ludlow-taylor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS isn't biting on reopening Van Ness, so what's better than LT? Keeps SWS on the Hill, gives them a solid MS option, keeps Reggio at LT while providing the turnaround neighbors want to see in order to buy in.

Why is the Stanton Park neighborhood considered the only option for SWS to remain on the Hill? The real push for Van Ness is the burgeoning SW neighborhood and increasing number of new families demanding renewed IB option (SWS wouldn't solve but proximity preference could address). My money is still on Van Ness for SWS, which is close enough to satisfy current Hill community and maybe newer SW families.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. Parents in the LT have lots of nearby options including their inboundar school. Van Ness was closed a few years back leaving NO school in that neighborhood. Now the neighborhood is bursting with young kids who are told they need to cross South Capitol street and head about a mile away to Amidon Bowen which is among the worst schools in DC.

These Capitol Quarter people ( including influential development execs ) have been promised that Van Ness will re open. What better way to.jumpstart it than with a ready made program and staff from SWS. Voila. Instant successful neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

By the way. When SWS

[Anonymous]

Oops. Gets establishedin its permanant location it will be a neighborhood school with boundaries. It will not be a special magnet program like Logan

[Anonymous]

So, a couple questions about LT.

1. Does it have a website? I remember seeing one in the past (although it was pretty awful) but the url I have does not work. http://www.ludlowtaylores.com/

2. If we do end up sticking with LT for ps3, are there any teachers who are better than others that we should request, or avoid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oops. Gets establishedin its permanant location it will be a neighborhood school with boundaries. It will not be a special magnet program like Logan

I'm close to this process and I haven't heard anything about SWS becoming a neighborhood school. That's part of the tradeoff SWS sought to keep the program viable as a full elementary. There was a push from ANC6D families to bring SWS to Van Ness for the Capitol Quarters community as an IB school, but DCPS denied that request and granted SWS expansion. Van Ness makes sense logistically as a landing spot, but CQ won't gain SWS at the Hill's loss.

[Anonymous]

Don't know what you mean " at the Hill's loss" but I have a kid at SWS and decided to stay with the expansion because all if the info given to parents says it will become a neighborhood school in its final spot and not remain a special program inside another school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh the Cluster distaste goes much deeper than any Watkins parent is willing to admit or see. Yes, they did lead the charge on suing Two Rivers. Plus now that Clusters have gladly gone ahead with pushing SH renovation date up while trying to leave the non-feeder schools behind.

The mentality that the Clusters are the only school on the Hill runs deep there. We are one of the many families who have tried the Clusters and run screaming to NW schools. It is so funny to look back and think about how we thought all of that was normal at one time.

Get over it. SH is going to be a great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh the Cluster distaste goes much deeper than any Watkins parent is willing to admit or see. Yes, they did lead the charge on suing Two Rivers. Plus now that Clusters have gladly gone ahead with pushing SH renovation date up while trying to leave the non-feeder schools behind.

The mentality that the Clusters are the only school on the Hill runs deep there. We are one of the many families who have tried the Clusters and run screaming to NW schools. It is so funny to look back and think about how we thought all of that was normal at one time.

Get over it. SH is going to be a great school.

Don't make me laugh, I may pee. Because if you build it they will come? Few of the Watkin kids even go there!

SWS would like to become a neighborhood school but like all the other charters they will have to fight for space. While central office can say they are going to have a space within two years. There are a lot of big what ifs between now and then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh the Cluster distaste goes much deeper than any Watkins parent is willing to admit or see. Yes, they did lead the charge on suing Two Rivers. Plus now that Clusters have gladly gone ahead with pushing SH renovation date up while trying to leave the non-feeder schools behind.

The mentality that the Clusters are the only school on the Hill runs deep there. We are one of the many families who have tried the Clusters and run screaming to NW schools. It is so funny to look back and think about how we thought all of that was normal at one time.

Get over it. SH is going to be a great school.

I do hope you are right. But I am sure that same thing has been said for a quarter century without much joy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh the Cluster distaste goes much deeper than any Watkins parent is willing to admit or see. Yes, they did lead the charge on suing Two Rivers. Plus now that Clusters have gladly gone ahead with pushing SH renovation date up while trying to leave the non-feeder schools behind. The mentality that the Clusters are the only school on the Hill runs deep there. We are one of the many families who have tried the Clusters and run screaming to NW schools. It is so funny to look back and think about how we thought all of that was normal at one time.

Anonymous wrote:Get over it. SH is going to be a great school.

Anonymous wrote:I do hope you are right. But I am sure that same thing has been said for a quarter century without much joy.

Why won't SH be a great school with all that is happening on the Hill now?

[Anonymous]

Partly because of people like 15:42 - people hear negative comments -- whether founded or not, and it turns them off or it makes them think that hey - I saw something similar to that (like someone complains about a MD license plate) so they believe that it's a persistent, large issue as opposed to a one-off, smaller issue - I hope that makes sense.

It's the same reason LT struggles. Too many naysayers that aren't always speaking the truth.

[Anonymous]

LT isn't struggling because of naysayers. It fails to keep middle class families past k. Families who
Know the school and spent hours volunteering and fundraising leave the school.

SH is a whole different story. It has potential. I do find some cluster people annoying.

[Anonymous]

Show me the Hill school without annoying people. They seem fairly evenly distributed.

As the parent of a 1st grader IB for SH, I have every expectation people will be stacked up 10 deep to get spots at SH in 5 years. With the new principal and $34m in facilities improvements, I'm thrilled to have a seat waiting for us there. Really want to see EH slingshot forward, too. Maury and Brent and Tyler deserve a good MS option as much as anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Show me the Hill school without annoying people. They seem fairly evenly distributed.

As the parent of a 1st grader IB for SH, I have every expectation people will be stacked up 10 deep to get spots at SH in 5 years. With the new principal and $34m in facilities improvements, I'm thrilled to have a seat waiting for us there. Really want to see EH slingshot forward, too. Maury and Brent and Tyler deserve a good MS option as much as anyone else.

This was me 7 years ago. We are truly one of the last people left at the Cluster who we started with years ago. The vast majority have "moved" on. Many that are left are moving on for 6th grade -- which is why the SH IB percentage is so low. SH is ok. I don't know if it ever will be great. I just don't think that a new facility is going to be what makes people stay. Personally I think the Clusters should have done a lot more to push for Brent to feed into SH. It would have been a wise move but not all could stomach that. It is great to have a 1st grader but there comes a time, when you see that what is being offered isn't the same as the NW public middle school options. I can't put my finger on it but if you visit Deal and Hardy when you look at SH you will just see that it operates completely differently. That is why people choose to leave.

Back to LT, it would be great if SWS could co-locate there. Won't happen I fear. I have no idea what will happen with SWS. It is such a wonderful program and I worry that it will have a rough road ahead. I just transferred my last child out to head Peabody so we can stick with Watkins. I have kids all over this town in school, there is no way I was going to add another school location onto my drive next year!