Longfellow MS AAP overcrowding plans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What I (and many other parents) are upset about is this attitude from the AAP parents that Cooper is somehow "less-than" since it doesn't have an AAP center. That somehow, the school simply isn't "worthy" of the AAP kids. As has been stated multiple times, Cooper is an excellent middle school, in every way. We don't understand why these parents, who have insisted FCPS turn itself inside out for them and their many demands, don't just pay for a private school that would meet their criteria of what their children "must have". Why should a public school system be expected to cater to this incredibly self-centered group?

While I think the "if I don't get exactly what I want, I'll pack up my marbles and go private" attitude invites ridicule, part of what some Cooper parents seem to be saying is that they don't think FCPS will do enough to make AAP a success at Cooper. Instead, they'll just announce that Cooper is going to have AAP, and then leave it up to a principal who in the past hasn't suggested she really wants AAP to work out the details. Particularly for parents who have their sights set on TJHSST for their kids, that doesn't great compared to Longfellow or Kilmer.

I think people need clear direction from the School Board as to what the plans are for Cooper. It's one thing for Arlene Randall to say Cooper is fine without AAP when there is no AAP center there. It's another thing if the School Board and FCPS tell her that Cooper will be offering Local Level IV services, that they will assist with a plan to seed Cooper with experienced AAP teachers, and that she can be part of Cooper's future or start looking for another job. It's the uncertainty that seems to bring out the worst fears.

I think you're missing the point of the previous post; that is AAP parents who feel they "aren't getting exactly what they want," are the ones who should think seriously about writing that check for private school rather than insisting that FCPS do their bidding vis-a-vis yet another AAP center. The point is that a public school system is just that - public - and shouldn't be expected to cowtow to certain special interest groups at the expense of all others.

I think it's "kowtow," but I don't think labeling any group of parents as a "special interest group" helps address the challenges, no matter how stridently some may express their views at times.

Or, another way to look at it is to acknowledge that all parents have "special interests" - their kids - where the schools are concerned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

What does PP mean, "going unnoticed"? Does this mean socially, academically, what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

What does PP mean, "going unnoticed"? Does this mean socially, academically, what?

I meant both, socially and academically. For a child who is reserved and quite an overcrowded school would be terrible. They would get lost in the cracks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

read my previous post. It is a worry for a parent of a quite and reserved child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

What does PP mean, "going unnoticed"? Does this mean socially, academically, what?

I meant both, socially and academically. For a child who is reserved and quite an overcrowded school would be terrible. They would get lost in the cracks

Kilmer will have a lot of kids under any circumstances. The only issue is how overcrowded it becomes relative to the current building capacity. If this is a serious concern, and she's not aiming for TJ, you really might want to send her to Cooper instead. If she's aiming for TJ, Kilmer sends a lot more kids there than Cooper.

[Anonymous]

So does Longfellow. In fact, do ANY kids currently attending Cooper go to TJ? Anyone have those stats?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What I (and many other parents) are upset about is this attitude from the AAP parents that Cooper is somehow "less-than" since it doesn't have an AAP center. That somehow, the school simply isn't "worthy" of the AAP kids. As has been stated multiple times, Cooper is an excellent middle school, in every way. We don't understand why these parents, who have insisted FCPS turn itself inside out for them and their many demands, don't just pay for a private school that would meet their criteria of what their children "must have". Why should a public school system be expected to cater to this incredibly self-centered group?

While I think the "if I don't get exactly what I want, I'll pack up my marbles and go private" attitude invites ridicule, part of what some Cooper parents seem to be saying is that they don't think FCPS will do enough to make AAP a success at Cooper. Instead, they'll just announce that Cooper is going to have AAP, and then leave it up to a principal who in the past hasn't suggested she really wants AAP to work out the details. Particularly for parents who have their sights set on TJHSST for their kids, that doesn't great compared to Longfellow or Kilmer.

I think people need clear direction from the School Board as to what the plans are for Cooper. It's one thing for Arlene Randall to say Cooper is fine without AAP when there is no AAP center there. It's another thing if the School Board and FCPS tell her that Cooper will be offering Local Level IV services, that they will assist with a plan to seed Cooper with experienced AAP teachers, and that she can be part of Cooper's future or start looking for another job. It's the uncertainty that seems to bring out the worst fears.

Perfectly said, and exactly what I was trying to point out in previous posts before all of the AAP haters started chiming in.

[Anonymous]

It seems like they are going to phase in the Cooper AAP quietly next year, and then in the next year or two tell parents no more Longfellow or Kilmer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So does Longfellow. In fact, do ANY kids currently attending Cooper go to TJ? Anyone have those stats?

Last I heard it was zero. I was expecting to hear that a few kids got in all of a sudden this past year, after many parents pointed out this disparity. Cooper has added Science Olympiad now, which should help some kids build a track record that might help their applications. There's no reason that Cooper -- whether AAP center or not -- shouldn't have a full slate of extracurriculars, particularly math and science focused, like Longfellow. I'm sure there are many students there that would be interested and it would also help to deflect criticism that the opportunities don't compare to Longfellow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

What does PP mean, "going unnoticed"? Does this mean socially, academically, what?

I meant both, socially and academically. For a child who is reserved and quite an overcrowded school would be terrible. They would get lost in the cracks

Kilmer will have a lot of kids under any circumstances. The only issue is how overcrowded it becomes relative to the current building capacity. If this is a serious concern, and she's not aiming for TJ, you really might want to send her to Cooper instead. If she's aiming for TJ, Kilmer sends a lot more kids there than Cooper.

Thank you for your reply

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

What does PP mean, "going unnoticed"? Does this mean socially, academically, what?

I meant both, socially and academically. For a child who is reserved and quite an overcrowded school would be terrible. They would get lost in the cracks

Kilmer will have a lot of kids under any circumstances. The only issue is how overcrowded it becomes relative to the current building capacity. If this is a serious concern, and she's not aiming for TJ, you really might want to send her to Cooper instead. If she's aiming for TJ, Kilmer sends a lot more kids there than Cooper.

Thank you for your reply

Which means absolutely NOTHING in terms of your daughter's chances. I always think this reasoning is so silly. If she's that smart she will get in from Thoreau which also offers Algebra and Geometry -- the two main classes TJ looks at. She might even have a better chance of standing out at the school that sends less kids to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ PP here..I am now debating whether or not she should even attend Kilmer. I rather have her taking Honors at Cooper to avoid the overcrowding issue at Kilmer. AAP isn't worth it to me if it means her going unnoticed.

Well how nice that you have a choice. My kid is in honors classes, not AAP, at Kilmer because it is our base school. DC is hardly unnoticed though despite overcrowding caused by too many kids from outside the area. Seems an odd worry. One would think being in AAP would be enough?

What does PP mean, "going unnoticed"? Does this mean socially, academically, what?

I meant both, socially and academically. For a child who is reserved and quite an overcrowded school would be terrible. They would get lost in the cracks

Kilmer will have a lot of kids under any circumstances. The only issue is how overcrowded it becomes relative to the current building capacity. If this is a serious concern, and she's not aiming for TJ, you really might want to send her to Cooper instead. If she's aiming for TJ, Kilmer sends a lot more kids there than Cooper.

Thank you for your reply

Which means absolutely NOTHING in terms of your daughter's chances. I always think this reasoning is so silly. If she's that smart she will get in from Thoreau which also offers Algebra and Geometry -- the two main classes TJ looks at. She might even have a better chance of standing out at the school that sends less kids to TJ.

I think you've had this argument with another poster before, but the admissions statistics largely speak for themselves. The vast majority of kids admitted to TJ from FCPS public schools come from the middle schools with AAP Centers, with the largest number coming from four Center schools. Those schools also offer extra-curriculars that are not always offered at other middle schools and can help the students stand out when applying to TJ.

I'm not sure there's any evidence to suggest TJ reaches out to make sure it's admitting students from schools like Cooper and Thoreau, when all FCPS reveals year after year is that fewer than 10 students (the exact number isn't disclosed, so it could be 0-9) are admitted from those schools.

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't this partly be because there are NOT AAP centers at these schools? Seems like the odds are stacked against Cooper and Thoreau if their strongest students are leaving to go to other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't this partly be because there are NOT AAP centers at these schools? Seems like the odds are stacked against Cooper and Thoreau if their strongest students are leaving to go to other schools.

Of course, but it begs the question as to whether the AAP centers take strong students and make them stronger, or at least appear better candidates for TJ. Many believe they do.