Try FCPS AAP center for 2-3 weeks and switch to private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

This is not his decision. You are the parent. This is your decision.

Let's say our family values his opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

This is not his decision. You are the parent. This is your decision.

Let's say our family values his opinion.

You decided to homeschool him. You decided to send him to private school. Now you need to decide what to do for the next school year.

Having him "trial" one classroom in one school before sending him to a different school is disruptive and will not give him an idea of anything. It will just be an additional transition for him to deal with.

It sounds like you are waffling. Make a decision for your DC. Be his parent, not his friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

This is not his decision. You are the parent. This is your decision.

Let's say our family values his opinion.

You decided to homeschool him. You decided to send him to private school. Now you need to decide what to do for the next school year.

Having him "trial" one classroom in one school before sending him to a different school is disruptive and will not give him an idea of anything. It will just be an additional transition for him to deal with.

It sounds like you are waffling. Make a decision for your DC. Be his parent, not his friend.

My initial question was not about parenting. I never had plans to homeschool him but it ended up being like that due to many factors I had no control over.

For your information:
2023-24: 4th grade, private out of state
2022-23: 3rd grade, private out of state
2021-22: 2nd grade, homeschool due to covid
2020-21: 1st grade homeschool during covid
2019-20: K class at his preschool

If you are done attacking my parenting style, and have any comments re:FCPS question in any way, I would be happy if you can provide your input.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

We will be moving back from out of state to Fairfax County. Just before we were moving away our child had qualified for FCPS AAP (for 3rd grade back then). Back then we were homeschooling and we applied at AAP as a non-FCPS student, he got in. Then we had to move away for a couple of years. He attended a private school for the last two years we have been out of state. Now he will be in 5th grade when we move back this summer.

We are wondering what to do regarding schooling when we move back. Whether we should put him in AAP or go private (if he gets accepted). He never had a public school experience either here or elsewhere. We thought that an option may be even if he gets accepted to the private, we may consider to send him to public school for AAP for the first 2.5 weeks before private school opens. This way he can get a sense of environment and the large classrooms. When the private opens in 2.5 weeks after the public school, we can put him in the private for a couple of days and then let him decide between the two. After that he continues with either public or private, and we withdraw from the one he does not choose.

So I need opinions about whether logistically this is possible. Would the public school be OK if we withdrew from the FCPS AAP program 3 weeks into the new semester? Would he loose his AAP status if he considers it again in future? I am trying to get a sense of how things would go with the FCPS school if we inform them we don't want to continue throughout the academic year.

We want him to have a choice between AAP in public school and the private school. Both are new schools/environments for him.

Thank you.

Your plan does not seem to be a good one unless money is no object. And even then, does not seem like a good approach as you and your DC have time to still explore what type of school might be a good fit.

You have left out details that might matter in assessing a potential fit:

which schools are you considering? have you visited the schools as yet?

what is the current level of your child’s academic work - on grade? above grade? higher level in any particular subject? is he able to manage his school work well?

is he nervous about a new classroom with lots of kids? or more excited by the idea of meeting new kids?

what is his personality like - does he care about after school activities - academic or sports?

[Anonymous]

Answer: people choose to live in Fairfax County for the public schools. If you don't want to send your DC to public school, why bother with Fairfax at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

This is not his decision. You are the parent. This is your decision.

Let's say our family values his opinion.

DP. I have a similar aged child and I value her opinion on public vs private (she has been in both). I've also always insisted that it's ultimately my decision. Among other reasons, when she wishes she was somewhere else (no school is perfect, and kids have phases) it's important that it not be "well, you picked this." That level of responsibility is inappropriate for a 10 year old. So is giving them the choice to forfeit a year of tuition, and honestly I doubt you can prevent him from feeling the financial pressure there.

Entry year also matters. Most public ES run K-6, so if you commit to private for 5th with the option to go back to FCPS in 6th if he likes his two weeks, he's changing schools 3 times: 5th, 6th, 7th. And 5th is the year AAP math accelerates, so he may need to catch up to join 6th grade AAP.

All of this points to you doing private through 6th, IMO, unless you are willing to skip private altogether. So just commit to it and don't make everybody unhappy with a 2 week tourist visit to FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

This is not his decision. You are the parent. This is your decision.

Let's say our family values his opinion.

I get it, we let our child have a say in staying at his base school or moving to the Center. But that did not involve attending one and then leaving after 3 weeks.

I would be surprised to find too many people who think this is a good idea. Outside of the tuition piece, the disruption is bigger then you are giving credit for. Teachers use the first weeks of school to set routines, help kids get to know their classmates, focus on integrating new kids into the class, and figure out how to manage that particular group of kids. A kid leaving after 3 weeks is going to disrupt that flow.

The history you have laid out for your child points to a lot of movement in his education. Some of that cannot be avoided due to illness, job moves, and the like. You are now suggesting that he start to get to know a group of kids for 3 weeks, then move to another school, and then potentially move again in another year. Different schools have different teaching methods and emphasize different elements of an area. Too much movement will lead to gaps in knowledge that can be an issue later on.

I get the desire to give your child a choice but this is not the way I would do it. I would explain the options and do a pro and con list but moving between the two is not good for the other kids in his class and isn’t going to provide him/you with the experience that will help him/you make an informed decision. The first weeks at school are not normal and 2 days is not enough at the private school.

It sounds like you are set on a path forward but it is rare that anyone on this board agrees on anything and yet pretty much all of the posts are pointing in the same direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Answer: people choose to live in Fairfax County for the public schools. If you don't want to send your DC to public school, why bother with Fairfax at all?

This. And a lot of people leave FCPS for private in upper elementary or middle school, so I have a feeling that’s what OP would end up doing. AAP is not that amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Answer: people choose to live in Fairfax County for the public schools. If you don't want to send your DC to public school, why bother with Fairfax at all?

This. And a lot of people leave FCPS for private in upper elementary or middle school, so I have a feeling that’s what OP would end up doing. AAP is not that amazing.

Well, it is. But when you have $40k burning a hole in your pocket, you've got to justify spending it somehow.

[Anonymous]

Some commenters recommended a shadow day at private to get a sense of the privates. I wonder why they object to 2-3 week shadowing at FCPS claiming you cannot get a sense of school during such a short time. One day shadowing at private is super short in comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

This is not his decision. You are the parent. This is your decision.

Let's say our family values his opinion.

I get it, we let our child have a say in staying at his base school or moving to the Center. But that did not involve attending one and then leaving after 3 weeks.

I would be surprised to find too many people who think this is a good idea. Outside of the tuition piece, the disruption is bigger then you are giving credit for. Teachers use the first weeks of school to set routines, help kids get to know their classmates, focus on integrating new kids into the class, and figure out how to manage that particular group of kids. A kid leaving after 3 weeks is going to disrupt that flow.

The history you have laid out for your child points to a lot of movement in his education. Some of that cannot be avoided due to illness, job moves, and the like. You are now suggesting that he start to get to know a group of kids for 3 weeks, then move to another school, and then potentially move again in another year. Different schools have different teaching methods and emphasize different elements of an area. Too much movement will lead to gaps in knowledge that can be an issue later on.

I get the desire to give your child a choice but this is not the way I would do it. I would explain the options and do a pro and con list but moving between the two is not good for the other kids in his class and isn’t going to provide him/you with the experience that will help him/you make an informed decision. The first weeks at school are not normal and 2 days is not enough at the private school.

It sounds like you are set on a path forward but it is rare that anyone on this board agrees on anything and yet pretty much all of the posts are pointing in the same direction.

I get your point.
During preschool he had an IEP and received services due to anxiety. He is much better now. He is above grade level in all topics except writing. He is grade level at writing. He is very creative and talented in art, music. He is very athletic and does well in sports. School days - we try to keep them short since he may get overstimulated during long days and have hard time sleeping. He stays at school 8am-3pm at the moment. He does a lot of reading, art and math at home in his free time.

[Anonymous]

Have you bought a house yet and have a specific ES or AAP center you would like to know more about?

[Anonymous]

He needs more than a few weeks to decide if he likes public and certainly more than a few days to decide if he likes private.

You are also messing with other families who would have liked the open spot.

Give him the rundown of the pros and cons and decide by the summer. If at the end of the year he hates whatever he chose you can try the other option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some commenters recommended a shadow day at private to get a sense of the privates. I wonder why they object to 2-3 week shadowing at FCPS claiming you cannot get a sense of school during such a short time. One day shadowing at private is super short in comparison.

A shadow day normally happens once the school year is under way. It gives a student a chance to see what a normal day looks like and how the school works. Clubs have started, sports might be happening. It is a normal day.

The first few weeks of school are kind of hectic and chaotic. Kids are coming back and talking to friends and catching up. Teachers are introducing kids to the classroom and trying to establish what the routine is going to be. FCPS will probably have the kids take the iReady and do other basic testing. Specials may or may not start. Clubs won’t start for a few weeks. It is not even close to a normal day,

So not really the same thing.

[Anonymous]

It seems like the OP is less looking for anyone's opinion and more looking for everyone to validate her plan and her parenting style. Just abandon the thread, you will go nowhere.