GDS Parent Interview and Tour

[Anonymous]

These interviews must be for the LS that are being mentioned. We did the MS one a couple years ago. It was the most disappointing and lame one of all the schools to which we applied.

There were nice but they asked all the same questions that were on the app - that we already had filled out and submitted! We kept waiting for them to ask some revealing or thoughtful questions, but they never came.

Before the parent interview, they had the head of their parent association meet with us and she talked the entire time without asking us questions or for feedback (and without taking a breath). What a nightmare.

Just in case you think it is sour grapes, it wasn't - we were accepted but turned down the school for another. To give them credit, we received an evaluation on their interviewing process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you were parking and coming in to read to DD or DS class or volunteer, etc?

How would they know they difference? Do you wear a special hat?

Current parent who lives next door told me that every car has to have a car pool number for identification. This parent was furious. And parents must get permission from the school to park in the neighborhood for any reason. This will lead to a decline in parent participation in classroom or school activities.

Why is someone furious about having a car pool number? It is to expedite pick-up. From what I can tell, there is NO decline in parent participation because of these rules. If anything, I only feel guilty that I do not volunteer more due to the numbers of parent volunteers at the school.

I think my friend was angry because she can no longer be on school grounds AT ALL for drop off or pick up. She cannot use legal (and empty) neighborhood parking spots. It does not help that the car pool line is insane and can take 45 minutes. But she is primarily furious because she has lost easy access to the classroom and to meeting other parents casually at pickup.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you were parking and coming in to read to DD or DS class or volunteer, etc?

How would they know they difference? Do you wear a special hat?

Current parent who lives next door told me that every car has to have a car pool number for identification. This parent was furious. And parents must get permission from the school to park in the neighborhood for any reason. This will lead to a decline in parent participation in classroom or school activities.

Why is someone furious about having a car pool number? It is to expedite pick-up. From what I can tell, there is NO decline in parent participation because of these rules. If anything, I only feel guilty that I do not volunteer more due to the numbers of parent volunteers at the school.

I think my friend was angry because she can no longer be on school grounds AT ALL for drop off or pick up. She cannot use legal (and empty) neighborhood parking spots. It does not help that the car pool line is insane and can take 45 minutes. But she is primarily furious because she has lost easy access to the classroom and to meeting other parents casually at pickup.

Well, she is not the only one who has to experience this. We are new to the school, meeting new families, etc., but I am not wringing my hands about it. This is not a new policy. If folks don't like it, then they should walk to their neighborhood public school or apply to suburban independent schools with large parking lots.

[Anonymous]

What happens when a family lives within walking distance from the school? Are they also not allowed inside because of the parking restrictions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you were parking and coming in to read to DD or DS class or volunteer, etc?

How would they know they difference? Do you wear a special hat?

Current parent who lives next door told me that every car has to have a car pool number for identification. This parent was furious. And parents must get permission from the school to park in the neighborhood for any reason. This will lead to a decline in parent participation in classroom or school activities.

Why is someone furious about having a car pool number? It is to expedite pick-up. From what I can tell, there is NO decline in parent participation because of these rules. If anything, I only feel guilty that I do not volunteer more due to the numbers of parent volunteers at the school.

I think my friend was angry because she can no longer be on school grounds AT ALL for drop off or pick up. She cannot use legal (and empty) neighborhood parking spots. It does not help that the car pool line is insane and can take 45 minutes. But she is primarily furious because she has lost easy access to the classroom and to meeting other parents casually at pickup.

Well, she is not the only one who has to experience this. We are new to the school, meeting new families, etc., but I am not wringing my hands about it. This is not a new policy. If folks don't like it, then they should walk to their neighborhood public school or apply to suburban independent schools with large parking lots.

You are right about that. One doesn't even have to go to the suburban schools. I have friends with kids at Beauvoir and they park in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Or encourage GDS to do what Potomac does: all the kids take buses. You can't car pool or drive your kids, although you are still allowed to visit the campus when you are volunteering, etc.

Potomac's neighbors are adamant about the traffic to the campus - they even count the number of cars coming and going from the campus on some days.

Buses would eliminate the 45 minute wait for car pool, too.

[Anonymous]

I would support a bus program. FWIW, GDS' LMS is situated in a neighborhood with many apartment buildings, hence, the high demand for on-street parking (OSP). Beauvoir is located in a low-density neighborhood - compared to GDS - and has more OSP to spare. If you are interested in neighborhood-school conflict, then read about NCRC v Cleveland Park in the NW Current. If Iraq sounds intractable....

[Anonymous]

The year they sent out those GDS registration stickers for cars (which were different from carpool placards and seemed to exist solely for parking enforcement purposes), lots of people were pissed off. Have they started that again? If so, I'd imagine that's what she's talking about.

[Anonymous]

GDS now has a morning bus from the HS to the L/MS. I highly recommend it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens when a family lives within walking distance from the school? Are they also not allowed inside because of the parking restrictions?

I take public transit and walk on/off campus with and without DC whenever I want and with no hassles. I assume it's the same for people who live within walking distance. The issue is about parking cars near but off campus -- not about parents being on campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or encourage GDS to do what Potomac does: all the kids take buses. You can't car pool or drive your kids, although you are still allowed to visit the campus when you are volunteering, etc.

Potomac's neighbors are adamant about the traffic to the campus - they even count the number of cars coming and going from the campus on some days.

Buses would eliminate the 45 minute wait for car pool, too.

Great way to entirely eliminate friendly and casual to and fro between parents. I can't imagine thats what GDS wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens when a family lives within walking distance from the school? Are they also not allowed inside because of the parking restrictions?

I take public transit and walk on/off campus with and without DC whenever I want and with no hassles. I assume it's the same for people who live within walking distance. The issue is about parking cars near but off campus -- not about parents being on campus.

But most parents can't get on campus easily if they can't park. Or I guess I just read that they can do it by seeking permission. That would eliminate normal traffic anyway because no one is going to seek permission for every casual visit. The casual visits would simply drop. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS now has a morning bus from the HS to the L/MS. I highly recommend it.

Its a great feature for those in distance of the HS!

[Anonymous]

Folks, if you don't like how GDS LMS works to keep good relations with its neighbors, than look for another school. We have been at the school for a year now and this policy is not overly inconvenient. I haven't been deterred from volunteering and I have become friends with many of the parents in DC's class. Yes, it is not necessarily what one envisions when thinking about taking Lovey to school, but there really are worse things out there.

[Anonymous]

This is off topic a bit but I often see GDS students at the Safeway nearby and I find them to be rude, a bit strange, and pretty disrespectful. We live nearby a few other schools and I haven't found this to be the case with the students from those schools. Just this week two girls from the school were so rude to an older woman ahead of them in line - making snide comments etc... I couldn't believe it. Now I know why most people I know don't even look at the school.