Brent parents: Give me the lowdown on the school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a fact, read the school's profile on DCPS website, 50% in boundary. People get in to the school and then move out of bounds-the 50%.

Are you huffing paint again? Please stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe that happens much, or care if parents own a pricey in-boundary property they pay hefty tax on. The school isn't all that crowded and there was a big drop in preschool applications from 2013 (72) to 2014 (43).

Parents have been know to rent small in-boundary apartments to furnish in-bound addresses, and use a friends' in-boundary addresses to register. It's a small school community and fudging residency details gets complicated of course.

I have a different take about whether Brent is "all that crowded". Brent is actually above capacity and has no classrooms to spare with the addition of a third class for K, 1, 2 & 3 in recent years (partially offset by the loss of a ECE class this year). The language instructor had to give up her classroom and the music teacher was moved to a smaller classroom. Something will have to give next year as several OOB students apparently were admitted for 3rd Grade and 60 rising 4th Graders will have to be shoehorned into two classrooms next year unless the art room is repurposed. The facility is maxed out. Try attending one of the many SRO events at the school.

Last I checked, the documentation requirements are fairly robust and it is not simply a matter of using a friend's address --for example, driver's license, car registration, utility bills, etc. Sounds like maybe you are on the outside looking in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Which grade? More than 30 families have been shut out of of both preschool and prek before k next year. This means that next year's k will be nearly entirely in-boundary for the first time.

Breaking news . . . K has been almost exclusively IB for at least five years, with a few OOB siblings thrown into the mix. What planet are you people living on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter (in her 3d year - just started kindergarten) is very happy there. I've started to appreciate more and more the continuity of the community - many familiar faces in her classroom this year. Very nice that it is a relatively small school - I like the fact that there are only 2-3 classrooms of kids per year (as opposed to some of the highly regarded NW elementary schools that are massive). Her K teacher really seems to have hit the ground running with the kids - they have been "writing" in their journals every day and practicing reading. Yesterday my kid came home and proudly informed me "I read half of a book!"

Great school, and living in the neighborhood is great too.

Who lives in the neighborhood? We go there and all of my child's friends live out of bounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Which grade? More than 30 families have been shut out of of both preschool and prek before k next year. This means that next year's k will be nearly entirely in-boundary for the first time.

Breaking news . . . K has been almost exclusively IB for at least five years, with a few OOB siblings thrown into the mix. What planet are you people living on?

exclusively is a strong word. I personally know one OOB student who started in K within the past 3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe that happens much, or care if parents own a pricey in-boundary property they pay hefty tax on. The school isn't all that crowded and there was a big drop in preschool applications from 2013 (72) to 2014 (43).

Parents have been know to rent small in-boundary apartments to furnish in-bound addresses, and use a friends' in-boundary addresses to register. It's a small school community and fudging residency details gets complicated of course.

I have a different take about whether Brent is "all that crowded". Brent is actually above capacity and has no classrooms to spare with the addition of a third class for K, 1, 2 & 3 in recent years (partially offset by the loss of a ECE class this year). The language instructor had to give up her classroom and the music teacher was moved to a smaller classroom. Something will have to give next year as several OOB students apparently were admitted for 3rd Grade and 60 rising 4th Graders will have to be shoehorned into two classrooms next year unless the art room is repurposed. The facility is maxed out. Try attending one of the many SRO events at the school.

Last I checked, the documentation requirements are fairly robust and it is not simply a matter of using a friend's address --for example, driver's license, car registration, utility bills, etc. Sounds like maybe you are on the outside looking in?

Not on the outside. In. DCPS doesn't require a car registration document to register a child, or even a driver's license with an in-boundary address. They want a paystub with an in-boundary address, and a single recent utility bill, or lease. Look on the residency verification list on the web site. Using the address of an amenable friend of relative, or a little apartment you don't live in, isn't all that hard to swing if you don't have moral qualms with it.

I don't understand why Principal Young lets any OOB students in these days. No reason.

[Anonymous]

http://brentelementary.org/wp-content/documents//2014/06/Brent-Parent-Survey-Initial-results-and-Findings-6-4.pdf

[Anonymous]

What does Brent mean when they say they are a museum
Magnet schoo?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe that happens much, or care if parents own a pricey in-boundary property they pay hefty tax on. The school isn't all that crowded and there was a big drop in preschool applications from 2013 (72) to 2014 (43).

Parents have been know to rent small in-boundary apartments to furnish in-bound addresses, and use a friends' in-boundary addresses to register. It's a small school community and fudging residency details gets complicated of course.

I have a different take about whether Brent is "all that crowded". Brent is actually above capacity and has no classrooms to spare with the addition of a third class for K, 1, 2 & 3 in recent years (partially offset by the loss of a ECE class this year). The language instructor had to give up her classroom and the music teacher was moved to a smaller classroom. Something will have to give next year as several OOB students apparently were admitted for 3rd Grade and 60 rising 4th Graders will have to be shoehorned into two classrooms next year unless the art room is repurposed. The facility is maxed out. Try attending one of the many SRO events at the school.

Last I checked, the documentation requirements are fairly robust and it is not simply a matter of using a friend's address --for example, driver's license, car registration, utility bills, etc. Sounds like maybe you are on the outside looking in?

Not on the outside. In. DCPS doesn't require a car registration document to register a child, or even a driver's license with an in-boundary address. They want a paystub with an in-boundary address, and a single recent utility bill, or lease. Look on the residency verification list on the web site. Using the address of an amenable friend of relative, or a little apartment you don't live in, isn't all that hard to swing if you don't have moral qualms with it.

I don't understand why Principal Young lets any OOB students in these days. No reason.

because there are available seats? duh

[Anonymous]

Brent is indeed getting crowded, so no compelling reason to let more OOB kids w/out sibling preference into the upper grades. The exception would be the small 5th grade class, so DCPS will pay for a teacher (minimum of 18 in the class to qualify for the teacher outlay).

The Maury principal won't let kids who don't test proficient lottery in past 2nd grade, which certainly isn't a DCPS policy. Apparently, highly successful elementary school principals are given wiggle room on admission matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://brentelementary.org/wp-content/documents//2014/06/Brent-Parent-Survey-Initial-results-and-Findings-6-4.pdf

Thanks for posting this informative report, which looks positively suburban! Go, Brent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does Brent mean when they say they are a museum
Magnet schoo?

It means nothing. Back in the day, it was used as a means of attempting to differentiate the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent is indeed getting crowded, so no compelling reason to let more OOB kids w/out sibling preference into the upper grades. The exception would be the small 5th grade class, so DCPS will pay for a teacher (minimum of 18 in the class to qualify for the teacher outlay).

The Maury principal won't let kids who don't test proficient lottery in past 2nd grade, which certainly isn't a DCPS policy. Apparently, highly successful elementary school principals are given wiggle room on admission matters.

What I heard, but can't confirm, is that Brent can't get anymore students IB or OOB to take a 5th grade spot there because of a rather week academic focus in the upper grades and the abysmal feeder pattern for middle school. They cLl everyone on the waiting list. Anyone want to confirm that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent is indeed getting crowded, so no compelling reason to let more OOB kids w/out sibling preference into the upper grades. The exception would be the small 5th grade class, so DCPS will pay for a teacher (minimum of 18 in the class to qualify for the teacher outlay).

The Maury principal won't let kids who don't test proficient lottery in past 2nd grade, which certainly isn't a DCPS policy. Apparently, highly successful elementary school principals are given wiggle room on admission matters.

What I heard, but can't confirm, is that Brent can't get anymore students IB or OOB to take a 5th grade spot there because of a rather week academic focus in the upper grades and the abysmal feeder pattern for middle school. They cLl everyone on the waiting list. Anyone want to confirm that?

That's probably true. It's not because of weak academic focus, though, it's because of the feeder pattern. I know a lot of families who would love to stay for 5th, but if you get in BASIS or Latin, you have to take it.

[Anonymous]

I've only heard good things about the 5th grade teacher, and the small class size would certainly allow for differentiation.