Watkins Parents: How pleased are you? How optimistic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent & Maury have 2 classes per grade, I think. LT is the same. Watkins had 5, and is artificially down to 4. Size matters.

yes -- size does matter. Peabody is turning away IB families for PK3 despite having more IB seats than any other DCPS ECE. If Watkins can better retain those families it is sized appropriately. "Artificially down to 4" makes no sense. Unless class sizes have swollen, there are less children at Watkins than previously. I don't have numbers, but it's supposedly 10% smaller than 2013 (~550)

Not really. There are 61 spots and 39 on the wait list. Those are 3 year olds. Realistically there will be about 3 classes worth of IB kids by the time they hit 1st grade. Lots of people will move, get into a charter or go private. Watkins should drop down to 3 classes and build some IB grades to encourage more IB families to give it a try.

your math makes no sense. the attrition is largely a product of dissatisfaction with IB options. If those options are more attractive the attrition should not be considered a given.

I guess we will just have to meet back here and see in a couple years. My bet is on less than half of the Peabody PK3 population this year will go to Watkins for 1st.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent & Maury have 2 classes per grade, I think. LT is the same. Watkins had 5, and is artificially down to 4. Size matters.

yes -- size does matter. Peabody is turning away IB families for PK3 despite having more IB seats than any other DCPS ECE. If Watkins can better retain those families it is sized appropriately. "Artificially down to 4" makes no sense. Unless class sizes have swollen, there are less children at Watkins than previously. I don't have numbers, but it's supposedly 10% smaller than 2013 (~550)

Not really. There are 61 spots and 39 on the wait list. Those are 3 year olds. Realistically there will be about 3 classes worth of IB kids by the time they hit 1st grade. Lots of people will move, get into a charter or go private. Watkins should drop down to 3 classes and build some IB grades to encourage more IB families to give it a try.

your math makes no sense. the attrition is largely a product of dissatisfaction with IB options. If those options are more attractive the attrition should not be considered a given.

I guess we will just have to meet back here and see in a couple years. My bet is on less than half of the Peabody PK3 population this year will go to Watkins for 1st.

When Watkins lists its "seats available" for first grade as 3, what does that mean? How does it know how many seats it has available to give to OOB?

[Anonymous]

Things can change a great deal in three years. I also keep reading about new construction on D Street near the temporary location, Hine MS, etc.

[Anonymous]

Frager's temporary location

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent & Maury have 2 classes per grade, I think. LT is the same. Watkins had 5, and is artificially down to 4. Size matters.

yes -- size does matter. Peabody is turning away IB families for PK3 despite having more IB seats than any other DCPS ECE. If Watkins can better retain those families it is sized appropriately. "Artificially down to 4" makes no sense. Unless class sizes have swollen, there are less children at Watkins than previously. I don't have numbers, but it's supposedly 10% smaller than 2013 (~550)

Not really. There are 61 spots and 39 on the wait list. Those are 3 year olds. Realistically there will be about 3 classes worth of IB kids by the time they hit 1st grade. Lots of people will move, get into a charter or go private. Watkins should drop down to 3 classes and build some IB grades to encourage more IB families to give it a try.

your math makes no sense. the attrition is largely a product of dissatisfaction with IB options. If those options are more attractive the attrition should not be considered a given.

I guess we will just have to meet back here and see in a couple years. My bet is on less than half of the Peabody PK3 population this year will go to Watkins for 1st.

When Watkins lists its "seats available" for first grade as 3, what does that mean? How does it know how many seats it has available to give to OOB?

I think for planning purposes Watkins can't relinquish 1st grade seats to OOB until they see who will enroll from Peabody. So they have to assume Peabody Kindergartners will stay with the Cluster. Only when kids turn elsewhere can they relinquish more OOB seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things can change a great deal in three years. I also keep reading about new construction on D Street near the temporary location, Hine MS, etc.

?? The new construction would be within the current Brent boundary, not the Cluster boundary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent & Maury have 2 classes per grade, I think. LT is the same. Watkins had 5, and is artificially down to 4. Size matters.

yes -- size does matter. Peabody is turning away IB families for PK3 despite having more IB seats than any other DCPS ECE. If Watkins can better retain those families it is sized appropriately. "Artificially down to 4" makes no sense. Unless class sizes have swollen, there are less children at Watkins than previously. I don't have numbers, but it's supposedly 10% smaller than 2013 (~550)

Not really. There are 61 spots and 39 on the wait list. Those are 3 year olds. Realistically there will be about 3 classes worth of IB kids by the time they hit 1st grade. Lots of people will move, get into a charter or go private. Watkins should drop down to 3 classes and build some IB grades to encourage more IB families to give it a try.

your math makes no sense. the attrition is largely a product of dissatisfaction with IB options. If those options are more attractive the attrition should not be considered a given.

I guess we will just have to meet back here and see in a couple years. My bet is on less than half of the Peabody PK3 population this year will go to Watkins for 1st.

you'd have no way to quantify it unless you speak to actual Peabody parents, which I do. that's not scientific either but it beats your presumptions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent & Maury have 2 classes per grade, I think. LT is the same. Watkins had 5, and is artificially down to 4. Size matters.

yes -- size does matter. Peabody is turning away IB families for PK3 despite having more IB seats than any other DCPS ECE. If Watkins can better retain those families it is sized appropriately. "Artificially down to 4" makes no sense. Unless class sizes have swollen, there are less children at Watkins than previously. I don't have numbers, but it's supposedly 10% smaller than 2013 (~550)

Not really. There are 61 spots and 39 on the wait list. Those are 3 year olds. Realistically there will be about 3 classes worth of IB kids by the time they hit 1st grade. Lots of people will move, get into a charter or go private. Watkins should drop down to 3 classes and build some IB grades to encourage more IB families to give it a try.

your math makes no sense. the attrition is largely a product of dissatisfaction with IB options. If those options are more attractive the attrition should not be considered a given.

I guess we will just have to meet back here and see in a couple years. My bet is on less than half of the Peabody PK3 population this year will go to Watkins for 1st.

When Watkins lists its "seats available" for first grade as 3, what does that mean? How does it know how many seats it has available to give to OOB?

Watkins opened 3 seats to the OOB lottery and all three were matched, with two receiving preference based on either an enrolled or accepted sibling. Schools typically use a conservative predictive matrix for upward articulation, such as from K to First, based on recent experience. Additional students can always be taken off the waitlist on an as needed basis. There is also no guarantee that the matched students will enroll.

[Anonymous]

In some instances a principal makes the decision to open up a few seats for the lottery for the express purpose of accommodating a particular younger sibling. From all appearances, this has happened several times at our school.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to find out how many OOB students are in the current first grade class at Watkins? That would be one way of seeing if people from Peabody are going to Watkins, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to find out how many OOB students are in the current first grade class at Watkins? That would be one way of seeing if people from Peabody are going to Watkins, right?

not necessarily. Peabody expands and gains by right IB at K, so those numbers do not reflect the bridge from PK to elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent & Maury have 2 classes per grade, I think. LT is the same. Watkins had 5, and is artificially down to 4. Size matters.

yes -- size does matter. Peabody is turning away IB families for PK3 despite having more IB seats than any other DCPS ECE. If Watkins can better retain those families it is sized appropriately. "Artificially down to 4" makes no sense. Unless class sizes have swollen, there are less children at Watkins than previously. I don't have numbers, but it's supposedly 10% smaller than 2013 (~550)

Not really. There are 61 spots and 39 on the wait list. Those are 3 year olds. Realistically there will be about 3 classes worth of IB kids by the time they hit 1st grade. Lots of people will move, get into a charter or go private. Watkins should drop down to 3 classes and build some IB grades to encourage more IB families to give it a try.

your math makes no sense. the attrition is largely a product of dissatisfaction with IB options. If those options are more attractive the attrition should not be considered a given.

I guess we will just have to meet back here and see in a couple years. My bet is on less than half of the Peabody PK3 population this year will go to Watkins for 1st.

you'd have no way to quantify it unless you speak to actual Peabody parents, which I do. that's not scientific either but it beats your presumptions

I am IB for Peabody and speak to Peabody parents extensively as we are trying to figure out WTF we are going to do for first grade. I would say at least 70% of the time the response is "there is no way in hell my kid is going to Watkins."

[Anonymous]

What's not to like about Watkins? You can get high with 30 year old dudes on the basketball courts while your kid (and five of their friends) get mugged on the fields. One stop shopping!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent & Maury have 2 classes per grade, I think. LT is the same. Watkins had 5, and is artificially down to 4. Size matters.

yes -- size does matter. Peabody is turning away IB families for PK3 despite having more IB seats than any other DCPS ECE. If Watkins can better retain those families it is sized appropriately. "Artificially down to 4" makes no sense. Unless class sizes have swollen, there are less children at Watkins than previously. I don't have numbers, but it's supposedly 10% smaller than 2013 (~550)

Not really. There are 61 spots and 39 on the wait list. Those are 3 year olds. Realistically there will be about 3 classes worth of IB kids by the time they hit 1st grade. Lots of people will move, get into a charter or go private. Watkins should drop down to 3 classes and build some IB grades to encourage more IB families to give it a try.

your math makes no sense. the attrition is largely a product of dissatisfaction with IB options. If those options are more attractive the attrition should not be considered a given.

I guess we will just have to meet back here and see in a couple years. My bet is on less than half of the Peabody PK3 population this year will go to Watkins for 1st.

you'd have no way to quantify it unless you speak to actual Peabody parents, which I do. that's not scientific either but it beats your presumptions

I am IB for Peabody and speak to Peabody parents extensively as we are trying to figure out WTF we are going to do for first grade. I would say at least 70% of the time the response is "there is no way in hell my kid is going to Watkins."

are you a Peabody parent or a new mommy fretting over "the schools"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's not to like about Watkins? You can get high with 30 year old dudes on the basketball courts while your kid (and five of their friends) get mugged on the fields. One stop shopping!

Do you know if the getting high on the basketball courts, and getting mugged on the filed happens before, during, or after school?