OK. I'm game, what's so bad about Peabody/Watkins?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could also play the lottery for 6th grade at SH. Anyone know the likelihood of getting an OOB spot there in 6th versus 5th? Are you inboundary for Watkins?

The Cluster Principal came to Brent and said she wants Maury and Brent students to attend SH. It kinda looked like a wink and a nod that indicated if students from those schools applied, they would get in.

Last year, most students from those schools who wanted to get in eventually got in. If not right away, at some point over the summer. Although, that may have been the case for any student from any school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How awful is it to move a kid in 5th to Watkins to guarantee SH? I hate to do it. He's in 4th grade now @ Brent. My kid is very social, confident, adaptable, fairly athletic, advanced in math (but not in other areas). He really wants to go to SH. He knows a few kids at Watkins from sports.

It's not awful at all, people do that kind of stuff all the time. A friend moved his, then 6th grader, out of SH last year and into Hardy because they wanted the feed to Wilson. There was no other reason than, they wanted the Wilson feed.

I suggest you apply for Watkins this year just to keep your options open. And then if you dont get it try for SH next year. I'm doing the same. Applied OOB (with sibling preference) to Watkins last year for 2nd grade. Got in but didn't take my slot but am applying again this year (with sibling preference again) and hoping to get in next year for 3rd grade. We will definitely take the slot if we get it this time.

[Anonymous]

My child is in 5th at Watkins this year. Several students from Brent have joined the class.

If you child really wants to go to SH, it is (1) much easier to get into Watkins @5th than SH @ 6th, lottery wise, and (2) nice to get to know peers before the larger MS.

The 5th grade class room teachers range from great (1), fine (2), room for improvement (1). Team taught with the great & room for improvement one team, the fine the other team.

5th graders do the MLK speech at Lincoln Memorial, look at the channel 7 news piece from Jan 18, it is a great experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP asked what's so bad about Peabody and Watkins. Nothing is so bad. Yet, although its facilities are probably the best on the Hill, Watkins doesn't feel nearly as much like increasingly upscale neighborhood around it as either Brent or Maury.

Why not? The Brent and Maury PTAs have knocked themsleves out to reinvent their schools as institutions where upper-middle-class families are comfortable first and foremost, while Watkins hasn't kept up with the times. Brent now has a mostly white teaching staff and student body in a mostly white neighborhood. Watkins has a largely AA teaching staff in a mostly white neighborhood. Brent and Maury spend PTA money to hire aides to provide pullout differentiation. To my knowledge, Watkins doesn't. In-class differentiation is half-assed by comparision.

Brent no longer forces students to do structured DC-CAS test prep because the princpal won't play ball with DCPS on that score. What's the point when the school is mostly white, and white kids mostly score advanced? Watkins still does it. And Brent and Maury look a lot better outside than they did around 2005, while Watkins looks worse to me.

Watkins needs to adapt to thrive; it will survive by virtue of its location. It's losing more white kids in upper grades than it was a few years ago. Most of my Peabody/Watkins District friends are hoping to head to Inspired Teaching or language immersion schools, with the IB options as Plan B. Do some soul searching Watkins parents, what do you want to be five years from now? Plan C?

So you're talking 2nd grade and lower at Maury, because Maury's scores are higher than Tyler and Amidon Bowden. comparable to Miner, Payne and JO Wilson, and behind Ludlow Taylor, Watkins and Brent. DC CAS can be misleading, but it's hard to believe Maury is quite there yet when students produce so abysmally in the upper grades. How much pull-out could possibly be happening with Maury's upper grade scores?

Inspired Teaching? Really? That must be a fun commute from the Hill to Michigan Park with a 4 year old. Good luck with that.

I live on the Hill outskirts, and didn't apply to a single Hill school, in large part because of the nasty attitudes displayed many by Hill parents on this board.

Parents essentially make a school, and kids learn from their parents; I didn't want my DC exposed to ideas like those in this thread, and I didn't want to have to socialize or support a school with parents who can talk so freely about not wanting their kid to be "the one white kid in 200 AAs". Do you think your kids, growing up absorbing your ideas, would be so welcoming and wonderful if there's only one AA in predominately white class/activity group? Do you think your prejudices are any less ugly than the kid's behaviors you're trashing?

I make the drive to IT every day with my 3.5 year old, and thank my lucky stars we don't have to go to a Hill school.

NP here--If you are really allowing DCUM to inform your school choices that much, you are nuts.

+10,000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year, most students from those schools who wanted to get in eventually got in. If not right away, at some point over the summer. Although, that may have been the case for any student from any school.

All got in where they wanted, with room to spare, everywhere in DC, PS and charters, including SH. The fear mongering is incredible. Why sacrifice your child's pivotal 5th grade experience?! And consider this: transferring your child into 5th at Watkins will not only lead to no ES graduation experience but to two years of lost opportunities and broken friendships, as by far not all Watkins students even go to Stuart-Hobson.

Not to mention that whatever you think the worst case scenario is (God forbid someone's child would actually have to attend Eliot-Hine!) is really actually quite acceptable. Here you have it, no boosterism, plain informed assessment: I'd pick Eliot-Hine over St. Peters anytime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year, most students from those schools who wanted to get in eventually got in. If not right away, at some point over the summer. Although, that may have been the case for any student from any school.

All got in where they wanted, with room to spare, everywhere in DC, PS and charters, including SH. The fear mongering is incredible. Why sacrifice your child's pivotal 5th grade experience?! And consider this: transferring your child into 5th at Watkins will not only lead to no ES graduation experience but to two years of lost opportunities and broken friendships, as by far not all Watkins students even go to Stuart-Hobson.

Not to mention that whatever you think the worst case scenario is (God forbid someone's child would actually have to attend Eliot-Hine!) is really actually quite acceptable. Here you have it, no boosterism, plain informed assessment: I'd pick Eliot-Hine over St. Peters anytime.

Why are you attacking a parent who is trying to do right by her kid? If you want to send your kid to Eliot Hine, please do so. I may do the same, but I owe it to my kid to think through the options. The three or four pro EH families really bug me with the guilting of other people.
I'd be much more convinced by them if and when their kids attend EH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year, most students from those schools who wanted to get in eventually got in. If not right away, at some point over the summer. Although, that may have been the case for any student from any school.

All got in where they wanted, with room to spare, everywhere in DC, PS and charters, including SH. The fear mongering is incredible. Why sacrifice your child's pivotal 5th grade experience?! And consider this: transferring your child into 5th at Watkins will not only lead to no ES graduation experience but to two years of lost opportunities and broken friendships, as by far not all Watkins students even go to Stuart-Hobson.

Not to mention that whatever you think the worst case scenario is (God forbid someone's child would actually have to attend Eliot-Hine!) is really actually quite acceptable. Here you have it, no boosterism, plain informed assessment: I'd pick Eliot-Hine over St. Peters anytime.

What is the "ES graduation experience"??

[Anonymous]

Go for it lady. Send your child to Eliot Hine. I take it not already there, right? But why the need to fear monger in the other direction. No elementary graduation! Broken friendships! And along the way insinuating from a very high horse that people who don't agree with you are simply uninformed if not worse. It's ok. No need to look out for everyone. It's coming off as desperate and not helping your case.

[Anonymous]

NP here "What is the ES graduation experience?" -- I'll answer. A bunch of BS. Who cares if you "graduate" anything less than HS (or, in our family, college)? This is the feel-good nonsense handed down to appease the low-SES families that DCPS caters to, rather than ensuring the high school graduation of all DC public school students. Everyone "graduates" fifth grade!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here "What is the ES graduation experience?" -- I'll answer. A bunch of BS. Who cares if you "graduate" anything less than HS (or, in our family, college)? This is the feel-good nonsense handed down to appease the low-SES families that DCPS caters to, rather than ensuring the high school graduation of all DC public school students. Everyone "graduates" fifth grade!

I agree to a point, but you miss the big picture. My preschooler had a "graduation" ceremony too -- it's just a marker for a transition. It has no academic weight. Just an opportunity to say thank yous and goodbyes. I don't see anything wrong with providing this to 5th graders and I wouldn't equate it to HS matriculation or college graduation. Some kids could spend upwards of 7-8 years in a single school before making their 1st transition.

If I had to choose between best school opportunity or "graduating" it's no contest. Not sure I'd make the move for a single year of gaining a desirable feeder. If it was a move to 5-8/HS option (ie charter) I'd make the jump.

[Anonymous]

My DD and her fourth grade classmates had a huge blowout week of activities including a big late night pool party that included parents and staff. Two-thirds of the kids moved on, and most went to charters. After seven years in elementary these kids were ready to move on. Not much there to lament . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD and her fourth grade classmates had a huge blowout week of activities including a big late night pool party that included parents and staff. Two-thirds of the kids moved on, and most went to charters. After seven years in elementary these kids were ready to move on. Not much there to lament . . .

PP 14:40 here -- that's actually encouraging, because I suspect the exodous from many schools occurs after 4th.

I agree on the dimished returns of staying through 5th unless its a great feeder. Just not sure I'd want three straight years of three different schools between 4th and 6th grade. Two (or one) feels right.

[Anonymous]

^^ and that is why the CH feeder patterns are a mess and why so many families, who ould consider SH, jump ship in 5th for BASIS and Latin, thus guaranteeing a much longer slog before SH ever has a chance of becoming a school filled with neighborhood kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ and that is why the CH feeder patterns are a mess and why so many families, who ould consider SH, jump ship in 5th for BASIS and Latin, thus guaranteeing a much longer slog before SH ever has a chance of becoming a school filled with neighborhood kids.

BASIS has a one year track record -- not sure I see a trend or sample size. Latin is popular CH option. SH is hamstrung by being fed by schools populated predominantly by OOB students. The only feeder with any neighborhood kids is the Cluster, and even there Watkins is heavily OOB. Everyone else scrambles for the best options available, which to date are not Jefferson or Eliot Hine. Just look at the MS boundary map. SH is a postage stamp compared to Hardy or Deal. The SH boundary is drawn to accomodate feeders at the expense of the neighborhood. That's why it doesn't retain CH families. It has nothing to do with charters or when families jump ship from DCPS, which is happening at earlier age levels too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year, most students from those schools who wanted to get in eventually got in. If not right away, at some point over the summer. Although, that may have been the case for any student from any school.

All got in where they wanted, with room to spare, everywhere in DC, PS and charters, including SH. The fear mongering is incredible. Why sacrifice your child's pivotal 5th grade experience?! And consider this: transferring your child into 5th at Watkins will not only lead to no ES graduation experience but to two years of lost opportunities and broken friendships, as by far not all Watkins students even go to Stuart-Hobson.

Not to mention that whatever you think the worst case scenario is (God forbid someone's child would actually have to attend Eliot-Hine!) is really actually quite acceptable. Here you have it, no boosterism, plain informed assessment: I'd pick Eliot-Hine over St. Peters anytime.

Why are you attacking a parent who is trying to do right by her kid? If you want to send your kid to Eliot Hine, please do so. I may do the same, but I owe it to my kid to think through the options. The three or four pro EH families really bug me with the guilting of other people.
I'd be much more convinced by them if and when their kids attend EH.

My point exactly! Mostly, however, the fear mongering is about how you really have to have the options figured out in 4th grade. My point: that's nonsense. You have (a) way more information about your child's learning habits and emerging pre-teen needs in 5th, and (b) you have many more options after 5th, charters, publics and privates. Those who tell you you won't get in at 6th are not telling you the truth. Sure, on March 15th you may not, but the truth is about who starts in late August. DCPS as well as charters are careful to never give you those numbers. Why I wonder. And I put that puzzle in context with the fact that although I have plenty of friends with kids that age, I don't know anybody who didn't eventually get in where they wanted to.
So, yes, absolutely, think your options through but consider the facts when doing so.