Chesterbrook or Haycock

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not rumor mongering. Nobody is saying it's going to happen. All that is being said is that it's possible and it has happened before. Haycock will remain overcrowded next year and Ms, Strauss said she would eliminate the center before she'd redistrict the base school so it's more likely that they would eliminate the Haycock center than all of the centers as you suggest.

It's possible that any school could redirect and move students to another school. This is a risk anyone makes when attending public schools. The degree of that risk differentiates advice between a helpful heads up and rumor mongering. As FCPS has said nothing about further redistricting students, Haycock is getting a renovation that will allow the school to house more students in the school, the school is rezoning to allow for more trailers in the future if needed, and the redistricting that just occurred this year will transfer three of the AAP feeder schools, reducing the schools population by 120 students, advice that McLean pyramid students would be redistricted falls in the land of rumor mongering.

[Anonymous]

Actually, it only reduces the school by about 90 students (slightly less because a few will pupil place). Chances are there will be additional kindergarten class next year, so the reduction is closer to 65 when those two factor are taken into account. That leaves the school hovering around 900 and the renovated school will provide for fewer students. The mod will likely have to stay after the renovation.

So the choice MIGHT be to keep trailers at Haycock or lose the center. Not rumor mongering, but speculation based on fact.

It's a good point that the McLean pyramid would be without a center, though. If Haycock remained severely overcrowded, they would have to evaluate whether there was a better school in the McLean pyramid to house the center. They might look at which school is least crowded. (I don't think that's Haycock.) I thought the Haycock base parents were loud and clear that they weren't willing to remain severely overcrowded in order to keep the center. IF the school remains severely overcrowded (which is certainly possible), base parents would likely push for a solution. They are not exactly a quiet group that lets FCPS do what it wants without having input.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, it only reduces the school by about 90 students (slightly less because a few will pupil place). Chances are there will be additional kindergarten class next year, so the reduction is closer to 65 when those two factor are taken into account. That leaves the school hovering around 900 and the renovated school will provide for fewer students. The mod will likely have to stay after the renovation.

So the choice MIGHT be to keep trailers at Haycock or lose the center. Not rumor mongering, but speculation based on fact.

It's a good point that the McLean pyramid would be without a center, though. If Haycock remained severely overcrowded, they would have to evaluate whether there was a better school in the McLean pyramid to house the center. They might look at which school is least crowded. (I don't think that's Haycock.) I thought the Haycock base parents were loud and clear that they weren't willing to remain severely overcrowded in order to keep the center. IF the school remains severely overcrowded (which is certainly possible), base parents would likely push for a solution. They are not exactly a quiet group that lets FCPS do what it wants without having input.

Jamie Strauss made it clear that Haycock cannot keep the modular after renovation. The kids that don't fit in the building will be in trailers.

[Anonymous]

I thought the point of the rezoning was to keep the modular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, it only reduces the school by about 90 students (slightly less because a few will pupil place). Chances are there will be additional kindergarten class next year, so the reduction is closer to 65 when those two factor are taken into account. That leaves the school hovering around 900 and the renovated school will provide for fewer students. The mod will likely have to stay after the renovation.

So the choice MIGHT be to keep trailers at Haycock or lose the center. Not rumor mongering, but speculation based on fact.

It's a good point that the McLean pyramid would be without a center, though. If Haycock remained severely overcrowded, they would have to evaluate whether there was a better school in the McLean pyramid to house the center. They might look at which school is least crowded. (I don't think that's Haycock.) I thought the Haycock base parents were loud and clear that they weren't willing to remain severely overcrowded in order to keep the center. IF the school remains severely overcrowded (which is certainly possible), base parents would likely push for a solution. They are not exactly a quiet group that lets FCPS do what it wants without having input.

If I were in Cluster 2, I would spend less time speculating about Haycock's post-renovation future and more time pressing FCPS to find out where all the students expected to accompany the approved growth in Tysons will be educated. A very large number of these projects are in the Westgate ES district, and that will drive up the GenEd and AAP enrollments at Westgate and Lemon Road. That would probably weigh on my mind more heavily than the number of trailers that may be needed at another school my kids are no longer eligible to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, it only reduces the school by about 90 students (slightly less because a few will pupil place). Chances are there will be additional kindergarten class next year, so the reduction is closer to 65 when those two factor are taken into account. That leaves the school hovering around 900 and the renovated school will provide for fewer students. The mod will likely have to stay after the renovation.

So the choice MIGHT be to keep trailers at Haycock or lose the center. Not rumor mongering, but speculation based on fact.

It's a good point that the McLean pyramid would be without a center, though. If Haycock remained severely overcrowded, they would have to evaluate whether there was a better school in the McLean pyramid to house the center. They might look at which school is least crowded. (I don't think that's Haycock.) I thought the Haycock base parents were loud and clear that they weren't willing to remain severely overcrowded in order to keep the center. IF the school remains severely overcrowded (which is certainly possible), base parents would likely push for a solution. They are not exactly a quiet group that lets FCPS do what it wants without having input.

If I were in Cluster 2, I would spend less time speculating about Haycock's post-renovation future and more time pressing FCPS to find out where all the students expected to accompany the approved growth in Tysons will be educated. A very large number of these projects are in the Westgate ES district, and that will drive up the GenEd and AAP enrollments at Westgate and Lemon Road. That would probably weigh on my mind more heavily than the number of trailers that may be needed at another school my kids are no longer eligible to attend.

There are three closed schools in the area. (Lewinsville (although they would have to find places for the current occupants), Dunn Loring and the recently closed Pimmit Hills Alternative HS.) I am more worried about Middle School and HS.

[Anonymous]

I followed the SB's decision. The school had no choice to remove students....Haycock is seriously overcrowded. So sorry Cluster 2 if professionals such as teachers, school board members and administration did not like the "annex" idea (because it was a horrible, poorly thoughtout idea), but really, do you really want to go into a renovation with 1,100+ students?! You'd have NO play space, field, no plays, lunch at 9:30 an and end at 2:00 p.m., etc.? Move on already! Haycock is working very closely with Lemon Road to help your children through the transition, you should be thankful you're avoiding the disaster of a renovation in a serverely overcrowded school.

[Anonymous]

Choose Chesterbrook. As a Haycock parent, I love the school, the teachers and administration. They work tirelessly to support students. BUT, the parents are EXHAUSTING. I had a heart to heart with one of my favorite teachers EVER who shared with me that she is moving out of the area. She also said that the parents here drive away some of the best teachers and it's gotten out of control with the sheer size. Can you imagine a class of 30 with 60 overbearing parents?! She loves the school and is sad to move, but as she said, "I won't miss the helicopter parents!" I'd stay at Chesterbrook, avoid the drama as a previous poster said.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to change the subject away from the Haycock renovation and the exhausting parents to talk about the curriculums at the two schools. As a Haycock parent, I agree that some parents are exhausting, but I guess I view dealing with that as my problem, not my child's. I think I enjoyed Chesterbrook much more, but perhaps it's more important in choosing schools to consider what's best for your child, yes?

Do people think that Chesterbrook's LLIV is as rigorous as Haycock's program at this point? Both schools maintain that the LLIV is the same curriculum as the AAP center, but then again sometimes I hear anecdotally that Haycock prepares kids much, much better for Longfellow, especially in math. I definitely want to avoid rumor-mongering, so keep in mind I'm really only talking about a few data points, here... and there's no way to really KNOW (unless I guess you had twins, both of whom were in AAP and one went to Haycock while the other stayed at Chesterbrook). Do other people have this impression?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I followed the SB's decision. The school had no choice to remove students....Haycock is seriously overcrowded. So sorry Cluster 2 if professionals such as teachers, school board members and administration did not like the "annex" idea (because it was a horrible, poorly thoughtout idea), but really, do you really want to go into a renovation with 1,100+ students?! You'd have NO play space, field, no plays, lunch at 9:30 an and end at 2:00 p.m., etc.? Move on already! Haycock is working very closely with Lemon Road to help your children through the transition, you should be thankful you're avoiding the disaster of a renovation in a serverely overcrowded school.

Nobody is re-litigating that. If you watched the SB discussions and the parent testimony, you know that the school is desperately overcrowded. Removing 90 or so students is not really going to make a difference as a bigger kindergarten class likely enters reducing the relief. The point people are making is that OP should consider as a factor that the school will remain overcrowded and the SB might look for solutions in the future, which could (but will not necessarily) include moving the non-base school kids out. That's it. The parents spoke over and over about how awful the overcrowding is, you can't change your tune now and say it's not overcrowded. The way the problem was presented, certainly this small fix will not fix it.

I'm glad you think Lemon Road is such a good deal for us. If it's such a good deal, you're welcome to join us. Lemon Road is open for pupil placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Choose Chesterbrook. As a Haycock parent, I love the school, the teachers and administration. They work tirelessly to support students. BUT, the parents are EXHAUSTING. I had a heart to heart with one of my favorite teachers EVER who shared with me that she is moving out of the area. She also said that the parents here drive away some of the best teachers and it's gotten out of control with the sheer size. Can you imagine a class of 30 with 60 overbearing parents?! She loves the school and is sad to move, but as she said, "I won't miss the helicopter parents!" I'd stay at Chesterbrook, avoid the drama as a previous poster said.

This reads like pure fiction, and not very good fiction at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to change the subject away from the Haycock renovation and the exhausting parents to talk about the curriculums at the two schools. As a Haycock parent, I agree that some parents are exhausting, but I guess I view dealing with that as my problem, not my child's. I think I enjoyed Chesterbrook much more, but perhaps it's more important in choosing schools to consider what's best for your child, yes?

Do people think that Chesterbrook's LLIV is as rigorous as Haycock's program at this point? Both schools maintain that the LLIV is the same curriculum as the AAP center, but then again sometimes I hear anecdotally that Haycock prepares kids much, much better for Longfellow, especially in math. I definitely want to avoid rumor-mongering, so keep in mind I'm really only talking about a few data points, here... and there's no way to really KNOW (unless I guess you had twins, both of whom were in AAP and one went to Haycock while the other stayed at Chesterbrook). Do other people have this impression?

My DC is currently at Longfellow on 8th grade. He was at Chesterbrook. He was fully prepared for the math. DC was at the top of his/her algebra honors class last year and DC is at the top of his/her geometry honors class this year. Can't compare to what DC would have received at Haycock, since DC did not attend. I know there is one particular math teacher at Haycock, just like there is one math teacher at Longfellow that a certain group of parents feel is the "ticket" to great math. However, IME, the field is deep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to change the subject away from the Haycock renovation and the exhausting parents to talk about the curriculums at the two schools. As a Haycock parent, I agree that some parents are exhausting, but I guess I view dealing with that as my problem, not my child's. I think I enjoyed Chesterbrook much more, but perhaps it's more important in choosing schools to consider what's best for your child, yes?

Do people think that Chesterbrook's LLIV is as rigorous as Haycock's program at this point? Both schools maintain that the LLIV is the same curriculum as the AAP center, but then again sometimes I hear anecdotally that Haycock prepares kids much, much better for Longfellow, especially in math. I definitely want to avoid rumor-mongering, so keep in mind I'm really only talking about a few data points, here... and there's no way to really KNOW (unless I guess you had twins, both of whom were in AAP and one went to Haycock while the other stayed at Chesterbrook). Do other people have this impression?

My DC is currently at Longfellow on 8th grade. He was at Chesterbrook. He was fully prepared for the math. DC was at the top of his/her algebra honors class last year and DC is at the top of his/her geometry honors class this year. Can't compare to what DC would have received at Haycock, since DC did not attend. I know there is one particular math teacher at Haycock, just like there is one math teacher at Longfellow that a certain group of parents feel is the "ticket" to great math. However, IME, the field is deep.

That one particular math teacher at Haycock feels that the best strategy is oodles of math homework...even on the weekends. My child is great at math, and is benefitting from this teacher, but it's hard to explain why this child's class has homework every single weekend and friends in other classes don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Nobody is re-litigating that. If you watched the SB discussions and the parent testimony, you know that the school is desperately overcrowded. Removing 90 or so students is not really going to make a difference as a bigger kindergarten class likely enters reducing the relief. The point people are making is that OP should consider as a factor that the school will remain overcrowded and the SB might look for solutions in the future, which could (but will not necessarily) include moving the non-base school kids out. That's it. The parents spoke over and over about how awful the overcrowding is, you can't change your tune now and say it's not overcrowded. The way the problem was presented, certainly this small fix will not fix it.

I'm glad you think Lemon Road is such a good deal for us. If it's such a good deal, you're welcome to join us. Lemon Road is open for pupil placement.

Reducing the enrollment by roughly 10% while increasing the school's capacity, expanding Local Level IV to another school in the pyramid, and pursuing a rezoning that may permit additional expansion at Haycock in the future if needed will provide meaningful relief. There is no reason to believe that AAP students in the same cluster at CB or FS will be moved out of Haycock. You seem to be nursing old grievances and it's become quite tiring.

We'll stick with Haycock, but thanks for the invitation. I'm sure Lemon Road is and will be nice.

[Anonymous]

It's getting quite tiring having the Haycock parents refuse to accept that the school is less than perfect.