| Making it to TJ is not everyone's goal. |
As Cluster 1 Haycock parents have said about their own mouthy minority, please don't judge all of the incoming families by what you have heard at meetings or read here. Many of us watched the brawl from the sidelines and are now looking forward to a fresh start. I live in Pimmit Hills, so some of you are already my neighbors and friends. Now our kids will also go to school together, and that's great. I will be equally honest and say that I will arrive feeling somewhat defensive. I thought for years that Haycock was "our" school and then was told in no uncertain terms this year that I was mistaken. I do not wish repeat that at LR. I will arrive with a willing spirit and helping hands, and hope that you will make room for me on your PTA and in your parent community. Remember that "egalitarian" also means making room for dissenting opinions and suggestions that may differ from the way you have always done things. I have no plans -- or desire! -- to take over, but I do want a voice. If you don't treat us as though you folks are doing us a huge favor by taking our kids, I will do my best to temper pushy behavior by my fellow AAP parents. Deal?
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finally, someone with right head spoke about TJ |
I LOVE your enthusiasm, but I don't think comments like these don't get us off to a good start with the already established LR families. Whether you are visiting a new country, starting a new job or moving to a new school, when arriving in a brand new place it is best to lay low and see how the natives handle things before starting to make "improvements." There will be other kids at LR just as shiny as ours. LR doesn't need to be "better," it just needs to incorporate our kids and their needs. And when you say that there is a lot to be done, I hope you mean that there is alot of work for both incoming and established families to do to become a good community, not that LR needs to rise to your standards. That's what you all meant, right?
Also, I've already heard from a couple of LR moms that the LR administration wants to put less emphasis on LR as an AAP center, and do more to incorporate all of the kids in all of the activities. Strauss made it sound like we are going to be some self-contained island in the new wing, but it sounds like LR's plans are to mix things up so all of the classrooms, AAP and gen-ed alike, get to know each other. I think this is the right approach. |
That sounds like a good plan, as long as it doesn't become one of those false centers where they mix it up so much that gen Ed kids and center kids are in the same academic classes. I agree that Haycock isolated the AAP kids too much, but without the academic cohort, it simply isn't a center education. |
| Yes! God forbid the center kids ever be mixed in with base school kids academically! Clearly no base school kids could be as good or better in any subject as a center kid. Wouldn't want a base school child who is brilliant in math being in the same math class as my center child. The stench of base school might rub off on my child... |
Seriously!!! Did you see the percentage of kids accepted from non AAP schools? It does matter which elementary school your kid goes to. |
You know... There is something to that. Once you start letting non AAP kids into AAP center classes, it becomes a landslide of "what about my kid...he could do the work they're doing" and before long there is no center. |
As long as my kid is getting good quality instruction and being challeged, I don't give a flip about "center" or non-center. All 3 of my kids have qualifed for AAP: 2 went, one didn't. The one who didn't graduated with an IB diploma from Marshall and earned a full scholarship to a top 20 univeristy. We AAP center parents need to get over ourselves. |
| As long as they can keep the differentiation and high levels of challenge that existed at Haycock, we will be thrilled with everything else. |
| Looking forward to developing a strong relationship with the Lemon Road Family. I will admit I fought hard to keep my child at Haycock, because that is where he is and where he loves. But I am thrilled by the open arms we have been offered. Will it be an adjustment for everyone? Yes. Will I work hard to keep his academic program as rigorous? Yes. Will that be at a cost of the relationship with the Lemon Road community? I certainly hope not. I know we can all contribute something positive to the community. |
| everything has room to improve -- Lemon Road is no exception! Lemon Road will and should get better! why are you feeling so defensive? none of the kids who is moving to LR is on the voluntary basis! SB and County ask them to! the kids have the right to demand the standard of learning as they have been given before! if the county and/or LR cannot provide, we just heard the empty promise! |
| PP, why in the world would you assume that Lemon Road does not already meet or exceed the "standard of learning" that your kid got at Haycock? |
| Not the pp, but last year, 19.4% of third graders failed the reading SOL at Lemon Road in comparison to 0.6% at Haycock....and 20% of third graders at Lemon Road failed the math SOL in comparison to 6% at Haycock. Clearly something isn't working at Lemon Road. |
| 21:11 Could that possibly be related to the demographics of the two schools? In math 10 3rd graders failed at Haycock while 6 did at Lemon Road. Haycock was 4% free or reduced fees and 7% Limited English Proficiency. Lemon Road was 26% free or reduced fees and 23% LEP. Might those numbers affect the percentages passing the SOLs? Luther Jackson MS, which has a great AAP center, had 28% of its 7th graders fail the math SOL last year with 41% of its population getting free or reduced fees and 27% being LEP. Clearly demographics of the student population affect pass rates. |