GBW AAP Survey email

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which FCPS schools have only 400 kids? I thought 800ish was the norm?

From the recently adopted 2016-20 CIP:

Armstrong 470
Vienna 433
Columbia 471
Graham Rd 504
Lemon Rd 508
Franklin Sherman 406
Sleepy Hollow 465
Beech Tree 391
Bush Hill 472
Mount Eagle 401
Garfielld 371
Bucknell 284
Kings Glen 440
West Springfield 484
Little Run 341
Olde Creek 433

Thant doesn't take into account the additional schools between 500-599. There are a lot of smaller schools in FCPS, and there doesn't seem to be any consistency in philosophy over time about the size of the schools that FCPS is creating (through programmatic changes) or building. Although two new elementary schools they've opened recently have capacities between 650-700 students.

There's a policy for it, but it seems to be violated quite frequently.

http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/97ZHNY492B26/$file/P8120.pdf

The preferred maximum sizes, absent any extraordinary circumstance, for new school buildings are; 36 classrooms (approximately 900 student program capacity) for elementary, 1,000 student program capacity for middle (grades 7-8), and 2,000 student program capacity for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't mind the volunteer base going down. We went to GBE before, and they managed just fine. Switching schools does seem like a bit of a bummer, but I would probably rather do that than deal with such overcrowding. Also, Poplar Tree kids would go back to a school they know, and Colin Powell kids could go back to CP for the local level IV classes.

Don't want to make this a Colin Powell / Poplar Tree discussion, but it can't be helped. The survey is about reducing overcrowding at GBW by moving ONLY kids that have Poplar Tree as their base. All things being equal, the same scenario has been going on at Colin Powell. Hordes of kids come in from Colin Powell, though they have a local level IV citing better clubs, losing friendships with AAP students, less challenging work etc., at Colin Powell. And yet., the proposal is to allow Colin Powell kids to have a choice in attending GBW / Local level IV. Of course they will choose the center. I was at the meeting that was held in November and the figures showed that the number of kids coming to the center (GBW) from either school were the almost same ( less than a difference of 5). The proposal to make Poplar Tree a center implies that the kids will be denied a choice of coming to GBW. I just love the principal and the teachers at GBW and it will take a very long time,if ever to establish such a team at Poplar tree. Well, you can take Colin Powell as an example since kids still choose GBW over their local level IV.

Added to this is the fact that the overcrowding is mainly due to the current grade 5 students (based on figures of AAP enrollment in the past few years) because the selection criteria including the test were a little eased.
How can one project that such figures will be in the future such that overcrowding will remain an issue? The figures of enrollment cited at the meeting were much less in the following two years.

[Anonymous]

When do we find out about the decision?

[Anonymous]

20:53 -- thanks for posting the details.

Have you contacted your School Board members about this proposal? I am curious about their reaction to the proposal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we received the email from FCPS to fill out the survey about GBW over crowing.

How are we supposed to response. We don't even know what FCPS is doing to get AAP teacher to Poplar Tree.

Why FCPS not thinking about Boundry Changes or moving non AAP kids to Poplar Tree or moving AAP kids to Collin Powell where local AAP has been there for few years now.

If they want to implement this they should do it one year at a time so they have enough time to get staff and facility ready.

Any thoughts?

I think GBW may be the only ES in the county where AAP kids outnumber Gen Ed kids - not just in the 3-6 grades, but for the school as a whole.

Moving non-AAP kids to Poplar Tree would skew the ratios even further, so it's really a non-starter. There are already families that avoid GBW and Rocky Run and move further west to South Riding because they think the AAP programs at those particular schools are way too big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:we received the email from FCPS to fill out the survey about GBW over crowing.

How are we supposed to response. We don't even know what FCPS is doing to get AAP teacher to Poplar Tree.

Why FCPS not thinking about Boundry Changes or moving non AAP kids to Poplar Tree or moving AAP kids to Collin Powell where local AAP has been there for few years now.

If they want to implement this they should do it one year at a time so they have enough time to get staff and facility ready.

Any thoughts?

I think GBW may be the only ES in the county where AAP kids outnumber Gen Ed kids - not just in the 3-6 grades, but for the school as a whole.

Moving non-AAP kids to Poplar Tree would skew the ratios even further, so it's really a non-starter. There are already families that avoid GBW and Rocky Run and move further west to South Riding because they think the AAP programs at those particular schools are way too big.

Colvin Run is rapidly going in this direction too. It's absurd.

[Anonymous]

It is interesting that knowing that some schools are overcrowding and other are under enrolled, FCPS is not focusing on issues with these under enrolled school.

It is important to understand that why parents and kids prefer one school over other. FCPS school standards and parent partcipations are so different in each school. There is a greater need for learning things that are working from good schools and implementing these in under performing schools. FCPS should focus initiatives which will enrich kids either they are in AAP or Gen Ed and create similar environment in each of the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is interesting that knowing that some schools are overcrowding and other are under enrolled, FCPS is not focusing on issues with these under enrolled school.

It is important to understand that why parents and kids prefer one school over other. FCPS school standards and parent partcipations are so different in each school. There is a greater need for learning things that are working from good schools and implementing these in under performing schools. FCPS should focus initiatives which will enrich kids either they are in AAP or Gen Ed and create similar environment in each of the schools.

THAT +10000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't mind the volunteer base going down. We went to GBE before, and they managed just fine. Switching schools does seem like a bit of a bummer, but I would probably rather do that than deal with such overcrowding. Also, Poplar Tree kids would go back to a school they know, and Colin Powell kids could go back to CP for the local level IV classes.

Don't want to make this a Colin Powell / Poplar Tree discussion, but it can't be helped. The survey is about reducing overcrowding at GBW by moving ONLY kids that have Poplar Tree as their base. All things being equal, the same scenario has been going on at Colin Powell. Hordes of kids come in from Colin Powell, though they have a local level IV citing better clubs, losing friendships with AAP students, less challenging work etc., at Colin Powell. And yet., the proposal is to allow Colin Powell kids to have a choice in attending GBW / Local level IV. Of course they will choose the center. I was at the meeting that was held in November and the figures showed that the number of kids coming to the center (GBW) from either school were the almost same ( less than a difference of 5). The proposal to make Poplar Tree a center implies that the kids will be denied a choice of coming to GBW. I just love the principal and the teachers at GBW and it will take a very long time,if ever to establish such a team at Poplar tree. Well, you can take Colin Powell as an example since kids still choose GBW over their local level IV.

Added to this is the fact that the overcrowding is mainly due to the current grade 5 students (based on figures of AAP enrollment in the past few years) because the selection criteria including the test were a little eased.
How can one project that such figures will be in the future such that overcrowding will remain an issue? The figures of enrollment cited at the meeting were much less in the following two years.

Makes no sense at all that they are not considering making CP a center and that they are allowing CP kids to continue to move to GBW. I think it may be top down - ie CP admin does not want the school to become a center....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't mind the volunteer base going down. We went to GBE before, and they managed just fine. Switching schools does seem like a bit of a bummer, but I would probably rather do that than deal with such overcrowding. Also, Poplar Tree kids would go back to a school they know, and Colin Powell kids could go back to CP for the local level IV classes.

Don't want to make this a Colin Powell / Poplar Tree discussion, but it can't be helped. The survey is about reducing overcrowding at GBW by moving ONLY kids that have Poplar Tree as their base. All things being equal, the same scenario has been going on at Colin Powell. Hordes of kids come in from Colin Powell, though they have a local level IV citing better clubs, losing friendships with AAP students, less challenging work etc., at Colin Powell. And yet., the proposal is to allow Colin Powell kids to have a choice in attending GBW / Local level IV. Of course they will choose the center. I was at the meeting that was held in November and the figures showed that the number of kids coming to the center (GBW) from either school were the almost same ( less than a difference of 5). The proposal to make Poplar Tree a center implies that the kids will be denied a choice of coming to GBW. I just love the principal and the teachers at GBW and it will take a very long time,if ever to establish such a team at Poplar tree. Well, you can take Colin Powell as an example since kids still choose GBW over their local level IV.

Added to this is the fact that the overcrowding is mainly due to the current grade 5 students (based on figures of AAP enrollment in the past few years) because the selection criteria including the test were a little eased.
How can one project that such figures will be in the future such that overcrowding will remain an issue? The figures of enrollment cited at the meeting were much less in the following two years.

Thank you for bring up the clear point about making Colin Powell vs Poplar Tree being allowed to choose to go to GBW. Atleast they should start the Level VI program for few years and then force the poplar tree kids to go to POplar tree. I know some people very closely whose kids to Colon Powell and I for sure know how mature their level VI system is and even for kids in not Aap they have so many resources and clubs and experienced teachers. Poplar has tree has none of those and you are just picking Poplar tree and forcing their kids to not have any choice.

[Anonymous]

Very good point PP. I totally agree and to add to this,

I guess everyone forgot that boundry changes made 2 years back actually moved lot of kids from GBW to Poplar Tree and they all saw the difference in the school, staff and overall enrichments these 2 school has. If you put bunch kids from GBW into Poplar tree because of boundry changes and then if most of them qualify for AAP and chose to move to GBW, it's not their fault. Overcrowding at GBW was issues few years back too. Moving kids back to base school even if they deserve AAP environment is not a good idea.

[Anonymous]

Lot of people bought houses in Poplar Tree so their kids gets a choice to go to GBW if they qualify and now that investment is a waste because for most of the people decision of buying house in a specific area is totally based on the quality of school.

[Anonymous]

You're entitled to access an AAP center program-if your child qualifies. You aren't entitled to access the exact school you'd prefer. Sorry if that sounds harsh-but this is hardly a "real" problem. You get what you get and you don't get upset. If a parent dislikes the new Poplar Tree center, that parent can choose to leave their child in his base school, move into the GBW boundary, send to private, or homeschool.

Each elementary school in FCPS has its own pros and cons. Whether that system is good or whether the offerings should be standardized across the board is a different discussion.

[Anonymous]

Again, a special program is not guaranteed to be at a particular school forever.

It's not the system's problem that you bought out of district thinking that staying at another school was a given.

Want to go to GBW so bad? Move to Greenbriar.

How is your dumb real estate decision our problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again, a special program is not guaranteed to be at a particular school forever.

It's not the system's problem that you bought out of district thinking that staying at another school was a given.

Want to go to GBW so bad? Move to Greenbriar.

How is your dumb real estate decision our problem?

Not just Greenbriar. There is a small pocket of real estate remaining on the right of stringfellow that is zoned in for gbw that has pricier and bigger homes that don't resemble the charming old houses from the 1970s of greenbriar. You can move there too. Wonder how that happened! Probably has some residents who can pull strings with the board.