Jefferson Houston Middle: any current parents?

[Anonymous]

We have two kids at JH (not middle school yet) and have really appreciated the experience so far. Leadership matters hugely and the positive, caring, respectful environment that the leadership team is building is so amazing. We experienced one year under the previous pincipal and I can say that the difference is a complete 180. My kids love school, love their teachers, have made fantastic friends, and have an incredible opportunity to be in an environment that reflects our community. I will say there is a whole lot of testing, which is a ACPS thing generally. It keeps the kids and teachers on their toes and aware of what they need to work on, but definitely takes time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have two kids at JH (not middle school yet) and have really appreciated the experience so far. Leadership matters hugely and the positive, caring, respectful environment that the leadership team is building is so amazing. We experienced one year under the previous pincipal and I can say that the difference is a complete 180. My kids love school, love their teachers, have made fantastic friends, and have an incredible opportunity to be in an environment that reflects our community. I will say there is a whole lot of testing, which is a ACPS thing generally. It keeps the kids and teachers on their toes and aware of what they need to work on, but definitely takes time.

Which previous principal? There has been I think 7 in the last decade. The school is run so poorly none stay.

[jsteele]

To the poster who keeps reporting posts from this thread: Please report a post one time and no more than one time. I will either remove the post or I won't. Reporting the post 4 times will not change the result. It is creating unnecessary work for me and I would like it to stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As member of the local Alexandria community and JH parent (who is high income household, privileged and could afford private school) I still choose to send my 3 kids to JH and here's why: I want my kids to attend their neighborhood school. It's diverse. It reflects our community. And it reflects the real world that I want my kids to grow up in for all the right reasons. The principal cares deeply, the parents are engaged, caring, enthusiastic and so are the teachers. The student body reflects all of the best things in Alexandria and the DC area. They are creative, diverse, unique, intelligent, multi-lingual, compassionate and people that i want my kids to be around. JH isn't a protective bubble, instead, it's a reflective bubble of the community around us. If you're the type of parent that only uses test scores to gauge your student's success (or the value of your local school) then JH (and ACPS) aren't the right place for you. Go to private school. Go to a rich, white, non-diverse school where test scores reflect just that. But if you want all of the things i've described above and you're willing to contribute to continue to grow the JH community, then we can't wait to welcome you to JH and into the ACPS community!

I cannot comment about the post below describing the positive middle school J-H experience because my child has not been a middle school J-H student. I will respond to the post above since it is not so limited, mischaracterizing J-H for a good number students, and implying that parents who are concerned about whether their students’ education is sufficient (and that their children in safe in school) are racist.

Specifically, the poster is writing from the UMC parent perspective whose children do not have special needs. Yes, such students do ok at J-H (regardless of the school’s deficiencies). If your child is special needs or needs extra help for whatever reason, there is a significant risk that your child will have a harmful experience at J-H. I say this as a parent of child who had two stints at J-H who was bullied and did not get special needs met. I know at least at one grade level this year there has been concerning disruptions of learning similar to a few years ago. J-H’s poor test scores reflect the school’s inability to serve its full population. Parents should go in with eyes open about whether whether J-H will met their children’s needs (and provide a safe learning environment) and doing so does not mean you are racist.

This

[Anonymous]

Hilarious that some 'woke' middle aged white lady is trying to gatekeep JH's reputation.

If you can't appreciate the irony in that than you don't know the school.

[Anonymous]

Can someone speak to the process of transferring there for middle school-- is there any ability to visit or get more information?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son attended for a year. It was very hard for him to make friends. It is a small school, and most of the students were also there together in elementary. He just couldn't break in - and he is not a kid who generally has trouble making friends.

OP here. Thank you for this insight. I’ve wondered about this. About how big is each class (grade level)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone speak to the process of transferring there for middle school-- is there any ability to visit or get more information?

I do know administration has done meetings with prospective parents, and are very responsive. I would reach out to the PTA to be connected to the parent liason to set up a tour.