Basis PCS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Please read the articles posted at the bottom in their entirety for the sake of your children

Please do not listen to the idiot who says that the idea that homework and a high courseload could only lead to depression but never suicide.... and please recognize that some in these stories were the high flying kids, the "ones you would never expect," and very few were the failing kids- the pressure to get into college is horrendous and the pressure that Basis starts in 5th and 6th grade can be just as horrendous for a kid who is not even thinking about college - whether they are high flying or failing. If your kids are at Basis, TAKE THEIR PULSE, try to talk to them more than you would were they at a regular school - peer pressure is strong

And the sarcastic advice immediately below is sound, because if your kids sense you are gung ho on BASIS they are not likely to want to raise issues with you. We had that problem. Wish we had addressed it much much sooner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, advice from DCUM for BASIS parents is to watch your children like a hawk so that they don't go into a depressive spiral, and even if they aren't spiraling in a way you can tell, they are probably just holding it in until they crack and wither under the pressure

Feel free to post sarcastic responses. Nevertheless, my BASIS student has reported multiple instances of suicidal ideation among classmates in the past year.

Is it the age, or is it the environment?

These kids are not seriously thinking about committing suicide, you are all overreacting incredibly.

I really hope that if your child tries to engage you on this topic, you will keep an open mind and a closed mouth until you figure out the key issues - does your child have a plan etc............

When you son at BASIS talks about walking out onto a highway so that he can be hit by a car, come back and talk to me seriously.....

I don't see how homework and a high course load causes thoughts of suicide. Depression, maybe, but not suicide.

You are wrong. Do you have teenagers? They are NOT FULLY developed adults, with adult reasoning and ideation.

http://www.npr.org/2015/05/10/405694832/in-palo-altos-high-pressure-schools-suicides-lead-to-soul-searching
[url]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/after-woodson-high-suicides-a-search-for-solace-and-answers/2014/04/11/8dd2a3b4-7f1d-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html[/url]
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/05/04/teen-suicides-palo-alto-south-dakota-pressure

Thank you PPs. I think you have educated all of us on DCUM who frequent the DC public schools board. Perhaps you can make some flyers and start distributing them to children and parents outside the school next week.

[Anonymous]

Thank you PPs. I think you have educated all of us on DCUM who frequent the DC public schools board. Perhaps you can make some flyers and start distributing them to children and parents outside the school next week.

Or, perhaps, you could do something productive.

[Anonymous]

Kids this age tend to be cosmic and myopic.

Basis (and no school) determines your entire future.

Suicide does.

There are always other factors.

I would just think that whatever other factors may exist, Basis might contribute added stress for some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Thank you PPs. I think you have educated all of us on DCUM who frequent the DC public schools board. Perhaps you can make some flyers and start distributing them to children and parents outside the school next week.

Or, perhaps, you could do something productive.

Or perhaps, you could ask who the police came for a few weeks ago - rumor was a kid in the psychologist's office who was threatening self harm who may or may not have had a weapon. Died down quickly because it was way after hours and only a few kids saw it and probably the ones they shared the rumors with did not tell their parents. I still have no clue what happened, but that was what got my mind on the subject.

I think this has been something productive. Ignore it at your peril. No matter where your kid is at school.

[Anonymous]

sorry why the police came to Basis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This was largely due to scheduling more than anything else. As for the LEAP section not being present, there were too few kids left over to have that section.

No dear the question is why there is no LEAP section in the 8th grade not the 9th grade (agreed too many of them left after 8th grade - is that typical of BASIS schools?), and why you would make kids who had been in LEAP Chem in 8th then have to show up at 7:45 to take AP Chem. These are the real questions.

Once we really start departing from the BASIS model you have to keep your eyes wide open, especially if you are (as we were) impressed by 5th and 6th grade.

And if you have a kid who is basically pure STEM or pure liberal arts you have to remember that in high school they are required to take six APs not of their choosing - unlike Wilson, unlike Latin, unlike any other school I know of, 3 in math/science and 3 in English/US Gov't/foreign language? NOT a good fit for anyone except for a well rounded kid.

And most kids who are really good at one thing are not well rounded.

No skin in the game, no kids there anymore, over and out.

Just warning those of you with unhappy unchallenged 9th graders and those counting on the lower school as paying your dues with high school as the great reward to seriously reevaluate whether it is worth an unhappy teenager taking APs that they know will be factored into their grade that are either required or poorly taught.

Middle school OTOH offers the best education available in my experience.

I believe there is no LEAP Chemistry this year for 8th grade is because BASIS was only offering it at 7:45 am and changed it so that the kids had to take LEAP Chem 5 days a week along with regular Chem 3 days a week. Our kid was interested but he did not want to get up for a 7:45 am class. I suspect others felt the same way because I think there was more than enough kids to do it. I was not too happy with the change. It was a dumb move on the part of BASIS to actually discourage kids with ridiculous scheduling from taking LEAP Chemistry IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This was largely due to scheduling more than anything else. As for the LEAP section not being present, there were too few kids left over to have that section.

No dear the question is why there is no LEAP section in the 8th grade not the 9th grade (agreed too many of them left after 8th grade - is that typical of BASIS schools?), and why you would make kids who had been in LEAP Chem in 8th then have to show up at 7:45 to take AP Chem. These are the real questions.

Once we really start departing from the BASIS model you have to keep your eyes wide open, especially if you are (as we were) impressed by 5th and 6th grade.

And if you have a kid who is basically pure STEM or pure liberal arts you have to remember that in high school they are required to take six APs not of their choosing - unlike Wilson, unlike Latin, unlike any other school I know of, 3 in math/science and 3 in English/US Gov't/foreign language? NOT a good fit for anyone except for a well rounded kid.

And most kids who are really good at one thing are not well rounded.

No skin in the game, no kids there anymore, over and out.

Just warning those of you with unhappy unchallenged 9th graders and those counting on the lower school as paying your dues with high school as the great reward to seriously reevaluate whether it is worth an unhappy teenager taking APs that they know will be factored into their grade that are either required or poorly taught.

Middle school OTOH offers the best education available in my experience.

I believe there is no LEAP Chemistry this year for 8th grade is because BASIS was only offering it at 7:45 am and changed it so that the kids had to take LEAP Chem 5 days a week along with regular Chem 3 days a week. Our kid was interested but he did not want to get up for a 7:45 am class. I suspect others felt the same way because I think there was more than enough kids to do it. I was not too happy with the change. It was a dumb move on the part of BASIS to actually discourage kids with ridiculous scheduling from taking LEAP Chemistry IMO.

You have misunderstood. There would be no reason to take LEAP chemistry and regular chemistry, since LEAP covers the content of traditional Chem class at a faster pace.

[Anonymous]

Actually PP was right. While in 2014-15 there was one group of students who took a class called LEAP Chemistry instead of regular 8th grade Chemistry, that was not an option for 2015-16.

All students were going to be required to take regular 8th grade chemistry and they could have taken an additional LEAP Chemistry class as an elective. It was a BASIS network-wide decision, not a BASIS DC decision. And in the end, no 8th graders decided to do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually PP was right. While in 2014-15 there was one group of students who took a class called LEAP Chemistry instead of regular 8th grade Chemistry, that was not an option for 2015-16.

All students were going to be required to take regular 8th grade chemistry and they could have taken an additional LEAP Chemistry class as an elective. It was a BASIS network-wide decision, not a BASIS DC decision. And in the end, no 8th graders decided to do that.

I know a few 8th graders who wanted to take both, if that was the only way to get LEAP, but in the end, BASIS DC decided not to have the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually PP was right. While in 2014-15 there was one group of students who took a class called LEAP Chemistry instead of regular 8th grade Chemistry, that was not an option for 2015-16.

All students were going to be required to take regular 8th grade chemistry and they could have taken an additional LEAP Chemistry class as an elective. It was a BASIS network-wide decision, not a BASIS DC decision. And in the end, no 8th graders decided to do that.

I know a few 8th graders who wanted to take both, if that was the only way to get LEAP, but in the end, BASIS DC decided not to have the class.

Assuming you are the parent of a current child, seems like a great issue to bring up at the 12/1 meeting with the CEO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually PP was right. While in 2014-15 there was one group of students who took a class called LEAP Chemistry instead of regular 8th grade Chemistry, that was not an option for 2015-16.

All students were going to be required to take regular 8th grade chemistry and they could have taken an additional LEAP Chemistry class as an elective. It was a BASIS network-wide decision, not a BASIS DC decision. And in the end, no 8th graders decided to do that.

I know a few 8th graders who wanted to take both, if that was the only way to get LEAP, but in the end, BASIS DC decided not to have the class.

Assuming you are the parent of a current child, seems like a great issue to bring up at the 12/1 meeting with the CEO.

Why? what's done is done and it can't be changed. Just means that AP Physics probably won't happen for my student, which combined with the the lighter workload this year, may be blessings in disguise. Generally very happy with the the quality of instruction and don't see the point bellyaching over every little decision not made by polling the parents. They have been doing his for years and I trust that BASIS has a game plan.

Plus, what has the bellyaching gotten anyone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually PP was right. While in 2014-15 there was one group of students who took a class called LEAP Chemistry instead of regular 8th grade Chemistry, that was not an option for 2015-16.

All students were going to be required to take regular 8th grade chemistry and they could have taken an additional LEAP Chemistry class as an elective. It was a BASIS network-wide decision, not a BASIS DC decision. And in the end, no 8th graders decided to do that.

This is correct, but it the change was even worse. Leap Chem from I understand would not count as an elective so students still had to take an elective on top of LEAP Chem and regular Chemistry making for an extra long day that would begin extra early!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually PP was right. While in 2014-15 there was one group of students who took a class called LEAP Chemistry instead of regular 8th grade Chemistry, that was not an option for 2015-16.

All students were going to be required to take regular 8th grade chemistry and they could have taken an additional LEAP Chemistry class as an elective. It was a BASIS network-wide decision, not a BASIS DC decision. And in the end, no 8th graders decided to do that.

I know a few 8th graders who wanted to take both, if that was the only way to get LEAP, but in the end, BASIS DC decided not to have the class.

Assuming you are the parent of a current child, seems like a great issue to bring up at the 12/1 meeting with the CEO.

Why? what's done is done and it can't be changed. Just means that AP Physics probably won't happen for my student, which combined with the the lighter workload this year, may be blessings in disguise. Generally very happy with the the quality of instruction and don't see the point bellyaching over every little decision not made by polling the parents. They have been doing his for years and I trust that BASIS has a game plan.

Plus, what has the bellyaching gotten anyone?

One more plus - not getting a young teen up so early. My 9th grader is in the 7:45 AM AP Chemistry class and the early start sucks. His commute via metro is 50 minutes door to door assuming no Red Line issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find all of this really worrisome. I was holding out hope that Basis could work for my child, but the school just seems so extreme. My son does well in all school subjects and is particularly good at math. He loves learning and always asks for extra work because he thinks it's fun. I worry that Basis will suck the life and the love of learning right out of him. 3 hours of homework every night at age 10? That is sheer craziness, and any reasonable person knows it. Of course I want him to stay ahead in math, but I absolutely do not want him taking AP Calculus as an 8th grader. Why would I want him to take a college-readiness course when he's 13? There's plenty of time for that in high school. I want him to excel in math & science while also having excellent courses in history, literature, and the arts, and time to write for the school newspaper, play sports (even travel sports!), play in the band/orchestra, etc.

Can't we have a middle school--aside from Deal, which isn't accessible to most of us--that offers some acceleration for kids in certain subjects AND other excellent classes and extra-curriculars that allow them to develop as people, while not expecting them to jump on this insane roller coaster of AP classes for 12- and 13-year-olds? Why is everything all or nothing in this town?

Another option is Latin. It's a wonderful school that offers accelerated classes if that's what your child really wants and excels at, but they're not required before your child is ready. There's a good balance of other social activities, humanities and there are tons of bright kids that attend the school. We have a jazz band and a several great choral groups. My son is in all honors classes and takes Arabic III and Chinese II. He's plays three varsity sports there and has had friends since starting in 5th grade. We considered BASIS in 7th for him when the school first opened, but decided Latin was perfect for him.

BASIS and Deal aren't the only games in town. You really do have to look at your kid and look at the school to see if it's a great fit. We do have several former BASIS students and also a newly returning Latin student who's brilliant but didn't like the constant rigor of BASIS. It's good to have super high expectations for your kid, but it's also good to let the child lead. In the long run, it's better and less stressful. Good luck everyone.

[Anonymous]

^^ why is is pp advertising for Latin on this thread? It's very difficult to find an open space there because of all the siblings. For a lot of people, their IB public or BASIS in 5th or 6th is the only real option.

And talk with me, pp, about the non-advanced students there who aren't taking Arabic and Chinese simultaneously, because your child is clearly exceptional.

Start a "Wow, do I love Latin" thread, please.