BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013

[Anonymous]

I did the online registration on their website. Now they tell me to bring the print out of registration in person to their office. Any idea why they want me to bring it in? Why can't this be e-mailed, mailed in, or faxed? They have already received it electronically through their website. Has anyone brought the print out in person? It seems very unproductive just to bring it in. They are not requiring anything else ( like proof of residency, birth cert. etc)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

1. Basis will have a gym? A gym fits in that building? Is that where they are doing PE, since there is no outdoor space?

2. Do they have a school uniform?

3. Is there a chance that they may have to relocate to a bigger building once they expand the grades year after year? (9th grade next year, 10th grade after that....)

4. They are anticipating to have extracurricular activities. Where would they do the soccer or baseball (or any other sports) practice?

I know these are not academic related questions. But I understand they aim to have a very rigorous academic program, so I'd like to learn about other areas.

1. No standard gym, but they'll have an "exercise room" on the 1st floor. The architectural plans for the building are on the website. They had been talking about a potential partnership with the YWCA up the street but I don't know where they are with that. They also plan to use the Mall for running around.

2. No school uniform.

3. No plans to move to a bigger building. The building in Penn Quarter is it.

So, with no playing fields, no theater, no orchestra/band space, and limited access to athletic facilities, how are students supposed to develop a satisfying, well-rounded, and competitive profile?

You still have not got what Basis is about, right? You want theater, orchestra, etc..., you do not go to Basis.

That's a pity. At my Ivy undergrad, being a well-rounded applicant (and student) was not just important, but imperative. I don't believe things have changed that much since the 90s.

Perhaps all those AP courses will save you credits at some colleges and universities. In and of themselves, they're not going to open exclusive doors. Everybody takes AP courses now, what ELSE can you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wilson has a math / science academy that just took first in the region in the FIRST robotics competition. Visit their web page. This is a BIG deal. Those kids are going straight to MIT or any other school of their choosing. Most schools in the city have chess club. Latin high school students finished first in many categories of the city INTEL Science Fair (that feeds Siemens). Walls swept the grand prize there. All of these schools have honors and AP classes in math/science. I know children who have left MoCo precisely because the focus was 'acceleration, acceleration', but they kind of felt like their child was a cog. I think both urban and suburban schools have a lot to offer, but let's not just write off a whole group of schools so quickly.

Yes, there are some neo science stars at Wilson, but since almost any kid can wander into said academy, it's hardly about to start feeding a cohort of kids to MIT. My husband is involved in the Metro area MIT grad community and says that he's concerned that Latin, Deal and Wilson don't exactly knock themselves out to cultivate talent or push top kids (when did a kid last get in?). And nobody goes straight to the top school of their choosing these days, even if they take 8 or 9 AP tests, half sciences, and get all 5s, not with MIT and Cal Tech admitting less than 10%, all science/math whizzes. I've seen Blair magnet and TJ kids get into Harvard yet be rejected by a number of other schools (Stanford, Princeton, Yale etc.). You hear this sort of thing a lot from Wilson parents, but their logic is faulty on several levels. Parents tend to assume that coming from a DC public school entails getting a break from Ivies, but that's no longer the case, even for low SES minority kids. Too many kids applying, double the number just a decade ago. Ivies now reject 3/4 of HS valedictorians. Acceleration certainly isn't what a lot of kids want or need, but at least in Mo. Co. there's the option and it's serious.

I am not sure how your friend is basing a claim about Latin on a first graduating class (validity?). Wilson has great college placement from what I've seen. I would not consider Walls a math and science school, thought it does not seem like their offerings there are shabby. Seems more liberal arts to me. Anyhow, you seem very clear on what you are looking for and seem to have found the right place for your kid based on that. Does Blair have a straight to MIT track and great yearly placement there? It sounds like that is what you are interested in; good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

1. Basis will have a gym? A gym fits in that building? Is that where they are doing PE, since there is no outdoor space?

2. Do they have a school uniform?

3. Is there a chance that they may have to relocate to a bigger building once they expand the grades year after year? (9th grade next year, 10th grade after that....)

4. They are anticipating to have extracurricular activities. Where would they do the soccer or baseball (or any other sports) practice?

I know these are not academic related questions. But I understand they aim to have a very rigorous academic program, so I'd like to learn about other areas.

1. No standard gym, but they'll have an "exercise room" on the 1st floor. The architectural plans for the building are on the website. They had been talking about a potential partnership with the YWCA up the street but I don't know where they are with that. They also plan to use the Mall for running around.

2. No school uniform.

3. No plans to move to a bigger building. The building in Penn Quarter is it.

So, with no playing fields, no theater, no orchestra/band space, and limited access to athletic facilities, how are students supposed to develop a satisfying, well-rounded, and competitive profile?

They pursue these activities outside of school:

If they like to sing, they join the church choir or notebusters.

If they like to dance, they do ballet.

If they like to play soccer, they do DC Stoddert.

If they like to play baseball, they do little league.

If they like martial arts, they find a dojo.

If they like to camp and hike, they join the boy scouts.

There are some many great organizations that provide extracurricular activities for kids in this city, why fault a school whose mission is to provide a rigorous college prep program for not replicating these programs in school, especially when the results will not be as good? Let BASIS focus on what it does best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did the online registration on their website. Now they tell me to bring the print out of registration in person to their office. Any idea why they want me to bring it in? Why can't this be e-mailed, mailed in, or faxed? They have already received it electronically through their website. Has anyone brought the print out in person? It seems very unproductive just to bring it in. They are not requiring anything else ( like proof of residency, birth cert. etc)

You're right, PP. This is a hassle. I wish we could skip it as well.

From what I can tell, this has to do with DC clamping down on non-residents enrolling in DCPS and charter schools.

They want to see original documents you will be providing to prove residency. The administrator who checks your documents will photo copy them and sign a statement attesting to the fact that the original documents were presented.

I all fairness, in this age it is easy to forge documents electronically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did the online registration on their website. Now they tell me to bring the print out of registration in person to their office. Any idea why they want me to bring it in? Why can't this be e-mailed, mailed in, or faxed? They have already received it electronically through their website. Has anyone brought the print out in person? It seems very unproductive just to bring it in. They are not requiring anything else ( like proof of residency, birth cert. etc)

You're right, PP. This is a hassle. I wish we could skip it as well.

From what I can tell, this has to do with DC clamping down on non-residents enrolling in DCPS and charter schools.

They want to see original documents you will be providing to prove residency. The administrator who checks your documents will photo copy them and sign a statement attesting to the fact that the original documents were presented.

I all fairness, in this age it is easy to forge documents electronically.

I totally understand how schools want to see the original documentation for the proof of residency, etc. What I don't get is that they want me to print out the registration form and bring it in. Nothing else. And that registration form barely has our information on it - name, address, phone number, DOB. If they want me to bring it in person, why aren't they doing the verification of DC residency at the same time? That's the part I don't get. What are we accomplishing by me bringing in just the registration form that contains barely anything? Has this occurred to anyone's mind? Did anyone bring anything else to show them?

[Anonymous]

"Lack of facilities" is a trait that virtually all of the schools in DC could be considered to suffer from to some degree or another. They all manage to improvise.

[Anonymous]

Maybe asking you to bring in the registration printout is because they don't consider an electronic signature valid, and want you to sign on paper?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did the online registration on their website. Now they tell me to bring the print out of registration in person to their office. Any idea why they want me to bring it in? Why can't this be e-mailed, mailed in, or faxed? They have already received it electronically through their website. Has anyone brought the print out in person? It seems very unproductive just to bring it in. They are not requiring anything else ( like proof of residency, birth cert. etc)

You're right, PP. This is a hassle. I wish we could skip it as well.

From what I can tell, this has to do with DC clamping down on non-residents enrolling in DCPS and charter schools.

They want to see original documents you will be providing to prove residency. The administrator who checks your documents will photo copy them and sign a statement attesting to the fact that the original documents were presented.

I all fairness, in this age it is easy to forge documents electronically.

I totally understand how schools want to see the original documentation for the proof of residency, etc. What I don't get is that they want me to print out the registration form and bring it in. Nothing else. And that registration form barely has our information on it - name, address, phone number, DOB. If they want me to bring it in person, why aren't they doing the verification of DC residency at the same time? That's the part I don't get. What are we accomplishing by me bringing in just the registration form that contains barely anything? Has this occurred to anyone's mind? Did anyone bring anything else to show them?

Are you sure, PP? They asked me to bring my signed registration form in with proof of residency and health forms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


That's a pity. At my Ivy undergrad, being a well-rounded applicant (and student) was not just important, but imperative. I don't believe things have changed that much since the 90s.

Perhaps all those AP courses will save you credits at some colleges and universities. In and of themselves, they're not going to open exclusive doors. Everybody takes AP courses now, what ELSE can you do?

Basis will be offering a plethora of activities as I previously posted If you look at the other Basis schools they all have lots of activities to participate in as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


That's a pity. At my Ivy undergrad, being a well-rounded applicant (and student) was not just important, but imperative. I don't believe things have changed that much since the 90s.

Perhaps all those AP courses will save you credits at some colleges and universities. In and of themselves, they're not going to open exclusive doors. Everybody takes AP courses now, what ELSE can you do?

Basis will be offering a plethora of activities as I previously posted If you look at the other Basis schools they all have lots of activities to participate in as well.

I'm not interested in the other Basis schools, I'm not interested in moving to Arizona.

So, can we expect varsity soccer, crew, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis, baseball/softball, swimming, and basketball? Plus debate team, thespians, and drama? And band & orchestra? Math team, chess team, and Model UN? Language clubs and foreign exchange programs? What about the IB Diploma?

Is this even a well-rounded education or just a grind towards racking up AP coursework?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


That's a pity. At my Ivy undergrad, being a well-rounded applicant (and student) was not just important, but imperative. I don't believe things have changed that much since the 90s.

Perhaps all those AP courses will save you credits at some colleges and universities. In and of themselves, they're not going to open exclusive doors. Everybody takes AP courses now, what ELSE can you do?

Basis will be offering a plethora of activities as I previously posted If you look at the other Basis schools they all have lots of activities to participate in as well.

I'm not interested in the other Basis schools, I'm not interested in moving to Arizona.

So, can we expect varsity soccer, crew, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis, baseball/softball, swimming, and basketball? Plus debate team, thespians, and drama? And band & orchestra? Math team, chess team, and Model UN? Language clubs and foreign exchange programs? What about the IB Diploma?

Is this even a well-rounded education or just a grind towards racking up AP coursework?

The other Basis schools in Arizona are an indication of how Basis operates. Given they have plenty of activities at their other schools, it stands to reason that they will do the same in DC. "Not interested in moving to Arizona" arrives at the faulty conclusion that 1+1=0.

As for "varsity soccer, crew, lacrosse, volleyball, tennis, baseball/softball, swimming, and basketball? Plus debate team, thespians, and drama? And band & orchestra? Math team, chess team, and Model UN? Language clubs and foreign exchange programs? What about the IB Diploma?" - Virtually none of the schools in DC offer that exact repertoire of activities, so yet another red herring.

[Anonymous]

That's a pity. At my Ivy undergrad, being a well-rounded applicant (and student) was not just important, but imperative. I don't believe things have changed that much since the 90s.

Perhaps all those AP courses will save you credits at some colleges and universities. In and of themselves, they're not going to open exclusive doors. Everybody takes AP courses now, what ELSE can you do?

Sadly, things have changed that much and well-rounded is not what Basis is after. They are only about the test scores. All the test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly, things have changed that much and well-rounded is not what Basis is after. They are only about the test scores. All the test scores.

What is your evidence for saying that there aren't going to be activities? The Basis schools in Arizona have sports and other activities - Basis has a top-down model that they are following, with each Basis school following the same plan, and other posters in this thread have named activities that Basis will have. So how and why exactly are you arriving at this conclusion that it will not be the same in DC and that there will be no activities in the face of all the information out there?

I think you are just spreading FUD and I question your motives for making these kinds of statements.

[Anonymous]

There's a lot of palpable energy in that last post for a school that hasn't opened yet.

I think people are just wondering whether their very bright and well rounded children will appreciate what is offered in Washington right now. I know of families who are sitting on the side lines for this very reason. I have a kid who might be desirable to BASIS, but we know the program will take a while to gel.

Meanwhile, we have chosen a school for next year that will offer enough academic rigor while making available well established extracurricular programs onsite. We are already in the Stoddert league and do private music lessons, so we don't need to do anymore running about the city at the moment.