Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal
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Anonymous
Polite suggestion for you, DCPS and the new principal, ASK THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARENTS WHAT THEY WANT IN A NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL. Seriously, if LT left a survey form in my mailbox asking me what sort of new programs and policies I'd like to see in place there, I'd put time, effort and thougt into filling it in, like hundreds of other neighborhood parents surely would. When I was volunteering on a political primary campaign in the spring, a dozen of us got a flier into every single LT District mail box in one afternoon. I'd ask for various things SWS, Cap Hill Montessori and Maury and Brent offer but LT doesn't. My somewhat over-the-top list would include... *better big kids playground without trash piling up in and around it *crack-downs on PG County Address cheaters filing no DC taxes (the Maury principal has famously charged some tuition/tossed them out) *far more support for advanced learners, including pullout groups from K and looping up a year for math for grades 3+ *concerted push to raise parent contributions and donations to the school (including fund raising gala on a par with Brent's bringing in tens of thousands of dollars) *more and better organized field trips to Smithsonian museums with more chaperones *more diverse, better educated, and less PC teaching staff *decent school garden and environmental studies program *better art room; better music room and full-time music teacher; full-time librarian; better PE program *quality stage sound system to support school performances (anybody else see Annie at Brent this year?) *Tier 1 Scripts Spelling Bee and National Geographic Geography Bee competitions for grades 3+ *higher-octane after school like chess club, robotics, and Harry Potter club *more serious Spanish instruction *the Hills first-ever club to prepare students for Johns Hopkins CTY summer camps from 2nd grade, including PRAXIS test prep *science competitions club (usually only found in DC private schools) Please add your own wish list here if you won't mind taking flak for it. |
Anonymous
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Got news for you 09:26: DCPS did this, around the time Cobbs was hired. And they got blowback from families then attending the school, who said, "Hey! We're already here. Why don't you ask us what we would like to see at our school, instead of asking people who don't even send their kids here."
As an OOB LT parent, I strongly object to the idea that the preferences of an IB LT parent should be given greater weight than my preferences. We are all parents at the school, and none of us should be given more or less consideration because of our home address. That goes double when you're talking about the preferences of people who *aren't even parents* at LT. If you want to be a stakeholder at LT, enroll your kid in the school. |
Anonymous
sounds like you'd be happiest in private school. |
Anonymous
| ^^^ Sounds like you're a DCPS administrator who doesn't want a school to excel because that would be more work. Go work in your suburban community and get off the DC taxpayer dole. You're not a public servant. |
Anonymous
Immediate PP, you're right on. Please don't stop and don't listen to the do-nothing DCPS bureaucracy. |
Anonymous
09:39 again -- although I object in principle, I also have comments on some of your suggestions: *better big kids playground without trash piling up in and around it = I don't think anyone would object to this *crack-downs on PG County Address cheaters filing no DC taxes (the Maury principal has famously charged some tuition/tossed them out) = I don't get why people get so up in arms about cheaters, it seems to me like a way to "ethnically cleanse" a schools, but whatever. *far more support for advanced learners, including pullout groups from K and looping up a year for math for grades 3+ My daughter just finished K and got great support. I can't speak to the upper grades, but the K teachers do an excellent job of differentiation, and the 1st & 2nd grade parents I've spoken with seem satisfied as well. *concerted push to raise parent contributions and donations to the school (including fund raising gala on a par with Brent's bringing in tens of thousands of dollars) That would be nice, but remember the school does still serve a majority FARMs population. I think it's important to plan events with an eye not only on fundraising but also on being inclusive of the greater school community. *more and better organized field trips to Smithsonian museums with more chaperones Overall, I've been really pleased with the number and variety of field trips at LT -- especially the ones that get the kids outside & out of the city. (I think that's probably a higher priority for me than the Smithsonian museums, which -- with the exception of Udvar-Hazy -- are easy enough for any DC family to get to outside of school time.) Still, IME they hit the various museums every year or two. Chaperones is a challenge, b/c they have to be fingerprinted per DCPS regulations and also because there's limited bus space (& more busses cost more money). *more diverse, better educated, and less PC teaching staff IME the teaching staff is a strong point at LT. Your "less PC" comment sounds like you think they are hiring duds for the sake of diversity, which hasn't been my experience at all. (Frankly, it sounds like you're looking for a polite way of saying you want more teachers who aren't black, but maybe I'm misinterpreting?) *decent school garden and environmental studies program No argument there. *better art room; better music room and full-time music teacher; full-time librarian; better PE program The school was JUST renovated with new rooms! They also have a librarian and they make good use of the library (though I don't know how Mr. C. splits his time). The reading festival/auction each year is a great event as well. No argument about PE. *quality stage sound system to support school performances (anybody else see Annie at Brent this year?) Yeah, I'm on board with this. Maybe something for the PTA to champion? *Tier 1 Scripts Spelling Bee and National Geographic Geography Bee competitions for grades 3+ You may not be aware LT's team were the Intermediate GeoPlunge champions in the fall 2013 tournament. *higher-octane after school like chess club, robotics, and Harry Potter club Harry Potter is higher octane? Otherwise, sure. *more serious Spanish instruction LT has a great start on a French program with a dynamic teacher; I would hate to see them switch focus to Spanish at this point. *the Hills first-ever club to prepare students for Johns Hopkins CTY summer camps from 2nd grade, including PRAXIS test prep *science competitions club (usually only found in DC private schools) No argument with these. |
Anonymous
| Out-of-state ztudents not paying tuition are stealing. Yes, they are STEALING and need to be reported. This is not ethnically cleansing, this is the prevention of fraud. Yes, FRAUD. If crimes don't bother you, then you have a problem. |
Anonymous
| Zudents = students. Sorry. |
Anonymous
| If its okay for students from PG to go to DC schools without paying, can y'all also allow MoCo and NoVa students to do so? I bet Sela enrollment would look better if you did. |
Anonymous
YES! |
Anonymous
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PP, I wonder if it be helpful to email your survey proposal to the new principal. To at least see what she thinks of it...it can tell us real quick if she is into neighborhood patents or not. I think her email is public.
I think IB parents have just as much right to offer their opinions about the school as parents of enrolled OOB children since IB patents * pay* for what's offered at the school. Note I say as much, not more or less. |
Anonymous
| Cluster parents: I think it is still pretty easy to enroll at LT as OOB. Come on over... |
Anonymous
^^^really? Have you asked parents whose children participate in CTY if it's because of the school their child attends or is it the child? by your reasoning, alll of the students who attend key. lafayette, murch, mann, etc are participants in CTY. bottom line is this, if your child isn't qualified for CTY, it's not the school fault, it is because your child isn't talented. |
Anonymous
| I second the trash issue... There are no trash cans in the playground and I always wondered why. We go there to play with our not-school aged child and I often have to carry might trash back home. |
Anonymous
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I think the new school motto should be
L-T: less PC, less PG and more IB! (This is a joke) |