LAST APS meeting on new high school and countywide rezoning (4/4, 7 pm Yorktown)

[Anonymous]

What is STEAM? Is it like STEM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is STEAM? Is it like STEM?

Pretty much
science technology engineering ARTS math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is STEAM? Is it like STEM?

It's STEM with a token amount of humanities (the A is for art). Not the intention of people who first started talking about STEAM, but in APS hands, literacy exists in service to STEM, and schools have "a focus on science, math, and technology interpreted through engineering and the arts." (Slide 21)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately tomorrow is my bday so I can't make the meeting. Just studied slide deck. Does this mean if you don't go to an immersion ES just your neighborhood ES which i guess is now a STEAM school and you were originally zoned for Williamsburg you would now go to Kenmore? How are thry going to handle all these applications!? APS couldn't even handle the stupid extended care sign up!

No. You would go to your neighborhood middle school but you would have the option to apply to a lottery to attend the STEAM school in your zone instead. And, there would be some immersion kids at your neighborhood middle school, same as how Gunston works right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if I was confusing. Most schools at ES would be neighborhood, but they do away with the random and unequal policies for option schools. As an example, today, 3 schools are in a "team" with Key and have priority. At Claremont, there is a cluster of schools with priority. Different policy for Campbell. In the proposal, all kids can apply to countywide option programs (for ES - ATS, Campbell and Montessaori). Within each zone, they are proposing at least 2 more options - Immersiom and IB. Science Focus becomes a neighborhood school (because it basically is anyway.)

People need to speak up - in-person and I'm writing - if they have views. For example, this proposal would make Reed a choice IB school - not a neighborhood school. Immersion people are concerned about supporting 2 Immersion middle schools. How does a second IB program get implemented at Swanson when it is overcrowded?

For high school, some believe APS and school board already decided to build a 4,000 seat W-L. If you don't like that idea and prefer the other two options, speak up now.

These decisions will be made in the next 45-60 days.

Swanson should not be overcrowded once the Stratford MS opens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MS
- Immersion: New program at Williamsburg for West, Gunston for East
- IB: New program at Swanson for West, Jefferson for East
- STEAM - New program at Kenmore for West, new program at Stratford for East

Um, nobody is fooled by the "West-East" thing. Why bother doing this? All this does is further lock in the North-South divide. At least right now, anyone who really wants immersion goes to Gunston, and anyone who really wants IB goes to Jefferson. All this will do is cause further segregation...as if it's not bad enough right now.

What? Splitting the county E/W locks in the N/S division? Nope. In terms of segregation, this is a better plan than what we have now. If you really want a program for your student, it might not be the most convenient thing for you, personally. But I guess we'll see who really wants the program, and who wanted it only when it was close by and convenient, and a way to escape gen pop at the neighborhood school. If you prioritize proximity, you have your neighborhood school (looking at you southside Claremont parents who don't want to have to go to Williamsburg for MS or Yorktown for HS, and don't give me some BS about the Spanish speaking population, whose interests you don't represent since your school hasn't been able to keep a 50-50 split as you, the middle class Anglos, have crowded them out). If the demand for this program isn't there at the secondary level, they won't grow the current program to the other schools. I guess we'll find out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, OP, for the very good summary. I honestly am okay with most of the proposed changes except don't want a 3500-4000 student high school.

+1

That's crazy.

Ditto. Ridiculous. Parents really need to raise a stink about this, because from school board comments it sure seems like this is what they want to do. I get the sense that the district employees are sincere about wanting feedback but that the board has made up their minds. Easier for them to cram 3500 kids on one campus rather than go through the drama of redistricting into 4 school zones. But I don't want my kids in a grade with 800-900 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MS
- Immersion: New program at Williamsburg for West, Gunston for East
- IB: New program at Swanson for West, Jefferson for East
- STEAM - New program at Kenmore for West, new program at Stratford for East

Um, nobody is fooled by the "West-East" thing. Why bother doing this? All this does is further lock in the North-South divide. At least right now, anyone who really wants immersion goes to Gunston, and anyone who really wants IB goes to Jefferson. All this will do is cause further segregation...as if it's not bad enough right now.

Because this is anonymous, I will admit that I don't like the fact that the East specialty schools will primarily be located in South Arlington. We've invested a lot of money to live on the East side of North Arlington close to the river.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, OP, for the very good summary. I honestly am okay with most of the proposed changes except don't want a 3500-4000 student high school.

+1

That's crazy.

Ditto. Ridiculous. Parents really need to raise a stink about this, because from school board comments it sure seems like this is what they want to do. I get the sense that the district employees are sincere about wanting feedback but that the board has made up their minds. Easier for them to cram 3500 kids on one campus rather than go through the drama of redistricting into 4 school zones. But I don't want my kids in a grade with 800-900 kids.

Please - write to [e-mail]

They read every email. People are only just starting to understand what is on the table. Two options do not lead to a 4,900 seat high school. Let SB and APS know your views - and get all of your friends to email, too! Even a short email will do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MS
- Immersion: New program at Williamsburg for West, Gunston for East
- IB: New program at Swanson for West, Jefferson for East
- STEAM - New program at Kenmore for West, new program at Stratford for East

Um, nobody is fooled by the "West-East" thing. Why bother doing this? All this does is further lock in the North-South divide. At least right now, anyone who really wants immersion goes to Gunston, and anyone who really wants IB goes to Jefferson. All this will do is cause further segregation...as if it's not bad enough right now.

Because this is anonymous, I will admit that I don't like the fact that the East specialty schools will primarily be located in South Arlington. We've invested a lot of money to live on the East side of North Arlington close to the river.

For middle, I agree, but East gets Key plus the new Stratford school. Williamsburg is not exactly what I want. It is where we are zoned. I was hoping to be rezoned out of Williamsburg given the leadership crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MS
- Immersion: New program at Williamsburg for West, Gunston for East
- IB: New program at Swanson for West, Jefferson for East
- STEAM - New program at Kenmore for West, new program at Stratford for East

Um, nobody is fooled by the "West-East" thing. Why bother doing this? All this does is further lock in the North-South divide. At least right now, anyone who really wants immersion goes to Gunston, and anyone who really wants IB goes to Jefferson. All this will do is cause further segregation...as if it's not bad enough right now.

Because this is anonymous, I will admit that I don't like the fact that the East specialty schools will primarily be located in South Arlington. We've invested a lot of money to live on the East side of North Arlington close to the river.

Then your kids can go to your neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MS
- Immersion: New program at Williamsburg for West, Gunston for East
- IB: New program at Swanson for West, Jefferson for East
- STEAM - New program at Kenmore for West, new program at Stratford for East

Um, nobody is fooled by the "West-East" thing. Why bother doing this? All this does is further lock in the North-South divide. At least right now, anyone who really wants immersion goes to Gunston, and anyone who really wants IB goes to Jefferson. All this will do is cause further segregation...as if it's not bad enough right now.

Because this is anonymous, I will admit that I don't like the fact that the East specialty schools will primarily be located in South Arlington. We've invested a lot of money to live on the East side of North Arlington close to the river.

Okay, so don't send your kids to the special programs? I'm not seeing the problem. You can go to your zoned school in north Arlington, where you've "invested" so much. If you want something special, it may come at a cost.

[Anonymous]

So glad we saw this sh** storm coming and moved to McLean. Can anyone honestly say they are happy with any of these options?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if I was confusing. Most schools at ES would be neighborhood, but they do away with the random and unequal policies for option schools. As an example, today, 3 schools are in a "team" with Key and have priority. At Claremont, there is a cluster of schools with priority. Different policy for Campbell. In the proposal, all kids can apply to countywide option programs (for ES - ATS, Campbell and Montessaori). Within each zone, they are proposing at least 2 more options - Immersiom and IB. Science Focus becomes a neighborhood school (because it basically is anyway.)

People need to speak up - in-person and I'm writing - if they have views. For example, this proposal would make Reed a choice IB school - not a neighborhood school. Immersion people are concerned about supporting 2 Immersion middle schools. How does a second IB program get implemented at Swanson when it is overcrowded?

For high school, some believe APS and school board already decided to build a 4,000 seat W-L. If you don't like that idea and prefer the other two options, speak up now.

These decisions will be made in the next 45-60 days.

What is an IB elementary school? Would there be neighborhood preference? I'm sure the McK parents will be beside themselves about this if it just pumps more cars into the hood and doesn't alleviate overcrowding there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MS
- Immersion: New program at Williamsburg for West, Gunston for East
- IB: New program at Swanson for West, Jefferson for East
- STEAM - New program at Kenmore for West, new program at Stratford for East

Um, nobody is fooled by the "West-East" thing. Why bother doing this? All this does is further lock in the North-South divide. At least right now, anyone who really wants immersion goes to Gunston, and anyone who really wants IB goes to Jefferson. All this will do is cause further segregation...as if it's not bad enough right now.

Because this is anonymous, I will admit that I don't like the fact that the East specialty schools will primarily be located in South Arlington. We've invested a lot of money to live on the East side of North Arlington close to the river.

Then your kids can go to your neighborhood school.

Sure, but it impacts the overall profile of the schools available for our neighborhood and therefore our home value.