AAP info session in school - seeking AAP parents opinions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't send your two kids to different schools. That will be their predominate memory - that they were so different from each other, they couldn't even go to the same school.

Don't do this to kids

That's ridiculous! My kids go to different schools (one for AAP, the other not). They do not harbor any resentment -- unless you count the fact that the AAP kid resents that he has more work than the non-AAP kid.

Not the PP, but I think that's wishful thinking on your part. Have you ever seriously wondered what your non-AAP child thinks (not says) about the fact that his sibling gets to go to a different school, but s/he does not?

Not wishful thinking at all. Yes, we have asked non-aap kid if she wants to go to aap and her answer is a forceful "no!" She sees all the work sibling has and she is quite happy with her friends and workload at local school. Our kids know they are both smart and capable...aap is good for kids who "want extra challenges". (That's what we've always told them). It's not about being "smarter." FWIW, non-aap kid missed the cut off by one percentile in a year when your composite has to be 132....subscores were nit enough. She was 99th percentile in verbal, but lower in quantitative...so if she really had wanted what her sibling has at aap, we probably could have made it happen. We do what works for each kid independently of the other...it's not a competition or a comparative process of parenting. Each gets what each needs...no more, no less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We received some info about a AAP session in our upcoming school. My kid is in 2nd grade and am thinking of referring DC. We will have to switch schools if we do decide to go with the AAP center. How has your AAP experience been? Is the homework grueling? Does it leave time for sports and other activities? We have another kid and not sure if he gets through as well, will the kids be able to have a balanced work-play schedule?

OP - this thread has gotten way off track from your OP, so here's my answer to your questions:
- Our experience has been extremely positive. My DD has made more friends and has expressed that the teachers and kids are more fun to talk to and work with.
- The homework has been very easy for my DD. In 3rd grade she either did hw/studied for about 10-15 mins/night or not at all. She forgot her hw a lot of nights, but she passed all of the tests typically with 100% or occasionally missing 1 problem. Her grades didn't suffer because hw doesn't count in their grades. I think it goes towards effort, but not their actual class grade. So, with no consequences she found no reason to change her habits of forgetting the hw (IMHO).
- She has plenty of time for sports since it's only a few minutes/night. She also does it in aftercare so she rarely did hw in 3rd grade at home.
- In our experience, we have had balance.

A final thought on home/schoolwork - the teachers seem to do most of the work and projects during the class time with little coming home. So, if your child can't do the work on their own the will probably be frustrated during the school day.

To address the pp about 2 kids in different schools, my kids are in different ES. The youngest is only in 1st grade so I have no idea if he'll be eligible. With her we knew before any testing she would get in, but with the youngest we'll have to see where the tests put him. If he stays or goes I'll be happy either way if it's the right fit for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rezoning is a huge deal for all the kids (GE and AAP) who have been in one ES for 4+ years and get moved to a different school. How would you feel if your DC was told s/he had to move schools, away from friends, teachers s/he knows and the programs/supports s/he has? I'd be furious (and my DCs aren't ES age, so it wouldn't affect us directly). But really-- these are thousands of actual kids you are shuffling around.

first world problems. I see you had no issues moving to a center. Do you only make friends with kids who go to the center? Do you shun your own neighborhood friends?

PLEASE get over it.

I don't like to punish kids because their parents are idiots. But I hope your DC gets rezoned next summer. May be then you will grow some compassion for the needs of ES aged kids.

They could just not have additional kids start at the center and phase them out. I would be shocked though if centers get axed. FCPS is too invested in the program because it makes FCPS attractive to upper middle class families who think their kids are special.

They would still need to be rezoned. Basic math PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if they shut down the centers next year

No gonna happen. It takes a lot of time and logistics to move 1/2 the grade 3-6 student body out and rezone to fill those seats. We're still months away from final decisions on Centers.

LOL they'll pull the plug faster than you can say full day mondays!

Full day Monday's didn't move thousands of kids from school A to school B, and thousands more from schools B, C, and D to school A. When 250 of the 850 kids in DCs center move back to their base schools, they would have to rezone 250 new kids in (the dashboard says the school is just at capacity). That takes time, hearings, proposals, boundary studies, etc. not to mention losing the AAP certified teachers from Centers to the base schools and hiring replacements. And, oh yeah, the FCPS school board can't can't seem to decide to take a bathroom break without 72 different consultants weighing in (transgender education consultants, anyone?) If they don't have a budget until May, how does that work? And even if it did, do you want to find out in late August that your GE 5th grader is being moved away from her current school to a former center because the AAP 5th grader who was there moved back to the base school and there is excess capacity? Talk about all he** breaking loose. It may happen eventually-- with studies, and boundary meetings, a gradual changeover, starting in the AAP dense areas and grandfathering. But Centers are not going to just disappear by next fall. And I say this with no real dog in this fight-- my last DC graduates 6th this year and is planning to go to the excellent LLIV for middle. In fact-- huge numbers of kids leave our base for a TJ feeder elementary. Getting them back would probably help the GS rating/ property values. But it's still just not practical. It's a logistical nightmare that saves relatively little $$$. AAP testing, AArTs, etc. would happen anyway and AAP busing (at about $600,000) has very little impact on the budget.

I don't agree, they reason they had to move around resources is setting up a center and rezoning a single school. Base schools can handle the AAP center kids, it's a small percentage.

You are correct -- in some parts of the county, the base schools can handle the capacity requirements of the AAP center kids, as there are so few going to the centers. In other parts of the county this is not the case.

I call shenanigans , if more than 10% move over aap is haram

No idea what this means, but our base school is already over capacity-- and sends more than 30 kids a year to the center. In fact, grades 3-6, more kids in our neighborhood are base than center. They would not be able to leave our base school 180 over enrolled and the center 270 under enrolled, when the schools are only 2.5 miles apart.

Same here. If they got rid of our center, that school would drop 50% of its students (and therefore 50% of its teachers/staff would not be needed at that site). While the base schools could probably squeeze in more kids -- perhaps with a trailer or two), there is no way the center school could continue at 50% capacity since it is in the process of renovation/expansion now. The School Board could make a decision to send the AAP kids back -- but it would require re-districting to fill up the former center school. And that would take time.

Plus, it isn't going to save much $$. So clearly, this is not going to be the final solution to FCPS's budget woes. I suspect there will be fees for extras like band/orchestra/sports/etc. and they will continue to increase class sizes.... tinkering here and there but not removing many programs.

+1. There are a vocal few who really want AAP dropped in all places now, and insist this will solve the budget woes. But the only real $$ to be saved is To stop busing, unless we drop the AARTs (who don't serve LLIV kids anyway) and testing (which is state mandated) In reality, it's a huge hassle that will disrupt thousands of GE & AAP kids. and save very little. At our BTS night, a parent asked when we would know about Centers for next year, and the teacher flat out said that our current Center would not be disbanded and that MS Centers would be an option for rising 6th graders. No maybes or mights or we'll sees about it. Centers will stay put. So someone is telling the teachers that.

LMAO, you really believe that? The teachers said the same thing about full day mondays. Teachers don't know anymore than you do, many FCPS decisions are made at Gatehouse way above even your school's principal's knowledge.

It would be like asking the army private about plans to cut missile defense.

+1
Additionally, it's completely disingenuous for people (like the PP) to suggest that "a vocal few" insist that dropping (or severely scaling back, which is what most of us advocate) AAP will "solve the budget woes." I don't know of anyone who feels cutting AAP back is going to solely solve the budget issue. But it would certainly help! There are some very naive people out there who apparently feel we shouldn't cut anything unless it's something huge that will wipe out the deficit entirely. Many smaller cuts will obviously have to be made. And frankly, $5.5 million isn't pocket change.

One last comment - it's hardly "a vocal few" who have had it with AAP. A growing majority is more like it.

Elimination of asap centers is one of the top voted changes

https://fcps.uservoice.com/forums/302115-what-are-your-ideas-for-balancing-the-potential-1/filters/top

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't send your two kids to different schools. That will be their predominate memory - that they were so different from each other, they couldn't even go to the same school.

Don't do this to kids

That's ridiculous! My kids go to different schools (one for AAP, the other not). They do not harbor any resentment -- unless you count the fact that the AAP kid resents that he has more work than the non-AAP kid.

Not the PP, but I think that's wishful thinking on your part. Have you ever seriously wondered what your non-AAP child thinks (not says) about the fact that his sibling gets to go to a different school, but s/he does not?

My non AAP kid talks about it all the time with me. The younger sibking is happy to be at the base school. Kid loves math and is in the same advanced math program as the center sibling was in, and on the same middle school math trajectory. Kid hates writing and is happy not to be at the center where they write more and do caesars English. Kid likes being at the base school with most of the kids friends. A couple of close friends went to center and kid still does activities with them. The non AAP happy to talk about the center and make suggestions to the AAP friends of activities that older sibling really enjoyed.

My non AAP kid is not jealous in the least of older AAP sibling or AAP friends. In fact, when I asked if kid wanted to try to apply for the center next year, kid thought about it for a minute and gave a firm no, for all the reasons mentioned above. There is one activity that makes kid want the center a little but not enough to make the kid jealous or want to switch schools.

I think if I were a parent like you who was obsessed with and insanely jealous of AAP then perhaps the non AAP kid would feel bad about school or be jealous as well. But with most normal parents who value their kids as individuals with different needs, and who don't obsess about who is or is not in AAP, their kids will not really care beyond perhaps an initial disappointment at not seeing friends at school daily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rezoning is a huge deal for all the kids (GE and AAP) who have been in one ES for 4+ years and get moved to a different school. How would you feel if your DC was told s/he had to move schools, away from friends, teachers s/he knows and the programs/supports s/he has? I'd be furious (and my DCs aren't ES age, so it wouldn't affect us directly). But really-- these are thousands of actual kids you are shuffling around.

first world problems. I see you had no issues moving to a center. Do you only make friends with kids who go to the center? Do you shun your own neighborhood friends?

PLEASE get over it.

Seriously. This is so low in the whole scheme of things to get worked up about. These kids were obviously able to make the transition to the center at some point. So the kids return to their neighborhood school... along with all the other neighborhood kids. See how that works? Nothing difficult about it at all, though I'm sure there will be parents who act like the sky is falling, just as they did when we (finally) went to full-day Mondays. The sky didn't fall then, and it won't fall now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if they shut down the centers next year

No gonna happen. It takes a lot of time and logistics to move 1/2 the grade 3-6 student body out and rezone to fill those seats. We're still months away from final decisions on Centers.

LOL they'll pull the plug faster than you can say full day mondays!

Full day Monday's didn't move thousands of kids from school A to school B, and thousands more from schools B, C, and D to school A. When 250 of the 850 kids in DCs center move back to their base schools, they would have to rezone 250 new kids in (the dashboard says the school is just at capacity). That takes time, hearings, proposals, boundary studies, etc. not to mention losing the AAP certified teachers from Centers to the base schools and hiring replacements. And, oh yeah, the FCPS school board can't can't seem to decide to take a bathroom break without 72 different consultants weighing in (transgender education consultants, anyone?) If they don't have a budget until May, how does that work? And even if it did, do you want to find out in late August that your GE 5th grader is being moved away from her current school to a former center because the AAP 5th grader who was there moved back to the base school and there is excess capacity? Talk about all he** breaking loose. It may happen eventually-- with studies, and boundary meetings, a gradual changeover, starting in the AAP dense areas and grandfathering. But Centers are not going to just disappear by next fall. And I say this with no real dog in this fight-- my last DC graduates 6th this year and is planning to go to the excellent LLIV for middle. In fact-- huge numbers of kids leave our base for a TJ feeder elementary. Getting them back would probably help the GS rating/ property values. But it's still just not practical. It's a logistical nightmare that saves relatively little $$$. AAP testing, AArTs, etc. would happen anyway and AAP busing (at about $600,000) has very little impact on the budget.

I don't agree, they reason they had to move around resources is setting up a center and rezoning a single school. Base schools can handle the AAP center kids, it's a small percentage.

You are correct -- in some parts of the county, the base schools can handle the capacity requirements of the AAP center kids, as there are so few going to the centers. In other parts of the county this is not the case.

I call shenanigans , if more than 10% move over aap is haram

No idea what this means, but our base school is already over capacity-- and sends more than 30 kids a year to the center. In fact, grades 3-6, more kids in our neighborhood are base than center. They would not be able to leave our base school 180 over enrolled and the center 270 under enrolled, when the schools are only 2.5 miles apart.

Same here. If they got rid of our center, that school would drop 50% of its students (and therefore 50% of its teachers/staff would not be needed at that site). While the base schools could probably squeeze in more kids -- perhaps with a trailer or two), there is no way the center school could continue at 50% capacity since it is in the process of renovation/expansion now. The School Board could make a decision to send the AAP kids back -- but it would require re-districting to fill up the former center school. And that would take time.

Plus, it isn't going to save much $$. So clearly, this is not going to be the final solution to FCPS's budget woes. I suspect there will be fees for extras like band/orchestra/sports/etc. and they will continue to increase class sizes.... tinkering here and there but not removing many programs.

+1. There are a vocal few who really want AAP dropped in all places now, and insist this will solve the budget woes. But the only real $$ to be saved is To stop busing, unless we drop the AARTs (who don't serve LLIV kids anyway) and testing (which is state mandated) In reality, it's a huge hassle that will disrupt thousands of GE & AAP kids. and save very little. At our BTS night, a parent asked when we would know about Centers for next year, and the teacher flat out said that our current Center would not be disbanded and that MS Centers would be an option for rising 6th graders. No maybes or mights or we'll sees about it. Centers will stay put. So someone is telling the teachers that.

LMAO, you really believe that? The teachers said the same thing about full day mondays. Teachers don't know anymore than you do, many FCPS decisions are made at Gatehouse way above even your school's principal's knowledge.

It would be like asking the army private about plans to cut missile defense.

+1
Additionally, it's completely disingenuous for people (like the PP) to suggest that "a vocal few" insist that dropping (or severely scaling back, which is what most of us advocate) AAP will "solve the budget woes." I don't know of anyone who feels cutting AAP back is going to solely solve the budget issue. But it would certainly help! There are some very naive people out there who apparently feel we shouldn't cut anything unless it's something huge that will wipe out the deficit entirely. Many smaller cuts will obviously have to be made. And frankly, $5.5 million isn't pocket change.

One last comment - it's hardly "a vocal few" who have had it with AAP. A growing majority is more like it.

Except the $5.5 million number has been acknowledged as wrong and changed in the budget tool, and is now $4.3 million-- assuming all centers were eliminated, which would mean the end of LLIV in the poor areas of the county (areas like western Fairfax and Vienna have the critical mass to make LLIV work). Lots of the Centers are needed because schools have only 6 or 8 qualified kids per class. And $1.2 million on busing assumes no child currently going to a center would bus to a base school-- which in our neighborhood they all would. And busing elimination isn't in addition to center elimination-- it's an alternative. You would have to pay to bus my DC whether she was base or center. And vocal yes, but majority, not so much. Folks have posted polls from various sources that show the only thing less popular than AAP dismantling is getting rid of all music and art. There are about 8 things more popular for elimination, including JV (-and even varsity) HS sports. Just because you are foaming at the mouth on this doesn't mean everyone is. Grade k-2 parents believe their kids will qualify and want the program there. Grades 7-8 are only minimally affected with open honors. grades 9-12 aren't affected. It's only the grades 4-6 parents bitter because their kids missed the cut who are obsessing on this. And one person with multiple posts on DCUM is not a "growing majority." The growing majority, according to polls, says: cut admin staff, raise taxes, scale back ESOL, get rid of immersion, scale back or eliminate HS sports.

Really. Please post these "polls" you refer to... we'll wait. While you're gathering your citations, please post this budget tool "correction" you mention; I've seen nothing of the sort. Here's the version I'm referring to ($4.3 to eliminate centers/$1.2 to eliminate center transportation - considerable savings no matter how you want to spin it): https://budgettool.fcps.edu/

And why do you presume there is only "one person with multiple posts" on this subject? You clearly don't want to believe it, or else are trying hard to diminish the opinions of others, but there have been a ton of posts from different people, expressing the same sentiment - that center schools are no longer needed. I'm sure there are issues you feel strongly about as well. Does that mean you're "frothing at the mouth" about them? Apparently so.

If the parents could actually vote on this issue, it would be a no-brainer. The parents at our center alone are sick and tired of the divisiveness centers create.

I suggest you watch Matt Haley's contribution to the budget work session on Monday (starting at the 1:49:42 mark):

https://youtu.be/0U1R08q-CrQ?t=1h49m42s

You will hear him mention the costing discrepancies as well as the many other (over 30) cost-cutting options now included in the Budget Task Force's appendix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rezoning is a huge deal for all the kids (GE and AAP) who have been in one ES for 4+ years and get moved to a different school. How would you feel if your DC was told s/he had to move schools, away from friends, teachers s/he knows and the programs/supports s/he has? I'd be furious (and my DCs aren't ES age, so it wouldn't affect us directly). But really-- these are thousands of actual kids you are shuffling around.

first world problems. I see you had no issues moving to a center. Do you only make friends with kids who go to the center? Do you shun your own neighborhood friends?

PLEASE get over it.

I don't like to punish kids because their parents are idiots. But I hope your DC gets rezoned next summer. May be then you will grow some compassion for the needs of ES aged kids.

They could just not have additional kids start at the center and phase them out. I would be shocked though if centers get axed. FCPS is too invested in the program because it makes FCPS attractive to upper middle class families who think their kids are special.

Would save pennies ... why would they eliminate a major program with little financial benefit???? They wouldn't. The whole point of the "eliminate AAP" discussion is a farce IF the reason is saving money. If they want to make a shift for philosophical reasons -- then fine... but it doesn't make any sense to eliminate it if the reason is budgetary.

$4.3 MILLION is hardly pennies! That's a significant chunk of change. Pair that with some other needed cuts and it could make a nice dent in the deficit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rezoning is a huge deal for all the kids (GE and AAP) who have been in one ES for 4+ years and get moved to a different school. How would you feel if your DC was told s/he had to move schools, away from friends, teachers s/he knows and the programs/supports s/he has? I'd be furious (and my DCs aren't ES age, so it wouldn't affect us directly). But really-- these are thousands of actual kids you are shuffling around.

first world problems. I see you had no issues moving to a center. Do you only make friends with kids who go to the center? Do you shun your own neighborhood friends?

PLEASE get over it.

I don't like to punish kids because their parents are idiots. But I hope your DC gets rezoned next summer. May be then you will grow some compassion for the needs of ES aged kids.

They could just not have additional kids start at the center and phase them out. I would be shocked though if centers get axed. FCPS is too invested in the program because it makes FCPS attractive to upper middle class families who think their kids are special.

+1. If there were changes, this actually makes sense. But the foaming at the mouth anti-logic, anti- AAP crew really seem to believe all centers everywhere will all be gone next fall. Not happening.

I see there are some phrases you like to repeat, ad nauseum. It appears you're the one foaming at the mouth with your diatribe and vitriol against anyone who dares to suggest AAP centers have outlived their usefulness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rezoning is a huge deal for all the kids (GE and AAP) who have been in one ES for 4+ years and get moved to a different school. How would you feel if your DC was told s/he had to move schools, away from friends, teachers s/he knows and the programs/supports s/he has? I'd be furious (and my DCs aren't ES age, so it wouldn't affect us directly). But really-- these are thousands of actual kids you are shuffling around.

first world problems. I see you had no issues moving to a center. Do you only make friends with kids who go to the center? Do you shun your own neighborhood friends?

PLEASE get over it.

I don't like to punish kids because their parents are idiots. But I hope your DC gets rezoned next summer. May be then you will grow some compassion for the needs of ES aged kids.

They could just not have additional kids start at the center and phase them out. I would be shocked though if centers get axed. FCPS is too invested in the program because it makes FCPS attractive to upper middle class families who think their kids are special.

They would still need to be rezoned. Basic math PP.

So, rezone. It's been done before and isn't the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't send your two kids to different schools. That will be their predominate memory - that they were so different from each other, they couldn't even go to the same school.

Don't do this to kids

That's ridiculous! My kids go to different schools (one for AAP, the other not). They do not harbor any resentment -- unless you count the fact that the AAP kid resents that he has more work than the non-AAP kid.

Not the PP, but I think that's wishful thinking on your part. Have you ever seriously wondered what your non-AAP child thinks (not says) about the fact that his sibling gets to go to a different school, but s/he does not?

My non AAP kid talks about it all the time with me. The younger sibking is happy to be at the base school. Kid loves math and is in the same advanced math program as the center sibling was in, and on the same middle school math trajectory. Kid hates writing and is happy not to be at the center where they write more and do caesars English. Kid likes being at the base school with most of the kids friends. A couple of close friends went to center and kid still does activities with them. The non AAP happy to talk about the center and make suggestions to the AAP friends of activities that older sibling really enjoyed.

My non AAP kid is not jealous in the least of older AAP sibling or AAP friends. In fact, when I asked if kid wanted to try to apply for the center next year, kid thought about it for a minute and gave a firm no, for all the reasons mentioned above. There is one activity that makes kid want the center a little but not enough to make the kid jealous or want to switch schools.

I think if I were a parent like you who was obsessed with and insanely jealous of AAP then perhaps the non AAP kid would feel bad about school or be jealous as well. But with most normal parents who value their kids as individuals with different needs, and who don't obsess about who is or is not in AAP, their kids will not really care beyond perhaps an initial disappointment at not seeing friends at school daily.

Oh, ok. I see you don't have two kids (one AAP and one Gen Ed) who both attend a center as their base school. Perhaps if you did, your Gen Ed child's experience would be vastly different from what you describe above. When GE kids have to attend centers, they see many of their friends from K-2 moving into AAP - but not them. They come home crying and upset, not understanding why they aren't in class with their best friends anymore (who, remember, still attend the same school), and why there are so many kids in the AAP classes but so few in General Ed, with them.

So you see, since your non-AAP kid obviously doesn't have to attend a center (and is fortunate not to have to), they have no reason to feel bad about themselves. Those kids who DO have centers as their base schools, see this dynamic every single day, and guess what? It's no fun at all to be in their shoes. If it makes you feel better to label parents who don't like center schools as "obsessed and insanely jealous (???)," then knock yourself out. I'm sure it's easier to insult parents who have actual concerns than to really try putting yourself in their shoes for a moment and imagining how your non-AAP kid might feel if s/he had to go to a school in which s/he felt inferior every single day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rezoning is a huge deal for all the kids (GE and AAP) who have been in one ES for 4+ years and get moved to a different school. How would you feel if your DC was told s/he had to move schools, away from friends, teachers s/he knows and the programs/supports s/he has? I'd be furious (and my DCs aren't ES age, so it wouldn't affect us directly). But really-- these are thousands of actual kids you are shuffling around.

first world problems. I see you had no issues moving to a center. Do you only make friends with kids who go to the center? Do you shun your own neighborhood friends?

PLEASE get over it.

Seriously. This is so low in the whole scheme of things to get worked up about. These kids were obviously able to make the transition to the center at some point. So the kids return to their neighborhood school... along with all the other neighborhood kids. See how that works? Nothing difficult about it at all, though I'm sure there will be parents who act like the sky is falling, just as they did when we (finally) went to full-day Mondays. The sky didn't fall then, and it won't fall now.

You think slicing off 1/2 of a school's population is no big deal? Really? Taking 350 kids out of one school is no problem? (multiply by oh... 20 or more schools) Something to fiddle with over the summer? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rezoning is a huge deal for all the kids (GE and AAP) who have been in one ES for 4+ years and get moved to a different school. How would you feel if your DC was told s/he had to move schools, away from friends, teachers s/he knows and the programs/supports s/he has? I'd be furious (and my DCs aren't ES age, so it wouldn't affect us directly). But really-- these are thousands of actual kids you are shuffling around.

first world problems. I see you had no issues moving to a center. Do you only make friends with kids who go to the center? Do you shun your own neighborhood friends?

PLEASE get over it.

Seriously. This is so low in the whole scheme of things to get worked up about. These kids were obviously able to make the transition to the center at some point. So the kids return to their neighborhood school... along with all the other neighborhood kids. See how that works? Nothing difficult about it at all, though I'm sure there will be parents who act like the sky is falling, just as they did when we (finally) went to full-day Mondays. The sky didn't fall then, and it won't fall now.

And that it's just AAP kids moving back to base, who would be affected? Nope. GE kids would have to be moved from one base to another to rebalance the school size. Oh right-- all of a sudden the that's your kid who has to deal with a mid ES change. Not looking so great now, is it?
You think slicing off 1/2 of a school's population is no big deal? Really? Taking 350 kids out of one school is no problem? (multiply by oh... 20 or more schools) Something to fiddle with over the summer? Wow.

[Anonymous]

I have several friends who have kids at a center school where some are AAP and some are not. The experiences that they relay is not at all what you are experience. In fact, they often recommend their center school to people moving into the area as a wonderful school. If what you are describing was happening to them they would jot be recommending their school to others or if they did the recommendation would come with a big BUT...

At my non center kid's school, the classes shuffle from year to year and my kids are never with their best friends. It happens. No tears. It is all in how you approach things.

At my AAP kid's school, they shuffle classes as well from year to year. Out of the 3 AAP classes, my kid never had a single class with half of them. There were more non AAP kids my kid got to know/have classes with in specials, recess and after school clubs.

Your experience is not universal, and might be happening at some centers but not all.

If your childis crying over AAP you need to look at what role you have innher being perpetually and perhaps unreasonably upset about AAP for so long. Having this type of sustained reaction is not reasonable or healthy. You need to focus on what you can control which is how you teach your child to react to and overcome the hands that you are dealt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't send your two kids to different schools. That will be their predominate memory - that they were so different from each other, they couldn't even go to the same school.

Don't do this to kids

That's ridiculous! My kids go to different schools (one for AAP, the other not). They do not harbor any resentment -- unless you count the fact that the AAP kid resents that he has more work than the non-AAP kid.

Not the PP, but I think that's wishful thinking on your part. Have you ever seriously wondered what your non-AAP child thinks (not says) about the fact that his sibling gets to go to a different school, but s/he does not?

My non AAP kid talks about it all the time with me. The younger sibking is happy to be at the base school. Kid loves math and is in the same advanced math program as the center sibling was in, and on the same middle school math trajectory. Kid hates writing and is happy not to be at the center where they write more and do caesars English. Kid likes being at the base school with most of the kids friends. A couple of close friends went to center and kid still does activities with them. The non AAP happy to talk about the center and make suggestions to the AAP friends of activities that older sibling really enjoyed.

My non AAP kid is not jealous in the least of older AAP sibling or AAP friends. In fact, when I asked if kid wanted to try to apply for the center next year, kid thought about it for a minute and gave a firm no, for all the reasons mentioned above. There is one activity that makes kid want the center a little but not enough to make the kid jealous or want to switch schools.

I think if I were a parent like you who was obsessed with and insanely jealous of AAP then perhaps the non AAP kid would feel bad about school or be jealous as well. But with most normal parents who value their kids as individuals with different needs, and who don't obsess about who is or is not in AAP, their kids will not really care beyond perhaps an initial disappointment at not seeing friends at school daily.

Oh, ok. I see you don't have two kids (one AAP and one Gen Ed) who both attend a center as their base school. Perhaps if you did, your Gen Ed child's experience would be vastly different from what you describe above. When GE kids have to attend centers, they see many of their friends from K-2 moving into AAP - but not them. They come home crying and upset, not understanding why they aren't in class with their best friends anymore (who, remember, still attend the same school), and why there are so many kids in the AAP classes but so few in General Ed, with them.

So you see, since your non-AAP kid obviously doesn't have to attend a center (and is fortunate not to have to), they have no reason to feel bad about themselves. Those kids who DO have centers as their base schools, see this dynamic every single day, and guess what? It's no fun at all to be in their shoes. If it makes you feel better to label parents who don't like center schools as "obsessed and insanely jealous (???)," then knock yourself out. I'm sure it's easier to insult parents who have actual concerns than to really try putting yourself in their shoes for a moment and imagining how your non-AAP kid might feel if s/he had to go to a school in which s/he felt inferior every single day.

If you read OPs post, I have two kids where one attends the base school and one attends a center which is EXACTLY what OP is asking about.

She didn't ask about your situation, an only child attending a center school where her best friend is in AAP and she is not.

OPs question is about sibling. In different schools. Not onlies in a center school gen ed program. Not even siblings attending the same center school where one is AAP and onenis not. Different schools. Different programs. Not a bigs deal. It is all in how that parent approaches things.