Reviews of Thomson Elementary School for PK3?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello-

We got waitlisted at Peabody but matched at Thomson for PK3.

Thomson is an easy commute for us and we are thinking we will just enroll.

Any good/negative experiences at Thomson?

Thank you

We enjoyed Thomson for location, small-size of school, and had some fantastic teachers. Also possibly on the upswing given the number of at-risks students is dropping and it is leaving title I.

It is???? That's actually not good for Thomson. So many ELs. They need the resources.

Both Thomson and Seaton show Title 1 schoolwide funding for next year, but with Thomson at-risk percentage decreasing it is hard to know if that will last.

ESOL teacher funding is separate.

Garrison & Francis Stevens also have Title I schoolwide. You need to get down to Ross or Peabody levels of at-risk students before that disappears.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello-

We got waitlisted at Peabody but matched at Thomson for PK3.

Thomson is an easy commute for us and we are thinking we will just enroll.

Any good/negative experiences at Thomson?

Thank you

We enjoyed Thomson for location, small-size of school, and had some fantastic teachers. Also possibly on the upswing given the number of at-risks students is dropping and it is leaving title I.

It is???? That's actually not good for Thomson. So many ELs. They need the resources.

Both Thomson and Seaton show Title 1 schoolwide funding for next year, but with Thomson at-risk percentage decreasing it is hard to know if that will last.

ESOL teacher funding is separate.

Garrison & Francis Stevens also have Title I schoolwide. You need to get down to Ross or Peabody levels of at-risk students before that disappears.

I wonder how much of Thomson's at-risk percentage going down is about parents who aren't documented being afraid to fill out forms. Like a lot of DCPS, the school has a broad range of families from different socioeconomic groups (highly paid professionals, kids who live in housing projects). But it also has a high immigrant population.

The school doesn't seem to be gentrifying anymore than it has in the past. And gentrification has never been the administration's goal or the parent community's goal - they just serve whoever shows up, as best they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long-term, Seaton is the better option (brand new building by the time your kiddo is in K and a lot of community buy-in, plus feeder rights to a new school), so it depends on your appetite for the commute, which is aided by busses. Even the swing space has far superior outdoor space to Thomson, including a new playground, if that matters to you.

ymmv. a "new school" that is basically just cardozo middle in a different, farther away building is not any more appetizing to me, though i can see how decoupling it from the high school is a step in the right direction.

also i lived on euclid for 15 years and moved for good reasons, my kiddo is not going to euclid. or cardozo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long-term, Seaton is the better option (brand new building by the time your kiddo is in K and a lot of community buy-in, plus feeder rights to a new school), so it depends on your appetite for the commute, which is aided by busses. Even the swing space has far superior outdoor space to Thomson, including a new playground, if that matters to you.

ymmv. a "new school" that is basically just cardozo middle in a different, farther away building is not any more appetizing to me, though i can see how decoupling it from the high school is a step in the right direction.

also i lived on euclid for 15 years and moved for good reasons, my kiddo is not going to euclid. or cardozo.

Yeah, Francis middle keeps getting better, and the "new middle school" (agree that it's just Cardozo with a new building) is completely unknown. I would go with Thomson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Long-term, Seaton is the better option (brand new building by the time your kiddo is in K and a lot of community buy-in, plus feeder rights to a new school), so it depends on your appetite for the commute, which is aided by busses. Even the swing space has far superior outdoor space to Thomson, including a new playground, if that matters to you.

From a middle school perspective alone, you are better off at Thomson. Other things may be more important to you though.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know about the aftercare or before care programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know about the aftercare or before care programs?

There is no before care at Thomson. Earliest drop off is 8:15. Aftercare is at the school and goes until 5:45.