Tell me about the schools in Herndon/Chantilly - Crossfield, Oak Hill, Navy, Fox Mill, Lees Corner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Westfield has 2800 students.

According to the profile, Westfield has fewer than 2700 students.

However, when the SL boundary study was initiated, it was just a year or so after the School Board had expanded capacity at Westfield to greater than 3000.

Then, in order to "justify" the study, the SB decided that all high schools should have a membership of 2000. That was the only way they could justify taking so many kids from Westfield.

Then, they depleted Oakton--so, they had to take kids from Chantilly.

SL refused the Herndon kids that their PTA chose--so they were sent to Westfield.

The boundary study was created, designed, and run by the South Lakes PTA under the stewardship of Stu Gibson.

My kids go to Westfield. I don't see how it has a capacity of 3000. The gym is tiny. The cafeteria is tiny. There are trailers being used for classrooms. Regardless, 2000 should be the target HS size. 2600+ is absurd.

If you think the Westfield gym is tiny, there are a lot of FCPS high schools you haven’t visited. It may not be as big as Robinson or Fairfax, but it’s larger than most.

The school was expanded shortly after it was built. I just remember from the boundary study that is why they changed the optimum size of a school to 2000. Because, they could not use capacity as a reason for the move. And, I definitely remember that Westfield had a capacity of 3000. I've been in the gym--and PP is correct. It is comparable to many gyms in FCPS.

I don't think the School Board's strongly held, yet oh-so-temporary, view that no high school should have more than 2000 or 2100 kids had anything to do with the size of Westfield's gym relative to the larger field houses at Robinson, South Lakes, and Fairfax, or the smaller gyms at schools like Langley, Edison, Marshall, and TJ (the FCPS schools built in the mid-1960s have the smallest gyms).

They just wanted to add kids to South Lakes to shore up the school's enrollment and reputation, and South Lakes was surrounded by schools with more kids. So it was convenient to say South Lakes was below the acceptable "minimum" and other schools were above the acceptable "maximum."

Of course, now they are expanding some schools to 3000 again (West Potomac and Centreville), and many others to at least 2500 seats, so the 2000 or 2100-seat "maximum" HS size very much seems to have been forgotten. It's sitting on a book shelf next to the study that said any school with over 40% FARMS will tank.

Despite FCPS Staff/SB's claims, they had actually dusted off and relaxed a pre-existing 2000 student rule just prior to the SL redistricting -
1) The rule had been in effect since the 80s, but, had been ignored when Westfield was built to an original capacity of 2500.
2) The actual rule only applies to *new* HSes, it doesn't, and never has, applied to changes to size of schools once built.
3) The updated language simply changed from new HSes shall never be built larger than 2000 to ... shall never be built larger than 2000 unless Staff/SB decide otherwise...

Shortly after Westfield was built to 2500, it was so overcrowded that they added R-wing, adding 600 seats, and expanding the cafeteria. But, of course, adding seats doesn't expand existing hallways/gym/theatre/... Result is, while we paid for 3100 seats, the actual capacity we got was more like 2800...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
They just wanted to add kids to South Lakes to shore up the school's enrollment and reputation, and South Lakes was surrounded by schools with more kids. So it was convenient to say South Lakes was below the acceptable "minimum" and other schools were above the acceptable "maximum."

Agreed. FCPS/Staff/Stu engaged in social engineering; but, refused to believe they'd be as "successful" as it was obvious that they'd be.

Prior to redistricting, the South Lakes feeder ESes had more than enough students to fill the place. But, for whatever reason... about 150 ES students per grade disappeared rather than showed up at Hughes/SL... SL PTSA claimed Reston houses were "small" so liberal, white, UMC Reston parents just happened to decide to move when their kids got to be over 80 lbs, or something like that, ...

Since it was utterly obvious that 81 lb Reston kids simply couldn't fit in Reston homes, Staff/SB decided to fill SL to capacity with a bunch of 81 lb kids from Fox Mill/Floris. Once full with 81 lb kids from Fox Mill/Floris, 81 lb kids from magically expanded Reston homes began turning up at SL, so SL needed an emergency expansion...

Had Staff/SB understood the obvious - Fox Mill had more than enough 81 lb kids to support Reston home expansion magic - Staff/SB wouldn't have "needed" to make Floris a split-feeder or have lowered the percentage of 81 lb kids at Westfield; but, without moving Floris, we Fairfax residents wouldn't have gotten the privilege of paying for the SL expansion.

[Anonymous]

[i]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Fox Mill kids are kind of screwed at Carson. I have heard from many parents that the Counselor’s at Carson forget that there are kids that go to South Lakes and don’t know what the kids might need for the IB Diploma. This is normally an issue with taking a language in MS to meet the 5 year language requirement for the IB diploma. I had a friend tell me that she just learned about this and that the Counselor never said anything when selecting classes and had to call over to South Lakes to find out that there is a requirement for a 5th year of high school language.

Fox Mill and a small number of kids from Floris are the only kids that go to SLHS. It sucks for the kids.

I’m sorry but this is why you absolutely do not rely on counselors only to chart your kid’s academic path. Parents need to step up and determine what the IB requirements are themselves if their child is going to SLHS. Parents should know and suggest courses to their child. Just like I looked up my kid’s own high school to see what languages they offer up to level 4 or 5. That determined what we chose in middle.

No. That is unreasonable to expect from some parents. I say that as someone who did pay close attention to college requirements for my kids. But, not every parent understands this--and IB is especially difficult to process. This is the counselor's job. The counselors at South Lakes should ensure that Carson counselors understand the requirements. That is their job.

This is one reason we should get rid of IB. If the IB coordinator at South Lakes cannot ensure this, then maybe IB is not all it is cracked up to be.

No, it’s actually not. Lol. Counselors at SLHS are not required to tell counselors at Carson what to do.

The primary responsibility of a child’s education belongs to the parent. Parents need to know what IB is and the language requirement. If the child didn’t take a language in middle school, that is on the parent. To blame a counselor for not advising the child to take a course is so like the entitled parents in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[i]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Fox Mill kids are kind of screwed at Carson. I have heard from many parents that the Counselor’s at Carson forget that there are kids that go to South Lakes and don’t know what the kids might need for the IB Diploma. This is normally an issue with taking a language in MS to meet the 5 year language requirement for the IB diploma. I had a friend tell me that she just learned about this and that the Counselor never said anything when selecting classes and had to call over to South Lakes to find out that there is a requirement for a 5th year of high school language.

Fox Mill and a small number of kids from Floris are the only kids that go to SLHS. It sucks for the kids.

I’m sorry but this is why you absolutely do not rely on counselors only to chart your kid’s academic path. Parents need to step up and determine what the IB requirements are themselves if their child is going to SLHS. Parents should know and suggest courses to their child. Just like I looked up my kid’s own high school to see what languages they offer up to level 4 or 5. That determined what we chose in middle.

No. That is unreasonable to expect from some parents. I say that as someone who did pay close attention to college requirements for my kids. But, not every parent understands this--and IB is especially difficult to process. This is the counselor's job. The counselors at South Lakes should ensure that Carson counselors understand the requirements. That is their job.

This is one reason we should get rid of IB. If the IB coordinator at South Lakes cannot ensure this, then maybe IB is not all it is cracked up to be.

No, it’s actually not. Lol. Counselors at SLHS are not required to tell counselors at Carson what to do.

The primary responsibility of a child’s education belongs to the parent. Parents need to know what IB is and the language requirement. If the child didn’t take a language in middle school, that is on the parent. To blame a counselor for not advising the child to take a course is so like the entitled parents in FCPS.

Interesting: Carson offers Chinese (according to website). There is no Chinese offered at South Lakes.
South Lakes offers German--there is no German offered at Carson.

So, that limits students at Carson who intend to pursue IB diploma to French, Spanish, or Japanese. I don't think this should fall on the parent or child to figure all of this out. I say that as a parent who did follow what was needed=--but lots of people do not.

Also, what about kids transferring from other areas that may not have taken the selected language/

IB needs to go away in FCPS schools. Way too restrictive.

[Anonymous]

No, it’s actually not. Lol. Counselors at SLHS are not required to tell counselors at Carson what to do.

One of the most important jobs of a counselor in high school is to ensure that kids are prepared for post-graduation. For those who want to go to competitive colleges, the counselor's job is to ensure that the kids are prepared for that.
This absolutely falls on South Lakes High School counselors and administration to ensure that their future students are prepared.

When DD was in middle school, the career counselor from her high school came and talked to the kids and the parents about the importance of course selection to prepare for high school and college.
Even so, with all this discussion about "equity," don't you think that FCPS has a responsibility to inform ALL students and parents?

It is not that hard to put out a single issue message to parents and students: "If you are going to South Lakes and think you might want to pursue the IB diploma in high school, you need to sign up for Japanese, French, or Spanish in eighth grade."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[i]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Fox Mill kids are kind of screwed at Carson. I have heard from many parents that the Counselor’s at Carson forget that there are kids that go to South Lakes and don’t know what the kids might need for the IB Diploma. This is normally an issue with taking a language in MS to meet the 5 year language requirement for the IB diploma. I had a friend tell me that she just learned about this and that the Counselor never said anything when selecting classes and had to call over to South Lakes to find out that there is a requirement for a 5th year of high school language.

Fox Mill and a small number of kids from Floris are the only kids that go to SLHS. It sucks for the kids.

I’m sorry but this is why you absolutely do not rely on counselors only to chart your kid’s academic path. Parents need to step up and determine what the IB requirements are themselves if their child is going to SLHS. Parents should know and suggest courses to their child. Just like I looked up my kid’s own high school to see what languages they offer up to level 4 or 5. That determined what we chose in middle.

No. That is unreasonable to expect from some parents. I say that as someone who did pay close attention to college requirements for my kids. But, not every parent understands this--and IB is especially difficult to process. This is the counselor's job. The counselors at South Lakes should ensure that Carson counselors understand the requirements. That is their job.

This is one reason we should get rid of IB. If the IB coordinator at South Lakes cannot ensure this, then maybe IB is not all it is cracked up to be.

No, it’s actually not. Lol. Counselors at SLHS are not required to tell counselors at Carson what to do.

The primary responsibility of a child’s education belongs to the parent. Parents need to know what IB is and the language requirement. If the child didn’t take a language in middle school, that is on the parent. To blame a counselor for not advising the child to take a course is so like the entitled parents in FCPS.

Better yet, get rid of IB. It's a waste of time and money, and as these posts illustrate, you can end up in situations where it's an after-thought for families until their kids are in 10th grade. Then they find out that either (1) their kid isn't positioned for an IB diploma or (2) unless their kids jumps through a lot of hoops, their kids are going to be lumped in the "lesser than" category at their schools for not pursuing an IB diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No, it’s actually not. Lol. Counselors at SLHS are not required to tell counselors at Carson what to do.

One of the most important jobs of a counselor in high school is to ensure that kids are prepared for post-graduation. For those who want to go to competitive colleges, the counselor's job is to ensure that the kids are prepared for that.
This absolutely falls on South Lakes High School counselors and administration to ensure that their future students are prepared.

When DD was in middle school, the career counselor from her high school came and talked to the kids and the parents about the importance of course selection to prepare for high school and college.
Even so, with all this discussion about "equity," don't you think that FCPS has a responsibility to inform ALL students and parents?

It is not that hard to put out a single issue message to parents and students: "If you are going to South Lakes and think you might want to pursue the IB diploma in high school, you need to sign up for Japanese, French, or Spanish in eighth grade."

You missed my point entirely. Reading comprehension, my friend. I’ll repeat. Counselors at SLHS aren’t responsible for counselors at Carson. That’s not part of their job description.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, it’s actually not. Lol. Counselors at SLHS are not required to tell counselors at Carson what to do.

One of the most important jobs of a counselor in high school is to ensure that kids are prepared for post-graduation. For those who want to go to competitive colleges, the counselor's job is to ensure that the kids are prepared for that.
This absolutely falls on South Lakes High School counselors and administration to ensure that their future students are prepared.

When DD was in middle school, the career counselor from her high school came and talked to the kids and the parents about the importance of course selection to prepare for high school and college.
Even so, with all this discussion about "equity," don't you think that FCPS has a responsibility to inform ALL students and parents?

It is not that hard to put out a single issue message to parents and students: "If you are going to South Lakes and think you might want to pursue the IB diploma in high school, you need to sign up for Japanese, French, or Spanish in eighth grade."

You missed my point entirely. Reading comprehension, my friend. I’ll repeat. Counselors at SLHS aren’t responsible for counselors at Carson. That’s not part of their job description.

Heaven forbid they do something that is not written in their job description.

Their job is to help their students succeed.. If that means reaching out to the middle schools as their future students prepare--then they should do it.
And, also, doesn't South Lakes have an IB coordinator? Isn't that a requirement? Where is the IB coordinator on this? For that matter, why aren't the IB people at Gatehouse aware of this?
Maybe, you should reevaluate your own "reading comprehension."

[Anonymous]

My take-away is that if you're looking in this general area you really want an elementary school that feeds into a middle school where most of the kids will be going to either Chantilly or Oakton. Unless it's Navy, where a lot of the parents seem to be bat-sh*t crazy (see other thread).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My take-away is that if you're looking in this general area you really want an elementary school that feeds into a middle school where most of the kids will be going to either Chantilly or Oakton. Unless it's Navy, where a lot of the parents seem to be bat-sh*t crazy (see other thread).

Which means you should look at schools that feed into Franklin MS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My take-away is that if you're looking in this general area you really want an elementary school that feeds into a middle school where most of the kids will be going to either Chantilly or Oakton. Unless it's Navy, where a lot of the parents seem to be bat-sh*t crazy (see other thread).

I've heard good things about South Lakes, AND if you buy house zoned to South Lakes you can choose AP at Oakton (IF you live in Fox Mill Estates, otherwise, you'll end up at Herndon).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My take-away is that if you're looking in this general area you really want an elementary school that feeds into a middle school where most of the kids will be going to either Chantilly or Oakton. Unless it's Navy, where a lot of the parents seem to be bat-sh*t crazy (see other thread).

Which means you should look at schools that feed into Franklin MS!

When we were house hunting, we saw a lot of listings that said "Franklin or Carson MS" <-- do those neighborhoods have a choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My take-away is that if you're looking in this general area you really want an elementary school that feeds into a middle school where most of the kids will be going to either Chantilly or Oakton. Unless it's Navy, where a lot of the parents seem to be bat-sh*t crazy (see other thread).

Which means you should look at schools that feed into Franklin MS!

When we were house hunting, we saw a lot of listings that said "Franklin or Carson MS" <-- do those neighborhoods have a choice?

Carson is the AAP center, so AAP students have a choice between the two schools, but it's ludicrous to send AAP students there when Franklin has an exceptional AAP program itself. I sent children through both AAP programs, and I found Franklin's program to be superior to Carson’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My take-away is that if you're looking in this general area you really want an elementary school that feeds into a middle school where most of the kids will be going to either Chantilly or Oakton. Unless it's Navy, where a lot of the parents seem to be bat-sh*t crazy (see other thread).

Which means you should look at schools that feed into Franklin MS!

When we were house hunting, we saw a lot of listings that said "Franklin or Carson MS" <-- do those neighborhoods have a choice?

Carson is the AAP center, so AAP students have a choice between the two schools, but it's ludicrous to send AAP students there when Franklin has an exceptional AAP program itself. I sent children through both AAP programs, and I found Franklin's program to be superior to Carson’s.

Either middle school is great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My take-away is that if you're looking in this general area you really want an elementary school that feeds into a middle school where most of the kids will be going to either Chantilly or Oakton. Unless it's Navy, where a lot of the parents seem to be bat-sh*t crazy (see other thread).

Which means you should look at schools that feed into Franklin MS!

We ended up a little further south, zoned to Rocky Run. Bonus- we're close enough to Chantilly to not ever have to worry about any rezoning, especially if that mythical western high school is ever built.