TJMS vs WMS - WWYD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

The last time they talked about middle school boundaries parents were fighting to not be zoned there. I’m glad they are able to fill it a little more through voluntary transfers. OP is doing the collective a favor, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

I was talking about OP herself. She clearly already had her mind made up come hell or high water and doesn't care that most responses from posters with experience have suggested it's not worth it practically, academically, or socially. Clearly she's zero'd in on the higher test scores and little else, with no appreciation for how they're entirely attributed to the demographics. Heck, she doesn't even care that after three years at WMS her kid might actually make new friends and want Yorktown. She has him frozen in time with the same handful of friends he has now and the same high school aspirations that he has now. Obviously her first kid!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

I was talking about OP herself. She clearly already had her mind made up come hell or high water and doesn't care that most responses from posters with experience have suggested it's not worth it practically, academically, or socially. Clearly she's zero'd in on the higher test scores and little else, with no appreciation for how they're entirely attributed to the demographics. Heck, she doesn't even care that after three years at WMS her kid might actually make new friends and want Yorktown. She has him frozen in time with the same handful of friends he has now and the same high school aspirations that he has now. Obviously her first kid!

Hi OP here - if we're being honest, perhaps I was seeking affirmation, or maybe a gut check? I did my research back when the lottery opened and did consciously decide to apply for every available option. I wrote off transfer and option schools when we didn't get in back in February. Our WMS number was pretty high, I thought, so there was no chance. I see the results now and the list did move. We were not as high as I thought and I see there are still plenty of people waiting behind us, so I know we aren't the only people who made choices.

I'd like to explore your fixation with not automatically going to YHS. You make some assumptions that feel like they may be based in personal experience and I'd seriously love to know the back story.

We sat our kids down and told them what we expect of them academically and that we would offer them as much input into their school choices as we could. My son wants to go to WMS. He understands that his friends may go to other schools for high school. He'll make different friends. We've already had friends of his leave the country and he's had friends he's grown away from. We could move. That's life.
I hope you have raised your kids to be resilient. I sure hope mine will be.

[Anonymous]

DP here. APS has plenty of options. There's really nothing wrong with Yorktown or Williamsburg or TJ, etc. No need to rule out any options or possibilities now or in the future, as long as neighborhood transfer spots, IB spots, Arlington Tech spots, H-B spots, are available. I guess OP just wanted the pros and cons of the options she is considering. The main con is probably transportation to/from school.

[Anonymous]

Clearly you are going to go to WMS but my friends with kids who do not play varsity sports or marching band and ended up at a school without their middle school friends did have a tricky transition to high school. Just know that going in - tradeoff may be worth it in your case.

[Anonymous]

Let him go to Williamsburg so he can be with his friends. The transition to middle school is difficult and him having friends there will make it easier. As for high school, yes the same issue with friends will crop up but there are option high schools as well that many students in Williamsburg may apply to - for example W&L for IB and Arlington Tech.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

there are many prior posts about WMS and complaints about the admin there. do a search, you will see. i would NOT send my kid there if i could help it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

there are many prior posts about WMS and complaints about the admin there. do a search, you will see. i would NOT send my kid there if i could help it.

Eh I have kids there. The administarion is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

I was talking about OP herself. She clearly already had her mind made up come hell or high water and doesn't care that most responses from posters with experience have suggested it's not worth it practically, academically, or socially. Clearly she's zero'd in on the higher test scores and little else, with no appreciation for how they're entirely attributed to the demographics. Heck, she doesn't even care that after three years at WMS her kid might actually make new friends and want Yorktown. She has him frozen in time with the same handful of friends he has now and the same high school aspirations that he has now. Obviously her first kid!

Hi OP here - if we're being honest, perhaps I was seeking affirmation, or maybe a gut check? I did my research back when the lottery opened and did consciously decide to apply for every available option. I wrote off transfer and option schools when we didn't get in back in February. Our WMS number was pretty high, I thought, so there was no chance. I see the results now and the list did move. We were not as high as I thought and I see there are still plenty of people waiting behind us, so I know we aren't the only people who made choices.

I'd like to explore your fixation with not automatically going to YHS. You make some assumptions that feel like they may be based in personal experience and I'd seriously love to know the back story.

We sat our kids down and told them what we expect of them academically and that we would offer them as much input into their school choices as we could. My son wants to go to WMS. He understands that his friends may go to other schools for high school. He'll make different friends. We've already had friends of his leave the country and he's had friends he's grown away from. We could move. That's life.
I hope you have raised your kids to be resilient. I sure hope mine will be.

Shipping your kid all over the county for no real reason may build “resilience,” I guess. So you got me there. It’s still weird as hell though. Let’s hope your kids don’t end up resenting you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

I was talking about OP herself. She clearly already had her mind made up come hell or high water and doesn't care that most responses from posters with experience have suggested it's not worth it practically, academically, or socially. Clearly she's zero'd in on the higher test scores and little else, with no appreciation for how they're entirely attributed to the demographics. Heck, she doesn't even care that after three years at WMS her kid might actually make new friends and want Yorktown. She has him frozen in time with the same handful of friends he has now and the same high school aspirations that he has now. Obviously her first kid!

Hi OP here - if we're being honest, perhaps I was seeking affirmation, or maybe a gut check? I did my research back when the lottery opened and did consciously decide to apply for every available option. I wrote off transfer and option schools when we didn't get in back in February. Our WMS number was pretty high, I thought, so there was no chance. I see the results now and the list did move. We were not as high as I thought and I see there are still plenty of people waiting behind us, so I know we aren't the only people who made choices.

I'd like to explore your fixation with not automatically going to YHS. You make some assumptions that feel like they may be based in personal experience and I'd seriously love to know the back story.

We sat our kids down and told them what we expect of them academically and that we would offer them as much input into their school choices as we could. My son wants to go to WMS. He understands that his friends may go to other schools for high school. He'll make different friends. We've already had friends of his leave the country and he's had friends he's grown away from. We could move. That's life.
I hope you have raised your kids to be resilient. I sure hope mine will be.

Shipping your kid all over the county for no real reason may build “resilience,” I guess. So you got me there. It’s still weird as hell though. Let’s hope your kids don’t end up resenting you.

Wow so much emotion PP. OP said that her kid wants to go to Williamsburg because his friends are going there. Seems like a good enough reason to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - not interested in playing any cards. We'll just take our chances with whatever transfer or lottery opportunities there are when the time comes.

We are not looking to go to Yorktown and I suspect my son's friends are also going to continue to play the lottery for schools. They are more likely to want to go to ArlTech or W-L for IB.

Yea, well, after your son spends three years at WMS and virtually his entire class goes on to Yorktown you might end up with a kid who wants Yorktown. Have you given that any thought??

Of course. I just spent 6 years at an option school, where all the kids come from across the county and are either going to one of 6 other programs or going private. I feel pretty capable in explaining how that works.

You had a good experience at Montessori or ATS and you think that it's normal to fish around for options and transfers because that's what you're used to. It's very much not the norm in Arlington, though. You're talking about a transfer to a neighborhood school where the dynamics are completely different because they are neighborhood based. Kids move from elementary to middle to high school in large cohorts. You clearly want WMS, though, so carry on.

Yea I agree. OP isn’t seeking advice she’s seeking affirmation. I have to say: this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody fighting for WMS come hell or high water. How bizarre.

I don't think all negative comments offered much hell or high water about it. Just sour-grapes and gatekeeping. It has been very insightful though. Do people actually base their entire decisions off of DCUM?

I was talking about OP herself. She clearly already had her mind made up come hell or high water and doesn't care that most responses from posters with experience have suggested it's not worth it practically, academically, or socially. Clearly she's zero'd in on the higher test scores and little else, with no appreciation for how they're entirely attributed to the demographics. Heck, she doesn't even care that after three years at WMS her kid might actually make new friends and want Yorktown. She has him frozen in time with the same handful of friends he has now and the same high school aspirations that he has now. Obviously her first kid!

Hi OP here - if we're being honest, perhaps I was seeking affirmation, or maybe a gut check? I did my research back when the lottery opened and did consciously decide to apply for every available option. I wrote off transfer and option schools when we didn't get in back in February. Our WMS number was pretty high, I thought, so there was no chance. I see the results now and the list did move. We were not as high as I thought and I see there are still plenty of people waiting behind us, so I know we aren't the only people who made choices.

I'd like to explore your fixation with not automatically going to YHS. You make some assumptions that feel like they may be based in personal experience and I'd seriously love to know the back story.

We sat our kids down and told them what we expect of them academically and that we would offer them as much input into their school choices as we could. My son wants to go to WMS. He understands that his friends may go to other schools for high school. He'll make different friends. We've already had friends of his leave the country and he's had friends he's grown away from. We could move. That's life.
I hope you have raised your kids to be resilient. I sure hope mine will be.

Shipping your kid all over the county for no real reason may build “resilience,” I guess. So you got me there. It’s still weird as hell though. Let’s hope your kids don’t end up resenting you.

Lol. Stop being ridiculous. Arlington isn't that big a place and OP isn't shipping her kid anywhere. It's not crazy for OP to want to send her kid to a less crowded school where his friends are going.

[Anonymous]

Let me tell you WMS is not good. That being said, def choose WMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me tell you WMS is not good. That being said, def choose WMS.

???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me tell you WMS is not good. That being said, def choose WMS.

???

I think the poster means that TJ is worse...