Bethune Lottery 2017

[Anonymous]

So what do others know about this school? There is clearly a lot of negativity but it's not clear why. (Disclosure, we have one in and one on the wait list.)

Another question. What does it mean to accept an offer? We would certainly consider taking the spots, if both our kids get in and they ask that you accept or decline within two weeks. Obviously many families wouldn't know with certainty yet, their plans. Once you accept at one school, you can still enroll elsewhere, right? (I am sure this wouldn't affect my school wait lists.)

[Anonymous]

We went there for PK3 a couple of years ago. It was a safe place for the kids to go everyday, but I wouldn't say a lot of learning went on.

If you search the archives, you'll find a fair amount about the school.

The birthday thing bothered me (there were kids 18 months younger than my child in their class); there was an article in the Post a number of years ago about how they had the most confirmed cases of residency fraud (or something like that, I can't find it now); the board, administration, staff, and faculty are all related (not all, but a lot of them); the Spanish instruction was sub-par at best, they watched a lot of cartoons during the school day.

I've heard better things about the 16th street campus than the Brookland campus where we were, but when I approached (some of) the teachers or administration with any concerns, it was made clear that they had no intention of addressing anything.

Its fine for a year (or two) while you wait out your lottery luck at other schools, but our local DCPS would have been a better choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what do others know about this school? There is clearly a lot of negativity but it's not clear why. (Disclosure, we have one in and one on the wait list.)

Another question. What does it mean to accept an offer? We would certainly consider taking the spots, if both our kids get in and they ask that you accept or decline within two weeks. Obviously many families wouldn't know with certainty yet, their plans. Once you accept at one school, you can still enroll elsewhere, right? (I am sure this wouldn't affect my school wait lists.)

You can only be enrolled at one school at a time. So if you enroll in Bethune, and subsequently get a seat at a school you want more, you must enroll at the second school and inform Bethune that you are giving up the space. Once you give up a space you can't change your mind.

For schools in the Common Lottery, the withdrawal from one school in order to enroll at another is done automatically. But the city-wide registration system will catch up to you if, for example you tried to enroll the same child in Bethune, LAMB and also a common lottery school.

[Anonymous]

We have a Bethune 16th St WL #in upper 60s. LAMB did their lottery this AM and no phone call for me (yet?? wishful thinking....and yes, I know about the recent incident).

Our son is in a lovely, yet $$, preschool at the moment. If Bethune did roll through the waitlist to our #, I'm not sure we'd accept even with the cost savings and less than 10 minute commute. I attended an event in January with a well-versed school lottery/private school consultant. She gave honest assessments of all the DCPS and Charter Schools. She could find a positive in many of the schools that most of us would take an immediate pass on based on scores and location. But when it came to Bethune at 16th Street, she hemmed and hawed and said she had been talking with a mother about an incident(no idea what it was) and said the way the administration handled it was so appalling that she told me to strongly consider skipping it. That's not a lot to go on, but it does give me pause. If anyone has positives to add or knowledge of the incident, please share. It wouldn't hurt to keep some college savings that are going towards Pk now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a Bethune 16th St WL #in upper 60s. LAMB did their lottery this AM and no phone call for me (yet?? wishful thinking....and yes, I know about the recent incident).

Our son is in a lovely, yet $$, preschool at the moment. If Bethune did roll through the waitlist to our #, I'm not sure we'd accept even with the cost savings and less than 10 minute commute. I attended an event in January with a well-versed school lottery/private school consultant. She gave honest assessments of all the DCPS and Charter Schools. She could find a positive in many of the schools that most of us would take an immediate pass on based on scores and location. But when it came to Bethune at 16th Street, she hemmed and hawed and said she had been talking with a mother about an incident(no idea what it was) and said the way the administration handled it was so appalling that she told me to strongly consider skipping it. That's not a lot to go on, but it does give me pause. If anyone has positives to add or knowledge of the incident, please share. It wouldn't hurt to keep some college savings that are going towards Pk now.

Was this EV Downey?

[Anonymous]

Sorry--there are several consultants out there and to give names waters down their ability to provide honest assessments to the world of DC parents who have to navigate this system. If the mom down the street gave the same pause as a consultant, I'd take the information and conduct my own research (that's why I am starting here) and come to my own conclusions. If you have useful info for us re: Bethune 16th, please share. I think people try to look for the good, but if there isn't enough, then they don't want to use their child as a test.

[Anonymous]

We were at Bethune Brookland a few years ago. It's fine and the teachers are very good. The admin will drive you crazy with their disorganization, but the teaching is perfectly fine. We built the playground, which made a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were at Bethune Brookland a few years ago. It's fine and the teachers are very good. The admin will drive you crazy with their disorganization, but the teaching is perfectly fine. We built the playground, which made a huge difference.

Thank you. How frustrating to have great teachers and parents (judging by the ability to come together for a playground) only to have a disorganized admin. I know this would make me insane as I am one of the "do-ers" who tries to improve things and then doesn't take it well when I hit a wall of incompetence/laziness/unwillingness to improve. Then I look at the parents who were sitting back when I was "do-ing" and realize not all of them were slackers, they just gave up to keep their sanity intact. It suddenly makes the not-easy sacrifice for private school or moving to a 'burb more appealing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were at Bethune Brookland a few years ago. It's fine and the teachers are very good. The admin will drive you crazy with their disorganization, but the teaching is perfectly fine. We built the playground, which made a huge difference.

My son attended Brookland Bethune PK3-K. We loved walking a couple of blocks for drop-off every morning, he had wonderful teachers, and loved learning Spanish. However, the incompetent administration totally screwed him up. He's fussy, often doesn't listen to basic instructions, and as recently as last week didn't know that an avocado was a fruit. Now he won't eat spicy Indian food. We're not sure what to do. MoCo and Fairfax won't even bother with him, said it's a lost cause. We're hoping Sibley will take him back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were at Bethune Brookland a few years ago. It's fine and the teachers are very good. The admin will drive you crazy with their disorganization, but the teaching is perfectly fine. We built the playground, which made a huge difference.

My son attended Brookland Bethune PK3-K. We loved walking a couple of blocks for drop-off every morning, he had wonderful teachers, and loved learning Spanish. However, the incompetent administration totally screwed him up. He's fussy, often doesn't listen to basic instructions, and as recently as last week didn't know that an avocado was a fruit. Now he won't eat spicy Indian food. We're not sure what to do. MoCo and Fairfax won't even bother with him, said it's a lost cause. We're hoping Sibley will take him back.

This is not funny.

[Anonymous]

NP here -- I thought it was

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were at Bethune Brookland a few years ago. It's fine and the teachers are very good. The admin will drive you crazy with their disorganization, but the teaching is perfectly fine. We built the playground, which made a huge difference.

My son attended Brookland Bethune PK3-K. We loved walking a couple of blocks for drop-off every morning, he had wonderful teachers, and loved learning Spanish. However, the incompetent administration totally screwed him up. He's fussy, often doesn't listen to basic instructions, and as recently as last week didn't know that an avocado was a fruit. Now he won't eat spicy Indian food. We're not sure what to do. MoCo and Fairfax won't even bother with him, said it's a lost cause. We're hoping Sibley will take him back.

Thanks for the chuckle this morning!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just was notified that we were offered a spot for prek3

I pray that you don't have to accept it.

[Anonymous]

Pray? Its that dire?

[Anonymous]

Anyone have knowledge of how the upper grades are run (grades 2&3). Does it just get progressively worse from PK3?