younger sibling trying to go to same elementary school (GT center)

[Anonymous]

Hi,

My son is in (3rd grade) level 4 GT center. My second kid is starting school this year. I wanted my second kid to go to the same school as that of my son.
It might ease up my volunteering time at school and at PTA. I dont have to run 2 different schools. Besides, my son anyway takes FCPS Bus. Practically (assuming)
it should not be tough carrying one more kid at the same pickup point.

I did some research and there is a provision for parents to request a school change under similar circumstances.
I will have to request every year there on to keep my 2nd kid in that school.

Does anybody have experience with this kind of issue? Any form of suggestion would really help.

thanks,

[Anonymous]

The issue is that if the school is at or over capacity, they will not even consider your request.

My oldest is at a GT center, but they are way over capacity so transfers are not being accepted at this time.

[Anonymous]

Our base school is an AAP Center & it's full, so they do not accept transfers of younger siblings.

I think it will only be permitted if the school is open to transfers. There is a list of such schools somewhere on the FCPS website.

[Anonymous]

I know two people who had their older children at Louise Archer AAP center - it was not their base school. They each tried to get their younger child in for kindergarten, and both were denied - one last year, and one a few years ago. That particularl school is over-capacity and closed to new transfers. As someone else mentioned, you might have better luck at a school that is underenrolled.

[Anonymous]

A year or so ago, I saw a provision on the FCPS website explicitly stating that having a sibling in an AAP Center was not a basis for requesting that a student attend that same school (regardless of whether the school was overenrolled, etc.) -- has this changed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A year or so ago, I saw a provision on the FCPS website explicitly stating that having a sibling in an AAP Center was not a basis for requesting that a student attend that same school (regardless of whether the school was overenrolled, etc.) -- has this changed?

Yes. It was changed last year.

The new (or current) policy is outlined on the FCPS website here:

http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/8DAKQA51B3E8/$file/R2230.pdf

6. Siblings
Except as noted above, a request for a student transfer by exception may be
approved by the coordinator of Student Registration for a student whose sibling
living in the same household is enrolled in the requested school.

The form (for initial transfer) is here:
http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/kam/docmgmt/forms/se222.pdf

Forms may be submitted between March 1 and June 1.

As all the other PPS noted, this is only available where there is space at the receiving school. The Dashboard provides information about space availability (but I am not sure if that is updated or simply as of the beginning of the school year):

http://www.fcps.edu/fts/dashboard/10-11dashboard.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi,

My son is in (3rd grade) level 4 GT center. My second kid is starting school this year. I wanted my second kid to go to the same school as that of my son.
It might ease up my volunteering time at school and at PTA. I dont have to run 2 different schools. Besides, my son anyway takes FCPS Bus. Practically (assuming)
it should not be tough carrying one more kid at the same pickup point.

Please note that transportation is NOT provided for siblings placed at a school other than their base school.

[Anonymous]

I had the same situation with one DC at AAP and a kindergartner. AAP center was open for transfers. Since AAP school had half day kindergarten (as did base school), I enrolled younger DC in after kindergarten SACC after which DC rides the regular school bus home with older sibling. If OP's AAP center does not have full day KG and OP does not plan on enrolling child in SACC, OP will have to provide one way transportation. The KG bus will not transport outside of the school boundary. This will be true only for KG.

[Anonymous]

FWIW our kids are at seperate e.s's due to AAp and it is not the big deal we thought it would be. They would be a different schools anyway as they got older. It is just a little sooner now.

I would love to know if any AAP center schools are not overcrowed. <VBG>

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had the same situation with one DC at AAP and a kindergartner. AAP center was open for transfers. Since AAP school had half day kindergarten (as did base school), I enrolled younger DC in after kindergarten SACC after which DC rides the regular school bus home with older sibling. If OP's AAP center does not have full day KG and OP does not plan on enrolling child in SACC, OP will have to provide one way transportation. The KG bus will not transport outside of the school boundary. This will be true only for KG.

I am the OP. Thanks for all your inputs. To the contrary, my base school has a full day kg and the other school has 1/2 day KG. Me and my hubby are contemplating about this decision. He personally feels that it is good for my child to be in full day program than half day program. I dont know whether the other school will do the transfer next year if I dont ask them this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW our kids are at seperate e.s's due to AAp and it is not the big deal we thought it would be. They would be a different schools anyway as they got older. It is just a little sooner now.

I would love to know if any AAP center schools are not overcrowed. <VBG>

Sangster and Willow Springs are open to transfer (there may be others as well)...but the most talked about Louise Archer and Haycock are over capacity.

[Anonymous]

I am considering applying for a child care hardship to get my younger DD into K at the school where my older DD is in the AAP center. I know someone else who did this for her kid for the same school (completely not related to AAP and siblings) and she has been allowed to enroll her child there now for several years (K-2). So apparently our center (Mantua) is open to transfers. Both my kids would then take an FCPS bus to an offsite after care together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am considering applying for a child care hardship to get my younger DD into K at the school where my older DD is in the AAP center. I know someone else who did this for her kid for the same school (completely not related to AAP and siblings) and she has been allowed to enroll her child there now for several years (K-2). So apparently our center (Mantua) is open to transfers. Both my kids would then take an FCPS bus to an offsite after care together.

You won't need a child care hardship to get younger DD into the same school as the older sibling.

[Anonymous]

PP, why not? Maybe I am confused. I thought that having a sibling at the center was NOT grounds for transfer, you had to have one of the "regular" reasons for transfer. Also, I would like to keep younger sib there after older sib goes on to middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am considering applying for a child care hardship to get my younger DD into K at the school where my older DD is in the AAP center. I know someone else who did this for her kid for the same school (completely not related to AAP and siblings) and she has been allowed to enroll her child there now for several years (K-2). So apparently our center (Mantua) is open to transfers. Both my kids would then take an FCPS bus to an offsite after care together.

Manuta may have been open in the past, but it is currently closed for transfer.

http://www.fcps.edu/fts/dashboard/10-11dashboard.html