Barnard - Any current feedback on the PTA situation, PS teachers, behavior issues, etc...

[Anonymous]

I've read all the old threads on Barnard Elementary in Petworth.

One particular thread talked about the disfunction of the PTA which was was headed up by someone who didn't even have a child at the school anymore. Any updated information on what's going on at Barnard now? Is the PTA structure more welcoming and encouraging to new parents?

We are looking at entering at PS3...old threads speak highly of the PS3 teachers and classrooms...are those same teachers still there or has there been significant turnover?

A few old threads talk about foul language and behavior issues, primarily on the playground by older students. Do current parents still experience this?

And finally, are the PS3, PK and K classes diverse? We're white and fine with our child being a minority, but I'd rather her not be the only one.

Thanks for reading.

[Anonymous]

Bump.

Nothing? No one? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I'm in Petworth and have three neighbors (all educated, middle class) that have kids at Barnard. They alll rave about the school and have been there for several years. I didn't get in through the OOB lottery or I would have been happy to send my child as well.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, PP! I'm glad to know that the enthusiam is still there. It's our IB so think we have a good shot...although sort of concerned that you didn't get a spot. I saw that 3 IB families were waitlisted last year, but I'm surprised the list didn't move enough to get those 3 in. PP, do you mind saying what year you were waitlisted and for which grade? Did you ever get a call? Did you get a charter or other DCPS spot that you were happy with and therefore said no when Barnard called?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PP! I'm glad to know that the enthusiam is still there. It's our IB so think we have a good shot...although sort of concerned that you didn't get a spot. I saw that 3 IB families were waitlisted last year, but I'm surprised the list didn't move enough to get those 3 in. PP, do you mind saying what year you were waitlisted and for which grade? Did you ever get a call? Did you get a charter or other DCPS spot that you were happy with and therefore said no when Barnard called?

The PP said that she was OOB, not IB. In 2008, the schools zoned for neighborhoods to the north and to the south of Barnard were closed, and kids were assigned to schools located yet further north & south--none were assigned to Barnard. So Petworth has a large contingent of families for whom Barnard is the closest DCPS elementary but who must apply as OOB.

[Anonymous]

I was hoping to hear some more current info from others, but I can speak from the perspective of having a child there OOB last year for PS3. We loved her teacher and aide and found the school facilities to be great. They had great field trips and our child learned so much in that first year, it was wonderful.

The aftercare situation left a lot to be desired (lots of TV and general pandemonium, witnessed older grades' caregivers yelling at the kids a few times).

We would have happily stayed through K (when the younger kids are all in the same hall together, away from the older kids), but it was not going to be a long term solution for us. The principal (amazing, talented) had her hands quite full with the parents in the older grades. It would be ridiculous to complain about the use of TV and candy in the classrooms or food options at lunch, when she was dealing with the more important issues of school safety and parents who yelled throughout parents' night and cursed at one another right in front of the school.

This situation wasn't going to change because of our family's presence and I was not looking forward to more years of explaining what "f*** you" means after walking my kid to our car after class. I'm not sure what the school could do about this in the immediate future, so we left for PK.

[Anonymous]

PP, do you think the same principal is still there? How about the teacher you loved? I'm wondering about turnover. Unless something significant changes with our family schedule we shouldn't need aftercare. Thank you for offering the beware message about that.

[Anonymous]

I think it's the same principal, and I know that our teacher is still there - she was wonderful and a real credit to the sort of teacher they are recruiting.

[Anonymous]

I know several people who go there and are happy with the pre-school/kindergarten program. No specifics, just several neighbors who are quite pleased.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if Barnard has a parent listserve or if families there frequent any of the Petworth listserves? Just trying to come up with additional places to read/find feedback. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in Petworth and have three neighbors (all educated, middle class) that have kids at Barnard. They alll rave about the school and have been there for several years. I didn't get in through the OOB lottery or I would have been happy to send my child as well.

Agree. We put Barnard on our list OOB and it was our first choice. We were actually devastated when our waitlist number came in so low.

[Anonymous]

We currently have a student in PS3 and are fairly happy with the class assigned. Teacher and aide are both very good. Nice mix of students ethnically and SES.

I am not aware of any PTA activity, though it may be more active at older end. DCPS staff makes efforts to get parents involved and I have been to a couple parent meetings, but they tend to be in the mornings making it difficult for those with day jobs to attend, but parents who have later jobs are pretty good at attending.

After care is a joke, but at $10/day, what can we expect. They are pretty much always watching TV when I arrive to pick up and they give them lollipops as a treat. Once when I did get there earlier for p/u they were in the gym, so it's not ALL TV time, but still pretty sad they can't keep them occupied with something productive for 2 hours.


We are OOB and likely are looking at Barnard as just for the early years hoping to get into specific charter schools. It is probably a better alternative to our in boundary ES right now, though even our in boundary is considered one of the better DCPS elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

PTA is a community organization. You don't have to be a parent of a child in a school to be a PTA member or an officer.

[Anonymous]

One last bump...then I promise I'll give it a rest.

[Anonymous]

We have 2 kids there right now. We are white. DH has a better handle on the afterschool situation since he does pickup. The principal is a national treasure. Also like the aftercare coordinator, and all our teachers so far, I suspect they have been careful not to stick us with any old school types? Lots of middle class and professional AA and Hispanic parents as well as 'cussing in the parking lot' types, worst offenders are probably the older siblings. I wish they have more room and funding for science. Happy they have added a Spanish teacher for the preschool-K classes, they have embraced that families WANT a foreign language now, as well as ESL. Hope they can keep the $ for her. Wish we had fancier options for aftercare, I think there is a market for more enrichment but there are a lot of FARM families and there is a focus on homework and bringing up the test scores. We are happy so far and plan to try for Washington Latin for middle school, or some such, or rent out and move.