South Arlington and North Arlington Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which park will they put affordable housing in?

How about putting it where the soon-to-be-old firestation on 29 is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Here is another real world example:

About 6-7 years ago Patrick Henry was 6/10 on Great Schools with a free lunch rate of about 50%.

Now they are a 9/10 rating at Great schools and have a free lunch rate of 37%!

Also : Patrick Henry Elementary School has been recognized as a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School, the only public elementary school in Northern Virginia to receive the honor this year.

In case this moronic out of touch Board plans to bump up the poverty rate again, because of their idiotic housing plan (while raising my real estate tax assessment 12% again), that would be ... I have no words. Just this message for the Board: You won't get our money, if that'll come to pass.

There is that sweet spot where a great staff and enough involved parents can make it all excellent- but if you overwhelm a school with challenges - not the greatest staff will be able to overcome it - in my personal opinion.

It will be interesting to see what happens at Drew, since it looks like the Montessori people are going to get their wish and the new elementary in south Arlington will allow them to have a separate school. I've heard that 90% of the kids in the non-Montessori/neighborhood program are on free or reduced lunch, so if the School Board goes ahead and separates the programs, they will basically be making Drew the highest poverty (and probably smallest and least diverse) school in Arlington. Sounds like a real set up for failure--they had better have a rock solid plan to prevent that from happening.

Indeed. If this does happen, it will put everything in the daylight pretty quickly.

I really think ATS needs to have more spaces set aside for VPI students so that the population of our only countywide school is reflective of Arlington's population. And perhaps we could expand VPI to more schools, like Nottingham, Jamestown, Discovery, Taylor, and Tuckahoe, and then those children, even if they live out of bounds, could opt to continue in K-5. Sort of works like busing, but is not mandatory/forced. This can only happen if we get the capacity crisis under control and there is space for VPI classrooms and additional K-5 students at those schools.

I have heard from some in the minority community, particularly the immigrant Hispanic community, that they don't want their children to be bused far from home where they would be in the extreme ethnic minority. They feel more comfortable having their children attend schools with high proportions of other similar children, where they feel better able to communicate and feel a sense of community. So this concern could be addressed by making busing purely choice, and also by building SOME affordable housing closer to the schools that have little to none nearby.

The immigrant Hispanic community isn't helping these issues. I really don't care what makes them more comfortable- if everyone else if footing the bill. We are also talking about parents who in some cases have no formal education. Sorry - they need to be integrated not segregated. Making them comfortable holds their own children back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Here is another real world example:

About 6-7 years ago Patrick Henry was 6/10 on Great Schools with a free lunch rate of about 50%.

Now they are a 9/10 rating at Great schools and have a free lunch rate of 37%!

Also : Patrick Henry Elementary School has been recognized as a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School, the only public elementary school in Northern Virginia to receive the honor this year.

In case this moronic out of touch Board plans to bump up the poverty rate again, because of their idiotic housing plan (while raising my real estate tax assessment 12% again), that would be ... I have no words. Just this message for the Board: You won't get our money, if that'll come to pass.

There is that sweet spot where a great staff and enough involved parents can make it all excellent- but if you overwhelm a school with challenges - not the greatest staff will be able to overcome it - in my personal opinion.

It will be interesting to see what happens at Drew, since it looks like the Montessori people are going to get their wish and the new elementary in south Arlington will allow them to have a separate school. I've heard that 90% of the kids in the non-Montessori/neighborhood program are on free or reduced lunch, so if the School Board goes ahead and separates the programs, they will basically be making Drew the highest poverty (and probably smallest and least diverse) school in Arlington. Sounds like a real set up for failure--they had better have a rock solid plan to prevent that from happening.

Indeed. If this does happen, it will put everything in the daylight pretty quickly.

I really think ATS needs to have more spaces set aside for VPI students so that the population of our only countywide school is reflective of Arlington's population. And perhaps we could expand VPI to more schools, like Nottingham, Jamestown, Discovery, Taylor, and Tuckahoe, and then those children, even if they live out of bounds, could opt to continue in K-5. Sort of works like busing, but is not mandatory/forced. This can only happen if we get the capacity crisis under control and there is space for VPI classrooms and additional K-5 students at those schools.

I have heard from some in the minority community, particularly the immigrant Hispanic community, that they don't want their children to be bused far from home where they would be in the extreme ethnic minority. They feel more comfortable having their children attend schools with high proportions of other similar children, where they feel better able to communicate and feel a sense of community. So this concern could be addressed by making busing purely choice, and also by building SOME affordable housing closer to the schools that have little to none nearby.

The immigrant Hispanic community isn't helping these issues. I really don't care what makes them more comfortable- if everyone else if footing the bill. We are also talking about parents who in some cases have no formal education. Sorry - they need to be integrated not segregated. Making them comfortable holds their own children back.

Look, I totally agree with you. I am just saying that perhaps we could be more sensitive to those fears. I believe that their children would fare better, over the long term, if they were forced to be in situations that might be more difficult or uncomfortable at first. But I think I "get" those fears a bit better now. My kids is attending a choice school in S Arlington that is doing a phenomenal job of including immigrant parents in the school community, which I think is a benefit for those kids, and I don't think it would be possible for many of those families to be as involved if their kids' school was on the other side of the county. So the solution has to include both housing AND schools. I think more "choice" programs, ones that would be really desirable to high SES families, should be moved South, to attempt to integrate the schools that are not diverse here, too.

[Anonymous]

Look, I totally agree with you. I am just saying that perhaps we could be more sensitive to those fears. I believe that their children would fare better, over the long term, if they were forced to be in situations that might be more difficult or uncomfortable at first. But I think I "get" those fears a bit better now. My kids is attending a choice school in S Arlington that is doing a phenomenal job of including immigrant parents in the school community, which I think is a benefit for those kids, and I don't think it would be possible for many of those families to be as involved if their kids' school was on the other side of the county. So the solution has to include both housing AND schools. I think more "choice" programs, ones that would be really desirable to high SES families, should be moved South, to attempt to integrate the schools that are not diverse here, too.
----------------------------------

The above would be great. I think that Arlington needs to do better about integrating its schools socioecononmically. Because what we have now are schools that specialize in teaching affluent middle class kids and schools that specialize in teaching poor immigrant kids. They do a decent job at their respective specialties. But, none of them do a good job of both. Because they haven't had to. Few poor kids live up north, and few S. Arlington parents complain or even realize the difference. So, it's hard to be an immigrant kid at most N. Arlington elementary; and it's a huge disadvantage to be a middle class kid at one of the majority poor S. Arlington elementaries. They teach the same curriculum, and your kids will still pass their SOLs, but if you're interested in them learning a great deal beyond that from their classroom teacher it's unlikely. She's way to stretched already getting everyone to pass their SOLs.

[Anonymous]

Yep, barcroft is going to get even worse. The new school will be at TJ and the kids living in alcova heights million dollar homes won't have to go to barcroft in 2019.

Got news for you school board, if you don't zone some of the kids in barcroft apartments to the new school at TJ! Barcroft elementary will be about 80-90 percent FARMs. Barcroft only has a small area of single family homes, and most are modest in comparison to alcova heights. If you don't do the boundary right you just put another school even further into the poverty hole, albeit less crowded until more affordable housing goes up.

So, you think those of us who live in barcroft could maybe see our tax assessments go down since our property values are about to tank even further? That may be the only positive that comes out of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Here is another real world example:

About 6-7 years ago Patrick Henry was 6/10 on Great Schools with a free lunch rate of about 50%.

Now they are a 9/10 rating at Great schools and have a free lunch rate of 37%!

Also : Patrick Henry Elementary School has been recognized as a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School, the only public elementary school in Northern Virginia to receive the honor this year.

In case this moronic out of touch Board plans to bump up the poverty rate again, because of their idiotic housing plan (while raising my real estate tax assessment 12% again), that would be ... I have no words. Just this message for the Board: You won't get our money, if that'll come to pass.

There is that sweet spot where a great staff and enough involved parents can make it all excellent- but if you overwhelm a school with challenges - not the greatest staff will be able to overcome it - in my personal opinion.

It will be interesting to see what happens at Drew, since it looks like the Montessori people are going to get their wish and the new elementary in south Arlington will allow them to have a separate school. I've heard that 90% of the kids in the non-Montessori/neighborhood program are on free or reduced lunch, so if the School Board goes ahead and separates the programs, they will basically be making Drew the highest poverty (and probably smallest and least diverse) school in Arlington. Sounds like a real set up for failure--they had better have a rock solid plan to prevent that from happening.

Indeed. If this does happen, it will put everything in the daylight pretty quickly.

I really think ATS needs to have more spaces set aside for VPI students so that the population of our only countywide school is reflective of Arlington's population. And perhaps we could expand VPI to more schools, like Nottingham, Jamestown, Discovery, Taylor, and Tuckahoe, and then those children, even if they live out of bounds, could opt to continue in K-5. Sort of works like busing, but is not mandatory/forced. This can only happen if we get the capacity crisis under control and there is space for VPI classrooms and additional K-5 students at those schools.

I have heard from some in the minority community, particularly the immigrant Hispanic community, that they don't want their children to be bused far from home where they would be in the extreme ethnic minority. They feel more comfortable having their children attend schools with high proportions of other similar children, where they feel better able to communicate and feel a sense of community. So this concern could be addressed by making busing purely choice, and also by building SOME affordable housing closer to the schools that have little to none nearby.

The immigrant Hispanic community isn't helping these issues. I really don't care what makes them more comfortable- if everyone else if footing the bill. We are also talking about parents who in some cases have no formal education. Sorry - they need to be integrated not segregated. Making them comfortable holds their own children back.

These are all really interesting points. I do agree that the (fresh?) immigrant community is not helping their kids in the long run with the cluster attitude.
The educated Hispanics I know do not have this attitude (a la VOICE: we must all live on the same street), on the contrary - they integrate just fine, and of course have no issues at all. SOME of the not educated Hispanics I met (via my work) do not only lack a formal education - they cannot read or write Spanish, and their Spanish is very bad (poor vocabulary, incorrect grammar)... So it is very tough to work with these families... You can imagine. They have to REMEMBER everything (can't read, can't take notes), and don't understand a lot of things (lack of vocabulary in their own language, unfamiliarity with xyz)! .... for their kids full ENGLISH immersion would probably be best. But that's just my opinion. However, due to the challenges these families bring to their schools and the community, I feel it's even more important not to overwhelm the system...

[Anonymous]

There are 22 languages spoken at Randolph. They champion that as a selling point for how great, inclusive and diverse it is. Which sounds great and looks good on their web page...

Then I met an APS esol teacher recently who laid down the sad truth that many of those kids don't ever leave esol. They never catch up. Even the ones that start early.
You have to wonder if living in an isolated ( yet very comforting) community and not having a majority of English speakers in their class is the problem?

I remember growing up with a small minority of esl children in my elementary classes. They didn't stay that way for long because they were so heavily integrated.
What the hell are we doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 22 languages spoken at Randolph. They champion that as a selling point for how great, inclusive and diverse it is. Which sounds great and looks good on their web page...

Then I met an APS esol teacher recently who laid down the sad truth that many of those kids don't ever leave esol. They never catch up. Even the ones that start early.
You have to wonder if living in an isolated ( yet very comforting) community and not having a majority of English speakers in their class is the problem?

I remember growing up with a small minority of esl children in my elementary classes. They didn't stay that way for long because they were so heavily integrated.
What the hell are we doing?

Oh, so you're saying that separate isn't equal? Hmmm, where have I heard that before?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 22 languages spoken at Randolph. They champion that as a selling point for how great, inclusive and diverse it is. Which sounds great and looks good on their web page...

Then I met an APS esol teacher recently who laid down the sad truth that many of those kids don't ever leave esol. They never catch up. Even the ones that start early.
You have to wonder if living in an isolated ( yet very comforting) community and not having a majority of English speakers in their class is the problem?

I remember growing up with a small minority of esl children in my elementary classes. They didn't stay that way for long because they were so heavily integrated.
What the hell are we doing?

Oh, I did not know that many of these kids never leave the ESOL classes. Kids are sponges for language, especially when they are young and immersed.
So yes, I would have to agree, that this will only hinder these kids' opportunities in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 22 languages spoken at Randolph. They champion that as a selling point for how great, inclusive and diverse it is. Which sounds great and looks good on their web page...

Then I met an APS esol teacher recently who laid down the sad truth that many of those kids don't ever leave esol. They never catch up. Even the ones that start early.
You have to wonder if living in an isolated ( yet very comforting) community and not having a majority of English speakers in their class is the problem?

I remember growing up with a small minority of esl children in my elementary classes. They didn't stay that way for long because they were so heavily integrated.
What the hell are we doing?

Oh, I did not know that many of these kids never leave the ESOL classes. Kids are sponges for language, especially when they are young and immersed.
So yes, I would have to agree, that this will only hinder these kids' opportunities in the future.

In believe these are push in services- the teacher was explaining that many of these kids never catch up to the level we want them at. They will all be in a class with all the other kids - just struggling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep, barcroft is going to get even worse. The new school will be at TJ and the kids living in alcova heights million dollar homes won't have to go to barcroft in 2019.

Got news for you school board, if you don't zone some of the kids in barcroft apartments to the new school at TJ! Barcroft elementary will be about 80-90 percent FARMs. Barcroft only has a small area of single family homes, and most are modest in comparison to alcova heights. If you don't do the boundary right you just put another school even further into the poverty hole, albeit less crowded until more affordable housing goes up.

So, you think those of us who live in barcroft could maybe see our tax assessments go down since our property values are about to tank even further? That may be the only positive that comes out of this.

How did Alcova Heights end up sounding like N Arlington? I mean, its nice, but there aren't that many million dollar homes. There are plenty of us living in normal homes too here. But we all wants kids to get a good education. Is there some plan to rezone Alcova?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, barcroft is going to get even worse. The new school will be at TJ and the kids living in alcova heights million dollar homes won't have to go to barcroft in 2019.

Got news for you school board, if you don't zone some of the kids in barcroft apartments to the new school at TJ! Barcroft elementary will be about 80-90 percent FARMs. Barcroft only has a small area of single family homes, and most are modest in comparison to alcova heights. If you don't do the boundary right you just put another school even further into the poverty hole, albeit less crowded until more affordable housing goes up.

So, you think those of us who live in barcroft could maybe see our tax assessments go down since our property values are about to tank even further? That may be the only positive that comes out of this.

How did Alcova Heights end up sounding like N Arlington? I mean, its nice, but there aren't that many million dollar homes. There are plenty of us living in normal homes too here. But we all wants kids to get a good education. Is there some plan to rezone Alcova?

It's feasible that parts of Alcova (or all of it) will be sent to the new school. The boundary process will likely take a year and involve community input, like the last boundary process in N Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Yes, alcova will be zoned out of barcroft. No other way to redraw the boundary really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, barcroft is going to get even worse. The new school will be at TJ and the kids living in alcova heights million dollar homes won't have to go to barcroft in 2019.

Got news for you school board, if you don't zone some of the kids in barcroft apartments to the new school at TJ! Barcroft elementary will be about 80-90 percent FARMs. Barcroft only has a small area of single family homes, and most are modest in comparison to alcova heights. If you don't do the boundary right you just put another school even further into the poverty hole, albeit less crowded until more affordable housing goes up.

So, you think those of us who live in barcroft could maybe see our tax assessments go down since our property values are about to tank even further? That may be the only positive that comes out of this.

How did Alcova Heights end up sounding like N Arlington? I mean, its nice, but there aren't that many million dollar homes. There are plenty of us living in normal homes too here. But we all wants kids to get a good education. Is there some plan to rezone Alcova?

Hmmm... Wonder what those meetings are going to be like?
Alcova heights isn't like north Arlington, but it is one of the most attractive neighborhoods south of 50. I drive through it often and have noticed. I live right near by in Douglas Park and can see a differnece.

It's feasible that parts of Alcova (or all of it) will be sent to the new school. The boundary process will likely take a year and involve community input, like the last boundary process in N Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, barcroft is going to get even worse. The new school will be at TJ and the kids living in alcova heights million dollar homes won't have to go to barcroft in 2019.

Got news for you school board, if you don't zone some of the kids in barcroft apartments to the new school at TJ! Barcroft elementary will be about 80-90 percent FARMs. Barcroft only has a small area of single family homes, and most are modest in comparison to alcova heights. If you don't do the boundary right you just put another school even further into the poverty hole, albeit less crowded until more affordable housing goes up.

So, you think those of us who live in barcroft could maybe see our tax assessments go down since our property values are about to tank even further? That may be the only positive that comes out of this.

How did Alcova Heights end up sounding like N Arlington? I mean, its nice, but there aren't that many million dollar homes. There are plenty of us living in normal homes too here. But we all wants kids to get a good education. Is there some plan to rezone Alcova?

It's feasible that parts of Alcova (or all of it) will be sent to the new school. The boundary process will likely take a year and involve community input, like the last boundary process in N Arlington.

Let me try that again...


Hmmm... Wonder what those meetings are going to be like?
Alcova heights isn't like north Arlington, but it is one of the most attractive neighborhoods south of 50. I drive through it often and have noticed. I live right near by in Douglas Park and can see a differnece.