ATS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD entered ATS as a transfer student in 2nd grade. She had been a struggling reader at her former APS school and we could never get her any reading support from the school. After a year at ATS her reading has improved so much. She likes reading and is now at grade level. We didn't have to ask for reading support. They saw that she was struggling within about 6 weeks of school starting last year and began to pull her for small group reading twice a week (virtually since we were still online at that point). If my child hadn't switched to ATS I think she would still be a struggling reader today. In that sense, I feel that ATS has had a profound effect on the trajectory of my child's education. I will take the good with the bad that every school has and continue to be grateful that there is a strong literacy program at ATS.

There is no excuse for this. Your child should have been able to get the instruction and support she needed at any school. Somebody make me understand why all schools do not follow ATS' approach to reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD entered ATS as a transfer student in 2nd grade. She had been a struggling reader at her former APS school and we could never get her any reading support from the school. After a year at ATS her reading has improved so much. She likes reading and is now at grade level. We didn't have to ask for reading support. They saw that she was struggling within about 6 weeks of school starting last year and began to pull her for small group reading twice a week (virtually since we were still online at that point). If my child hadn't switched to ATS I think she would still be a struggling reader today. In that sense, I feel that ATS has had a profound effect on the trajectory of my child's education. I will take the good with the bad that every school has and continue to be grateful that there is a strong literacy program at ATS.

There is no excuse for this. Your child should have been able to get the instruction and support she needed at any school. Somebody make me understand why all schools do not follow ATS' approach to reading?

Again. Goes back to Arlington being a system of schools and not a school system. It’s infuriating. Both my girls picked up reading easily so we got lucky. But what if we weren’t?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham has small everything yet bigger space, indoors and outdoors both, and bigger/better/nicer playground.

This

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

I don't know about this. Ony because we live in neighborhood by Tuckahoe and sent our kid to Campbell. Bus pick up was 6:50AM. This was too much and so we are back at Tuckahoe. I can't imagine if the majority of kids are coming from south of the county this working out well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD entered ATS as a transfer student in 2nd grade. She had been a struggling reader at her former APS school and we could never get her any reading support from the school. After a year at ATS her reading has improved so much. She likes reading and is now at grade level. We didn't have to ask for reading support. They saw that she was struggling within about 6 weeks of school starting last year and began to pull her for small group reading twice a week (virtually since we were still online at that point). If my child hadn't switched to ATS I think she would still be a struggling reader today. In that sense, I feel that ATS has had a profound effect on the trajectory of my child's education. I will take the good with the bad that every school has and continue to be grateful that there is a strong literacy program at ATS.

There is no excuse for this. Your child should have been able to get the instruction and support she needed at any school. Somebody make me understand why all schools do not follow ATS' approach to reading?

Again. Goes back to Arlington being a system of schools and not a school system. It’s infuriating. Both my girls picked up reading easily so we got lucky. But what if we weren’t?

DP. Good point about it being a system of schools. It’s so weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham has small everything yet bigger space, indoors and outdoors both, and bigger/better/nicer playground.

This

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

not really sure what was “Rube Goldberg” about it. Might have been unnecessary, but it wasn’t complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

I don't know about this. Ony because we live in neighborhood by Tuckahoe and sent our kid to Campbell. Bus pick up was 6:50AM. This was too much and so we are back at Tuckahoe. I can't imagine if the majority of kids are coming from south of the county this working out well

Sorry to hear that. I wish they’d make the CW option schools start a little later so that this isn’t a barrier. We live closer, but the bus is still really early since they do hub stops and try to get them there in time for breakfast. We have an early riser, so it’s not too bad, but if they ever moved Campbell to Tuckahoe and didn’t change the start time I don’t think we’d follow.

[Anonymous]

We also left Campbell for a number of reasons. In our case we were there two years and yes, we also had a 6:50 am bus pick up and it was so hard on my kid. It wasn't worth that and other sacrifices to attend Campbell, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We also left Campbell for a number of reasons. In our case we were there two years and yes, we also had a 6:50 am bus pick up and it was so hard on my kid. It wasn't worth that and other sacrifices to attend Campbell, IMO.

Out of curiosity why did you leave Campbell? We are considering applying there for next year for kindergarten. Neighborhood school would be Cardinal. We have mostly heard good things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham has small everything yet bigger space, indoors and outdoors both, and bigger/better/nicer playground.

This

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

not really sure what was “Rube Goldberg” about it. Might have been unnecessary, but it wasn’t complicated.

This expensive mess started with the understandable goal of needing a neighborhood school in the Clarendon-Rosslyn corridor. That would mean moving Key immersion to another location. As luck would have it, APS was completing a new school in Westover. Easy solution would be to move Key to the new Westover school and accomplish what they need with he least disruption. Instead Key was moved to ATS, ATS was moved to McKinley, McKinley was moved to Cardinal. An overly complicated and indirect manner of completing a task is commonly termed "Rube Goldberg."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham has small everything yet bigger space, indoors and outdoors both, and bigger/better/nicer playground.

This

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

not really sure what was “Rube Goldberg” about it. Might have been unnecessary, but it wasn’t complicated.

This expensive mess started with the understandable goal of needing a neighborhood school in the Clarendon-Rosslyn corridor. That would mean moving Key immersion to another location. As luck would have it, APS was completing a new school in Westover. Easy solution would be to move Key to the new Westover school and accomplish what they need with he least disruption. Instead Key was moved to ATS, ATS was moved to McKinley, McKinley was moved to Cardinal. An overly complicated and indirect manner of completing a task is commonly termed "Rube Goldberg."

People would have freaked out if an option program got a new school (rightfully so)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham has small everything yet bigger space, indoors and outdoors both, and bigger/better/nicer playground.

This

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

not really sure what was “Rube Goldberg” about it. Might have been unnecessary, but it wasn’t complicated.

This expensive mess started with the understandable goal of needing a neighborhood school in the Clarendon-Rosslyn corridor. That would mean moving Key immersion to another location. As luck would have it, APS was completing a new school in Westover. Easy solution would be to move Key to the new Westover school and accomplish what they need with he least disruption. Instead Key was moved to ATS, ATS was moved to McKinley, McKinley was moved to Cardinal. An overly complicated and indirect manner of completing a task is commonly termed "Rube Goldberg."

Easy but wrong solution

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no real difference between Nottingham and ATS. I wouldn't bother.

I'm not sure if PP was just referring to music/art, but a real difference between the two schools is diversity. Looking at the latest statistics I found with a quick search: as of 9/20, ATS was 23% Asian, 17% black, 13% Hispanic, 37% white, 10% mixed (I'm doing some rounding). Nottingham was 7% Asian, 0.5% black, 8% Hispanic, 73% white, 11% mixed. In October 2019, ATS was 31% free lunch, while Nottingham was 4%.

and size - ATS has more kids in total and per class and per grade but in a smaller space, Nottingham has small everything yet bigger space, indoors and outdoors both, and bigger/better/nicer playground.

This

True, although I'd take bets that Nottingham or Tuckahoe becomes host to an option school in the next few years and enrollment goes up at whichever remains a neighborhood school accordingly.

APS Planning does have a bias in favor of centrally located (Rt 50, Wilson Blvd) neighborhood schools becoming options schools. This was loud and clear during the expensive Rube Goldberg school changes last year (Key > ATS, ATS > McK, McK > Cardinal).

not really sure what was “Rube Goldberg” about it. Might have been unnecessary, but it wasn’t complicated.

This expensive mess started with the understandable goal of needing a neighborhood school in the Clarendon-Rosslyn corridor. That would mean moving Key immersion to another location. As luck would have it, APS was completing a new school in Westover. Easy solution would be to move Key to the new Westover school and accomplish what they need with he least disruption. Instead Key was moved to ATS, ATS was moved to McKinley, McKinley was moved to Cardinal. An overly complicated and indirect manner of completing a task is commonly termed "Rube Goldberg."

Easy but wrong solution

What would a better solution be? I’m new to APS so trying to understand the issue.

[Anonymous]

Not an Arlington parent but just discovered they were ranked the top elementary school in Virginia by US News & World Report.

[Anonymous]

ATS NAMED #1 SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA BY US NEWS AND WORLD REPOR!
Several elementary and middle schools in Northern Virginia have been ranked among the best in the state, according to a brand-new ranking released by U.S. News and World Report.
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/virginia/arlington-traditional-210681