Hardy Middle School -- 5th grade in feeder school -- who's considering Hardy for 6th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am OUTRAGED AND OFFENDED at the trash talk about Hardy. It is a DCPS jewel! If it isn't for you, then STFU. Don't try to gentrify Hardy. It will not happen.

Too late, at the rate the numbers are changing it will be flipped in five years if not in two.

PP who was asked to elaborate - I really cannot without identifying families. But the above poster makes the point quite well. It has not flipped. Not yet. And I guess what the Mann parents who feel disappointed and somewhat deceived heard convinced them that it had flipped sufficiently (at least for their kids - through SEM, through tracking)...

I think one of the most significant issues may be that at some other schools they test kids over the summer or the first day of school to decide whether they belong in "advanced/honors/SEM/whatever you call it classes" and that appears NOT to be the case at Hardy. The unhappy families we spoke to were still waiting to be tested - and the kind of impression a school makes on you and your child in the first couple of weeks counts more than at any other time except the end of the year (and that is assuming the families can still vote with their feet at the end of the year).

Unfortunately, those IB for Hardy not on the Latin or Basis wait list had closed off all other options before they entered the school. And it is the stuck parents who are, to put it bluntly, quite pissed.

IMO I think if Hardy tested and separated earlier you might have people with a completely different set of opinions - that is of course what Wilson is all about after all - Yale (or Jail) - from Deal (or dead in the water academically before you enter) the less and less hallowed halls............

I do not know, but would hazard a guess, that Wilson separates and segregates the two tracks early enough to prevent white flight.......................... Be it through testing at Deal that automatically guarantees you a place in Honors classes before you start......... I have no clue, no kids here or there or bound for Wilson, no skin in the game.

But I do feel sorry for these parents who honestly did not intend to be trailblazers or sacrifice their kids on the altar of some "Alice Deal for All" ideology. They believed (based undoubtedly on information they were given by someone they trusted, at some point in the process), that the school had already changed enough. for their kids to receive a certain quality of education in a certain type of environment they were comfortable with. They had no desire to risk their kids' education or expose them to an environment where they had the opportunity to be the change.

While I respect both perspectives, what I don't respect is friends who I know made every attempt to educate and reassure themselves that Hardy was already "there" enough for their kids to be comfortable in the environment and for them to be comfortable as well that their kids were getting the type of education they had been led to believe would be offered. I also respect parents who are comfortable sending their kids in order to help Hardy "get there," who are comfortable that their kids will do well anywhere, and think that being part of this process is a valuable education in and of itself.

But these are two completely different sets of parents. And the parents and principals and everyone rooting for Hardy do themselves no favors when they encourage people to enroll their children by glossing over not bad language, which is pervasive at every single middle school in the country and no doubt to a large degree internationally as well, but apparently a (what must be necessary) focus on discipline at the expense of education.

Hardy might be able to dig itself out of this hole by testing and separating kids out earlier by educational level before or immediately when school begins. That is the only advice I have. From my understanding that is how Wilson works. They do not throw all the kids together for a month of boot camp before deciding who is eligible for Algebra II or pre-calculus or Honors English.

Yesterday Ms Bentley, Hardy's SEM teacher, held the third session of her Book Club. A great chance for Hardy students to get together, with a great teacher, and discuss twice a month about a book. Her carefully selected book list includes all genres, fiction and non-fiction, and is available from the school website. My kid has enjoyed the Club since last year, and has significantly improved his reading and text analysis skills. I asked him about the attendance to the club, he told me that none of the Mann 6th graders showed up. So my recommendation to these pissed parents would be to stop wining, and get your kids to work and enjoy the many opportunities the school offers.

Are there any Mann kids at Hardy? Do they walk around shell-shocked?

[Anonymous]

Oh shut up. Plenty of us (IB, in case you care) are there and plenty content.

Enough already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We left key at 4th because of Hardy. As did a dozen of my kids friends.

It's what the rumor mill says. + now DCI.

DCPS struggles to offer a decent MS experience, but Deal would be considered ordinary by our suburban standards.

Hardy is the ugly step-sister, chear up - at least it is better than Stuart Hobson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh shut up. Plenty of us (IB, in case you care) are there and plenty content.

Enough already.

How many Mann "alums" are at Hardy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left key at 4th because of Hardy. As did a dozen of my kids friends.

It's what the rumor mill says. + now DCI.

DCPS struggles to offer a decent MS experience, but Deal would be considered ordinary by our suburban standards.

Hardy is the ugly step-sister, chear up - at least it is better than Stuart Hobson.

Right. "Consider the alternative" is what Hardy parents tell themselves. For most, Hardy is a step up. For a lot of Upper Northwest IB parents who view the benchmarks as Deal (if not close-in MoCo middle schools) Hardy seems lacking by comparison.

[Anonymous]

We live in Georgetown and have a child in the PK program at Hyde. I hope to send our child to Hardy. What can parents do who are five years out or so to contribute to Hardy? I clearly have selfish motives, but that aside, I'd like to do something constructive. Call me naive, but I have been following these threads over the last year or so, and have great hopes for the school! It seems like it could be, perhaps already is, quite a gem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Georgetown and have a child in the PK program at Hyde. I hope to send our child to Hardy. What can parents do who are five years out or so to contribute to Hardy? I clearly have selfish motives, but that aside, I'd like to do something constructive. Call me naive, but I have been following these threads over the last year or so, and have great hopes for the school! It seems like it could be, perhaps already is, quite a gem.

When my DC attended Hyde, there was a Hardy contact group. If you contact the Hyde principal, she could put you in touch.

That would be one way of going about it; perhaps others will offer a different approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Georgetown and have a child in the PK program at Hyde. I hope to send our child to Hardy. What can parents do who are five years out or so to contribute to Hardy? I clearly have selfish motives, but that aside, I'd like to do something constructive. Call me naive, but I have been following these threads over the last year or so, and have great hopes for the school! It seems like it could be, perhaps already is, quite a gem.

Start a petition to get rid of the "urban school" uniforms. If successful, that will be a symbolic reset which will attract more IB families to Hardy. Sometimes symbols do matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Georgetown and have a child in the PK program at Hyde. I hope to send our child to Hardy. What can parents do who are five years out or so to contribute to Hardy? I clearly have selfish motives, but that aside, I'd like to do something constructive. Call me naive, but I have been following these threads over the last year or so, and have great hopes for the school! It seems like it could be, perhaps already is, quite a gem.

Start a petition to get rid of the "urban school" uniforms. If successful, that will be a symbolic reset which will attract more IB families to Hardy. Sometimes symbols do matter.

Hiring Principal Pride was the symbolic (and practical) reset. For all the scorn heaped on Hardy uniforms on this site, no one has ever demonstrated the existence of (a) anyone who chose to avoid Hardy for that reason or (b) anyone at Hardy who cares either way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Georgetown and have a child in the PK program at Hyde. I hope to send our child to Hardy. What can parents do who are five years out or so to contribute to Hardy? I clearly have selfish motives, but that aside, I'd like to do something constructive. Call me naive, but I have been following these threads over the last year or so, and have great hopes for the school! It seems like it could be, perhaps already is, quite a gem.

Start a petition to get rid of the "urban school" uniforms. If successful, that will be a symbolic reset which will attract more IB families to Hardy. Sometimes symbols do matter.

Hiring Principal Pride was the symbolic (and practical) reset. For all the scorn heaped on Hardy uniforms on this site, no one has ever demonstrated the existence of (a) anyone who chose to avoid Hardy for that reason or (b) anyone at Hardy who cares either way.

At least with the uniforms, when you see the kids raising heck at the Safeway across the street, you know where they're from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess the private schools in DC really want Hardy's current situation to remain -- there'd be a huge block of parents who would be sending their kids to Hardy rather than paying $35-40k per year at private school. Not saying any would fail but at least admission application numbers would start to fall. I'd be interested to see data on the % of kids who attend Sidwell/Cathedral/Maret/GDS etc. who are from the Deal area versus the % who are from the Hardy area. I expect the % of DC resident kids in middle school at these schools is much lower for those who live in the Deal zone, perhaps much lower.

Sidwell, Cathedral and Maret don't admit new students for sixth grade except to fill vacancies, to have a decent shot of getting in you have to apply at fourth grade or earlier for middle school. So not a lot of Hardy IB kids there, or not from families that weren't thinking private from early on. GDS admits a fair number of IB Hardy kids for sixth, as do schools like Field, Lowell, Sheridan, WIS, WES, Burke and Landon. I'm an IB Hardy parent who went private, those schools plus the Catholics are where the kids who entered kindergarten thinking they'd go DCPS all the way ended up. Plus of course Basis and Latin.

At my kids private there are a fair number of IB Hardy kids, but lots more who are IB Deal. So it's hard to say how much of an impact Hardy improving would have.

I think the Mann 5th grade numbers are telling on this issue. A PP said that last year there were 19 5th graders at Mann and this year 44. That indicates that there are parents thinking Hardy is an option that chose not to leave Mann a year early for private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess the private schools in DC really want Hardy's current situation to remain -- there'd be a huge block of parents who would be sending their kids to Hardy rather than paying $35-40k per year at private school. Not saying any would fail but at least admission application numbers would start to fall. I'd be interested to see data on the % of kids who attend Sidwell/Cathedral/Maret/GDS etc. who are from the Deal area versus the % who are from the Hardy area. I expect the % of DC resident kids in middle school at these schools is much lower for those who live in the Deal zone, perhaps much lower.

Sidwell, Cathedral and Maret don't admit new students for sixth grade except to fill vacancies, to have a decent shot of getting in you have to apply at fourth grade or earlier for middle school. So not a lot of Hardy IB kids there, or not from families that weren't thinking private from early on. GDS admits a fair number of IB Hardy kids for sixth, as do schools like Field, Lowell, Sheridan, WIS, WES, Burke and Landon. I'm an IB Hardy parent who went private, those schools plus the Catholics are where the kids who entered kindergarten thinking they'd go DCPS all the way ended up. Plus of course Basis and Latin.

At my kids private there are a fair number of IB Hardy kids, but lots more who are IB Deal. So it's hard to say how much of an impact Hardy improving would have.

I think the Mann 5th grade numbers are telling on this issue. A PP said that last year there were 19 5th graders at Mann and this year 44. That indicates that there are parents thinking Hardy is an option that chose not to leave Mann a year early for private.

Same thing at Stoddert. We went from one 5th grade last year, to two this year in order to accommodate the number of returning students. Basis and Latin will continue to claim some Stoddert students--mostly those who have older siblings who have already gone the Basis or Latin route--but in chatting with parents of 4th graders this year, I am hearing a lot more who say they are planning on Hardy unless somehow it implodes. I guess the PARCC scores could shake some of that confidence. We'll soon see...

[Anonymous]

Yes, pp-Mann parent here but I don't have s 5th grader-as of this summer, we had 100% enrollment for rising 5th grade, which means that no one was not just leaving early for privates, but there were no kids planning on bailing for Basis or Latin, as 5th is the entry year-I find that even more telling!

[Anonymous]

FYI, this event at Hardy is tomorrow:

Don't miss this great opportunity to get to know Hardy by attending the “Trick Or Treat Street” event tomorrow, Thursday October 29 from 4:00-5:30.

Kids just can't wait for Halloween? "Trick-or-Treat Street" is for our younger community members to Trick-or-Treat in a safe and warm environment! Enter at 4pm from the 35th St entrance.

Volunteer Hardy students are decorating classrooms with different Halloween themes, wearing costumes and giving out candy. The event is for Hardy students to give back to the community.

Spanish classes will be hosting a "Day of The Dead" sugar skull face painting! Be sure to vote for "Best Door" and "Best Floor"!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FYI, this event at Hardy is tomorrow:

Don't miss this great opportunity to get to know Hardy by attending the “Trick Or Treat Street” event tomorrow, Thursday October 29 from 4:00-5:30.

Kids just can't wait for Halloween? "Trick-or-Treat Street" is for our younger community members to Trick-or-Treat in a safe and warm environment! Enter at 4pm from the 35th St entrance.

Volunteer Hardy students are decorating classrooms with different Halloween themes, wearing costumes and giving out candy. The event is for Hardy students to give back to the community.

Spanish classes will be hosting a "Day of The Dead" sugar skull face painting! Be sure to vote for "Best Door" and "Best Floor"!

What a fantastic idea! Go Hardy!