Western HS - any teachers hired yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emails went out that the Skyview kids will be getting Academic Counseling soon. I am hoping that we have a better idea about the class size for the 9th and 10th graders tomorrow night. I would guess that there is a higher number of 9th graders then 10th graders.

Given that taxpayers across the county are funding this new school, they really should be transparent about the number of students opting in and whether they plan to open up enrollment to students outside the designated five pyramids.

But they've boxed themselves in. If they limit enrollment to students in the five pyramids and don't get 1000 kids opting in, it demonstrates their opt-in model didn't meet expectations. If they start welcoming students from other pyramids, people will say Reid was more intent on opening a quasi-magnet than focusing on overcrowding relief at Chantilly or other schools.

I can confirm they have 500 for each grade

Interesting, I heard 650 total but no breakdown on the 9th vs 10th grade. The email sent out to my student mentioned that they had spots and that students outside of the 5 HS could apply to attend but it did not mention the process. I am hoping we get the numbers tomorrow night.

Well official numbers may be a bit less. Admin at the school feel confident they will have 500 9th and at least 450 10th

That I can believe but I don’t think that they are there yet but no one has publicly said what the numbers are, which is kind of ridiculous.

It sounds like they'll keep admitting kids under the table for as long as needed to hit their fall 2026 numbers.

The hypocrisy of shutting down pupil placements at other schools for foreign language while at the same time recruiting kids for Skyview is gross.

Anything else you want to complain about? It is one year that they are using in the opt in approach. Families know that they have to provide transportation. It is likely that the school will be open to pupil placement through the pathways unless they are full. They always knew that hitting the numbers would be hard, asking 500 rising 10th graders to move is ambitious. Next year they will have set boundaries and filling the class will be easier.

No, families don’t know that they have to provide transportation, whether this fall or later. They have to guess whether they’ll end up in boundary or not, which is no way to open a new school. And they made it hard on themselves to open a school with 1000 kids by not establishing boundaries when they had a perfect opportunity to do so, since there was already a county-wide review taking place.

You are either a paid shill for FCPS or prepared to justify any bad decision they make about Skyview as long as you can avoid another school you consider beneath you.

This year is the only year that deals with that and we all knew that. You seem upset that there are people who are fine with those conditions. No one likes how FCPS has dealt with this, including many of us who opted in. But I am not going to spend time complaining out things outside my control. We are excited with the option and happy to be attending.

If we were not comfortable with the uncertainty we would have made a different choice, some of our neighbors chose to stay at the base school. It was an individual choice.

And yes, reading the constant barrage of negativity is getting old for me. My kid would have been fine at either school, we chose Skyview for our reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emails went out that the Skyview kids will be getting Academic Counseling soon. I am hoping that we have a better idea about the class size for the 9th and 10th graders tomorrow night. I would guess that there is a higher number of 9th graders then 10th graders.

Given that taxpayers across the county are funding this new school, they really should be transparent about the number of students opting in and whether they plan to open up enrollment to students outside the designated five pyramids.

But they've boxed themselves in. If they limit enrollment to students in the five pyramids and don't get 1000 kids opting in, it demonstrates their opt-in model didn't meet expectations. If they start welcoming students from other pyramids, people will say Reid was more intent on opening a quasi-magnet than focusing on overcrowding relief at Chantilly or other schools.

I can confirm they have 500 for each grade

Interesting, I heard 650 total but no breakdown on the 9th vs 10th grade. The email sent out to my student mentioned that they had spots and that students outside of the 5 HS could apply to attend but it did not mention the process. I am hoping we get the numbers tomorrow night.

Well official numbers may be a bit less. Admin at the school feel confident they will have 500 9th and at least 450 10th

That I can believe but I don’t think that they are there yet but no one has publicly said what the numbers are, which is kind of ridiculous.

It sounds like they'll keep admitting kids under the table for as long as needed to hit their fall 2026 numbers.

The hypocrisy of shutting down pupil placements at other schools for foreign language while at the same time recruiting kids for Skyview is gross.

Anything else you want to complain about? It is one year that they are using in the opt in approach. Families know that they have to provide transportation. It is likely that the school will be open to pupil placement through the pathways unless they are full. They always knew that hitting the numbers would be hard, asking 500 rising 10th graders to move is ambitious. Next year they will have set boundaries and filling the class will be easier.

No, families don’t know that they have to provide transportation, whether this fall or later. They have to guess whether they’ll end up in boundary or not, which is no way to open a new school. And they made it hard on themselves to open a school with 1000 kids by not establishing boundaries when they had a perfect opportunity to do so, since there was already a county-wide review taking place.

You are either a paid shill for FCPS or prepared to justify any bad decision they make about Skyview as long as you can avoid another school you consider beneath you.

This year is the only year that deals with that and we all knew that. You seem upset that there are people who are fine with those conditions. No one likes how FCPS has dealt with this, including many of us who opted in. But I am not going to spend time complaining out things outside my control. We are excited with the option and happy to be attending.

If we were not comfortable with the uncertainty we would have made a different choice, some of our neighbors chose to stay at the base school. It was an individual choice.

And yes, reading the constant barrage of negativity is getting old for me. My kid would have been fine at either school, we chose Skyview for our reasons.

It’s pretty crazy how one person says Skyview will have 650 kids next year and another 1000, and no one really knows who is telling the truth and who is making stuff up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emails went out that the Skyview kids will be getting Academic Counseling soon. I am hoping that we have a better idea about the class size for the 9th and 10th graders tomorrow night. I would guess that there is a higher number of 9th graders then 10th graders.

Given that taxpayers across the county are funding this new school, they really should be transparent about the number of students opting in and whether they plan to open up enrollment to students outside the designated five pyramids.

But they've boxed themselves in. If they limit enrollment to students in the five pyramids and don't get 1000 kids opting in, it demonstrates their opt-in model didn't meet expectations. If they start welcoming students from other pyramids, people will say Reid was more intent on opening a quasi-magnet than focusing on overcrowding relief at Chantilly or other schools.

I can confirm they have 500 for each grade

Interesting, I heard 650 total but no breakdown on the 9th vs 10th grade. The email sent out to my student mentioned that they had spots and that students outside of the 5 HS could apply to attend but it did not mention the process. I am hoping we get the numbers tomorrow night.

Well official numbers may be a bit less. Admin at the school feel confident they will have 500 9th and at least 450 10th

That I can believe but I don’t think that they are there yet but no one has publicly said what the numbers are, which is kind of ridiculous.

It sounds like they'll keep admitting kids under the table for as long as needed to hit their fall 2026 numbers.

The hypocrisy of shutting down pupil placements at other schools for foreign language while at the same time recruiting kids for Skyview is gross.

Anything else you want to complain about? It is one year that they are using in the opt in approach. Families know that they have to provide transportation. It is likely that the school will be open to pupil placement through the pathways unless they are full. They always knew that hitting the numbers would be hard, asking 500 rising 10th graders to move is ambitious. Next year they will have set boundaries and filling the class will be easier.

No, families don’t know that they have to provide transportation, whether this fall or later. They have to guess whether they’ll end up in boundary or not, which is no way to open a new school. And they made it hard on themselves to open a school with 1000 kids by not establishing boundaries when they had a perfect opportunity to do so, since there was already a county-wide review taking place.

You are either a paid shill for FCPS or prepared to justify any bad decision they make about Skyview as long as you can avoid another school you consider beneath you.

This year is the only year that deals with that and we all knew that. You seem upset that there are people who are fine with those conditions. No one likes how FCPS has dealt with this, including many of us who opted in. But I am not going to spend time complaining out things outside my control. We are excited with the option and happy to be attending.

If we were not comfortable with the uncertainty we would have made a different choice, some of our neighbors chose to stay at the base school. It was an individual choice.

And yes, reading the constant barrage of negativity is getting old for me. My kid would have been fine at either school, we chose Skyview for our reasons.

It’s pretty crazy how one person says Skyview will have 650 kids next year and another 1000, and no one really knows who is telling the truth and who is making stuff up.

Agreed. The process has been awful and the lack of real info has been bad. Still excited for the school. I would bet that we won’t be discussing this in 4 years when the first group of kids to attend the school for 4 years graduates. We will be focusing on the school that they have helped to shape and form and the work that they have completed.

I can focus on the negative or be excited for the opportunities. I suspect most of the people who opted in did so because they are excited. I know some who opted in who did so only because they think that they will be in boundary and need transportation but the majority that I know who opted in did so because they want to be there.

[Anonymous]

The admin at Skyview will be really good, the teachers are excited to be there, the kids are opted in for many reasons and they will be trailblazers, the school will only get bigger (opt in and opt out will be a thing of the past soon) and better (especially the facilities) EVERY year, we should celebrate this new and needed HS in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emails went out that the Skyview kids will be getting Academic Counseling soon. I am hoping that we have a better idea about the class size for the 9th and 10th graders tomorrow night. I would guess that there is a higher number of 9th graders then 10th graders.

Given that taxpayers across the county are funding this new school, they really should be transparent about the number of students opting in and whether they plan to open up enrollment to students outside the designated five pyramids.

But they've boxed themselves in. If they limit enrollment to students in the five pyramids and don't get 1000 kids opting in, it demonstrates their opt-in model didn't meet expectations. If they start welcoming students from other pyramids, people will say Reid was more intent on opening a quasi-magnet than focusing on overcrowding relief at Chantilly or other schools.

I can confirm they have 500 for each grade

They literally sent out an email yesterday that said this:
Dear Families,

With nearly 650 students already enrolled for August, Skyview High School is quickly becoming a reality. Academic pathways have been finalized, classrooms are taking shape, and our school community is coming together.

If your family is still considering Skyview, we would truly value the chance to connect with you before key decisions are finalized. We understand that choosing a new high school is a significant decision. You may be wondering:

What will the first year really feel like?

How will academics, advising, and extracurriculars be structured?

What makes Skyview meaningfully different from other options?

Is this the right fit for my child’s goals and interests?

Our upcoming Countdown to Launch event is designed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emails went out that the Skyview kids will be getting Academic Counseling soon. I am hoping that we have a better idea about the class size for the 9th and 10th graders tomorrow night. I would guess that there is a higher number of 9th graders then 10th graders.

Given that taxpayers across the county are funding this new school, they really should be transparent about the number of students opting in and whether they plan to open up enrollment to students outside the designated five pyramids.

But they've boxed themselves in. If they limit enrollment to students in the five pyramids and don't get 1000 kids opting in, it demonstrates their opt-in model didn't meet expectations. If they start welcoming students from other pyramids, people will say Reid was more intent on opening a quasi-magnet than focusing on overcrowding relief at Chantilly or other schools.

I can confirm they have 500 for each grade

So this is a lie. It’s a good reminder that trolls and misinformed people will come on this forum and blatantly post false information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The admin at Skyview will be really good, the teachers are excited to be there, the kids are opted in for many reasons and they will be trailblazers, the school will only get bigger (opt in and opt out will be a thing of the past soon) and better (especially the facilities) EVERY year, we should celebrate this new and needed HS in FCPS.

It seems like a very expensive proposition, at least in the first year or two. No disrespect but it sounds like it’s going to be a huge misallocation of resources at first primarily to benefit a small group of non-sporty kids from Carson who didn’t think they’d fit in at Westfield or South Lakes. Hearing next to nothing about kids from Centreville, Chantilly or Oakton opting in - and it’s understandable why few from Centreville would opt in when the odds of their being in the final boundaries are so small.

I don’t understand why they aren’t taking more time and then opening this as the community school people really wanted.

[Anonymous]

To be fair, I heard three different numbers at Tuesdays meeting for 9th graders. Two people on staff said “around 700” and one person said “around 650.” One person said the issue was that the opt-in option was open until 1 March and that people have been opting in with a small number of kids opting out after opting in so the actual number is fluctuating daily. The only trend that they reall saw was that the daily optin numbers had been higher then the numbers of kids opting out.

I think the number is somewhere in between and will at that 700 mark, or higher, by the cut off date. I don’t think they will have trouble getting to 500 freshman when it opens up to those outside of the 5 pyramids. I also won’t be surprised if they get to the 500 for sophomores once they expand outside the 5 pyramids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The admin at Skyview will be really good, the teachers are excited to be there, the kids are opted in for many reasons and they will be trailblazers, the school will only get bigger (opt in and opt out will be a thing of the past soon) and better (especially the facilities) EVERY year, we should celebrate this new and needed HS in FCPS.

It seems like a very expensive proposition, at least in the first year or two. No disrespect but it sounds like it’s going to be a huge misallocation of resources at first primarily to benefit a small group of non-sporty kids from Carson who didn’t think they’d fit in at Westfield or South Lakes. Hearing next to nothing about kids from Centreville, Chantilly or Oakton opting in - and it’s understandable why few from Centreville would opt in when the odds of their being in the final boundaries are so small.

I don’t understand why they aren’t taking more time and then opening this as the community school people really wanted.

It might seem surprising, but many academically advanced kids are also athletic. The families who opted in did extensive research of both Skyview and their base schools and communicated with school admins before making their decision. Perhaps it’s just that your circle doesn’t include the types of students who are opting in—risk-takers, strong leaders, academically advanced, athletic, and with engaged parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be fair, I heard three different numbers at Tuesdays meeting for 9th graders. Two people on staff said “around 700” and one person said “around 650.” One person said the issue was that the opt-in option was open until 1 March and that people have been opting in with a small number of kids opting out after opting in so the actual number is fluctuating daily. The only trend that they reall saw was that the daily optin numbers had been higher then the numbers of kids opting out.

I think the number is somewhere in between and will at that 700 mark, or higher, by the cut off date. I don’t think they will have trouble getting to 500 freshman when it opens up to those outside of the 5 pyramids. I also won’t be surprised if they get to the 500 for sophomores once they expand outside the 5 pyramids.

Just stop. The email communication that went out yesterday used the phrase "nearly 650," which means a number close to, but below, 650.

They are not communicating in any clear manner that students living outside the five designated pyramids may apply, or by what date. Their public FAQs continue to state "In its first year, rising 9th and 10th graders living in the five western pyramids (Centreville, Chantilly, Oakton, South Lakes, and Westfield) will be eligible to opt in to attending the school." Those FAQs also continue to refer to an application deadline of January 16th. If they are taking students from other pyramids applying later, it is being done on the down low.

You cannot say that the freshman class will be close to full, because there is no transparency as to how many of the "nearly 650" students opting in are rising 10th graders.

It does make sense that the numbers will continue to fluctuate if they are continuing to allow students to opt in and continuing to allow those who have opted in to change their minds.

None of this makes it easier for families still on the fence, assuming they still have an option, to make a decision, or for the new administration to plan for next year. They are going to have a very busy summer and, most likely, some planning to attend may end up disappointed with courses that Skyview may be unable to offer in its first years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The admin at Skyview will be really good, the teachers are excited to be there, the kids are opted in for many reasons and they will be trailblazers, the school will only get bigger (opt in and opt out will be a thing of the past soon) and better (especially the facilities) EVERY year, we should celebrate this new and needed HS in FCPS.

It seems like a very expensive proposition, at least in the first year or two. No disrespect but it sounds like it’s going to be a huge misallocation of resources at first primarily to benefit a small group of non-sporty kids from Carson who didn’t think they’d fit in at Westfield or South Lakes. Hearing next to nothing about kids from Centreville, Chantilly or Oakton opting in - and it’s understandable why few from Centreville would opt in when the odds of their being in the final boundaries are so small.

I don’t understand why they aren’t taking more time and then opening this as the community school people really wanted.

It might seem surprising, but many academically advanced kids are also athletic. The families who opted in did extensive research of both Skyview and their base schools and communicated with school admins before making their decision. Perhaps it’s just that your circle doesn’t include the types of students who are opting in—risk-takers, strong leaders, academically advanced, athletic, and with engaged parents.

You're trying to copy a page from the TJ "We Came for the Sports" banner and it's not working. Just read the threads from the posters saying their kids opting into Skyview don't play sports. Also, TJ had full athletic facilities and programs from the day it opened. Skyview, not so much.

As another poster noted, it will be an expensive slog to get any athletes in the opt-in class to their base schools and back for practices. You can't claim that's not a big challenge, especially when so much as the rationale for Skyview was that the neighborhoods near Carson were so far away from their current high schools.

[Anonymous]

Going back to the initial question. Have any teachers received an offer yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going back to the initial question. Have any teachers received an offer yet?

Yes. Teacher from South Lakes sent an email this morning that they've accepted a position at Skyview.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going back to the initial question. Have any teachers received an offer yet?

Yes. Teacher from South Lakes sent an email this morning that they've accepted a position at Skyview.

Lovely of FCPS to create a dynamic where teachers jump to avoid getting pushed. It won't just be at South Lakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going back to the initial question. Have any teachers received an offer yet?

Yes. Teacher from South Lakes sent an email this morning that they've accepted a position at Skyview.

Lovely of FCPS to create a dynamic where teachers jump to avoid getting pushed. It won't just be at South Lakes.

That's an interesting assumption.