Is Brent PS3 going to be yet another year with long IB waitlist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In light of this information about almost all of the PS spots going to siblings, does anyone know how or when the decision to add capacity will be made?

Principal Young, in consultation with the LSAT, ultimately will make the decision. Based on my limited understanding, in order to add another ECE classroom, Brent will need to get buy-in from Central Office. The PTA (i.e., current parets) then will be asked to fund the cost of creating a new classroom, although the project will have to go through the DGS pipeline. There will also be a need to acquire classroom technology like smartboards, furniture and other equipment. Preliminary budgets for next year will be out in several weeks and then the school administration will know what it has to work with. There seem to be a lot of hurdles to overcome to get this all in place by August 2015. More info might be forthcoming at the next PTA meeting on 2/11.

It's hard to imagine that the PTA would prioritize this sort of spending above other things to support students in the later/required/tested grades, particularly now that all testing is done on computers rather than pen and paper, which is a HUGE shift for DCPS and downtown did not provide the resources, training and funding to ensure that transition is a smooth one. We do not attend Brent but our school's PTA stepped up to pay for licenses for iReady math instruction modules because while iReady assessment is required and paid for by downtown the supporting instruction modules were not provided. I would much rather our PTA underwrite that cost than provide PS3 for another 15 kids.

The PTA devotes alot of resources to bells and whistles: landscaping, school play including risers and speakers, financial assistance for continuing education for classroom aides, underwriting field trip costs, etc. The PTA also makes it possible to have full-time specials instructors for science, art, music and world language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent needs to revisit the idea of dropping PS3 from the ECE program. There just isn't any rationale which supports excluding dozens of IB kids until they turn 5 and can then attend K as a matter of right. Allowing the community to coalesce around a PK4 program that would be able to accommodate as many as 80 IB students seems far preferable to what has happened over the past two years.

+1 unless the budget and physical space is unlimited, it's likely a better route to try and ensure that all IB kids get access to PK4 than to give some IB kids access to PS3 and PK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In light of this information about almost all of the PS spots going to siblings, does anyone know how or when the decision to add capacity will be made?

Principal Young, in consultation with the LSAT, ultimately will make the decision. Based on my limited understanding, in order to add another ECE classroom, Brent will need to get buy-in from Central Office. The PTA (i.e., current parets) then will be asked to fund the cost of creating a new classroom, although the project will have to go through the DGS pipeline. There will also be a need to acquire classroom technology like smartboards, furniture and other equipment. Preliminary budgets for next year will be out in several weeks and then the school administration will know what it has to work with. There seem to be a lot of hurdles to overcome to get this all in place by August 2015. More info might be forthcoming at the next PTA meeting on 2/11.

It's hard to imagine that the PTA would prioritize this sort of spending above other things to support students in the later/required/tested grades, particularly now that all testing is done on computers rather than pen and paper, which is a HUGE shift for DCPS and downtown did not provide the resources, training and funding to ensure that transition is a smooth one. We do not attend Brent but our school's PTA stepped up to pay for licenses for iReady math instruction modules because while iReady assessment is required and paid for by downtown the supporting instruction modules were not provided. I would much rather our PTA underwrite that cost than provide PS3 for another 15 kids.

The PTA devotes alot of resources to bells and whistles: landscaping, school play including risers and speakers, financial assistance for continuing education for classroom aides, underwriting field trip costs, etc. The PTA also makes it possible to have full-time specials instructors for science, art, music and world language.

all of those investments seem smarter than the idea of paying for another PS3 classroom. the investments listed above benefit the entire school.

[Anonymous]

I would like to see more PTA dollars funneled to sponsoring academic-focused initiatives, like opening "Math Club" to all and more classroom technology like tablets Does Brent really need to spend thousands on landscaping (on top of basic services provided by DGS).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent needs to revisit the idea of dropping PS3 from the ECE program. There just isn't any rationale which supports excluding dozens of IB kids until they turn 5 and can then attend K as a matter of right. Allowing the community to coalesce around a PK4 program that would be able to accommodate as many as 80 IB students seems far preferable to what has happened over the past two years.

But don't the teachers want to keep the PS3? I recall that was the reason for keeping the PS3 going last year. If the teachers are on board now with cutting it, it does seem like Brent should focus on other areas. Especially if PS3 is available elsewhere/yet close by for Brent IB families. MAabe Tyler could find spots for Brent families south of Penn Ave and Peabody would find space for those north of Penn? I don't want kids to miss out of PS3, but I agree that it doesn't seem fair for such a small percent of the IB families to get a spot.

[Anonymous]

Just because the teachers want to keep PS3 as a component of mixed-age "Reggio-inspired" curriculum is not a compelling reason to exclude 40 or 50 percent of IB students from the PK4 cohort, right? I don't have a dog in this fight but it seems fundamentally unfair when all could be accommodated. BTW, i'm pretty sure that Peabody doesn't have excess capacity for Brent overflow and Tyler non-SI wouldn't the first choice of many parents who might obtain a space at places like Appletree, Hill Preschool or even Van Ness.

[Anonymous]

MAabe Tyler could find spots for Brent families south of Penn Ave and Peabody would find space for those north of Penn? [\quote]
Isn't Peabody already spilling over?

[Anonymous]

The DME proposal to require 25% of lottery seats to be set aside for "at risk" students presumably will come into play in 2016-17. With that, there is the potential for even fewer spaces for IB students. So long as DCPS has not announced the manner in which the set aside will be implemented it would seem prudent to hold off making a decision to move to large school status-- whether by adding another ECE class, nixing PS3, or adding OOB students to K and above -- until such time as this uncertainty is clarified.

[Anonymous]

I thought is was 10% OOB, and that if there was no space that was tough cookies, like Janney is getting a waiver (unless that is just for Janney).

Could they really use the set aside to keep out IB kids even if for preschool??

[Anonymous]

Recommendations 20 and 23

http://dmv.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dme/publication/attachments/Policy%20June%20Issue%20List%20Final.pdf

[Anonymous]

Parents of rising PS3 kids should seriously consider Van Ness elementary. The school is only a few blocks south in the Capitol Riverfront and they have chosen the Creative Curriculum for the PS3 and PK4 grades. They also are planning to make the school an IB school.

[Anonymous]

Van Ness is on our list. Havent decided which ranking to give it yet though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MAabe Tyler could find spots for Brent families south of Penn Ave and Peabody would find space for those north of Penn? [\quote]
Isn't Peabody already spilling over?

No one is stopping IB PS3 Brent families from applying in the lottery for Tyler or Peabody. It's not guaranteed for anyone, including IB with sibling. And seriously, PP, have you seen how crowded Peabody already is with IB families/siblings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought is was 10% OOB, and that if there was no space that was tough cookies, like Janney is getting a waiver (unless that is just for Janney).

Could they really use the set aside to keep out IB kids even if for preschool??

Yes, because DCPS doesn't give a hoot about high SES families, even though we help buoy their test scores. That's why we peel off as our students get older.

[Anonymous]

DCPS continues to throw money at Janney so it must care about keeping some high SES families, right?