ACPS - George Mason Elementary becoming middle school?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The city's timeline for rebuilding schools is way too slow. [b]This George Mason rebuild won't be complete for 10 years.[/b] Schools are overcrowded now and they are building so much housing. They should be building completely new schools NOW. Not just talking about rebuilds someone in the future. This is a case of too little to late.

Also let's talk about the Nannie J Lee rec center. This space should be a school. Not used as an office building for city employees. I don't understand why children will be without feilds on the west end in high rise office buildings when on the other end of town city office workers are chillin in a single story building surrounded by ball feilds. [/quote]

Where are you seeing 10 years? ACPS is saying it will be done in fall 2026.

Nannie Lee was a school. School board in the 70s I think gave it to the city. ACPS has asked for it back but city has said no multiple times. [/quote]
+1
I grew up here and right before I started school or when I was in early elementary it was given to the city. The districting was all different bc at the time old town was zoned for elementary at Maury and then all of those kids went to lyles crouch 4-6 and then GW 7-9. [/quote]

That is so weird, to have all kids together in just one school for just 2 grades, but I suppose that explains why Minnie Howard is just 9th. What year was that? [/quote]

Minnie Howard became just 9th grade around 1994 or 95 I think, when the junior high schools became middle schools, and so all the 9th graders moved into Minnie Howard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city's timeline for rebuilding schools is way too slow. This George Mason rebuild won't be complete for 10 years. Schools are overcrowded now and they are building so much housing. They should be building completely new schools NOW. Not just talking about rebuilds someone in the future. This is a case of too little to late.

Also let's talk about the Nannie J Lee rec center. This space should be a school. Not used as an office building for city employees. I don't understand why children will be without feilds on the west end in high rise office buildings when on the other end of town city office workers are chillin in a single story building surrounded by ball feilds.

Where are you seeing 10 years? ACPS is saying it will be done in fall 2026.

Nannie Lee was a school. School board in the 70s I think gave it to the city. ACPS has asked for it back but city has said no multiple times.

+1
I grew up here and right before I started school or when I was in early elementary it was given to the city. The districting was all different bc at the time old town was zoned for elementary at Maury and then all of those kids went to lyles crouch 4-6 and then GW 7-9.

That is so weird, to have all kids together in just one school for just 2 grades, but I suppose that explains why Minnie Howard is just 9th. What year was that?

Minnie Howard became just 9th grade around 1994 or 95 I think, when the junior high schools became middle schools, and so all the 9th graders moved into Minnie Howard.

[Anonymous]

So glad they are doing away with the all 9th grade in one building craziness with the new highschool. It sounds like there may be two separate highschools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So glad they are doing away with the all 9th grade in one building craziness with the new highschool. It sounds like there may be two separate highschools.

What grades are going into the new Minnie Howard? I assumed it would still just be 9th.

If the central office/School Board is willing to to shift things around - like their discussion about the new GM becoming a middle school or K-8 - that is a really good thing. It would be silly to have 300 kids rattling around a 130k sqft school made for 700 to 800 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GM was on a performance plan and it looks like the school failed it.

What does this mean? - ACPS elem parent but not at GM

It means it's one of the worst schools in ACPS - which is saying a lot - especially if you are a minority (38% of the school) or in the economically disadvantaged category.

My kid went there. I'm not surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GM was on a performance plan and it looks like the school failed it.

What does this mean? - ACPS elem parent but not at GM

It means it's one of the worst schools in ACPS - which is saying a lot - especially if you are a minority (38% of the school) or in the economically disadvantaged category.

My kid went there. I'm not surprised.

Must be why the TAG Director pulled her kids and put them in private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GM was on a performance plan and it looks like the school failed it.

What does this mean? - ACPS elem parent but not at GM

It means it's one of the worst schools in ACPS - which is saying a lot - especially if you are a minority (38% of the school) or in the economically disadvantaged category.

My kid went there. I'm not surprised.

Must be why the TAG Director pulled her kids and put them in private.

Who hasn’t pulled their kids to go private? Look at GMES shrinking enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GM was on a performance plan and it looks like the school failed it.

What does this mean? - ACPS elem parent but not at GM

It means it's one of the worst schools in ACPS - which is saying a lot - especially if you are a minority (38% of the school) or in the economically disadvantaged category.

My kid went there. I'm not surprised.

Must be why the TAG Director pulled her kids and put them in private.

Who hasn’t pulled their kids to go private? Look at GMES shrinking enrollment.

True. The math "instruction" there is a joke. GM is in such bad shape that the person in charge of the highest level of elementary instruction appears to have no confidence her employer (or herself I guess).

Weird that no one asked her about that at the last PTA meeting she spoke at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So glad they are doing away with the all 9th grade in one building craziness with the new highschool. It sounds like there may be two separate highschools.

What grades are going into the new Minnie Howard? I assumed it would still just be 9th.

If the central office/School Board is willing to to shift things around - like their discussion about the new GM becoming a middle school or K-8 - that is a really good thing. It would be silly to have 300 kids rattling around a 130k sqft school made for 700 to 800 kids.

On the feedback survey for the new superintendent it says that the plan for the new Minnie Howard building is 9-12. Which is great. Now lets pray that it is a stand alone high school and that that kids won't be walking through the Bradlee shopping center all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So glad they are doing away with the all 9th grade in one building craziness with the new highschool. It sounds like there may be two separate highschools.

What grades are going into the new Minnie Howard? I assumed it would still just be 9th.

If the central office/School Board is willing to to shift things around - like their discussion about the new GM becoming a middle school or K-8 - that is a really good thing. It would be silly to have 300 kids rattling around a 130k sqft school made for 700 to 800 kids.

On the feedback survey for the new superintendent it says that the plan for the new Minnie Howard building is 9-12. Which is great. Now lets pray that it is a stand alone high school and that that kids won't be walking through the Bradlee shopping center all day.

That's great! I hadn't heard that. So it makes a lot of sense to make George Mason into a K-8 or another middle school like ACPS and central office is talking about. Alleviate the pressure at GW & Hammond too. And their 2026 move in date for GM isn't that far away. With numerous building projects in Alexandria and surrounding areas getting shelved, they should be able to find a construction firm that can move quickly.

[Anonymous]

The new GM needs to be bigger than 130K square feet. ACPS keeps saying that they'll keep the original building to placate the neighborhood but it needs to go - my guess is that they'll keep saying that right up until the wrecking ball takes it down though. It's literally crumbling according the ACPS' documents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The new GM needs to be bigger than 130K square feet. ACPS keeps saying that they'll keep the original building to placate the neighborhood but it needs to go - my guess is that they'll keep saying that right up until the wrecking ball takes it down though. It's literally crumbling according the ACPS' documents.

It’s an attractive historic building at a similar scale to the neighborhood homes. I personally hope they keep it even if it means gutting the interior. They can add the additional square footage towards the rear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new GM needs to be bigger than 130K square feet. ACPS keeps saying that they'll keep the original building to placate the neighborhood but it needs to go - my guess is that they'll keep saying that right up until the wrecking ball takes it down though. It's literally crumbling according the ACPS' documents.

It’s an attractive historic building at a similar scale to the neighborhood homes. I personally hope they keep it even if it means gutting the interior. They can add the additional square footage towards the rear.

That isn't the plan. The new school will be built in far back part of the fields over that grove of trees, the underground spring, the baseball field, the tennis court area, soccer fields etc. The additions to the current GM will be removed and the original building will stay (or so they say). Wilson said recently said that the new GM will take up a lot more of the lot and the playing fields.

ACPS has said that any new schools must have a bus loop for safety reasons. That's one reason that they won't just add on to the current building. It's impossible to have a bus loop with the current building. They've also made it very clear that GM is a total rebuild. NOT a renovation or additions.

The city isn't particularly concerned with a new building matching the neighborhood or being in scale. Look at the new firehouse a block down from the school. It's a LOT better than their first design but it doesn't fit with the neighborhood. And the community was on top of that.

It sounds like the school community is clueless about what is happening, what is coming and how ACPS/the City works. They may be in the dark because people who would normally lead the effort are close with Wilson, the School Board and ACPS establishment.

My bet would be on the original GM being leveled at the last minute. ACPS will "discover" that the building is in really bad shape (it is) or that it doesn't work to have it because of the bus loop or tell the community to chose between the building and having a turf playing field there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new GM needs to be bigger than 130K square feet. ACPS keeps saying that they'll keep the original building to placate the neighborhood but it needs to go - my guess is that they'll keep saying that right up until the wrecking ball takes it down though. It's literally crumbling according the ACPS' documents.

It’s an attractive historic building at a similar scale to the neighborhood homes. I personally hope they keep it even if it means gutting the interior. They can add the additional square footage towards the rear.

That isn't the plan. The new school will be built in far back part of the fields over that grove of trees, the underground spring, the baseball field, the tennis court area, soccer fields etc. The additions to the current GM will be removed and the original building will stay (or so they say). Wilson said recently said that the new GM will take up a lot more of the lot and the playing fields.

ACPS has said that any new schools must have a bus loop for safety reasons. That's one reason that they won't just add on to the current building. It's impossible to have a bus loop with the current building. They've also made it very clear that GM is a total rebuild. NOT a renovation or additions.

The city isn't particularly concerned with a new building matching the neighborhood or being in scale. Look at the new firehouse a block down from the school. It's a LOT better than their first design but it doesn't fit with the neighborhood. And the community was on top of that.

It sounds like the school community is clueless about what is happening, what is coming and how ACPS/the City works. They may be in the dark because people who would normally lead the effort are close with Wilson, the School Board and ACPS establishment.

My bet would be on the original GM being leveled at the last minute. ACPS will "discover" that the building is in really bad shape (it is) or that it doesn't work to have it because of the bus loop or tell the community to chose between the building and having a turf playing field there.

Suburban style bus loops go against smart urban design principals at the pedestrian scale of Alexandria’s old, historic neighborhoods. What a travesty. So that’s why the charming old school building is being written off.

[Anonymous]

It's not the only reason why. The building hasn't been maintained. There has been mold, asbestos issues, sewage issues (the old principal would openly talk about how the tank would overflow in the basement & how a bathroom wasn't hooked up properly so the sewage was just flowing into the building for weeks), leaks that are allowed to go unchecked, the roof is a mess from the neighborhood kids who skateboard on it.