Has there always been a bus stop for TJ at Mclean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean high school has a group of highly advanced students who are without a CS teacher. Why don’t they just bus those kids to TJ? Or bring the teachers to the different schools? I know this is an issue at Langley. There are students at these high schools who are maxing out on what is offered at their local high school. As someone who is somewhat new to the area, it seems very silly to limit access to senior year classes based on what the child did in 7th grade. Why not open the opportunity up?

That’s part of a broader discussion about whether TJ would function better as a full-time academy offering only courses available nowhere else to more students (who would otherwise remain as a base school) than as a full/time school.

Suffice it to say that there’s no interest among FCPS leadership in doing anything other than what TJ is currently doing, which is expanding its class sizes (to about 550 kids per grade vs. 475) and allocating seats more widely across the participating jurisdictions.

The fact that Langley or McLean students may not have a teacher for a course or a desired course may not be available isn’t going to be treated any differently than, say, an elementary school elsewhere in the county without a PE or music teacher. Sorry.

LoCo is welcome to their Academies. Why would FCPS want to dismantle TJ to create another one of those?

It wouldn’t dismantle TJ, but would allow more students access to the classes only offered at TJ. Academies help expand the access to educational opportunities. It’s a way to “grow the pie” so to speak. You can double the size of the students who have access to advanced classes. And allow students to still be part of their base community.

Do any of the candidates for SB have this as one of their agenda items?

And I can see why McLean parents whose kids don’t have a CS teacher are annoyed at a crowd of TJ kids who have an excess of CS teachers are blocking traffic every morning. It’s only natural.

No one wants this. If they did, they could move to LoCo and have it. Of course no SB candidate is running on this because no one wants this.

No SB candidate is running on this because it’s too nuanced an issue to get their attention. They are all running on culture war issues (whether from the left or the right) and don’t give a crap about boring stuff like academics or facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a troll. The students are picked up at the Westmoreland side entrance across from the rock. This is also the carline drop off point for Mclean students. The carline is being paused every morning so that the TJ students can board their bus. Why isn’t the TJ pick-up at Longfellow or another school that is already in session by that time?

Then this is different from years past as, the kids were either gone by the time McLean students were being dropped or they arrived after the majority of the McLean car line was gone. Never noticed them all of last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I rode the TJ bus (from another school) in my day.
You realize that those students goingto TJ who are being first bused to McLean have a really long commutte and would otherwise be going to mclean and using their bus services, right>?

Mclean has a large percentage of walkers and the percentage of Longfellow students who now attend TJ has dropped under the new admissions process. What’s forty more students when Mclean is already way over capacity. Maybe an influx of students would force FCPS to finally address Mclean’s overcrowding issue because it would be an actual fire code violation.

And cry me a river about the long commute for poor TJ students. Get back to me when TJ’s ceilings are literally caving in.

TJ ceilings aren't that great either, though not caving in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean high school has a group of highly advanced students who are without a CS teacher. Why don’t they just bus those kids to TJ? Or bring the teachers to the different schools? I know this is an issue at Langley. There are students at these high schools who are maxing out on what is offered at their local high school. As someone who is somewhat new to the area, it seems very silly to limit access to senior year classes based on what the child did in 7th grade. Why not open the opportunity up?

That’s part of a broader discussion about whether TJ would function better as a full-time academy offering only courses available nowhere else to more students (who would otherwise remain as a base school) than as a full/time school.

Suffice it to say that there’s no interest among FCPS leadership in doing anything other than what TJ is currently doing, which is expanding its class sizes (to about 550 kids per grade vs. 475) and allocating seats more widely across the participating jurisdictions.

The fact that Langley or McLean students may not have a teacher for a course or a desired course may not be available isn’t going to be treated any differently than, say, an elementary school elsewhere in the county without a PE or music teacher. Sorry.

LoCo is welcome to their Academies. Why would FCPS want to dismantle TJ to create another one of those?

It wouldn’t dismantle TJ, but would allow more students access to the classes only offered at TJ. Academies help expand the access to educational opportunities. It’s a way to “grow the pie” so to speak. You can double the size of the students who have access to advanced classes. And allow students to still be part of their base community.

Do any of the candidates for SB have this as one of their agenda items?

And I can see why McLean parents whose kids don’t have a CS teacher are annoyed at a crowd of TJ kids who have an excess of CS teachers are blocking traffic every morning. It’s only natural.

This has been discussed on other threads. Moving to academy format is not feasible.

[Anonymous]

JFC, OP, just drop your snowflake at the other carline entrance. Bus driver shortages have a domino affect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean high school has a group of highly advanced students who are without a CS teacher. Why don’t they just bus those kids to TJ? Or bring the teachers to the different schools? I know this is an issue at Langley. There are students at these high schools who are maxing out on what is offered at their local high school. As someone who is somewhat new to the area, it seems very silly to limit access to senior year classes based on what the child did in 7th grade. Why not open the opportunity up?

Are you sure that TJ CS teachers are actually teaching in the traditional sense? Based on our more recent experience there, it's more like a flipped learning model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a troll. The students are picked up at the Westmoreland side entrance across from the rock. This is also the carline drop off point for Mclean students. The carline is being paused every morning so that the TJ students can board their bus. Why isn’t the TJ pick-up at Longfellow or another school that is already in session by that time?

Then this is different from years past as, the kids were either gone by the time McLean students were being dropped or they arrived after the majority of the McLean car line was gone. Never noticed them all of last year.

This. Now I am seeing them and parents will park and watch their kid until the bus comes. Then they expect to re-enter the drop off line when everyone is in a rush. I almost got hit trying to let one of the parents get out of her parallel parking space. Just adjusting the timing of the bus would make a big difference if that is possible. Also, the parents should probably be advised it is a kiss and ride. They either park in the neighborhood and walk to the stop and stand with their teen or drop the teen off and drive away. Don't park in a student and expect to get back into the line during the last 10 minute rush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a troll. The students are picked up at the Westmoreland side entrance across from the rock. This is also the carline drop off point for Mclean students. The carline is being paused every morning so that the TJ students can board their bus. Why isn’t the TJ pick-up at Longfellow or another school that is already in session by that time?

Then this is different from years past as, the kids were either gone by the time McLean students were being dropped or they arrived after the majority of the McLean car line was gone. Never noticed them all of last year.

This. Now I am seeing them and parents will park and watch their kid until the bus comes. Then they expect to re-enter the drop off line when everyone is in a rush. I almost got hit trying to let one of the parents get out of her parallel parking space. Just adjusting the timing of the bus would make a big difference if that is possible. Also, the parents should probably be advised it is a kiss and ride. They either park in the neighborhood and walk to the stop and stand with their teen or drop the teen off and drive away. Don't park in a student and expect to get back into the line during the last 10 minute rush.

+1. Why do HS parents need to wait for the bus to load? It’s HS bus stop not a Kindergarten bus stop. This morning a car almost hit me trying to pull out a parallel parking space to jump back into the carline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a troll. The students are picked up at the Westmoreland side entrance across from the rock. This is also the carline drop off point for Mclean students. The carline is being paused every morning so that the TJ students can board their bus. Why isn’t the TJ pick-up at Longfellow or another school that is already in session by that time?

Then this is different from years past as, the kids were either gone by the time McLean students were being dropped or they arrived after the majority of the McLean car line was gone. Never noticed them all of last year.

This. Now I am seeing them and parents will park and watch their kid until the bus comes. Then they expect to re-enter the drop off line when everyone is in a rush. I almost got hit trying to let one of the parents get out of her parallel parking space. Just adjusting the timing of the bus would make a big difference if that is possible. Also, the parents should probably be advised it is a kiss and ride. They either park in the neighborhood and walk to the stop and stand with their teen or drop the teen off and drive away. Don't park in a student and expect to get back into the line during the last 10 minute rush.

+1. Why do HS parents need to wait for the bus to load? It’s HS bus stop not a Kindergarten bus stop. This morning a car almost hit me trying to pull out a parallel parking space to jump back into the carline.

Send Elaine Tholen a note asking her to do something about this. The TJ parents should not be interfering with MHS morning drop-offs or creating driving hazards on Westmoreland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a troll. The students are picked up at the Westmoreland side entrance across from the rock. This is also the carline drop off point for Mclean students. The carline is being paused every morning so that the TJ students can board their bus. Why isn’t the TJ pick-up at Longfellow or another school that is already in session by that time?

Then this is different from years past as, the kids were either gone by the time McLean students were being dropped or they arrived after the majority of the McLean car line was gone. Never noticed them all of last year.

This. Now I am seeing them and parents will park and watch their kid until the bus comes. Then they expect to re-enter the drop off line when everyone is in a rush. I almost got hit trying to let one of the parents get out of her parallel parking space. Just adjusting the timing of the bus would make a big difference if that is possible. Also, the parents should probably be advised it is a kiss and ride. They either park in the neighborhood and walk to the stop and stand with their teen or drop the teen off and drive away. Don't park in a student and expect to get back into the line during the last 10 minute rush.

If they are parked, why can't the kid just get out and walk to the bus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a troll. The students are picked up at the Westmoreland side entrance across from the rock. This is also the carline drop off point for Mclean students. The carline is being paused every morning so that the TJ students can board their bus. Why isn’t the TJ pick-up at Longfellow or another school that is already in session by that time?

Then this is different from years past as, the kids were either gone by the time McLean students were being dropped or they arrived after the majority of the McLean car line was gone. Never noticed them all of last year.

This. Now I am seeing them and parents will park and watch their kid until the bus comes. Then they expect to re-enter the drop off line when everyone is in a rush. I almost got hit trying to let one of the parents get out of her parallel parking space. Just adjusting the timing of the bus would make a big difference if that is possible. Also, the parents should probably be advised it is a kiss and ride. They either park in the neighborhood and walk to the stop and stand with their teen or drop the teen off and drive away. Don't park in a student and expect to get back into the line during the last 10 minute rush.

If they are parked, why can't the kid just get out and walk to the bus?

The issue is the parent expecting to re-enter the busy car line. It’s a parking space not meant for drop off.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone share the bus depot location for all FCPS students being bused to JJ? Or jusy the ones closes to Great Falls, Reston? We are considering admission offer for next year and wondering when and where bus pick up would be. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t remember the crowd of students at the entrance last year. Why is the TJ stop at Mclean? Mclean is crowded enough and the car line is already a nightmare.

it was when my oldest was at McLean 2010-2014.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share the bus depot location for all FCPS students being bused to JJ? Or jusy the ones closes to Great Falls, Reston? We are considering admission offer for next year and wondering when and where bus pick up would be. Thank you!

they are not public. You only get it when you need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean high school has a group of highly advanced students who are without a CS teacher. Why don’t they just bus those kids to TJ? Or bring the teachers to the different schools? I know this is an issue at Langley. There are students at these high schools who are maxing out on what is offered at their local high school. As someone who is somewhat new to the area, it seems very silly to limit access to senior year classes based on what the child did in 7th grade. Why not open the opportunity up?

Are you sure that TJ CS teachers are actually teaching in the traditional sense? Based on our more recent experience there, it's more like a flipped learning model.

Colleague who graduated from TJ said afterwards that for the STEM subjects, the teaching style at TJ was similar to E school at VT. Kids who did well with that style were ready for any E School, according to her.