Lottery Swami checking for lottery 18-19

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami, here is my list for Pk3:

Mundo
Stokes (both)
Yu Ying
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers (both)
Creative Minds
Lee
Shining Stars
Seaton
Langley (IB)

Swami says you need to spend less time thinking about what is a HRCS and what exactly you are looking for in a school.

I'm looking for a school within a manageable drive of either our home or our office, ideally a DCI feeder but failing that, something with a middle school that is close-ish to where we live. Stokes east of the river would be doable for us because of work location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5th grade.

Latin only

DC does not want basis. If we also have basis, I suspect we would get it.

Swami says cloudy, no chance of meatballs. Seek other options.

Bummer. I guess we will need to start touring parochial schools.

[Anonymous]

PK3 (in Anacostia and not thrilled with our IB choice even though it is getting better)

Two Rivers at Young
SWS
Stokes- East
Van Ness
Stokes
Tyler

[Anonymous]

Swami:

PK-4

1. Murch
2. Hearst (in boundary)

Any hope of Murch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami, can use your help ranking for PK3. Any schools we left off?

Shepherd
DC Bilingual
CMI
EL Haynes
Breakthrough Montessori
Powell
Capital City
Center City (BW)
Takoma
Center City (PW)
Bridges
Whittier (IB) - Considering leaving this off

Non-swami here: I appreciate this list's absolutely sober analysis of actual geography and how your commute will work. People putting together lists like Mundo Verde, LAMB, Capitol Hill Montessori and SSMA. They're literally all over the map.

This must also be a neighbor of mine and we had a very similar list last year.

We did apply to LAMB and Bethune 16th outside of the common lottery. For the common lottery we did not apply to Breakthrough (but it wasn't close to home at the time). And we did have West on our list but it likely isn't worth a spot since our wait list number there was terrible (up there with Shepherd). We also had Mundo Verde though I am not sure why; I got a very weird feel from the school when we visited and Sela (where we matched).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swami:

PK-4

1. Murch
2. Hearst (in boundary)

Any hope of Murch?

OP - why do you prefer Murch over Hearst?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami:

PK-4

1. Murch
2. Hearst (in boundary)

Any hope of Murch?

OP - why do you prefer Murch over Hearst?

Not OP, it is probably the swing site. It is turning parents off of hearst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami:

PK-4

1. Murch
2. Hearst (in boundary)

Any hope of Murch?

OP - why do you prefer Murch over Hearst?

Not OP, it is probably the swing site. It is turning parents off of hearst.

Hearst is in its permanent, renovated building. Murch is in swing space now.

[Anonymous]

Swami says Hearst will move back to a joint swing site with Murch. Parents will love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Swami says Hearst will move back to a joint swing site with Murch. Parents will love it.

Swami says don't trust fake swamis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PK3 (in Anacostia and not thrilled with our IB choice even though it is getting better)

Two Rivers at Young
SWS
Stokes- East
Van Ness
Stokes
Tyler

Tyler Spanish or English? Don’t do English. Commenting from experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami:

PK-4

1. Murch
2. Hearst (in boundary)

Any hope of Murch?

OP - why do you prefer Murch over Hearst?

OP here. We are actually closer to Murch. We were in the northern most point to get switched to Hearst. So walking/commute wise Murch is much closer. So Swami any chance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami, here is my list for Pk3:

Mundo
Stokes (both)
Yu Ying
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers (both)
Creative Minds
Lee
Shining Stars
Seaton
Langley (IB)

Swami says you need to spend less time thinking about what is a HRCS and what exactly you are looking for in a school.

I'm looking for a school within a manageable drive of either our home or our office, ideally a DCI feeder but failing that, something with a middle school that is close-ish to where we live. Stokes east of the river would be doable for us because of work location.

I'm not swami, but if you want a DCI feeder, then you need DC Bilingual on your list somewhere ahead of Inspired. Inspired as your top non-language charter is a solid choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PK3 (in Anacostia and not thrilled with our IB choice even though it is getting better)

Two Rivers at Young
SWS
Stokes- East
Van Ness
Stokes
Tyler

Tyler Spanish or English? Don’t do English. Commenting from experience.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not super excited about Tyler but it is close and I've heard it is on an upswing? Welcome your general thoughts about the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in ward 3. Since there are no inbound schools for prek 3, I figure I'd have a better shot at Charter schools.
How do you rank:
Creative Minds International
AppleTree PCS- Columbia Heights
E.L. Haynes
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom
Washington Yu Ying
Breakthrough Montessori
Meridian Public Charter School

Is there any point in applying to DCPS (see below) out of bounds?
Hyde-Addison Elementary School
H.D. Cooke Elementary School
Marie Reed Elementary School
Powell Elementary School
Ross Elementary School
School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens


If your goal is to pull your kid for PK4 or K and send to your IB, I would not go with the bilingual schools. You get all the hardship of a miserable commute and what is often a tough adjustment to the new language without any ultimate benefit of fluency.

Also, I'll say this - if you're the Ward 3 family that's trying to use my Ward 1 and 4 schools to park your kids through to K and aren't interested in the school community, find somewhere else. Too much work already trying to build community without families who are intentionally transient.

You’ll get into Appletree and you won’t piss people off by parking your kid there for only 1-2 years.

I'm sorry. All DC residents have equal rights to enter the lottery and put down choices that reflect their family situation. That means that Ward 3 families can lottery in for PK3 (and increasingly PK4 since those are being crowded out of overpacked schools) and then bail. You might not like it, but that is life. Ward 3 folks would love to have PK3 and to have enough PK4 slots. And no we are not all rich enough that sending our children to private school for 2 more years is a trivial choice.