Franklin MS email about Western High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak Hill attends Franklin and is likely switching to the new HS. All of the MS that feed into the 5 HS that could be impacted by Western are getting the presentation. They got it at Hughes MS and Carson MS.

Ok then pull the Oak Hill kids out of advisory and leave the rest of us the hell alone!

Lady, put down the bottle!!! All kids within the boundaries of Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield, Centerville, and South Lakes will have the option to attend Western, regardless of whether they are in boundary or not. THAT MEANS YOUR KID. So, sorrynotsorry, but this does apply to you. Relax. Get help.

You’re an idiot. My kid will actually not have the option to attend because I’m not driving them on a daily basis. It’s an automatic no for us. We are not going to be in boundary so there would be no bus transportation. I’m also not switching my child to a school that is further away from their base school and where none of their friends would be going. I don’t give a d@mn what offerings the joint has.

The option is available. You may not allow your child to opt in and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way, but that doesn't mean the option is not available. Nobody here is telling you to send your child to Western. Get a grip!!!

DP, but you are being intentionally obtuse. These presentations are intended to persuade kids Western is a superior option to their base schools, even if transportation ultimately won’t be provided. It puts parents in the position of having to be the bad guys who say no.

It’s unfortunate that Michelle Reid apparently can’t be happy and feel like she’s accomplished something unless others are disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak Hill attends Franklin and is likely switching to the new HS. All of the MS that feed into the 5 HS that could be impacted by Western are getting the presentation. They got it at Hughes MS and Carson MS.

Ok then pull the Oak Hill kids out of advisory and leave the rest of us the hell alone!

Lady, put down the bottle!!! All kids within the boundaries of Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield, Centerville, and South Lakes will have the option to attend Western, regardless of whether they are in boundary or not. THAT MEANS YOUR KID. So, sorrynotsorry, but this does apply to you. Relax. Get help.

You’re an idiot. My kid will actually not have the option to attend because I’m not driving them on a daily basis. It’s an automatic no for us. We are not going to be in boundary so there would be no bus transportation. I’m also not switching my child to a school that is further away from their base school and where none of their friends would be going. I don’t give a d@mn what offerings the joint has.

The option is available. You may not allow your child to opt in and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way, but that doesn't mean the option is not available. Nobody here is telling you to send your child to Western. Get a grip!!!

DP, but you are being intentionally obtuse. These presentations are intended to persuade kids Western is a superior option to their base schools, even if transportation ultimately won’t be provided. It puts parents in the position of having to be the bad guys who say no.

It’s unfortunate that Michelle Reid apparently can’t be happy and feel like she’s accomplished something unless others are disappointed.

This exactly! I think the PP telling OP to “get a grip” is the one who actually needs to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carson parent here. I was not happy when we got this email! The school had no additional info when I called, just said they were scrambling because they just found out about it from central office the night before. I actually felt bad for the middle school admin! But they told me to give them the benefit of the doubt, to trust that it would be informational. Incorrect! It was absolutely persuasive, advertising glitzy programs not yet funded or approved! And it was all of the extreme possibilities: building an airplane, flight training, aerospace internships. We are in what we thought was an opt-in area, — but as usual, the district is trying to disrupt parental authority. Of course my kid came home more interested in the new school! If they had lots of interest, as Reid has claimed, and had done this with full disclosure and with a reasonable timeframe, they wouldn’t need to parade around to our children spreading propaganda. Show me the actual programs that are approved, funded, and staffed. Enthusiasm will follow. This has been a nightmare roll out!

Informing kids of an option is not disrupting parental authority. You can tell your child that they cannot opt in and why. Start with, we are not going to be in boundary so there will not be transportation and we cannot drive you for four years. Move on to, most of your friends are going to go to their current school and you will probably want to be with your friends. End with the programs/sports/music options you love are fully established at your current school but will be brand new at the new school.

Should they just set the boundaries and be done with it? Yes. There is no reason to wait until the Spring, set them now. I have no idea why they are refusing to do that. Kids will still have the chance to opt in once the boundaries are set, although I suspect they would simply call it principal placement.

It’s ridiculous to get kids excited who aren’t even in boundary. It causes friction within families. Kid wants one thing and parent says no due to transportation.

I mean, that’s just called… parenting. The world is going to dangle all kinds of things in front of your kid that they will then want, and you will have to say no. Think of it as a practice for when they tell you they want to go to a certain college that you can’t let them apply to whether it be due to cost, location, ranking, whatever. Or do you just give in to whatever your kid wants in order to avoid friction?

Do you just blindly accept what FCPS has your kids do without any thought to how it impacts them academically? Let me guess, you love all those surveys too. Simply out, it’s all time wasting. I don’t need or want the school to tout Western during what should be a work period for my child. They can send a power point and video to the parents about the new school and let them make an informed decision. It’s not going to the kids’ decision anyway. Propaganda for the kids during the school day about a new school that they may or any not attend is weird and a waste of time.

It is 10 minutes. Plenty of DSs friends saw it and are still interested in attending their current HS, they want the sports options and the like. There are kids opting in but it is not because of the 10 minute presentation they saw. It has been a conversation with families. So be ready to talk to your kid and explain why it isn’t an option. Heck, you could have done that before your kid went to school today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carson parent here. I was not happy when we got this email! The school had no additional info when I called, just said they were scrambling because they just found out about it from central office the night before. I actually felt bad for the middle school admin! But they told me to give them the benefit of the doubt, to trust that it would be informational. Incorrect! It was absolutely persuasive, advertising glitzy programs not yet funded or approved! And it was all of the extreme possibilities: building an airplane, flight training, aerospace internships. We are in what we thought was an opt-in area, — but as usual, the district is trying to disrupt parental authority. Of course my kid came home more interested in the new school! If they had lots of interest, as Reid has claimed, and had done this with full disclosure and with a reasonable timeframe, they wouldn’t need to parade around to our children spreading propaganda. Show me the actual programs that are approved, funded, and staffed. Enthusiasm will follow. This has been a nightmare roll out!

Informing kids of an option is not disrupting parental authority. You can tell your child that they cannot opt in and why. Start with, we are not going to be in boundary so there will not be transportation and we cannot drive you for four years. Move on to, most of your friends are going to go to their current school and you will probably want to be with your friends. End with the programs/sports/music options you love are fully established at your current school but will be brand new at the new school.

Should they just set the boundaries and be done with it? Yes. There is no reason to wait until the Spring, set them now. I have no idea why they are refusing to do that. Kids will still have the chance to opt in once the boundaries are set, although I suspect they would simply call it principal placement.

It’s ridiculous to get kids excited who aren’t even in boundary. It causes friction within families. Kid wants one thing and parent says no due to transportation.

I mean, that’s just called… parenting. The world is going to dangle all kinds of things in front of your kid that they will then want, and you will have to say no. Think of it as a practice for when they tell you they want to go to a certain college that you can’t let them apply to whether it be due to cost, location, ranking, whatever. Or do you just give in to whatever your kid wants in order to avoid friction?

Do you just blindly accept what FCPS has your kids do without any thought to how it impacts them academically? Let me guess, you love all those surveys too. Simply out, it’s all time wasting. I don’t need or want the school to tout Western during what should be a work period for my child. They can send a power point and video to the parents about the new school and let them make an informed decision. It’s not going to the kids’ decision anyway. Propaganda for the kids during the school day about a new school that they may or any not attend is weird and a waste of time.

It is 10 minutes. Plenty of DSs friends saw it and are still interested in attending their current HS, they want the sports options and the like. There are kids opting in but it is not because of the 10 minute presentation they saw. It has been a conversation with families. So be ready to talk to your kid and explain why it isn’t an option. Heck, you could have done that before your kid went to school today.

Did you read the email? It says the planning principal will be on site to answer questions. Sounded like it’s more than just a video.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak Hill attends Franklin and is likely switching to the new HS. All of the MS that feed into the 5 HS that could be impacted by Western are getting the presentation. They got it at Hughes MS and Carson MS.

Ok then pull the Oak Hill kids out of advisory and leave the rest of us the hell alone!

Lady, put down the bottle!!! All kids within the boundaries of Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield, Centerville, and South Lakes will have the option to attend Western, regardless of whether they are in boundary or not. THAT MEANS YOUR KID. So, sorrynotsorry, but this does apply to you. Relax. Get help.

You’re an idiot. My kid will actually not have the option to attend because I’m not driving them on a daily basis. It’s an automatic no for us. We are not going to be in boundary so there would be no bus transportation. I’m also not switching my child to a school that is further away from their base school and where none of their friends would be going. I don’t give a d@mn what offerings the joint has.

The option is available. You may not allow your child to opt in and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way, but that doesn't mean the option is not available. Nobody here is telling you to send your child to Western. Get a grip!!!

DP, but you are being intentionally obtuse. These presentations are intended to persuade kids Western is a superior option to their base schools, even if transportation ultimately won’t be provided. It puts parents in the position of having to be the bad guys who say no.

It’s unfortunate that Michelle Reid apparently can’t be happy and feel like she’s accomplished something unless others are disappointed.

Have you never had to be the bad guy and say no to your kid before? No wonder schools are a mess. You all are afraid to tell your kids no!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound like a Navy mom. What do you expect your kid to be doing during advisory the week before Winter break? I mean, really.

All the honors classes have work this week, including quizzes and tests. Maybe advisory isn’t important to your kid, but it is for mine.

God forbid your child bring home work to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Carson parent here. I was not happy when we got this email! The school had no additional info when I called, just said they were scrambling because they just found out about it from central office the night before. I actually felt bad for the middle school admin! But they told me to give them the benefit of the doubt, to trust that it would be informational. Incorrect! It was absolutely persuasive, advertising glitzy programs not yet funded or approved! And it was all of the extreme possibilities: building an airplane, flight training, aerospace internships. We are in what we thought was an opt-in area, — but as usual, the district is trying to disrupt parental authority. Of course my kid came home more interested in the new school! If they had lots of interest, as Reid has claimed, and had done this with full disclosure and with a reasonable timeframe, they wouldn’t need to parade around to our children spreading propaganda. Show me the actual programs that are approved, funded, and staffed. Enthusiasm will follow. This has been a nightmare roll out!

How is this any different than your child watching a TikTok and wanting to buy a Product? You say no, right? And you explain why? At least that's what I do. "No, James, we're going to stick with Chantilly because that's where Olivia is a sophomore and we want you at the same school" or whatever. BE A PARENT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carson parent here. I was not happy when we got this email! The school had no additional info when I called, just said they were scrambling because they just found out about it from central office the night before. I actually felt bad for the middle school admin! But they told me to give them the benefit of the doubt, to trust that it would be informational. Incorrect! It was absolutely persuasive, advertising glitzy programs not yet funded or approved! And it was all of the extreme possibilities: building an airplane, flight training, aerospace internships. We are in what we thought was an opt-in area, — but as usual, the district is trying to disrupt parental authority. Of course my kid came home more interested in the new school! If they had lots of interest, as Reid has claimed, and had done this with full disclosure and with a reasonable timeframe, they wouldn’t need to parade around to our children spreading propaganda. Show me the actual programs that are approved, funded, and staffed. Enthusiasm will follow. This has been a nightmare roll out!

Informing kids of an option is not disrupting parental authority. You can tell your child that they cannot opt in and why. Start with, we are not going to be in boundary so there will not be transportation and we cannot drive you for four years. Move on to, most of your friends are going to go to their current school and you will probably want to be with your friends. End with the programs/sports/music options you love are fully established at your current school but will be brand new at the new school.

Should they just set the boundaries and be done with it? Yes. There is no reason to wait until the Spring, set them now. I have no idea why they are refusing to do that. Kids will still have the chance to opt in once the boundaries are set, although I suspect they would simply call it principal placement.

It’s ridiculous to get kids excited who aren’t even in boundary. It causes friction within families. Kid wants one thing and parent says no due to transportation.

If this is causing friction, then you have a long, bumpy road ahead of you, friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could someone please explain to me why they cannot set the boundaries sooner rather than later? This should have been considered in the January decision of the comprehensive boundary study.
Please explain the logic here. Surely, there must be some logic? Because it makes no sense at all to me.

I watched the video that was presented at Carson (someone posted a link a while back). I found it pretty much met the description given by PP.

Oh it was absolutely propaganda and they are absolutely doing this the wrong way, they should set boundaries and then opt-ins. What idiots!!

That said, if your family can't handle a propaganda video and the discussion that it brings to the dinner table, you have some challenges in life that FCPS doing the right thing would not have helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak Hill attends Franklin and is likely switching to the new HS. All of the MS that feed into the 5 HS that could be impacted by Western are getting the presentation. They got it at Hughes MS and Carson MS.

Ok then pull the Oak Hill kids out of advisory and leave the rest of us the hell alone!

Lady, put down the bottle!!! All kids within the boundaries of Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield, Centerville, and South Lakes will have the option to attend Western, regardless of whether they are in boundary or not. THAT MEANS YOUR KID. So, sorrynotsorry, but this does apply to you. Relax. Get help.

You’re an idiot. My kid will actually not have the option to attend because I’m not driving them on a daily basis. It’s an automatic no for us. We are not going to be in boundary so there would be no bus transportation. I’m also not switching my child to a school that is further away from their base school and where none of their friends would be going. I don’t give a d@mn what offerings the joint has.

The option is available. You may not allow your child to opt in and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way, but that doesn't mean the option is not available. Nobody here is telling you to send your child to Western. Get a grip!!!

DP, but you are being intentionally obtuse. These presentations are intended to persuade kids Western is a superior option to their base schools, even if transportation ultimately won’t be provided. It puts parents in the position of having to be the bad guys who say no.

It’s unfortunate that Michelle Reid apparently can’t be happy and feel like she’s accomplished something unless others are disappointed.

This exactly! I think the PP telling OP to “get a grip” is the one who actually needs to do so.

I'm the person you're talking about and my kid saw the propaganda video, was interested in the school, and we said "we need to wait until we know if we are in boundary or not, because we cannot drive you to school if we are not within boundary". It really wasn't hard. If you could please explain to me the friction this is causing in your household, I would love to know because it was a super easy conversation with my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carson parent here. I was not happy when we got this email! The school had no additional info when I called, just said they were scrambling because they just found out about it from central office the night before. I actually felt bad for the middle school admin! But they told me to give them the benefit of the doubt, to trust that it would be informational. Incorrect! It was absolutely persuasive, advertising glitzy programs not yet funded or approved! And it was all of the extreme possibilities: building an airplane, flight training, aerospace internships. We are in what we thought was an opt-in area, — but as usual, the district is trying to disrupt parental authority. Of course my kid came home more interested in the new school! If they had lots of interest, as Reid has claimed, and had done this with full disclosure and with a reasonable timeframe, they wouldn’t need to parade around to our children spreading propaganda. Show me the actual programs that are approved, funded, and staffed. Enthusiasm will follow. This has been a nightmare roll out!

Informing kids of an option is not disrupting parental authority. You can tell your child that they cannot opt in and why. Start with, we are not going to be in boundary so there will not be transportation and we cannot drive you for four years. Move on to, most of your friends are going to go to their current school and you will probably want to be with your friends. End with the programs/sports/music options you love are fully established at your current school but will be brand new at the new school.

Should they just set the boundaries and be done with it? Yes. There is no reason to wait until the Spring, set them now. I have no idea why they are refusing to do that. Kids will still have the chance to opt in once the boundaries are set, although I suspect they would simply call it principal placement.

It’s ridiculous to get kids excited who aren’t even in boundary. It causes friction within families. Kid wants one thing and parent says no due to transportation.

I mean, that’s just called… parenting. The world is going to dangle all kinds of things in front of your kid that they will then want, and you will have to say no. Think of it as a practice for when they tell you they want to go to a certain college that you can’t let them apply to whether it be due to cost, location, ranking, whatever. Or do you just give in to whatever your kid wants in order to avoid friction?

Do you just blindly accept what FCPS has your kids do without any thought to how it impacts them academically? Let me guess, you love all those surveys too. Simply out, it’s all time wasting. I don’t need or want the school to tout Western during what should be a work period for my child. They can send a power point and video to the parents about the new school and let them make an informed decision. It’s not going to the kids’ decision anyway. Propaganda for the kids during the school day about a new school that they may or any not attend is weird and a waste of time.

It is 10 minutes. Plenty of DSs friends saw it and are still interested in attending their current HS, they want the sports options and the like. There are kids opting in but it is not because of the 10 minute presentation they saw. It has been a conversation with families. So be ready to talk to your kid and explain why it isn’t an option. Heck, you could have done that before your kid went to school today.

Did you read the email? It says the planning principal will be on site to answer questions. Sounded like it’s more than just a video.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about it. It sounds like Scenario E is a viable option if the planning principal is going to Franklin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak Hill attends Franklin and is likely switching to the new HS. All of the MS that feed into the 5 HS that could be impacted by Western are getting the presentation. They got it at Hughes MS and Carson MS.

Ok then pull the Oak Hill kids out of advisory and leave the rest of us the hell alone!

Lady, put down the bottle!!! All kids within the boundaries of Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield, Centerville, and South Lakes will have the option to attend Western, regardless of whether they are in boundary or not. THAT MEANS YOUR KID. So, sorrynotsorry, but this does apply to you. Relax. Get help.

You’re an idiot. My kid will actually not have the option to attend because I’m not driving them on a daily basis. It’s an automatic no for us. We are not going to be in boundary so there would be no bus transportation. I’m also not switching my child to a school that is further away from their base school and where none of their friends would be going. I don’t give a d@mn what offerings the joint has.

The option is available. You may not allow your child to opt in and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way, but that doesn't mean the option is not available. Nobody here is telling you to send your child to Western. Get a grip!!!

DP, but you are being intentionally obtuse. These presentations are intended to persuade kids Western is a superior option to their base schools, even if transportation ultimately won’t be provided. It puts parents in the position of having to be the bad guys who say no.

It’s unfortunate that Michelle Reid apparently can’t be happy and feel like she’s accomplished something unless others are disappointed.

Have you never had to be the bad guy and say no to your kid before? No wonder schools are a mess. You all are afraid to tell your kids no!

Totally fine telling my kid “no” and I’m not the PP, but do you think it is OK that no official programming has been announced to parents while the kids have received detailed info about aviation programs? That’s slimy….especially with it already being the winter before a proposed fall 2026 opening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carson parent here. I was not happy when we got this email! The school had no additional info when I called, just said they were scrambling because they just found out about it from central office the night before. I actually felt bad for the middle school admin! But they told me to give them the benefit of the doubt, to trust that it would be informational. Incorrect! It was absolutely persuasive, advertising glitzy programs not yet funded or approved! And it was all of the extreme possibilities: building an airplane, flight training, aerospace internships. We are in what we thought was an opt-in area, — but as usual, the district is trying to disrupt parental authority. Of course my kid came home more interested in the new school! If they had lots of interest, as Reid has claimed, and had done this with full disclosure and with a reasonable timeframe, they wouldn’t need to parade around to our children spreading propaganda. Show me the actual programs that are approved, funded, and staffed. Enthusiasm will follow. This has been a nightmare roll out!

How is this any different than your child watching a TikTok and wanting to buy a Product? You say no, right? And you explain why? At least that's what I do. "No, James, we're going to stick with Chantilly because that's where Olivia is a sophomore and we want you at the same school" or whatever. BE A PARENT.

It’s not hard to say no but it’s still ridiculous that FCPS is putting parents in this position because they are too incompetent and disorganized to come up with a sensible boundary for Western, especially given that they are already conducting a county-wide boundary review.

At some point there needs to be some accountability for this incompetent superintendent and school board, and people like you who constantly make excuses for them are impediments to that happening sooner rather than later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak Hill attends Franklin and is likely switching to the new HS. All of the MS that feed into the 5 HS that could be impacted by Western are getting the presentation. They got it at Hughes MS and Carson MS.

Ok then pull the Oak Hill kids out of advisory and leave the rest of us the hell alone!

Lady, put down the bottle!!! All kids within the boundaries of Oakton, Chantilly, Westfield, Centerville, and South Lakes will have the option to attend Western, regardless of whether they are in boundary or not. THAT MEANS YOUR KID. So, sorrynotsorry, but this does apply to you. Relax. Get help.

You’re an idiot. My kid will actually not have the option to attend because I’m not driving them on a daily basis. It’s an automatic no for us. We are not going to be in boundary so there would be no bus transportation. I’m also not switching my child to a school that is further away from their base school and where none of their friends would be going. I don’t give a d@mn what offerings the joint has.

The option is available. You may not allow your child to opt in and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way, but that doesn't mean the option is not available. Nobody here is telling you to send your child to Western. Get a grip!!!

DP, but you are being intentionally obtuse. These presentations are intended to persuade kids Western is a superior option to their base schools, even if transportation ultimately won’t be provided. It puts parents in the position of having to be the bad guys who say no.

It’s unfortunate that Michelle Reid apparently can’t be happy and feel like she’s accomplished something unless others are disappointed.

Have you never had to be the bad guy and say no to your kid before? No wonder schools are a mess. You all are afraid to tell your kids no!

Totally fine telling my kid “no” and I’m not the PP, but do you think it is OK that no official programming has been announced to parents while the kids have received detailed info about aviation programs? That’s slimy….especially with it already being the winter before a proposed fall 2026 opening.

There have been three meetings now, two via Zoom and one in person, where they discussed the curriculum in depth, not just the AI/aviation programs either. That information went out to every parent with kids in the 5 pyramids that can choose to opt in.

[Anonymous]

I am coming to the conclusion that the super anti-Western people are helicopter and bulldozer parents used to being over-involved and making everything perfect for their kids, who can't handle that some kind of change may be happening either for their kids or their kids' friends. They are used to having full control and making sure nothing but the best options and outcomes are available for their children. They think they are amazing and caring for parenting this way, without realizing what a disservice they are doing. They are wholly unprepared for the next few years where their kids are going to hearing and reading about all kinds of things and developing their own ideas about what they want for their lives, and it may not match up with their parents' plans. They're going to keep treating their children like they are 5 years old even when they're going off to college.