because a friend told us that they emphasize music art which my daughter is obsessed with (is taking private violin lessons and I know that no school can replace private lessons).

ATS doesn't have drastically more art/music than other schools. All schools offer band/orchestra and chorus to upper grades and regular music classes for all.

I agree with this and will add that our kids have had lots of friends nearby because we chose our neighborhood school. When my oldest went to middle school having all those elementary friends also go to the same middle school eased the transition considerably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just offered a position off the waitlist at ATS. Neighborhood school is Nottingham. Would love to hear from ATS parents - looking to understand the good and the bad. We applied because a friend told us that they emphasize music art which my daughter is obsessed with (is taking private violin lessons and I know that no school can replace private lessons).

ATS doesn't have drastically more art/music than other schools. All schools offer band/orchestra and chorus to upper grades and regular music classes for all.

I agree with this and will add that our kids have had lots of friends nearby because we chose our neighborhood school. When my oldest went to middle school having all those elementary friends also go to the same middle school eased the transition considerably.

OP this is a good point. If I were u I would keep your daughter in a Nottingham Girl Scouts troop and some sport like soccer with neighborhood kids.

[Anonymous]

I think the difference (and I guess it isn’t for a kid who is already into music) is that ATS requires all 4th and 5th graders to do both chorus and orchestra. It’s not elective.
Separately, and not music related, ATS requires all 5th graders to be safety patrols and gives them various jobs to help around school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just offered a position off the waitlist at ATS. Neighborhood school is Nottingham. Would love to hear from ATS parents - looking to understand the good and the bad. We applied because a friend told us that they emphasize music art which my daughter is obsessed with (is taking private violin lessons and I know that no school can replace private lessons).

ATS doesn't have drastically more art/music than other schools. All schools offer band/orchestra and chorus to upper grades and regular music classes for all.

I agree with this and will add that our kids have had lots of friends nearby because we chose our neighborhood school. When my oldest went to middle school having all those elementary friends also go to the same middle school eased the transition considerably.

But doesn't ATS require all students to take an instrument? Other elementary schools do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just offered a position off the waitlist at ATS. Neighborhood school is Nottingham. Would love to hear from ATS parents - looking to understand the good and the bad. We applied because a friend told us that they emphasize music art which my daughter is obsessed with (is taking private violin lessons and I know that no school can replace private lessons).

Run away from that principal of yours ASAP!

Her music will thrive at ATS.

m
What’s wrong with her?

OP here. I am curious as well. Granted we have only been at Nottingham for a month but the principal seems perfectly fine to me. DD is in first grade and was virtual last year so this is our first experience with in person public school.

Same question - though we are in K at NES so don't really have a basis of comparison.

Nottingham parent of a 4th grader and a couple of middle schoolers. No one is universally beloved in this world but we have had nothing but positive experiences with Dr. Gardner, and have only heard the same from other parents we know. There is a McKinley parent on this board that is holding onto a grudge they won’t explain from when she was AP at McKinley years ago, but I don’t know if pp is that person.

Many many people have had negative experiences with Dr Gardner

(not the McK parent you reference)

Can you provide some more context? Are there specific concerns or areas to watch out for?

[Anonymous]

^^
She does not do well with children who are outliers of any kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just offered a position off the waitlist at ATS. Neighborhood school is Nottingham. Would love to hear from ATS parents - looking to understand the good and the bad. We applied because a friend told us that they emphasize music art which my daughter is obsessed with (is taking private violin lessons and I know that no school can replace private lessons).

ATS doesn't have drastically more art/music than other schools. All schools offer band/orchestra and chorus to upper grades and regular music classes for all.

I agree with this and will add that our kids have had lots of friends nearby because we chose our neighborhood school. When my oldest went to middle school having all those elementary friends also go to the same middle school eased the transition considerably.

But doesn't ATS require all students to take an instrument? Other elementary schools do not.

All 4th and 5th grade ATS kids must do orchestra and chorus.

[Anonymous]

There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just offered a position off the waitlist at ATS. Neighborhood school is Nottingham. Would love to hear from ATS parents - looking to understand the good and the bad. We applied because a friend told us that they emphasize music art which my daughter is obsessed with (is taking private violin lessons and I know that no school can replace private lessons).

ATS doesn't have drastically more art/music than other schools. All schools offer band/orchestra and chorus to upper grades and regular music classes for all.

I agree with this and will add that our kids have had lots of friends nearby because we chose our neighborhood school. When my oldest went to middle school having all those elementary friends also go to the same middle school eased the transition considerably.

But doesn't ATS require all students to take an instrument? Other elementary schools do not.

All 4th and 5th grade ATS kids must do orchestra and chorus.

I guess the idea would be if a child is musically inclined he or she would be in a school where all his/her friends play an instrument and are part of the orchestra and band. It’s not a huge difference for that child but can be viewed as a positive. OP it depends: if you love Nottingham and your DD is already attached to the school then don’t bother. But if not ATS might be worth a try. My kids are in Tuckahoe which we love but our neighbors have kids in ATS and they seem happy. Either way make sure she stays friends with the neighborhood kids. It’ll make a difference for Middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^
She does not do well with children who are outliers of any kind.

Outliers like what? Could you give examples? My kids are in Tuckahoe so I’m just curious…

[Anonymous]

Her reputation from McKinley is anti IEP.

[Anonymous]

Dr Gardner is great. She got a bad rep from McKinley but I suspect that had more to do with the dynamic with the principal there. At Nottingham, she is wel liked. The kids really like her and she spends a lot of the day walking around the school, greeting students in the halls during transitions, interacting with kids at lunch and recess, etc. I feel like she knows every student by name. One of my close friends also teaches at Nottingham and says that she is a strong leader who always backs up her staff. I think that with Covid and all the unknown, ever changing circumstances, she has done a great job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dr Gardner is great. She got a bad rep from McKinley but I suspect that had more to do with the dynamic with the principal there. At Nottingham, she is wel liked. The kids really like her and she spends a lot of the day walking around the school, greeting students in the halls during transitions, interacting with kids at lunch and recess, etc. I feel like she knows every student by name. One of my close friends also teaches at Nottingham and says that she is a strong leader who always backs up her staff. I think that with Covid and all the unknown, ever changing circumstances, she has done a great job.

Glad to hear it. I suspect that given the number of complaints filed against her and the other that she had some sort of intervention; sounds like it stuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.