Transportation from Loudoun to TJ

[Anonymous]

Our daughter is finishing up fifth grade and is headed to MS next year. She will be taking honors everything, including math and science. She has pretty much aced her SOLs and reads anything put in front of her. She loves science and has a keen interest in astronomy. That said, we are already thinking about TJ and what it would involve should she end up going there. One question we had was transportation. How do Loudoun kids get to TJ (about a 25 mile trip)? Is there a bus (or buses) and if so where do they pick up? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

http://www.tjhsst.edu/abouttj/transportation/index.html
I imagine getting to TJ from Loudoun would be long and painful because of distance, double bus wait, and traffic. If your daughter can read in a moving vehicle, she will be able to use some of the time productively, but you should think long and hard whether you want to subject your kid to this.

[Anonymous]

The quality of life for both the student and the family will be significantly impacted.

[Anonymous]

I think most end up car pooling. Be prepared to drive your daughter.

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine that this would ever be worth it. If your child is that much of an extraordinary genius, move to Fairfax County. If she's just an excellent student, she will excel and be challenged in regular AP or IB classes at your local high school. Do you really want her commuting 2+ hours a day? And if you have to do drop off and pick up, that would be double!

[Anonymous]

Doesn't Loudoun have an Academy of Science already?

[Anonymous]

A real nightmare. Is it worth it? Maybe something to think about after she is accepted? Such a crap shoot.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP, if she really is a scholastic standout, she's much more likely to do well, be happy and get noticed at local high school where you're not building a stressful commute into her days. I have two HS students and they are back and forth so often (only one drives) that I am thankful we live close to their school.

[Anonymous]

I would look into AOS also. Although I know kids who got accepted to TJ and not i AOS, since there are less spots at AOS and more competition (many do not want to travel to TJ). I know there is a bus, but it leaves very early and gets back late in the afternoon. Not much time for other activities and of course there will be a lot of homework. I would definitely try to find some other parents that have students at TJ from Loudoun to get their personal experiences. As you know, traffic can be an issue in this area
Is your child in Futura this year? If so, they will have Spectrum in middle school and we were told that 85% of all the kids at my son's middle school in Loudoun take honors and advanced math courses. They also offer informational meetings on TJ and AOS when your child is in middle school.
Sorry I cannot give you first hand information, but I have heard a lot about both TJ and AOS from other parents that have kids that go there. The commute to TJ can add over 2 hours a day to the school day. Right now FCPS high school goes earlier than LCPS high schools, so it would be a pretty early morning. Although I know there was talk of changing that.
Good Luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would look into AOS also. Although I know kids who got accepted to TJ and not i AOS, since there are less spots at AOS and more competition (many do not want to travel to TJ). I know there is a bus, but it leaves very early and gets back late in the afternoon. Not much time for other activities and of course there will be a lot of homework. I would definitely try to find some other parents that have students at TJ from Loudoun to get their personal experiences. As you know, traffic can be an issue in this area
Is your child in Futura this year? If so, they will have Spectrum in middle school and we were told that 85% of all the kids at my son's middle school in Loudoun take honors and advanced math courses. They also offer informational meetings on TJ and AOS when your child is in middle school.
Sorry I cannot give you first hand information, but I have heard a lot about both TJ and AOS from other parents that have kids that go there. The commute to TJ can add over 2 hours a day to the school day. Right now FCPS high school goes earlier than LCPS high schools, so it would be a pretty early morning. Although I know there was talk of changing that.
Good Luck!

TJ starts later than most HS in FCPS, because student take the home HS bus to their home HS and then get on the TJ bus when their home HS is starting its first class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would look into AOS also. Although I know kids who got accepted to TJ and not i AOS, since there are less spots at AOS and more competition (many do not want to travel to TJ). I know there is a bus, but it leaves very early and gets back late in the afternoon. Not much time for other activities and of course there will be a lot of homework. I would definitely try to find some other parents that have students at TJ from Loudoun to get their personal experiences. As you know, traffic can be an issue in this area
Is your child in Futura this year? If so, they will have Spectrum in middle school and we were told that 85% of all the kids at my son's middle school in Loudoun take honors and advanced math courses. They also offer informational meetings on TJ and AOS when your child is in middle school.
Sorry I cannot give you first hand information, but I have heard a lot about both TJ and AOS from other parents that have kids that go there. The commute to TJ can add over 2 hours a day to the school day. Right now FCPS high school goes earlier than LCPS high schools, so it would be a pretty early morning. Although I know there was talk of changing that.
Good Luck!

TJ starts later than most HS in FCPS, because student take the home HS bus to their home HS and then get on the TJ bus when their home HS is starting its first class. [/quote

I apologize, meant to say TJ starts earlier than LCPS. TJ starts at 8:30, LCPS high school at 9:00.

[Anonymous]

Is your child in Futura this year? If so, they will have Spectrum in middle school and we were told that 85% of all the kids at my son's middle school in Loudoun take honors and advanced math courses.

Seriously? 85%? Then it's not really "honors" in that case. Unless you mean 85% of Spectrum kids, that I can see. We were told less than 20% sixth graders were ready for advanced math (math 6/7).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Is your child in Futura this year? If so, they will have Spectrum in middle school and we were told that 85% of all the kids at my son's middle school in Loudoun take honors and advanced math courses.

Seriously? 85%? Then it's not really "honors" in that case. Unless you mean 85% of Spectrum kids, that I can see. We were told less than 20% sixth graders were ready for advanced math (math 6/7).

Nope, general population, not spectrum. We were told at parent meeting when we were selecting courses. If you look at the schedules, over 50% math classes are 6/7 and we were told 85% of all students take honors. Parents can choose to put their child in honors and they do.

[Anonymous]

Nope, general population, not spectrum. We were told at parent meeting when we were selecting courses. If you look at the schedules, over 50% math classes are 6/7 and we were told 85% of all students take honors. Parents can choose to put their child in honors and they do.

Right, I forgot, it's Lake Wobegon. All the children are above average.

[Anonymous]

I'm not counting on TJ being an option a few years down the road. The plan is to expand the AOS, and I suspect the relationship with TJ will come to an end, particularly given the budget woes.