What is the Best DCPS PS-K on the Hill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent had something like 9 in-bound PS3 applicants who were waitlisted last year (there were a significant number of in-bound siblings). I believe this was the first year that all in-bound applicants could not be accommodated, but am sure how many of those waitlisted may have enrolled.

PS3 Lottery results for 2011-12

38 spaces
11 In-bounds with sibling
27 In-bounds
9 In-bounds wait-listed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent is not really play based. No way. Just look at the kindergarten classrooms. Kids bent over seat work and toys deemed educational. Not a dress up corner, home corner, bucket of play people in sight.

This is Kindergarten, not a Montessori daycare or a gulag. In any event, there are plenty of play items stored away for use at the appropriate time. Frankly, I have not heard any parents complain about the curriculum. If anything, most want students pushed and challenged even more academically.

Still not developmentally appropriate even if parents want their kids academically pushed at age 5. There is a reason the early childhood professionals are proposing something different.

[Anonymous]

Even if Brent's program is "developmentally appropriate" right now, it sounds like they are fixing it.

Or are you suggesting that Reggio-Emilia is also not developmentally appropriate?

[Anonymous]

Even if Brent's program is NOT "developmentally appropriate" right now, it sounds like they are fixing it.

Or are you suggesting that Reggio-Emilia is also not developmentally appropriate? (fixed! sorry!)

[Anonymous]

Huh? Pp here. The developmentally inappropriate early childhood situation is being fixed by implementing Reggio, if it is done well. Which given the professionals involved is highly likely. This isn't a Brent only issue. It is nation wide and only made worse by the Common Core pushing academic standards downward. Fortunately Brent is trying to step away from the nation wide trend of too much academics in the preschools and kundergartens and not enough of the other stuff like art, music, theater, fantasy play, movement and exploring the environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huh? Pp here. The developmentally inappropriate early childhood situation is being fixed by implementing Reggio, if it is done well. Which given the professionals involved is highly likely. This isn't a Brent only issue. It is nation wide and only made worse by the Common Core pushing academic standards downward. Fortunately Brent is trying to step away from the nation wide trend of too much academics in the preschools and kundergartens and not enough of the other stuff like art, music, theater, fantasy play, movement and exploring the environment.

The Brent principal is great on curriculum and in general. He's taken a firm stance against formal test prep at the school, which he explains at open houses. DCPS doesn't care for his position, but most parents appreciate it. You can talk to him, he's calm, rational, a good listener. There's a reason that this school has gone from 0% high-SES to mostly high-SES in a decade, hint: strong leadership and cohesive PTA raising nearly six figures annually. The PreK rooms are really nice for public school, with PTA purchases and parent donations adding to the basic supplies DCPS provides. The teachers seem on the ball. Reggio Emilio will only improve an already solid program for little ones.

[Anonymous]

Who is implementing the Reggio? Are there any Reggio-trained teachers? I think it's a great move as well, but it's a bit more than throwing up a dress-up corner and giving them more crayons. Is there an atelierista?

I know at SWS and Montessori the teachers have formal training in their curricula, and it shows. It's a very different teaching mode, allowing children to drive their own learning process vs. instructs tasting it to them. Has there been discussion as to what the "Reggio implementation" actually consists of?

[Anonymous]

Sorry. Instructs tasting = instructing

[Anonymous]

The Brent principal is great on curriculum and in general. He's taken a firm stance against formal test prep at the school, which he explains at open houses. DCPS doesn't care for his position, but most parents appreciate it. You can talk to him, he's calm, rational, a good listener. There's a reason that this school has gone from 0% high-SES to mostly high-SES in a decade, hint: strong leadership and cohesive PTA raising nearly six figures annually. The PreK rooms are really nice for public school, with PTA purchases and parent donations adding to the basic supplies DCPS provides. The teachers seem on the ball. Reggio Emilio will only improve an already solid program for little ones.




I love how Brent parents always take credit for this, and somehow, there's never a mention of Capper-carrolsburg being shut down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Brent principal is great on curriculum and in general. He's taken a firm stance against formal test prep at the school, which he explains at open houses. DCPS doesn't care for his position, but most parents appreciate it. You can talk to him, he's calm, rational, a good listener. There's a reason that this school has gone from 0% high-SES to mostly high-SES in a decade, hint: strong leadership and cohesive PTA raising nearly six figures annually. The PreK rooms are really nice for public school, with PTA purchases and parent donations adding to the basic supplies DCPS provides. The teachers seem on the ball. Reggio Emilio will only improve an already solid program for little ones.

Anonymous wrote:I love how Brent parents always take credit for this, and somehow, there's never a mention of Capper-carrolsburg being shut down.

Capper Carorlsburg fed into Van Ness - the development never fed into Brent.

[Anonymous]

Nice try. Capper Carolsburg never fed to Brent. They went to Van Ness. That is why Van Ness closed after its demolition. At the moment the Brent unboundary community started going to Brent again in 2005 or 2006, the school was entirely made up of out of boundary students and many from Maryland. Truth.

[Anonymous]

From a quick chat with the school administration on Friday, it looks like the teachers are being trained in R-E now (specifically stating that teachers are currently undergoing the training). The administration committed to having PS-3 as R-E next year but were hesitant towards indicating which way PK-4 would go. We're still highly considering Brent (IB family), but I'm not sure I want to be in year 1 of their R-E program as I'm sure they will have some kinks to work out. Just not sure how big of a transition it will actually be for the current structure.

[Anonymous]

Valid concern. I do think PS3 is the best place to begin though. Really, what are your goals for your three-year-old in regards to school? For me, I want them to feel safe, learn they are a part of a community, that there are basic rules they need to follow in school, and to have fun! Colors and numbers and ABCs don't need to be perfect, but I expect they'll fall into place just fine.

Reggio is really a way of teaching the kids to think and explore the world on their own - not just "what is it?" but also, "what do YOU wonder about it?"

Wouldn't it be great to learn that SWS was involved and supporting the teachers to implement this at Brent, as they've been doing it for 15 years just up the street?

[Anonymous]

When my kids were at Brent for preK3 their teacher practiced R-E instruction. She travelled to Italy for training as an atelerista. She is no longer at Brent, but from what I've seen, there has continued to be a strong R-E influence in Brent for pre-K 3. Self-expression and art and an attempt by the teachers to make the surroundings beautiful seem to be important parts of the school day in those younger classes. I wonder if perhaps the amazing Brent art teacher will be the official atelerista, or if each classroom will have one-- likely the primary teacher. R-E takes a lot of work so I hope parents will be willing to volunteer and help teachers maintain the beauty in the classrooms and access to art supplies.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how Reggiio has gone at other Hill early childhood programs? I know Miner has it, and maybe JO Wilson. Are those programs thriving or have there been problems?