Jefferson Academy Kool-Aid

[Anonymous]

But there are many privates that accept at 6th.

If you strike out at the charters and hill privates for 5th you have a year's warning to stay at Brent, get your private school testing done, apply to those schools or get your house on the market/buy a new one.

[Anonymous]

I predict that you're going to see fewer parents stay for fourth, but more of those who do stay hanging on for 5th.

Yes, those who strike out in the 5th grade lotteries will have a year's cushion to make back-up plans, and try the lottery again. The second time around, some will shoot for charter and DCPS middle schools starting at 6th (DCI, Hardy, Hobson etc.) Also, parents aiming for privates starting at 6th (there are many within a 45-minute commute of the Brent District) will be more inclined to stay. You're already seeing parents on the path for privates staying for 5th, just a handful, but they're there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I predict that you're going to see fewer parents stay for fourth, but more of those who do stay hanging on for 5th.

Yes, those who strike out in the 5th grade lotteries will have a year's cushion to make back-up plans, and try the lottery again. The second time around, some will shoot for charter and DCPS middle schools starting at 6th (DCI, Hardy, Hobson etc.) Also, parents aiming for privates starting at 6th (there are many within a 45-minute commute of the Brent District) will be more inclined to stay. You're already seeing parents on the path for privates staying for 5th, just a handful, but they're there.

What are the privates w/in 45 minute commute of Brent? Can't be anything in the NW. Virginia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I predict that you're going to see fewer parents stay for fourth, but more of those who do stay hanging on for 5th.

Yes, those who strike out in the 5th grade lotteries will have a year's cushion to make back-up plans, and try the lottery again. The second time around, some will shoot for charter and DCPS middle schools starting at 6th (DCI, Hardy, Hobson etc.) Also, parents aiming for privates starting at 6th (there are many within a 45-minute commute of the Brent District) will be more inclined to stay. You're already seeing parents on the path for privates staying for 5th, just a handful, but they're there.

What are the privates w/in 45 minute commute of Brent? Can't be anything in the NW. Virginia?

Now it needs to be a 45 minute commute?

Ok, well via Metro you can get from Cap South to Tenleytown in 25 minutes and walk the 15 to Sidwell; Cap South to Woodley Park is 22 and a 20 minute walk to Maret.

And you can drive in 40 minutes to Georgetown Day -- although I'm sure you can get a school-arranged shuttle.

-BASIS parent whose kids commute 60 minutes per day each way door to door via Metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I predict that you're going to see fewer parents stay for fourth, but more of those who do stay hanging on for 5th.

Yes, those who strike out in the 5th grade lotteries will have a year's cushion to make back-up plans, and try the lottery again. The second time around, some will shoot for charter and DCPS middle schools starting at 6th (DCI, Hardy, Hobson etc.) Also, parents aiming for privates starting at 6th (there are many within a 45-minute commute of the Brent District) will be more inclined to stay. You're already seeing parents on the path for privates staying for 5th, just a handful, but they're there.

The door has shut on any realistic chance of getting into Hardy or SH via the lottery. Just take a look at the charter waiting lists for 5th next year. And $38,000 a year for each kid is a stretch for most families, without taking into account financial aid. Reality bites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not set up a comprehensive middle school on Capitol Hill spread out on two campuses? 6th grade at Stuart-Hobson and 7th and 8th grade at Elliott-Hine. Feeders would be JO Wilson, LT, Watkins, Brent, Maury, Tyler, SWS, Payne, Miner, Van Ness, and Amidon-Bowen. There could be a Spanish immersion track to support students from Tyler Bilingual as well as Hill families from LAMB and Mundo Verde looking for a neighborhood school for the MS years. Turn Jefferson into a test-in STEM MS.

Great question for Henderson, Grosso and Allen.

This idea has merit. Seriously. Something a politician can ( and should ) get behind. And it could be done in the spirit of "uniting ward 6 on the road to Eastern". It would eliminate these funding and feeder squabbles and create incentives for everyone to work together and share resources-- The school would be the size of Deal and have the per-pupiil funding to run robust programs in academics, remediation, sports, arts and drama. I feel like if we can get our neighborhood together in a middle school, amazing things could happen.

I agree that this is the first proposal I have read on one of these threads about the Hill middle school situation that didn't just make me feel more hopeless because it was so obviously not a workable solution. It is a good idea.

I'm IB for SH and I would support this idea. There are many great families on the Hill and this would be a way to get them all together and have a one hugely strong cohort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I predict that you're going to see fewer parents stay for fourth, but more of those who do stay hanging on for 5th.

Yes, those who strike out in the 5th grade lotteries will have a year's cushion to make back-up plans, and try the lottery again. The second time around, some will shoot for charter and DCPS middle schools starting at 6th (DCI, Hardy, Hobson etc.) Also, parents aiming for privates starting at 6th (there are many within a 45-minute commute of the Brent District) will be more inclined to stay. You're already seeing parents on the path for privates staying for 5th, just a handful, but they're there.

What are the privates w/in 45 minute commute of Brent? Can't be anything in the NW. Virginia?

For academically strong boys, St. Anselm's Abbey School starts at 6th. They pull plenty of boys from the Hill, and it's about a 20-25 minutes drive. They actually have a number of boys switch over from St. Peter's starting at 6th, which is why the upper grades have fewer boys.

I know some kids take the bus from Eastern Market to Burgandy Farms.

[Anonymous]

Other schools/options include Potomac (in VA/40 minute drive from Brent. WIS < 45 minutes via Metro, Burke < 45 minutes via Metro.

[Anonymous]

If you're on these boards to get yourself worked up, panicked, and hyperventilating, then stay on it and enjoy the adrenaline.

But if you come here for true advice, then chill! Your children are not doomed by any measure, absolutely and decidedly not, no matter what the fear mongers and action seeker here are trying to make you believe. I can tell you so based on years of experience with kids in DCPS and kids moving through the kind of rough patches that aren't even fathomable in today's state of DCPS anymore. Granted, we paid half of what you did for our house and that may make all the mental difference. But the bottom line is the same: our kids are doing exceptionally well by any measure, academically and socially, and so will yours, including if god forbid they had to attend Jefferson or Eliot-Hine.

Really, short of packing up and moving to (well, where exactly are schools at that much better?!), the very best action you can take at this time is take an active interest and start getting involved in your destination school. I guarantee you, you will not only feel good about it but also reassured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're on these boards to get yourself worked up, panicked, and hyperventilating, then stay on it and enjoy the adrenaline.

But if you come here for true advice, then chill! Your children are not doomed by any measure, absolutely and decidedly not, no matter what the fear mongers and action seeker here are trying to make you believe. I can tell you so based on years of experience with kids in DCPS and kids moving through the kind of rough patches that aren't even fathomable in today's state of DCPS anymore. Granted, we paid half of what you did for our house and that may make all the mental difference. But the bottom line is the same: our kids are doing exceptionally well by any measure, academically and socially, and so will yours, including if god forbid they had to attend Jefferson or Eliot-Hine.

Really, short of packing up and moving to (well, where exactly are schools at that much better?!), the very best action you can take at this time is take an active interest and start getting involved in your destination school. I guarantee you, you will not only feel good about it but also reassured.

there are plenty of places where the schools are objectively better performing, but controlling for poverty shows DCPS students doing fine. Sadly DC has a stark class divide for schools just like everything else in DC. Close-in and in-demand suburbs with competitive schools are equally if not more expensive than many parts of DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who are shocked are new. They've been on the Hill for a year or two and haven't dug in to stay.

You are right. I naively believed that spending nearly a million dollars for a house on the hill- would entitle my kids have access to a middle school/ high school where children are performing at grade level.

Yes. I was naive and entitled. You are sharing infrastructure and services with everyone in a poor city.

So are Wilson and Deal. We pay taxes, and deserve better. Boundaries and feeder rights for MS and HS should be abolished and a lottery based system implemented. That way Alice Deal for all could become a possibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're on these boards to get yourself worked up, panicked, and hyperventilating, then stay on it and enjoy the adrenaline.

But if you come here for true advice, then chill! Your children are not doomed by any measure, absolutely and decidedly not, no matter what the fear mongers and action seeker here are trying to make you believe. I can tell you so based on years of experience with kids in DCPS and kids moving through the kind of rough patches that aren't even fathomable in today's state of DCPS anymore. Granted, we paid half of what you did for our house and that may make all the mental difference. But the bottom line is the same: our kids are doing exceptionally well by any measure, academically and socially, and so will yours, including if god forbid they had to attend Jefferson or Eliot-Hine.

Really, short of packing up and moving to (well, where exactly are schools at that much better?!), the very best action you can take at this time is take an active interest and start getting involved in your destination school. I guarantee you, you will not only feel good about it but also reassured.

Come on, almost all neighborhood middle schools in Arlington, Fairfax and most of MoCo are higher performing than ours in Ward 6. Even unpopular choices in S. Arlington and north of Silver Spring offer better help for students who struggle and advanced learners.

Sorry, but I disagree. The very best action you can take at this time is to plan to work to vote out Bowser, Grosso and others when the time comes.

No doubt our kids would indeed survive if they had to attend Jefferson or Eliot-Hine. But then life is too short to settle for schools without stable power grids, advanced math, serious foreign language study etc. Where's the fun in it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're on these boards to get yourself worked up, panicked, and hyperventilating, then stay on it and enjoy the adrenaline.

But if you come here for true advice, then chill! Your children are not doomed by any measure, absolutely and decidedly not, no matter what the fear mongers and action seeker here are trying to make you believe. I can tell you so based on years of experience with kids in DCPS and kids moving through the kind of rough patches that aren't even fathomable in today's state of DCPS anymore. Granted, we paid half of what you did for our house and that may make all the mental difference. But the bottom line is the same: our kids are doing exceptionally well by any measure, academically and socially, and so will yours, including if god forbid they had to attend Jefferson or Eliot-Hine.

Really, short of packing up and moving to (well, where exactly are schools at that much better?!), the very best action you can take at this time is take an active interest and start getting involved in your destination school. I guarantee you, you will not only feel good about it but also reassured.

Come on, almost all neighborhood middle schools in Arlington, Fairfax and most of MoCo are higher performing than ours in Ward 6. Even unpopular choices in S. Arlington and north of Silver Spring offer better help for students who struggle and advanced learners.

Sorry, but I disagree. The very best action you can take at this time is to plan to work to vote out Bowser, Grosso and others when the time comes.

No doubt our kids would indeed survive if they had to attend Jefferson or Eliot-Hine. But then life is too short to settle for schools without stable power grids, advanced math, serious foreign language study etc. Where's the fun in it?

you lost me there ?

Arlington Fairfax and MoCo students do well where there is little poverty. The biggest challenge where there are struggling schools relates to English language learners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who are shocked are new. They've been on the Hill for a year or two and haven't dug in to stay.

You are right. I naively believed that spending nearly a million dollars for a house on the hill- would entitle my kids have access to a middle school/ high school where children are performing at grade level.

Yes. I was naive and entitled. You are sharing infrastructure and services with everyone in a poor city.

So are Wilson and Deal. We pay taxes, and deserve better. Boundaries and feeder rights for MS and HS should be abolished and a lottery based system implemented. That way Alice Deal for all could become a possibility.

The only reason it's Alice Deal is because it's not Alice Deal for all, trust me there is nothing great about the school just the students who go there. If everyone went, it would just be like any other school you all are complaining about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I predict that you're going to see fewer parents stay for fourth, but more of those who do stay hanging on for 5th.

Yes, those who strike out in the 5th grade lotteries will have a year's cushion to make back-up plans, and try the lottery again. The second time around, some will shoot for charter and DCPS middle schools starting at 6th (DCI, Hardy, Hobson etc.) Also, parents aiming for privates starting at 6th (there are many within a 45-minute commute of the Brent District) will be more inclined to stay. You're already seeing parents on the path for privates staying for 5th, just a handful, but they're there.

What are the privates w/in 45 minute commute of Brent? Can't be anything in the NW. Virginia?

Now it needs to be a 45 minute commute?

Ok, well via Metro you can get from Cap South to Tenleytown in 25 minutes and walk the 15 to Sidwell; Cap South to Woodley Park is 22 and a 20 minute walk to Maret.

And you can drive in 40 minutes to Georgetown Day -- although I'm sure you can get a school-arranged shuttle.

-BASIS parent whose kids commute 60 minutes per day each way door to door via Metro.

the continued hubris of the Hill parents who blithely assume 6th grade admission to Sidwell, Maret & GDS ... adorable!

"Golly, maybe we'll just have to enroll at Sidwell or NCS a couple years earlier. What a shame, because we LOVE Brent!"