Garrison vs Langley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we live in Bloomingdale and toured both schools. We know people in each PK3 classroom at Langley who endorsed their teacher, and do not know people at Garrison, so that was one reason. Ultimately we decided that while Garrison may be slighly different in various ways, it was not significantly better in any way that justified the commute. It would have been great to be at Langley with several friends and share pickup and half day duties. Also it's much easier to be an involved parent if the school is close by. Ultimately we matched elsewhere, so my research was for naught. Hope it helps you.

Thank you - very helpful. May I ask if you matched at another DCPS or HRC? If DCPS is there a specific reason you chose it over your neighborhood school?

Thank you.

We matched at Mundo, so... Really, other than Seaton, no neighborhood school that we could get into OOB, was worth the logistical problems it would have created.

I would have happily enrolled in Langley or Seaton (Seaton being so close to the G8 and Shaw metro), and I am 100% certain that Langley, Seaton, Garrison, and Cleveland have the potential to be much better than they are today, and to be true neighborhood schools that most people are happy to attend. It is an uphill battle and DCPS itself is both friend and foe, but it is obvious to me after living here for a while that progress is happening. If Bloomingdale/Eckington came together and demanded better for its school like other neighborhoods do every year, it would work.

Bloomingdale gentrified so quickly, there's no neighborhood force for the schools (No, the Bloomingdale Kids listserv doesn't count. Just ask the Moms on the Hill). It's the new Dupont Circle: singles, couples (gay or straight, but without children), and legacy families without children competing for schools. Who buys a 1500 sq. ft. newly renovated condo in Bloomingdale for $700K expecting to raise a family in that space and invest in the schools? Pre-school? Okay, but long-term? Not a chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is very unfair how downtown has made such inconsistent promises about the Garrison renovation. It has held back the momentum. Having said that, both are probably fine for preschool. I would pick whatever is most convenient or where you have the most friends, OP. You will not stay past 1st at either, so whatever.

NP Another ringing endorsement for Seaton/Garrison/Langley. How will things ever change if people don't send their kids to these schools and work to make them better? Perspective Garrison parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is very unfair how downtown has made such inconsistent promises about the Garrison renovation. It has held back the momentum. Having said that, both are probably fine for preschool. I would pick whatever is most convenient or where you have the most friends, OP. You will not stay past 1st at either, so whatever.

NP Another ringing endorsement for Seaton/Garrison/Langley. How will things ever change if people don't send their kids to these schools and work to make them better? Perspective Garrison parent.

Or, prospective, perhaps? With a ringing endorsement for ESL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is very unfair how downtown has made such inconsistent promises about the Garrison renovation. It has held back the momentum. Having said that, both are probably fine for preschool. I would pick whatever is most convenient or where you have the most friends, OP. You will not stay past 1st at either, so whatever.

NP Another ringing endorsement for Seaton/Garrison/Langley. How will things ever change if people don't send their kids to these schools and work to make them better? Perspective Garrison parent.

Or, prospective, perhaps? With a ringing endorsement for ESL?

Lighten up -- have you heard of auto-correct? Seems like you have a lot of time on your hands to go through and correct all the typos and mistakes in the DCUM posts. Get a life.

[Anonymous]

On the Dupont comment, it seems that there are waaaay more kids in Bloomingdale than there ever were in Dupont. The little kids playground last night was insanely packed last night. There is a distinct opportunity here. But it's yet to be seen how that will translate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the Dupont comment, it seems that there are waaaay more kids in Bloomingdale than there ever were in Dupont. The little kids playground last night was insanely packed last night. There is a distinct opportunity here. But it's yet to be seen how that will translate.

There are 150 kids in Bloomingdale Toddler Soccer. It makes me need to lie down. I know 10+ families who matched with Langley for PK3. Clearly Langley is getting some traction.

[Anonymous]

Future IB langley parent here. Really really hoping we feel comfortable there along with plenty of other neighbors. we love our house and neighborhood and just really want it to work for more than PK years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Future IB langley parent here. Really really hoping we feel comfortable there along with plenty of other neighbors. we love our house and neighborhood and just really want it to work for more than PK years.

I think it will be ok. They are getting a new K teacher (due to a retirement) so that should be good. The thing is, it's hard to retain kids for K and 1st because a lot of them have younger siblings lotterying for PK3, it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad about Langley other than that it is not one of the many nearby HRCS. We are staying for PK4 and I would be fine through K right now, so I think if your DC is younger, you have every reason for optimism.

[Anonymous]

Langley and Seaton are really moving forward, but Garrison is a dump. I've toured all three and couldn't imagine why anyone would pick Garrison if either of the other two were an option. The building is depressing and the classrooms chaotic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we live in Bloomingdale and toured both schools. We know people in each PK3 classroom at Langley who endorsed their teacher, and do not know people at Garrison, so that was one reason. Ultimately we decided that while Garrison may be slighly different in various ways, it was not significantly better in any way that justified the commute. It would have been great to be at Langley with several friends and share pickup and half day duties. Also it's much easier to be an involved parent if the school is close by. Ultimately we matched elsewhere, so my research was for naught. Hope it helps you.

Thank you - very helpful. May I ask if you matched at another DCPS or HRC? If DCPS is there a specific reason you chose it over your neighborhood school?

Thank you.

We matched at Mundo, so... Really, other than Seaton, no neighborhood school that we could get into OOB, was worth the logistical problems it would have created.

I would have happily enrolled in Langley or Seaton (Seaton being so close to the G8 and Shaw metro), and I am 100% certain that Langley, Seaton, Garrison, and Cleveland have the potential to be much better than they are today, and to be true neighborhood schools that most people are happy to attend. It is an uphill battle and DCPS itself is both friend and foe, but it is obvious to me after living here for a while that progress is happening. If Bloomingdale/Eckington came together and demanded better for its school like other neighborhoods do every year, it would work.

Bloomingdale gentrified so quickly, there's no neighborhood force for the schools (No, the Bloomingdale Kids listserv doesn't count. Just ask the Moms on the Hill). It's the new Dupont Circle: singles, couples (gay or straight, but without children), and legacy families without children competing for schools. Who buys a 1500 sq. ft. newly renovated condo in Bloomingdale for $700K expecting to raise a family in that space and invest in the schools? Pre-school? Okay, but long-term? Not a chance.

Is 20 plus years "so quick"?

[Anonymous]

" The thing is, it's hard to retain kids for K and 1st because a lot of them have younger siblings lotterying for PK3, it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad about Langley other than that it is not one of the many nearby HRCS."

You mean the white kids, right? Because clearly the school has been retaining children. Why must we talk about schools as if they there were no families attending them before the white families moved to the neighborhood? It's so tone deaf, and I've heard so many Langley families speak about the school this way. It's as if their white faces miraculously makes the school better and it discredits any progress that the other non-white families may have contributed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we live in Bloomingdale and toured both schools. We know people in each PK3 classroom at Langley who endorsed their teacher, and do not know people at Garrison, so that was one reason. Ultimately we decided that while Garrison may be slighly different in various ways, it was not significantly better in any way that justified the commute. It would have been great to be at Langley with several friends and share pickup and half day duties. Also it's much easier to be an involved parent if the school is close by. Ultimately we matched elsewhere, so my research was for naught. Hope it helps you.

Thank you - very helpful. May I ask if you matched at another DCPS or HRC? If DCPS is there a specific reason you chose it over your neighborhood school?

Thank you.

We matched at Mundo, so... Really, other than Seaton, no neighborhood school that we could get into OOB, was worth the logistical problems it would have created.

I would have happily enrolled in Langley or Seaton (Seaton being so close to the G8 and Shaw metro), and I am 100% certain that Langley, Seaton, Garrison, and Cleveland have the potential to be much better than they are today, and to be true neighborhood schools that most people are happy to attend. It is an uphill battle and DCPS itself is both friend and foe, but it is obvious to me after living here for a while that progress is happening. If Bloomingdale/Eckington came together and demanded better for its school like other neighborhoods do every year, it would work.

Bloomingdale gentrified so quickly, there's no neighborhood force for the schools (No, the Bloomingdale Kids listserv doesn't count. Just ask the Moms on the Hill). It's the new Dupont Circle: singles, couples (gay or straight, but without children), and legacy families without children competing for schools. Who buys a 1500 sq. ft. newly renovated condo in Bloomingdale for $700K expecting to raise a family in that space and invest in the schools? Pre-school? Okay, but long-term? Not a chance.

Is 20 plus years "so quick"?

Who was paying more than $700 for anything that wasn't upper NW 20 years ago??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" The thing is, it's hard to retain kids for K and 1st because a lot of them have younger siblings lotterying for PK3, it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad about Langley other than that it is not one of the many nearby HRCS."

You mean the white kids, right? Because clearly the school has been retaining children. Why must we talk about schools as if they there were no families attending them before the white families moved to the neighborhood? It's so tone deaf, and I've heard so many Langley families speak about the school this way. It's as if their white faces miraculously makes the school better and it discredits any progress that the other non-white families may have contributed.

This is uncalled for and it sounds like you are trying to pick a fight! So I'll bite. The PP was merely pointing out that there are nearby HRCS which compete with Langley which is totally true. There are 5 that I would love to get into within a 10 minute drive. So, you are raising perhaps a different concern entirely....

[Anonymous]

To the PP who referenced Garrison being a dump, the renovation is well underway. It's supposed to be finished by the start of next school year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:" The thing is, it's hard to retain kids for K and 1st because a lot of them have younger siblings lotterying for PK3, it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad about Langley other than that it is not one of the many nearby HRCS."

You mean the white kids, right? Because clearly the school has been retaining children. Why must we talk about schools as if they there were no families attending them before the white families moved to the neighborhood? It's so tone deaf, and I've heard so many Langley families speak about the school this way. It's as if their white faces miraculously makes the school better and it discredits any progress that the other non-white families may have contributed.

How do you know whether the school is retaining children of various demographic groups, PP? Langley did not even exist as an elementary school 7 or 8 years ago, so yes, there were no families attending at that time, since you brought that up. Retention frankly, has not been great among any group, possibly due to the lack of a long-term principal or the high percentage of out-of-boundary kids attending. I hope it will get better but we'll see.