haynes vs west

[LPJackson76]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you all for your thoughts about West and McFarland and Roosevelt and beyond. We're staying put for now, but that doesn't mean we can't also get involved at West, so I will be in touch--we're at Hamilton all the time anyway!

PLEASE come on over and get involved! We strongly encourage involvement from anyone in the community who wants to join us, even if you don't have kids at West! Our school support, instead of a PTA, is called the West PSCO - Parent, Staff & Community Organization. We want YOU! LOL! You can e-mail us at [e-mail] or join the West Listserv or visit our Website (www.westschool.org) for ways to pitch in.

Anonymous wrote:So YOU'RE the one! I've never met anyone who thought the EC model was a good idea, you are as rare as a leprechaun with a pot of gold

LOL! Yep, that's me! My reasons for supporting the EC model are pretty simple - continuity. Middle schoolers are the devil's spawn. Seriously. They are hormonal, out of control, evil creatures who try to suck the life blood out of you. (Bear in mind I have a rising 7th grader and a rising 5th grader...they're evil beasts...) In the EC model, ideally you have those students surrounded by staff who have known them since they were cute, sweet cherubs. The staff know their personalities and how to handle them as they go through the awkward transition from Kid to Teenager in a way that (from what I've seen) minimizes some of the issues that arise during those years. Additionally, as I mentioned, we've seen a difference in the test scores of kids who were at West from Early Childhood and stayed thru MS, vs those who came into West in 3rd, 4th, etc. Those who were with the program from the beginning score higher.

Anonymous wrote:There are far worse ideas out there. While I'm in the camp of a separate middle school, there are some attractive features of the EC model. I'd love to have a great middle school, but right now, West at least provides a known and acceptable option. 60% of 8th graders got HS credit for Algebra.
Also, I happen to be the product of a K-8 school - I didn't know what middle school was until much later in life.

I'm also the product of a K-8 (West actually...again, I may be biased) and also didn't know what MS was until after I went to High School. I believe it should remain an option - let parents choose which is better for their children. Some will do better in the EC model, some in a free-standing MS model. I would like to see both offered, and believe there is a large enough student base to support both.

One clarification on the 60% of 8th graders that got HS credit...that 60% were ALL of the 8th graders who took Algebra this year (not every 8th grader took the class).

OK - going to put down my West Cheer Pom-Poms for now - although if anyone would like to volunteer to help us rebuild our cheer team, we need help there too!!!!! LOL

[Anonymous]

I attended Takoma in the early 90's and didn't know what a stand alone middle school was either. We had all the sports, academic rigor and anything else you could imagine. I guess the funding wasn't an issue back then.

[Anonymous]

LPJackson76 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thank you all for your thoughts about West and McFarland and Roosevelt and beyond. We're staying put for now, but that doesn't mean we can't also get involved at West, so I will be in touch--we're at Hamilton all the time anyway!

PLEASE come on over and get involved! We strongly encourage involvement from anyone in the community who wants to join us, even if you don't have kids at West! Our school support, instead of a PTA, is called the West PSCO - Parent, Staff & Community Organization. We want YOU! LOL! You can e-mail us at [e-mail] or join the West Listserv or visit our Website (www.westschool.org) for ways to pitch in.

Anonymous wrote:So YOU'RE the one! I've never met anyone who thought the EC model was a good idea, you are as rare as a leprechaun with a pot of gold

LOL! Yep, that's me! My reasons for supporting the EC model are pretty simple - continuity. Middle schoolers are the devil's spawn. Seriously. They are hormonal, out of control, evil creatures who try to suck the life blood out of you. (Bear in mind I have a rising 7th grader and a rising 5th grader...they're evil beasts...) In the EC model, ideally you have those students surrounded by staff who have known them since they were cute, sweet cherubs. The staff know their personalities and how to handle them as they go through the awkward transition from Kid to Teenager in a way that (from what I've seen) minimizes some of the issues that arise during those years. Additionally, as I mentioned, we've seen a difference in the test scores of kids who were at West from Early Childhood and stayed thru MS, vs those who came into West in 3rd, 4th, etc. Those who were with the program from the beginning score higher.

Anonymous wrote:There are far worse ideas out there. While I'm in the camp of a separate middle school, there are some attractive features of the EC model. I'd love to have a great middle school, but right now, West at least provides a known and acceptable option. 60% of 8th graders got HS credit for Algebra.
Also, I happen to be the product of a K-8 school - I didn't know what middle school was until much later in life.

I'm also the product of a K-8 (West actually...again, I may be biased) and also didn't know what MS was until after I went to High School. I believe it should remain an option - let parents choose which is better for their children. Some will do better in the EC model, some in a free-standing MS model. I would like to see both offered, and believe there is a large enough student base to support both.

One clarification on the 60% of 8th graders that got HS credit...that 60% were ALL of the 8th graders who took Algebra this year (not every 8th grader took the class).

OK - going to put down my West Cheer Pom-Poms for now - although if anyone would like to volunteer to help us rebuild our cheer team, we need help there too!!!!! LOL

Thanks for your perspective and commitment to making your school the best it can be, although I have to say that the results are in on the way DCPS has implemented EC in this 'Per Pupil Funding' era and they are not good.