LAMB Public Lottery

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our PK3 kid just got off the waitlist, but we were told our K kid would have no chance at all of getting in. Anyone know if it's worth enrolling the younger one in hopes of last-minute movement? Or is it truly futile?


If they've decided they will take no Ks and instead offer to PreK3s when spots open, what is going to change? I would ask if there is a chance for 1st grade (or do they not back-fill the upper grades and if not, how do they justify that decision in the context of a public charter school?)

If both my kids got it, I'm sure we'd seriously consider LAMB so am not at all suggesting there aren't merits to the school, but I would have a hard time accepting and offer worded in that way.


They do NOT accept at 1st under any circumstance -- that is in their charter, and was just renewed last year. Until 2017 they only took new Pk3 and Pk4; so even taking a couple students at K students is new.

Their rationale is that Montessori + Spanish immersion is too hard on an older child to catch up with. You and I may disagree with them, but it is what it is.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our PK3 kid just got off the waitlist, but we were told our K kid would have no chance at all of getting in. Anyone know if it's worth enrolling the younger one in hopes of last-minute movement? Or is it truly futile?


If they've decided they will take no Ks and instead offer to PreK3s when spots open, what is going to change? I would ask if there is a chance for 1st grade (or do they not back-fill the upper grades and if not, how do they justify that decision in the context of a public charter school?)

If both my kids got it, I'm sure we'd seriously consider LAMB so am not at all suggesting there aren't merits to the school, but I would have a hard time accepting and offer worded in that way.


They do NOT accept at 1st under any circumstance -- that is in their charter, and was just renewed last year. Until 2017 they only took new Pk3 and Pk4; so even taking a couple students at K students is new.

Their rationale is that Montessori + Spanish immersion is too hard on an older child to catch up with. You and I may disagree with them, but it is what it is.


Got it. If it's in their charter, then DCPCS is just as responsible.

DC Bilingual took a chunk of older kids to make sure they wouldn't be displaced when their school closed and by all accounts did a good job with those students. I realize they aren't montessori but have a hard time buying it's all that different. But again, it is what it is.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our PK3 kid just got off the waitlist, but we were told our K kid would have no chance at all of getting in. Anyone know if it's worth enrolling the younger one in hopes of last-minute movement? Or is it truly futile?


If they've decided they will take no Ks and instead offer to PreK3s when spots open, what is going to change? I would ask if there is a chance for 1st grade (or do they not back-fill the upper grades and if not, how do they justify that decision in the context of a public charter school?)

If both my kids got it, I'm sure we'd seriously consider LAMB so am not at all suggesting there aren't merits to the school, but I would have a hard time accepting and offer worded in that way.


They do NOT accept at 1st under any circumstance -- that is in their charter, and was just renewed last year. Until 2017 they only took new Pk3 and Pk4; so even taking a couple students at K students is new.

Their rationale is that Montessori + Spanish immersion is too hard on an older child to catch up with. You and I may disagree with them, but it is what it is.


Got it. If it's in their charter, then DCPCS is just as responsible.

DC Bilingual took a chunk of older kids to make sure they wouldn't be displaced when their school closed and by all accounts did a good job with those students. I realize they aren't montessori but have a hard time buying it's all that different. But again, it is what it is.


DCB has a very different philosophy and approach and should be an example to others. But it wasn't all altruistic; they were also incentivized to absorb those kids as a condition of getting a permanent building.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our PK3 kid just got off the waitlist, but we were told our K kid would have no chance at all of getting in. Anyone know if it's worth enrolling the younger one in hopes of last-minute movement? Or is it truly futile?


If they said no chance they mean no chance. Are you really up for a two school commute split?


No, definitely don't want them split, and that is the point - we would consider enrolling the younger one if there's a chance the K sibling could get in at the last minute. But if the K sib didn't, we'd start both at our current school. (Because LAMB has a separate lottery, enrolling there doesn't affect enrollment at the other school, which we've already done for both.)
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our PK3 kid just got off the waitlist, but we were told our K kid would have no chance at all of getting in. Anyone know if it's worth enrolling the younger one in hopes of last-minute movement? Or is it truly futile?


If they said no chance they mean no chance. Are you really up for a two school commute split?


No, definitely don't want them split, and that is the point - we would consider enrolling the younger one if there's a chance the K sibling could get in at the last minute. But if the K sib didn't, we'd start both at our current school. (Because LAMB has a separate lottery, enrolling there doesn't affect enrollment at the other school, which we've already done for both.)


Well, that's not quite true. You can't be enrolled at two schools. It may take longer for the system to figure it out, but I wouldn't double enroll both because it's risky and because it's not ethical.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our PK3 kid just got off the waitlist, but we were told our K kid would have no chance at all of getting in. Anyone know if it's worth enrolling the younger one in hopes of last-minute movement? Or is it truly futile?


If they said no chance they mean no chance. Are you really up for a two school commute split?


No, definitely don't want them split, and that is the point - we would consider enrolling the younger one if there's a chance the K sibling could get in at the last minute. But if the K sib didn't, we'd start both at our current school. (Because LAMB has a separate lottery, enrolling there doesn't affect enrollment at the other school, which we've already done for both.)


Not true. There is a lag because LAMB isn't in the common lottery, but the information will surface in about 10 days and the other school will find out you are double enrolled, putting your enrollment at risk. LAMB doesn't do MSDC, but their student data is entered into the city-wide enrollment database as students enroll.
Anonymous
I would accept the LAMB spot for your PK3 student if you are really interested. Tour the school, talk with the admins, and see if they can admit a K student as a sibling. I am under the impression that the few K kids who did get in last year were siblings of younger students and their PK3 kid pulled the K kid in.

Admins have changed this year. Of course, the charter hasn't changed. But if there is flexibility in how it can be interpreted, the current admin may not follow in last year's footsteps.
Anonymous
Any idea if LAMB is going to take more kids off the PK3 waitlist? Or are they done for the year? School starts pretty soon. And while the PK3 waitlist moved a lot during the summer, it doesn't seem to have moved at all in the last few weeks.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Any idea if LAMB is going to take more kids off the PK3 waitlist? Or are they done for the year? School starts pretty soon. And while the PK3 waitlist moved a lot during the summer, it doesn't seem to have moved at all in the last few weeks.


I mean, they're not done because there could always be last minute changes in September, for instance, as with any school. Might be quite minimal.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Any idea if LAMB is going to take more kids off the PK3 waitlist? Or are they done for the year? School starts pretty soon. And while the PK3 waitlist moved a lot during the summer, it doesn't seem to have moved at all in the last few weeks.


I think there will be movement still. LAMB doesn’t start for two more weeks.
Anonymous
The LAMB waitlist is moving, and their web page of lottery results isn't keeping up. We were in the high 60s on the waitlist for PK3, got offered a spot this week, and turned it down. But their lottery web page has only crossed off the first 62 names.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:The LAMB waitlist is moving, and their web page of lottery results isn't keeping up. We were in the high 60s on the waitlist for PK3, got offered a spot this week, and turned it down. But their lottery web page has only crossed off the first 62 names.


No surprise. They don't update the webpage frequently or in real time.
Anonymous
Has anyone received a PK4 or K offer yet? Or still nothing?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone received a PK4 or K offer yet? Or still nothing?


I don’t expect there to be many openings at prek4 or kindergarten. The re-enrollment rate is really high, I think 97%. So there may be one or two openings, and I bet those went to the older siblings of a new prek 3 kid.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Has anyone received a PK4 or K offer yet? Or still nothing?


I don’t expect there to be many openings at prek4 or kindergarten. The re-enrollment rate is really high, I think 97%. So there may be one or two openings, and I bet those went to the older siblings of a new prek 3 kid.


All I know is there are no new PK4 or K students in my child's class. There may be a couple who left. I think they mainly fill any gaps with new PK3s.
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