Escuela Key

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The mistake we made was not bailing earlier. Others have a different experience. Our kid is thriving elsewhere.

This. Get out after first grade if it is not working. We got out after this, but I am so glad that DS was able to go to a more academically advanced school for the last few years of elementary. I shudder to think how far behind he would be in middle school now had we stayed all the way through.

So there have been quite a few families here that have said that they left Key (unless it's the same poster), which is surprising because all we ever hear is how nice and welcoming everyone is. We speak the language at home and the idea of my kid being part of this Key family with other kids who look like them sounds very nice. But we don't mess with academics - that is priority 1 to us. How did you find out it was not working for your first grader? Do they even get grades now since they change the standards? One poster said they were concerned about math. I don't really know how I would know if it's working for them or not at K or first grade because I doubt the teachers are telling you unless it's REALLY bad.

I understood perfectly the Spanish being spoken during my DC’s math class when Key was virtual, and it was just plain bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The mistake we made was not bailing earlier. Others have a different experience. Our kid is thriving elsewhere.

This. Get out after first grade if it is not working. We got out after this, but I am so glad that DS was able to go to a more academically advanced school for the last few years of elementary. I shudder to think how far behind he would be in middle school now had we stayed all the way through.

So there have been quite a few families here that have said that they left Key (unless it's the same poster), which is surprising because all we ever hear is how nice and welcoming everyone is. We speak the language at home and the idea of my kid being part of this Key family with other kids who look like them sounds very nice. But we don't mess with academics - that is priority 1 to us. How did you find out it was not working for your first grader? Do they even get grades now since they change the standards? One poster said they were concerned about math. I don't really know how I would know if it's working for them or not at K or first grade because I doubt the teachers are telling you unless it's REALLY bad.

I understood perfectly the Spanish being spoken during my DC’s math class when Key was virtual, and it was just plain bad.

My kid was at a neighborhood APS school during COVID and the math being taught was awful. Ridiculously bad. I can't speak to the upper grade math at Key, but I can say that virtual learning in APS is not representative of normal instruction.

[Anonymous]

Our family left Key too. My child would be in the 6th grade (Gunston) now if we stayed. While the community is close knit and fantastic for the most part, I just feel like if you can't supplement Spanish at home, there's just learning loss every year when they sit 2.5 months at home just speaking English. And 2-3 weeks in the winter. The pandemic surely is a factor too. Lots of kids just aren't fluent by the 5th grade. I think at that point, a lot of families just choose to move their kid to their neighborhood middle school.

The teaching staff just doesn't seem happy there for some reason. Don't know if it's APS stress or just dysfunction within their school's leadership. Probably both.

Also, the move was just terrible for the community. I hope they recover.

[Anonymous]

Key is a great school! That said, immersion isn’t a good fit for every kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our family left Key too. My child would be in the 6th grade (Gunston) now if we stayed. While the community is close knit and fantastic for the most part, I just feel like if you can't supplement Spanish at home, there's just learning loss every year when they sit 2.5 months at home just speaking English. And 2-3 weeks in the winter. The pandemic surely is a factor too. Lots of kids just aren't fluent by the 5th grade. I think at that point, a lot of families just choose to move their kid to their neighborhood middle school.

The teaching staff just doesn't seem happy there for some reason. Don't know if it's APS stress or just dysfunction within their school's leadership. Probably both.

Also, the move was just terrible for the community. I hope they recover.

Can someone elaborate on the move? I understand that the old location was closer to more English language learners, and so the new location is less ideal. At the same time, not knowing the particulars, Im having a hard time understanding why a geographical move would be "Terrible" if the kids are still in Arlington, fairly close to where they were before and the County provides transportation. Can you share more on how it impacted the community? I can see Covid would have a way bigger impact

[Anonymous]

Is the loss of community just that it used to feel more like a neighborhood school since a lot of families actually lived nearby since it once was a neighborhood option? I understand families used to hang out before and after school on the playground.

[Anonymous]

I think Key was hit particularly hard by covid because so many kids lost souch ground in their Spanish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our family left Key too. My child would be in the 6th grade (Gunston) now if we stayed. While the community is close knit and fantastic for the most part, I just feel like if you can't supplement Spanish at home, there's just learning loss every year when they sit 2.5 months at home just speaking English. And 2-3 weeks in the winter. The pandemic surely is a factor too. Lots of kids just aren't fluent by the 5th grade. I think at that point, a lot of families just choose to move their kid to their neighborhood middle school.

The teaching staff just doesn't seem happy there for some reason. Don't know if it's APS stress or just dysfunction within their school's leadership. Probably both.

Also, the move was just terrible for the community. I hope they recover.

Can someone elaborate on the move? I understand that the old location was closer to more English language learners, and so the new location is less ideal. At the same time, not knowing the particulars, Im having a hard time understanding why a geographical move would be "Terrible" if the kids are still in Arlington, fairly close to where they were before and the County provides transportation. Can you share more on how it impacted the community? I can see Covid would have a way bigger impact

Wondering the same. Barrett elementary is just a few blocks from the new Key location and that school is what - 70% or more Hispanic? It's not true that the new location is "away" from the Spanish speakers. I think that Key totally lucked out with the move, site-wise, tbh.

[Anonymous]

Can someone elaborate on the move? I understand that the old location was closer to more English language learners, and so the new location is less ideal. At the same time, not knowing the particulars, Im having a hard time understanding why a geographical move would be "Terrible" if the kids are still in Arlington, fairly close to where they were before and the County provides transportation. Can you share more on how it impacted the community? I can see Covid would have a way bigger impact

I think the move had in part something to do with the opening of a new elementary school (Cardinal) causing a domino effect, so it was more than just Key that had to move. Can’t remember specifics though. The bigger impact, in theory, would have been the change in Claremont and Key boundaries, not so much the physical move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Can someone elaborate on the move? I understand that the old location was closer to more English language learners, and so the new location is less ideal. At the same time, not knowing the particulars, Im having a hard time understanding why a geographical move would be "Terrible" if the kids are still in Arlington, fairly close to where they were before and the County provides transportation. Can you share more on how it impacted the community? I can see Covid would have a way bigger impact

I think the move had in part something to do with the opening of a new elementary school (Cardinal) causing a domino effect, so it was more than just Key that had to move. Can’t remember specifics though. The bigger impact, in theory, would have been the change in Claremont and Key boundaries, not so much the physical move.

Yes, Key moved into what was ATS, ATS moved to what was McKinley, and McKinley kids moved I guess to Cardinal (& other schools)?

My biggest problem with the move was that the current building is smaller. So now we can only have 4 K classes, whereas we had 6 before. So the outcome is that the whole immersion program shrinks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Can someone elaborate on the move? I understand that the old location was closer to more English language learners, and so the new location is less ideal. At the same time, not knowing the particulars, Im having a hard time understanding why a geographical move would be "Terrible" if the kids are still in Arlington, fairly close to where they were before and the County provides transportation. Can you share more on how it impacted the community? I can see Covid would have a way bigger impact

I think the move had in part something to do with the opening of a new elementary school (Cardinal) causing a domino effect, so it was more than just Key that had to move. Can’t remember specifics though. The bigger impact, in theory, would have been the change in Claremont and Key boundaries, not so much the physical move.

Yes, Key moved into what was ATS, ATS moved to what was McKinley, and McKinley kids moved I guess to Cardinal (& other schools)?

My biggest problem with the move was that the current building is smaller. So now we can only have 4 K classes, whereas we had 6 before. So the outcome is that the whole immersion program shrinks.

Yeah, that was nuts.