Try FCPS AAP center for 2-3 weeks and switch to private?

[Anonymous]

That's pretty awful of you to take that private school spot away from someone who really wants it, and then potentially open it up for a poor kid to start school 3 weeks in.

[Anonymous]

Your child (and you as his parent) will not do well in FCPS. I can already tell. Just put him in private. FCPS will not cater to your every whim, the private school will. I can already see the disaster that will happen if you put your child in public school. An AAP Center is not like a mini private school within FCPS, it's still FCPS, you still have to deal with bureaucracy and large class sizes and your kid not getting one on one time. Go private. Trust me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your child (and you as his parent) will not do well in FCPS. I can already tell. Just put him in private. FCPS will not cater to your every whim, the private school will. I can already see the disaster that will happen if you put your child in public school. An AAP Center is not like a mini private school within FCPS, it's still FCPS, you still have to deal with bureaucracy and large class sizes and your kid not getting one on one time. Go private. Trust me.

This. Your sense of entitlement will not be served by public schools. Stick with private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some commenters recommended a shadow day at private to get a sense of the privates. I wonder why they object to 2-3 week shadowing at FCPS claiming you cannot get a sense of school during such a short time. One day shadowing at private is super short in comparison.

Because our private has been doing these shadow days for 120 years. They have it down to a science - you get a snippet of your actual class (peers), you experience all the subjects, meet w/ student leaders, deans, the specials teachers, coaches, etc. Then you see the same from the next division you’ll be in. As someone who experienced that and the chaotic first few weeks of a local public school here, I assure you the shadow day is a lot more informative than a few weeks at the beginning of the year at FCPS will be.

OP I’m unclear how, if he decides he wants FCPS, missing the 2 weeks or whatever he spends at the private and then goes back won’t be disruptive. What will you say? He was randomly sick for 2 weeks?

If you wanted to be really obnoxious, if it’s a top private, they offer tuition insurance. You have to attend for 2 weeks to be able to apply for a refund, but I guess you could lie and do that? I think you get a large percentage back.

I do still think you need to step back and realize this is a terrible plan. No way an 11 year old will get a full feel in 2 weeks, especially when he’s the new kid being inserted into friend groups. You are the more mature one here and should be able to make a logical choice. My dc came home daily the first week of 5th grade this year and said it was awful. This is at a school dc has been at since K and loves. Well turns out they had switched to a healthier lunch provider and a kid dc dislikes is now on her bus. Glad I didn’t let her decide to leave and flush $46k down the toilet for those reasons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some commenters recommended a shadow day at private to get a sense of the privates. I wonder why they object to 2-3 week shadowing at FCPS claiming you cannot get a sense of school during such a short time. One day shadowing at private is super short in comparison.

NP but they are not going to get a true impression of either school during the first 2-3 days or even weeks. Things have to settle down. We thought we hated our private and had made the wrong choice in the first couple of weeks, but by the end of the year we loved it. I think it’s just better to make a choice now, and be open to switching at for next year if they don’t like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

YOU will fit in beautifully. You are every negative thing anyone has ever uttered about an AAP parent rolled into one. You ask for opinions and feedback and then get into a snit because the feedback from everyone is that it’s a terrible idea.

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford private school there really is only one option. Be a parent and do what is best for your kid.

[Anonymous]

OP, yes you can do your plan and it won’t make your kid ineligible for AAP. PPs have pointed out why your plan is obnoxious. But if you want to do it, go for it. Honestly, your kid’s FCPS teacher will be relieved to have a student dropped from their roster 2 weeks into the school year. They won’t miss your kid for a second.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

He would be making a decision based on not a lot of information because it’s the first few weeks of school — it’s a terrible way to make a decision!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

He would be making a decision based on not a lot of information because it’s the first few weeks of school — it’s a terrible way to make a decision!

And, if he ultimately chooses to go to public school, you are effectively teaching him that money can be thrown away — also not a good decision.

[Anonymous]

[i]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Let's say I talk to my child, and that we agree on sending him to private next year because we don't want the tuition to burn for next year.
Can he still see the FCPS AAP for the first three weeks of semester next year, so that at least he has an idea of what the school is like there. Is there any downside of him being at FCPS AAP for the first three weeks, given he knows he will switch to private for the rest of the year, and he may consider the AAP for the 6th grade?

It's a terrible idea. What if he hates it? There's no point to going to a school for 2 weeks only. Even worse, what if he loves it and makes a best friend? Then he would leave.

More likely, he would not even start to fit in, since his time is so short. So it would just be a miserable useless experience.

Pick a school and send him there.

Look, I don't know why anyone here insisting on not understanding. I already mentioned that he wants to have a choice, and this plan excites him. He does not have any attachment yet to either private or the FCPS AAP center. No friends. No familiarity. He wants to see both. If he likes AAP for the first 3 weeks, that's great information for him and he can continue. If he hates it, great info for him so he can continue with private for the rest of the year.

He has never been in a classroom with more than 15 kids, or at any public school.

This is not his decision. You are the parent. This is your decision.

. +1

[Anonymous]

I do not think OP’s concept is practical to implement without disruption to DC and to others. Some privates will disenroll DC if DC does not attend for 2-3 weeks without permission from the school (and actual hospitalization of DC is the only reason likely to be approved).

I separately wonder if OP grasps just how very bureaucratic snd inconsistent FCPS can be.

[Anonymous]

We’re not refusing to understand your plan. We’re giving you feedback that it’s a bad plan.

[Anonymous]

OP, your child’s educational history is similar to my son’s. He did K in his Montessori preschool, a tiny private for 1/2 during Covid, and to FCPS for aap in 3rd grade. He has a 504 for diagnosed anxiety.

It was a huge transition. He told me every day he hated it for the first 2 months. It was loud (especially the cafeteria), rigid (he wasn’t used to assigned seats and forced specials), and overwhelming. He asked to leave every day.

By the end of the year he had adapted and no longer wanted to go back to tiny private. He had a huge friend group, realized the extra opportunities in public (instrument lessons, language, a library) were really cool, and liked having friends within walking distance from home. Had we listened to his opinion after 2-3 weeks, we never would have gotten here.

If money is no object and you like private, stay there. If you are questioning if the grass is greener or you have other things you’d like to spend $20-50k on, commit to a year of public. I really think it will take at least 3-5 months to decide if it’s a good fit for your family or not.

Our plan had always been public for middle/high school, and I didn’t want to throw him from a class of 15 to a class of 600 overnight. Public elementary was a good transition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your child’s educational history is similar to my son’s. He did K in his Montessori preschool, a tiny private for 1/2 during Covid, and to FCPS for aap in 3rd grade. He has a 504 for diagnosed anxiety.

It was a huge transition. He told me every day he hated it for the first 2 months. It was loud (especially the cafeteria), rigid (he wasn’t used to assigned seats and forced specials), and overwhelming. He asked to leave every day.

By the end of the year he had adapted and no longer wanted to go back to tiny private. He had a huge friend group, realized the extra opportunities in public (instrument lessons, language, a library) were really cool, and liked having friends within walking distance from home. Had we listened to his opinion after 2-3 weeks, we never would have gotten here.

If money is no object and you like private, stay there. If you are questioning if the grass is greener or you have other things you’d like to spend $20-50k on, commit to a year of public. I really think it will take at least 3-5 months to decide if it’s a good fit for your family or not.

Our plan had always been public for middle/high school, and I didn’t want to throw him from a class of 15 to a class of 600 overnight. Public elementary was a good transition.

This is a great post.