Basis PCS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Er, Fairfax public middle schools offer academic tracking in subjects other than math to 6th and 7th graders, modern language instruction to 6th graders, gyms, stages, libraries, nice computer labs and playing fields. Yes, moving to the burbs is a major drag. But so is BASIS, a school where preteens bounce off the walls by the end of the day because they haven't seen the sky since 8:30 AM, there's no PTA or student government, and rabid boosters deny every problem with the way the place runs.

^^ Hope you feel better now. It is a beautiful weekend PP - hope you can get outside and enjoy it and that your kids are thriving in their new school.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, I don't understand the vitriol. Not every situation works for every family. If your Fairfax or MoCo school is working for you, then good for you. But if it's really so great, and life is so wonderful, then why are you then putting so much energy into going around bashing, attacking and denigrating other schools and other families for their choices?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hardly any. Wilson is the only DC public HS teaching Chinese, and they've only been teaching it for a few years. To my knowledge, nobody's taken the AP Chinese exam there yet.

BASIS seems to content for kids to score high on a single AP language test, not very hard to do, at least not if a student started studying the language young. Some of us plan to switch to International Baccalaureate Diploma granting high schools (suburban, private, possibly DCI). Knowing that IB Diploma language studies take students a long way past a decent score on a single AP language exam, we supplement in MS, which is a bit tough on the kids (with all the school work they already have).

AP Chinese is so approachable that more than 80% of test takers earn a 5, the highest percentage of any AP test. IB Diploma Chinese at the Higher Level is another story altogether. We're aiming to score high on IB HL Chinese eventually, helping explain our annoyance with mandatory Latin here in the century of the rising China.

Did Wilson ever manage to hire a Chinese teacher?

[Anonymous]

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, I don't understand the vitriol. Not every situation works for every family. If your Fairfax or MoCo school is working for you, then good for you. But if it's really so great, and life is so wonderful, then why are you then putting so much energy into going around bashing, attacking and denigrating other schools and other families for their choices?

How silly. Any criticism of BASIS, however valid, now constitutes "vitriol," and everyone who comes here to make an assertion that falls short of high praise is "bashing, attacking and denigrating." This is what happens when a school permits only a boosters club, vs. a bona fide parent organization or PTA.

[Anonymous]

New poster. No charter school has a PTA - as the national PTA takes a position against charter schools. Would be ridiculous to align that way.

The Basis boosters serves the same role as the parent organization at other charters (I've had kids at 3 charters now). Just the name is different.

The people with power or influence over a charter school administration is the Board. At Basis 3 of 7 seats on the Board are parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, I don't understand the vitriol. Not every situation works for every family. If your Fairfax or MoCo school is working for you, then good for you. But if it's really so great, and life is so wonderful, then why are you then putting so much energy into going around bashing, attacking and denigrating other schools and other families for their choices?

How silly. Any criticism of BASIS, however valid, now constitutes "vitriol," and everyone who comes here to make an assertion that falls short of high praise is "bashing, attacking and denigrating." This is what happens when a school permits only a boosters club, vs. a bona fide parent organization or PTA.

Silly? I'm not going on your Fairfax and MoCo threads yammering about whatever perceived shortcomings I think your Fairfax and MoCo school have (and I'm sure I could gin up plenty of things to nitpick about and find fault with if I wanted to), I'm not going on your threads touting how much better than yours I think my school is, I'm not going around suggesting you are foolish for not packing up, moving and changing schools immediately, et cetera. I'm not asking for or expecting "high praise" - if you love your Fairfax or MoCo school, great. You can talk your Fairfax or MoCo school up all you like in your own Fairfax and MoCo threads. But it's really over the top to go on to a thread about a school that you don't even send your kids to for no apparent purpose other than to make insinuation after insinuation about how bad you think our school is, and especially so when you don't even seem to have half of your facts straight.

I don't go around doing that kind of crap to your school, so I don't appreciate you doing it to ours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster. No charter school has a PTA - as the national PTA takes a position against charter schools. Would be ridiculous to align that way.

The Basis boosters serves the same role as the parent organization at other charters (I've had kids at 3 charters now). Just the name is different.

The people with power or influence over a charter school administration is the Board. At Basis 3 of 7 seats on the Board are parents.

Irrespective of how you feel about Basis, and this is coming from someone frequently accused of being a booster on threads like these, the board has almost zero power at Basis, Basis.ed does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, I don't understand the vitriol. Not every situation works for every family. If your Fairfax or MoCo school is working for you, then good for you. But if it's really so great, and life is so wonderful, then why are you then putting so much energy into going around bashing, attacking and denigrating other schools and other families for their choices?

How silly. Any criticism of BASIS, however valid, now constitutes "vitriol," and everyone who comes here to make an assertion that falls short of high praise is "bashing, attacking and denigrating." This is what happens when a school permits only a boosters club, vs. a bona fide parent organization or PTA.

Silly? I'm not going on your Fairfax and MoCo threads yammering about whatever perceived shortcomings I think your Fairfax and MoCo school have (and I'm sure I could gin up plenty of things to nitpick about and find fault with if I wanted to), I'm not going on your threads touting how much better than yours I think my school is, I'm not going around suggesting you are foolish for not packing up, moving and changing schools immediately, et cetera. I'm not asking for or expecting "high praise" - if you love your Fairfax or MoCo school, great. You can talk your Fairfax or MoCo school up all you like in your own Fairfax and MoCo threads. But it's really over the top to go on to a thread about a school that you don't even send your kids to for no apparent purpose other than to make insinuation after insinuation about how bad you think our school is, and especially so when you don't even seem to have half of your facts straight.

I don't go around doing that kind of crap to your school, so I don't appreciate you doing it to ours.

Lighten up, it's just DCUM, not a presidential debate.

How do you know what my relationship to BASIS DC is? I'll give you a hint, I've taught there, recently. I've also visited BASIS campuses in Arizona and taught in Fairfax and MoCo. I'd love to see BASIS DC improve because it's the only thing standing between many dear friends and neighbors and the burbs. I'm voting for the acquisition of a second building, one with outdoor space and a multi-purpose room with a stage. I'm also voting for the kind of input from parents you can see in Phoenix and Tuscon. You don't share my views and, hence, conclude that I don't have my facts straight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, I don't understand the vitriol. Not every situation works for every family. If your Fairfax or MoCo school is working for you, then good for you. But if it's really so great, and life is so wonderful, then why are you then putting so much energy into going around bashing, attacking and denigrating other schools and other families for their choices?

How silly. Any criticism of BASIS, however valid, now constitutes "vitriol," and everyone who comes here to make an assertion that falls short of high praise is "bashing, attacking and denigrating." This is what happens when a school permits only a boosters club, vs. a bona fide parent organization or PTA.

Silly? I'm not going on your Fairfax and MoCo threads yammering about whatever perceived shortcomings I think your Fairfax and MoCo school have (and I'm sure I could gin up plenty of things to nitpick about and find fault with if I wanted to), I'm not going on your threads touting how much better than yours I think my school is, I'm not going around suggesting you are foolish for not packing up, moving and changing schools immediately, et cetera. I'm not asking for or expecting "high praise" - if you love your Fairfax or MoCo school, great. You can talk your Fairfax or MoCo school up all you like in your own Fairfax and MoCo threads. But it's really over the top to go on to a thread about a school that you don't even send your kids to for no apparent purpose other than to make insinuation after insinuation about how bad you think our school is, and especially so when you don't even seem to have half of your facts straight.

I don't go around doing that kind of crap to your school, so I don't appreciate you doing it to ours.

Lighten up, it's just DCUM, not a presidential debate.

How do you know what my relationship to BASIS DC is? I'll give you a hint, I've taught there, recently. I've also visited BASIS campuses in Arizona and taught in Fairfax and MoCo. I'd love to see BASIS DC improve because it's the only thing standing between many dear friends and neighbors and the burbs. I'm voting for the acquisition of a second building, one with outdoor space and a multi-purpose room with a stage. I'm also voting for the kind of input from parents you can see in Phoenix and Tuscon. You don't share my views and, hence, conclude that I don't have my facts straight.

ok, let's assume you are who you say you are - although the reference to "voting" is interesting.

What kind of input do parents have in Phoenix and Tucson?

And a second building for what purpose? To start a K-4? With Portia Sardik, former office assistant and inefficient sloppy cruel tardy mistress extraordinaire as HOS (I don't think they will get a charter).

Or to give the MS kids some fresh air? Or to accept that the initial building was a serious mistake (not like we have made many initial changes). Who has to stay in the building with no light that if it gets one more floor kids will constantly be late?????? That was the original plan before they opened to build UP. I want them to move OUT.

Oh, let's leave the already unhappy high school kids who still decide to go to Wilson in 11th grade?

Sorry, BASIS was/is the only thing standing between us and the burbs because we don't want Wilson, but the farther they go, the more their cohort shrinks, add a year of Cameron Louis and you have an unhappy bunch of campers who hated Walls but are still on the fence in 9th grade - meanwhile we have younger kids still loving it....

Eyerman was a great choice but why did it take them so DAMN LONG to fire/promote Mr. Louis?

Last year the BOOSTERS were horrible, shut down our list serve without letting the google group add the addresses and allow people to opt out. But whoever decided on a moderated list serve in the first place with so many rules and the ability to block people from posting preventing honest conversation was an idiot to begin with. Most of them are.

[Anonymous]

^^ This post demonstrates exactly why anyone with a bit of common sense would want a moderated online forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ This post demonstrates exactly why anyone with a bit of common sense would want a moderated online forum.

+1
This parent is like a dog with a bone, she just won't give it up.

[Anonymous]

"Last year the BOOSTERS were horrible, shut down our list serve without letting the google group add the addresses and allow people to opt out. But whoever decided on a moderated list serve in the first place with so many rules and the ability to block people from posting preventing honest conversation was an idiot to begin with. Most of them are."

I feel sorry for your children since this is the way you feel about their classmates' parents. Parents who are VOLUNTEERING their time. Please PP tell me how are you contributing to make a positive difference at BASIS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"Last year the BOOSTERS were horrible, shut down our list serve without letting the google group add the addresses and allow people to opt out. But whoever decided on a moderated list serve in the first place with so many rules and the ability to block people from posting preventing honest conversation was an idiot to begin with. Most of them are."

I feel sorry for your children since this is the way you feel about their classmates' parents. Parents who are VOLUNTEERING their time. Please PP tell me how are you contributing to make a positive difference at BASIS?

(bracing for 10 paragraph, stream of consciousness screed in 3, 2, 1...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"Last year the BOOSTERS were horrible, shut down our list serve without letting the google group add the addresses and allow people to opt out. But whoever decided on a moderated list serve in the first place with so many rules and the ability to block people from posting preventing honest conversation was an idiot to begin with. Most of them are."

I feel sorry for your children since this is the way you feel about their classmates' parents. Parents who are VOLUNTEERING their time. Please PP tell me how are you contributing to make a positive difference at BASIS?

It would have been a breach of privacy to allow the google group access to all of those parents' emails who only gave permission to be on original list serve. Also, the Boosters did advertise the new google group in multiple email newsletters so that parents could choose to join. Lastly, the original list serve was bombarded by extremely negative posts that were not constructive criticism at all so I can see why the original list serve was shut down.