Garrison vs Langley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we live in Bloomingdale and toured both schools. We know people in each PK3 classroom at Langley who endorsed their teacher, and do not know people at Garrison, so that was one reason. Ultimately we decided that while Garrison may be slighly different in various ways, it was not significantly better in any way that justified the commute. It would have been great to be at Langley with several friends and share pickup and half day duties. Also it's much easier to be an involved parent if the school is close by. Ultimately we matched elsewhere, so my research was for naught. Hope it helps you.

Thank you - very helpful. May I ask if you matched at another DCPS or HRC? If DCPS is there a specific reason you chose it over your neighborhood school?

Thank you.

We matched at Mundo, so... Really, other than Seaton, no neighborhood school that we could get into OOB, was worth the logistical problems it would have created.

I would have happily enrolled in Langley or Seaton (Seaton being so close to the G8 and Shaw metro), and I am 100% certain that Langley, Seaton, Garrison, and Cleveland have the potential to be much better than they are today, and to be true neighborhood schools that most people are happy to attend. It is an uphill battle and DCPS itself is both friend and foe, but it is obvious to me after living here for a while that progress is happening. If Bloomingdale/Eckington came together and demanded better for its school like other neighborhoods do every year, it would work.

Bloomingdale gentrified so quickly, there's no neighborhood force for the schools (No, the Bloomingdale Kids listserv doesn't count. Just ask the Moms on the Hill). It's the new Dupont Circle: singles, couples (gay or straight, but without children), and legacy families without children competing for schools. Who buys a 1500 sq. ft. newly renovated condo in Bloomingdale for $700K expecting to raise a family in that space and invest in the schools? Pre-school? Okay, but long-term? Not a chance.

Is 20 plus years "so quick"?

It's true that it was too quick. Neighborhoods like Brookland are gentrifying, but they're gentrifying with families into houses and neighborhoods. The same can be said of parts of the Hill moving north and east. The part of Shaw/Bloomingdale/LeDroit that has gentrified has done so in way that's very urban - there are no schools and parks, but lots of restaurants and bars and access to metro. It's not a part of the city that lends itself to families settling in and building schools.

[Anonymous]

It's true that it was too quick. Neighborhoods like Brookland are gentrifying, but they're gentrifying with families into houses and neighborhoods. The same can be said of parts of the Hill moving north and east. The part of Shaw/Bloomingdale/LeDroit that has gentrified has done so in way that's very urban - there are no schools and parks, but lots of restaurants and bars and access to metro. It's not a part of the city that lends itself to families settling in and building schools.

Huh? There are lots of houses that suit families' needs in these neighborhoods, lots of parks, and plenty of schools. I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

We are a current PK3 family at Garrison and we LOVE (LOVE!!!) our teacher and the aide. And from talking to other families there, they also love their teacher. If you are thinking about ECE, I would highly recommend Garrison as a school.

As to the comments about the appearance, yes its old but the renovation is currently underway (it started last December) and is scheduled to be finished by August 2017.

All that being said, we are leaving (we matched to a HRCS that we don't feel like we can turn down, especially given the sibling preference it gives us in years to come), a decision that was made hard by how much we love our current teacher. I found the principal to be much more interested in catering to perspective parents that current parents however - not really a problem for the ECE years, but something to think about if you're looking for a long term option. If we hadn't matched to a HRCS, we would definitely have happily stayed for another year.

Happy to answer more questions about Garrison if you have them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's true that it was too quick. Neighborhoods like Brookland are gentrifying, but they're gentrifying with families into houses and neighborhoods. The same can be said of parts of the Hill moving north and east. The part of Shaw/Bloomingdale/LeDroit that has gentrified has done so in way that's very urban - there are no schools and parks, but lots of restaurants and bars and access to metro. It's not a part of the city that lends itself to families settling in and building schools.

Huh? There are lots of houses that suit families' needs in these neighborhoods, lots of parks, and plenty of schools. I have no idea what you're talking about.

Whaa? There are tons of families, living in row houses. LeDroit Park has a big park and farm on Elm St. There is a park on Florida ave by Big Bear, and another playground and rec center adjacent to Langley--the school has its own entrance to it and uses the field and basketball courts. And Shaed Rec Center in Edgewood, which also feeds in part to Langley. Yes the neighborhood has become more expensive, but there are lots of families and parks.

[Anonymous]

I agree that there are tons of parks and schools in Shaw/Bloomingdale! And large backyards on many row homes to boot. It's extremely family friendly at this point. People will stay if they can make it work. Garrison/Langley/Seaton/Cleveland have a huge opportunity right now if they are interested. Aftercare for all is critical (yay Langley!), and a full 8-week summer camp at the school would be a huge draw too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that there are tons of parks and schools in Shaw/Bloomingdale! And large backyards on many row homes to boot. It's extremely family friendly at this point. People will stay if they can make it work. Garrison/Langley/Seaton/Cleveland have a huge opportunity right now if they are interested. Aftercare for all is critical (yay Langley!), and a full 8-week summer camp at the school would be a huge draw too.

How about a pony too? Or at least a chicken for the backyard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that there are tons of parks and schools in Shaw/Bloomingdale! And large backyards on many row homes to boot. It's extremely family friendly at this point. People will stay if they can make it work. Garrison/Langley/Seaton/Cleveland have a huge opportunity right now if they are interested. Aftercare for all is critical (yay Langley!), and a full 8-week summer camp at the school would be a huge draw too.

How about a pony too? Or at least a chicken for the backyard?

Springboard offers summer care at various school,ls, as does DCPS. It is a good idea, not at all farfetched.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that there are tons of parks and schools in Shaw/Bloomingdale! And large backyards on many row homes to boot. It's extremely family friendly at this point. People will stay if they can make it work. Garrison/Langley/Seaton/Cleveland have a huge opportunity right now if they are interested. Aftercare for all is critical (yay Langley!), and a full 8-week summer camp at the school would be a huge draw too.

How about a pony too? Or at least a chicken for the backyard?

Springboard offers summer care at various school,ls, as does DCPS. It is a good idea, not at all farfetched.

Some of the charters offer a summer camp too on the campus. Bring in a vendor, let people pay full price for it. The kids would get to stay together in the same environment, with their friends. It'd be easier on everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that there are tons of parks and schools in Shaw/Bloomingdale! And large backyards on many row homes to boot. It's extremely family friendly at this point. People will stay if they can make it work. Garrison/Langley/Seaton/Cleveland have a huge opportunity right now if they are interested. Aftercare for all is critical (yay Langley!), and a full 8-week summer camp at the school would be a huge draw too.

How about a pony too? Or at least a chicken for the backyard?

Springboard offers summer care at various school,ls, as does DCPS. It is a good idea, not at all farfetched.

DCPS summer school is 4 weeks, and the younger grades are run by Springboard. It isn't at every location and the seats are first come, first served.

[Anonymous]

PP here on the summer camps. Yes, I'd like to see ponies and chickens too. In other words, a race to the top would be great. I'm not saying it'll happen overnight or that the schools don't have more important issues. But I think it's not asking too much to focus long-term on more than one thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that there are tons of parks and schools in Shaw/Bloomingdale! And large backyards on many row homes to boot. It's extremely family friendly at this point. People will stay if they can make it work. Garrison/Langley/Seaton/Cleveland have a huge opportunity right now if they are interested. Aftercare for all is critical (yay Langley!), and a full 8-week summer camp at the school would be a huge draw too.

How about a pony too? Or at least a chicken for the backyard?

Springboard offers summer care at various school,ls, as does DCPS. It is a good idea, not at all farfetched.

DCPS summer school is 4 weeks, and the younger grades are run by Springboard. It isn't at every location and the seats are first come, first served.

Does Springboard offer Spanish in the summer? I really wish we could have summer options at Harry Thomas rec center...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here on the summer camps. Yes, I'd like to see ponies and chickens too. In other words, a race to the top would be great. I'm not saying it'll happen overnight or that the schools don't have more important issues. But I think it's not asking too much to focus long-term on more than one thing.

They will have ponies at Field Day, I am told And I know the garden teacher was looking into chickens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that there are tons of parks and schools in Shaw/Bloomingdale! And large backyards on many row homes to boot. It's extremely family friendly at this point. People will stay if they can make it work. Garrison/Langley/Seaton/Cleveland have a huge opportunity right now if they are interested. Aftercare for all is critical (yay Langley!), and a full 8-week summer camp at the school would be a huge draw too.

How about a pony too? Or at least a chicken for the backyard?

Springboard offers summer care at various school,ls, as does DCPS. It is a good idea, not at all farfetched.

DCPS summer school is 4 weeks, and the younger grades are run by Springboard. It isn't at every location and the seats are first come, first served.

Does Springboard offer Spanish in the summer? I really wish we could have summer options at Harry Thomas rec center...

Not at the DCPS summer school. It's a half day reading program for K-2 only, but I think you can pay for extended day. The older grades are managed by DCPS.

More about it here https://dcps.dc.gov/service/summer-learning

[Anonymous]

The YMCA has used Seaton as a summer camp site in the past - not sure if that is still happening.

[Anonymous]

To the OP -- rumor has it Garrison's principal is leaving. I don't know if this factors into your decision.