the Key/ASFS building switch...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think ASFS folk may end up with buyer’s remorse when they realize they can’t bring their bling and APS doesn’t have the funds to renovate Key. . . and probably won’t for another decade! . I guess the up side is that Key’s urban location makes it easier to zone in a more diverse student body, something lacking in most North Arlington neighborhood schools. As an outsider to the process, I’m still trying to figure out why ASFS thinks this is a great idea, or maybe there isn’t consensus? It just seems like such a narrow interest being served and a whopper of an expense.

I don't think anyone from ASFS was pushing for the swap recently. One contingent was trying to keep it in Cherrydale - at all costs. Another was trying to keep the community together. The swap decision was a bit out of left field from APS staff.

[Anonymous]

Every day I drive by the buses letting kids off in front of Rocky Run Park. Would this maybe pull their planning unit in to Key? Or maybe it’s already assigned to ASFS? Or maybe there’s another school just around the corner from rocky run that I just don’t drive by?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think ASFS folk may end up with buyer’s remorse when they realize they can’t bring their bling and APS doesn’t have the funds to renovate Key. . . and probably won’t for another decade! . I guess the up side is that Key’s urban location makes it easier to zone in a more diverse student body, something lacking in most North Arlington neighborhood schools. As an outsider to the process, I’m still trying to figure out why ASFS thinks this is a great idea, or maybe there isn’t consensus? It just seems like such a narrow interest being served and a whopper of an expense.

As someone pointed out, the asfs building isn’t particularly nice either. In fact it’s a dump, the average has broken at least three times a year the entire time my kids have been there.
Do you know how long the kids spend in the “fancy” science lab? 1 hour a day, for 1 week, 3-4 Times in the year depending on their grade. So 15-20 hours total a year. That’s some real quality science time there!
Regardless, there are very few people at asfs who oppose the swap regardless of what you read here. The only people I’ve heard voice concern has been the transfer students, who by reading this I think hang out on dcum.
Do you want to know why? Because 85% of the school was going to be zoned out if they kept the school where it is. That’s not even hyperbole, that was the number aps staff quoted to people at this weeks pta meeting. Those 85% would have had dramatically long bus rides. That matters a lot more to people than some superficial science enrichment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every day I drive by the buses letting kids off in front of Rocky Run Park. Would this maybe pull their planning unit in to Key? Or maybe it’s already assigned to ASFS? Or maybe there’s another school just around the corner from rocky run that I just don’t drive by?

Those kids are at asfs (that bus goes to asfs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think ASFS folk may end up with buyer’s remorse when they realize they can’t bring their bling and APS doesn’t have the funds to renovate Key. . . and probably won’t for another decade! . I guess the up side is that Key’s urban location makes it easier to zone in a more diverse student body, something lacking in most North Arlington neighborhood schools. As an outsider to the process, I’m still trying to figure out why ASFS thinks this is a great idea, or maybe there isn’t consensus? It just seems like such a narrow interest being served and a whopper of an expense.

As someone pointed out, the asfs building isn’t particularly nice either. In fact it’s a dump, the average has broken at least three times a year the entire time my kids have been there.
Do you know how long the kids spend in the “fancy” science lab? 1 hour a day, for 1 week, 3-4 Times in the year depending on their grade. So 15-20 hours total a year. That’s some real quality science time there!
Regardless, there are very few people at asfs who oppose the swap regardless of what you read here. The only people I’ve heard voice concern has been the transfer students, who by reading this I think hang out on dcum.
Do you want to know why? Because 85% of the school was going to be zoned out if they kept the school where it is. That’s not even hyperbole, that was the number aps staff quoted to people at this weeks pta meeting. Those 85% would have had dramatically long bus rides. That matters a lot more to people than some superficial science enrichment.

Thank you! I thought this was the case. It's not just about how many bus routes, but also the length of bus rides. Keeping Immersion at Key just won't work. I know change is hard, but this isn't some sort of case of people with big money or pull orchestrating something behind the scenes to steal a better school building or location or an attack on Immersion, or Hispanic students. They are trying to make the best of a messy situation. The best is to make a rational decision based on the data available. It seems like they have done that.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know. I think some of the Key population would have responded differently to the proposed swap if it didn’t feel like a deal being worked out behind the scenes between the super and a very limited interest group within ASFS. The impact on immersion was not even factored into the decision. It is a disgraceful lack of process, and one that I expect will doom the swap, at least in the short term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know. I think some of the Key population would have responded differently to the proposed swap if it didn’t feel like a deal being worked out behind the scenes between the super and a very limited interest group within ASFS. The impact on immersion was not even factored into the decision. It is a disgraceful lack of process, and one that I expect will doom the swap, at least in the short term.

Sure, keep telling yourself that.

[Anonymous]

Yep, the vast majority of ASFS parents are perfectly content leaving the school where it is. It's just the crazy few folks creating hysterics with their ASFS or bust mantra. Many who will be gone by the time a swap would occur. I bet the Lyon Village parents are going to wish they had spoken up more to leave the status quo once they realize they none of their precious school actually moves, boundary changes occur anyway, staff leave, the new program will require 5-10 years to be "built" AND have to listen to the crazy Rosslyn et al for the next decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's a lot of money for an elementary school science lab. I think ASFS is expecting to bring it to Key. Not sure where its going to fit, though

Key has a Science Closet. Have fun with that ASF!!
Sorry, but you ain't wasting my tax dollars on moving your fancy $hit - not happening.

[Anonymous]

Also, this is elementary school. Can’t wait to see what happens when middle school and high school boundaries are on the radar of these people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep, the vast majority of ASFS parents are perfectly content leaving the school where it is. It's just the crazy few folks creating hysterics with their ASFS or bust mantra. Many who will be gone by the time a swap would occur. I bet the Lyon Village parents are going to wish they had spoken up more to leave the status quo once they realize they none of their precious school actually moves, boundary changes occur anyway, staff leave, the new program will require 5-10 years to be "built" AND have to listen to the crazy Rosslyn et al for the next decade.

Sounds like you live in Cherrydale. There is no "ASFS program" to rebuild. It's a neighborhood school. Now it will be located within its own boundary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:House their program? They are just a neighborhood school. T I have trouble believing they need several hundred thousand dollars to move a science lab. And if there's no room for the science lab, that's just how it goes. Plenty of schools have had to give up nice-to-have rooms or extra classrooms due to overcrowding. Spare us.

I'm just the messenger here....

As a Key parent, I searched for some photos of the ASFS science lab, it looks pretty impressive, but not sure if it was worth the money spent. http://give.livingtree.com/c/asfs-science-lab

It does look like a win for our program, and our Key school doesn't have much to offer except a better playground and grass.

Better artwork (assuming it doesn’t get swapped too). But the swapped Key students will enjoy that nice looking science crap. Thanks rich folks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep, the vast majority of ASFS parents are perfectly content leaving the school where it is. It's just the crazy few folks creating hysterics with their ASFS or bust mantra. Many who will be gone by the time a swap would occur. I bet the Lyon Village parents are going to wish they had spoken up more to leave the status quo once they realize they none of their precious school actually moves, boundary changes occur anyway, staff leave, the new program will require 5-10 years to be "built" AND have to listen to the crazy Rosslyn et al for the next decade.

Hi Cherrydale! You need a drink. #CherosslynWar

Actually you are right, most folks were content with status quo: leaving school and boundary unchanged.

But Cherrydale residents were pushing for a re-zoning which would have subjected all the diverse student population in Rosslyn to the longest neighborhood bus ride in APS, which is what the ‘hysterics’ were about — and which the Superintendent realized would look very bad.

So the swap is a compromise no one really wanted, so it’s probably fair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a lot of money for an elementary school science lab. I think ASFS is expecting to bring it to Key. Not sure where its going to fit, though

Key has a Science Closet. Have fun with that ASF!!
Sorry, but you ain't wasting my tax dollars on moving your fancy $hit - not happening.

There isn’t a lot of fancy shot to move. Seriously.
You guys will get a nice room that was recently remodeled. And a few fish tanks that take over 6 k each a year to maintain. That’s it.
All this crap about the science program at asfs is bs. It’s propaganda by cherrydale. I’ve had kids there for a decade and the science focus is a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's a lot of money for an elementary school science lab. I think ASFS is expecting to bring it to Key. Not sure where its going to fit, though

Key has a Science Closet. Have fun with that ASF!!
Sorry, but you ain't wasting my tax dollars on moving your fancy $hit - not happening.

There isn’t a lot of fancy shot to move. Seriously.
You guys will get a nice room that was recently remodeled. And a few fish tanks that take over 6 k each a year to maintain. That’s it.
All this crap about the science program at asfs is bs. It’s propaganda by cherrydale. I’ve had kids there for a decade and the science focus is a joke.

Hah, at least they don’t only sing songs about the planets anymore!