Feedback on SWW@Francis-Stevens
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Anonymous
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Hello, I am wondering whether any current School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens parents can chime in on their experience since the merger. We are considering applying into the lottery for a PK3 spot in the 2014-2015 school year. Here are some of the questions I haev:
- How are things going for the FS families since the merger? Is the principal generally at FS, or does he split his time between the two campuses? - How is the quality of the PK3/PK4 program? - What do you think of hte new principal and teachers generally? Does it seem to be a school where people will begin to stay past the early grades? - How is it having a preschool-aged child in a school that goes through 8th grade? I would think it might be hard for a 3 year old to be in a school with 14 year olds. Thanks for any insight you can provide! I attended an open house and was impressed with the principal and teachers, but I'm curious how it's going in practice. |
Anonymous
| Anyone? |
Anonymous
| Have a friend with a ps3 there. Says it's fine so far. Little kids are kept separate from the older ones so that's no problem. Not sure if she will stay past early years. |
Anonymous
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Sorry, I still don't get what this school is supposed to be?
SWW is a HS program deliberately integrated with GW. The possible benefit for even the most advanced of elementary students in such a program is a hallucination. Obviously, the selling point is the "prestige" of SWW's brand attached to a neighborhood school - for those too excitable and easily distracted to think it through. How is this any different from the same old neighborhood school that has been ignored - probably deservedly - for decades? It sounds like New Coke. |
Anonymous
| Actually, pp it is a very different school this year. It is under new administration and has taken on all new teachers. They're implementing a pre-ap curriculum in the MS and students take Latin. The school is much more orderly I've heard. Enrollment went way up. Sounds promising to me. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Obviously came here to get info, but I did attend a session over the summer and had a chance to talk to the preschool teachers. They said that there was a huge amount of staff turnover. Most teachers (maybe 90%) were new. People said the new principal is very different--much more energetic, trying to chane things. I know this merger was controversial for good reasons for SWW h.s., but to me it seems like it might really effect change in the elementary/middle school level. I am curious, however, to hear from parents to see if this is the case. |
Anonymous
| How does this look logestically? Are the Francis-Stevens kids at the same facility as the SWW kids? |
Anonymous
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FS parent here of a PK student. The HS students aren't attending class in the building this year, although a number are interning or doing community service projects and some of the staff go back and forth.
There has been miscommunication over policies, but I think that is probably due to teachers and the administration still finding their legs. It feels like a friendly warm atmosphere and the YMCA aftercare is excellent. The main principal is there many mornings, but we see more of the associate and assistant principals. The early childhood teachers are great. The reach of this school age wise is pretty crazy (3 year olds through 8th graders) but that also means that all the classes are small by grade, something like 2 classes and forty students per grade. The grades are generally segregated into different areas of the building and schedule by age group (EC/ES/MS)...we are not uncomfortable with our child being in the same building with older students. |
Anonymous
| So the plan is for the HS students to attend classes in the Francis-Stevens building? |
Anonymous
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Right now no HS students attend classes at FS. This was a big issue (one of many) for the HS in the merger. The HS community does not want to be split up. DCPS agreed to this for the 2013-14 school year.
There is a task force now looking into this issue for next year. There are members from both schools. Nothing is finalized for next year. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
We're inbounds for sww@fs, so we attended several planning meetings. In fact, it is a new school, nearly all teachers are new, new assistant and associate principals, new maintenance team. Very impressed by quality of new leadership and teaching team. As for integration with GW, that was still Tbd. But GW does have an education department, so some synergy is certainly possible there. Definitely a very thoughtful fresh start. By the way, I grew up in another city where one of the most prestigious high schools (grades 7-12) and one of the most progressive elementary schools (grades k-6) were both affiliated with a local public university. The elementary and high schools schools were very different, and relations between them varied over the years. At the time, high school admissions were much more selective, and elementary school students were not guaranteed admission to high school. No reason sww and sww@fs can't work out something similar. |
Anonymous
| 07:08 What school are you talking about? |
Anonymous
I'm from NYC. If I had to place a bet, I would say Hunter College Campus. I did not attend there, but it was (when I was coming up) and I am sure, still is, an excellent school. I had several friends who attended. http://www.hunterschools.org/home If she is not referring to Hunter College Campus Schools, then it's still a great public model. We're inbound for FS. I have a rising 6th grader who will probably feed to Deal with current class however, I would consider FS for my younger children. |
Anonymous
| Hunter is not the same. Hunter is application only for both ES & HS. It is not a neighborhood school merged with an application only HS. |