LAMB AP's contract not renewed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB doesn’t give a crap about parent and never will. It’s been going on for a while. Nothing you can do but leave.

Truth! I truly believe they are able to get by due to the long lottery waitlists and DCI feeder. By the time your kid hits upper El, you're tired and worn out from constantly battling with the school. Maybe things have finally reached a breaking point for better or worse. In the past, the school's defenders have been more vocal than I've seen with this latest crisis. We've been thinking of leaving the school for a while now and Michelle's departure is really solidifying that feeling.

That’s because most parents at the school are completely unaware that there is a “crisis”. I’ve read all the comments, listserv emails, etc and it’s all second- and third/hand complaints and accusations. The parents I know have never raised any of these concerns. I know my information is limited and I’m open to being convinced that there’s a problem, but I’m not there yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB doesn’t give a crap about parent and never will. It’s been going on for a while. Nothing you can do but leave.

Truth! I truly believe they are able to get by due to the long lottery waitlists and DCI feeder. By the time your kid hits upper El, you're tired and worn out from constantly battling with the school. Maybe things have finally reached a breaking point for better or worse. In the past, the school's defenders have been more vocal than I've seen with this latest crisis. We've been thinking of leaving the school for a while now and Michelle's departure is really solidifying that feeling.

That’s because most parents at the school are completely unaware that there is a “crisis”. I’ve read all the comments, listserv emails, etc and it’s all second- and third/hand complaints and accusations. The parents I know have never raised any of these concerns. I know my information is limited and I’m open to being convinced that there’s a problem, but I’m not there yet.

Fair enough. Reports from the staff thru parents are going to be hard to confirm. For me the assistant principal being fired is a huge concern since she has been a warm and caring individual helping us navigate some issues including learning support. Always open to suggestions on how to make improvements and offering solutions. I can’t get a response from the principal even though he’ll say in all the board meetings and other presentations to reach out.
For most of the primary parents, I can see how it’s coming as a surprise but once you hit upper elementary and run into problems as challenges appear with your child or others in the classroom, you begin to see flaws within the administration. I don’t think you can say most parents of older children at LAMB are unaware.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s definitely something really rotten in the upper admin ie, Charis. I think it’s impacting those who aren’t her cronies ie, María José. Greg might be an ok principal if it weren’t for her, hard to say.

It is sad because she was hired essentially because she came across very humble and transparent and the school was sick of the prior shady behavior of admin. But look what’s happened. You have to have a thicker skin and be able to subject yourself to criticism to lead well.

I agree wholeheartedly. Charis and Maria Jose also looooooves to badmouth parents who raise concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB doesn’t give a crap about parent and never will. It’s been going on for a while. Nothing you can do but leave.

Truth! I truly believe they are able to get by due to the long lottery waitlists and DCI feeder. By the time your kid hits upper El, you're tired and worn out from constantly battling with the school. Maybe things have finally reached a breaking point for better or worse. In the past, the school's defenders have been more vocal than I've seen with this latest crisis. We've been thinking of leaving the school for a while now and Michelle's departure is really solidifying that feeling.

That’s because most parents at the school are completely unaware that there is a “crisis”. I’ve read all the comments, listserv emails, etc and it’s all second- and third/hand complaints and accusations. The parents I know have never raised any of these concerns. I know my information is limited and I’m open to being convinced that there’s a problem, but I’m not there yet.

Fair enough. Reports from the staff thru parents are going to be hard to confirm. For me the assistant principal being fired is a huge concern since she has been a warm and caring individual helping us navigate some issues including learning support. Always open to suggestions on how to make improvements and offering solutions. I can’t get a response from the principal even though he’ll say in all the board meetings and other presentations to reach out.
For most of the primary parents, I can see how it’s coming as a surprise but once you hit upper elementary and run into problems as challenges appear with your child or others in the classroom, you begin to see flaws within the administration. I don’t think you can say most parents of older children at LAMB are unaware.

When it comes to elementary, there is where the issues begin. You might be incredibly lucky and find yourself with a perfect teacher, incredible spanish instruction, and your child might have no issues whatsoever. However, this experience is becoming rarer and rarer. The administration is nearly totally unresponsive with the exception of Michelle and Greg, but they have almost no power. If you have a problem with your teacher there is literally no one who can assist you. If you feel you have special education concerns there is almost no one who can assist you if the special Ed team isn’t meeting your needs (they’re excellent btw). Many of the teachers hired by the admin don’t even speak spanish, which is super troubling. The spanish is really suffering. COVID didn’t help but the cracks were still there before.

Since Michelle’s contract wasn’t renewed, there will now be no one who can assist parents on issues. If you don’t believe me, try calling an administrator apart from Greg or Michelle. Emails aren’t returned. The phone isn’t even picked up most of the time. Some of the upper el classes have preparation for PARCC, but this is solely at the discretion of the teacher. In some classes, there is almost no spanish spoken even on spanish days. Compounding this problem, if you should dare raise any concerns, Charis and her minions will do their very best to badmouth you and wreck your reputation in order to discredit whatever issue you’re having.

In other words, there are serious serious issues with the current administration. At this point it is basically up to the Board to see if they can take drastic action. And btw I didn’t mention a lot of the more serious rumors about Charis because I don’t know if they’re true or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB doesn’t give a crap about parent and never will. It’s been going on for a while. Nothing you can do but leave.

Truth! I truly believe they are able to get by due to the long lottery waitlists and DCI feeder. By the time your kid hits upper El, you're tired and worn out from constantly battling with the school. Maybe things have finally reached a breaking point for better or worse. In the past, the school's defenders have been more vocal than I've seen with this latest crisis. We've been thinking of leaving the school for a while now and Michelle's departure is really solidifying that feeling.

That’s because most parents at the school are completely unaware that there is a “crisis”. I’ve read all the comments, listserv emails, etc and it’s all second- and third/hand complaints and accusations. The parents I know have never raised any of these concerns. I know my information is limited and I’m open to being convinced that there’s a problem, but I’m not there yet.

Fair enough. Reports from the staff thru parents are going to be hard to confirm. For me the assistant principal being fired is a huge concern since she has been a warm and caring individual helping us navigate some issues including learning support. Always open to suggestions on how to make improvements and offering solutions. I can’t get a response from the principal even though he’ll say in all the board meetings and other presentations to reach out.
For most of the primary parents, I can see how it’s coming as a surprise but once you hit upper elementary and run into problems as challenges appear with your child or others in the classroom, you begin to see flaws within the administration. I don’t think you can say most parents of older children at LAMB are unaware.

When it comes to elementary, there is where the issues begin. You might be incredibly lucky and find yourself with a perfect teacher, incredible spanish instruction, and your child might have no issues whatsoever. However, this experience is becoming rarer and rarer. The administration is nearly totally unresponsive with the exception of Michelle and Greg, but they have almost no power. If you have a problem with your teacher there is literally no one who can assist you. If you feel you have special education concerns there is almost no one who can assist you if the special Ed team isn’t meeting your needs (they’re excellent btw). Many of the teachers hired by the admin don’t even speak spanish, which is super troubling. The spanish is really suffering. COVID didn’t help but the cracks were still there before.

Since Michelle’s contract wasn’t renewed, there will now be no one who can assist parents on issues. If you don’t believe me, try calling an administrator apart from Greg or Michelle. Emails aren’t returned. The phone isn’t even picked up most of the time. Some of the upper el classes have preparation for PARCC, but this is solely at the discretion of the teacher. In some classes, there is almost no spanish spoken even on spanish days. Compounding this problem, if you should dare raise any concerns, Charis and her minions will do their very best to badmouth you and wreck your reputation in order to discredit whatever issue you’re having.

In other words, there are serious serious issues with the current administration. At this point it is basically up to the Board to see if they can take drastic action. And btw I didn’t mention a lot of the more serious rumors about Charis because I don’t know if they’re true or not.

When you say administration don’t return calls except Michelle or Greg, who do you mean? Alex is primary so that doesn’t apply. I am not familiar with any additional administrators.

[Anonymous]

If you haven’t needed to communicate with any other admin consider yourself lucky.

Reason you don’t know any admin is because they don’t publish their phone numbers or email addresses.

But I personally have had major issues and there is no one to address them except Michelle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you haven’t needed to communicate with any other admin consider yourself lucky.

Reason you don’t know any admin is because they don’t publish their phone numbers or email addresses.

But I personally have had major issues and there is no one to address them except Michelle.

I am asking WHO are these other admins? I didn’t think there were additional APs. Are you referring to Charis and Maria Jose as administrators?

[Anonymous]

I'm a LAMB parent and have been over here following this thread with popcorn in my hand since the beginning-- but feel the need to chime in now.

LAMB teachers are great, and the admin--particularly Greg-- cares deeply about them and supporting them. That is literally the most important thing that you need in an admin: to be an advocate for the teachers.

I don't love Charis, but I don't think she's the disaster that is implied on this thread. Her ideas and approach often aren't bad, she's just not great at communicating them.

It is very easy to find email addresses for all LAMB administrators online. It literally took me 30 seconds.

My kids have been at 2 other schools in DC--a charter and DCPS--and LAMB knocks their socks off in terms of classroom engagement, teacher creativity, kindness, and community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LAMB doesn’t give a crap about parent and never will. It’s been going on for a while. Nothing you can do but leave.

Truth! I truly believe they are able to get by due to the long lottery waitlists and DCI feeder. By the time your kid hits upper El, you're tired and worn out from constantly battling with the school. Maybe things have finally reached a breaking point for better or worse. In the past, the school's defenders have been more vocal than I've seen with this latest crisis. We've been thinking of leaving the school for a while now and Michelle's departure is really solidifying that feeling.

That’s because most parents at the school are completely unaware that there is a “crisis”. I’ve read all the comments, listserv emails, etc and it’s all second- and third/hand complaints and accusations. The parents I know have never raised any of these concerns. I know my information is limited and I’m open to being convinced that there’s a problem, but I’m not there yet.

Fair enough. Reports from the staff thru parents are going to be hard to confirm. For me the assistant principal being fired is a huge concern since she has been a warm and caring individual helping us navigate some issues including learning support. Always open to suggestions on how to make improvements and offering solutions. I can’t get a response from the principal even though he’ll say in all the board meetings and other presentations to reach out.
For most of the primary parents, I can see how it’s coming as a surprise but once you hit upper elementary and run into problems as challenges appear with your child or others in the classroom, you begin to see flaws within the administration. I don’t think you can say most parents of older children at LAMB are unaware.

When it comes to elementary, there is where the issues begin. You might be incredibly lucky and find yourself with a perfect teacher, incredible spanish instruction, and your child might have no issues whatsoever. However, this experience is becoming rarer and rarer. The administration is nearly totally unresponsive with the exception of Michelle and Greg, but they have almost no power. If you have a problem with your teacher there is literally no one who can assist you. If you feel you have special education concerns there is almost no one who can assist you if the special Ed team isn’t meeting your needs (they’re excellent btw). Many of the teachers hired by the admin don’t even speak spanish, which is super troubling. The spanish is really suffering. COVID didn’t help but the cracks were still there before.

Since Michelle’s contract wasn’t renewed, there will now be no one who can assist parents on issues. If you don’t believe me, try calling an administrator apart from Greg or Michelle. Emails aren’t returned. The phone isn’t even picked up most of the time. Some of the upper el classes have preparation for PARCC, but this is solely at the discretion of the teacher. In some classes, there is almost no spanish spoken even on spanish days. Compounding this problem, if you should dare raise any concerns, Charis and her minions will do their very best to badmouth you and wreck your reputation in order to discredit whatever issue you’re having.

In other words, there are serious serious issues with the current administration. At this point it is basically up to the Board to see if they can take drastic action. And btw I didn’t mention a lot of the more serious rumors about Charis because I don’t know if they’re true or not.

Wow, sounds awful. Worst part IMO is no Spanish on Spanish days. This directly affects all kids and Spanish will be weak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a LAMB parent and have been over here following this thread with popcorn in my hand since the beginning-- but feel the need to chime in now.

LAMB teachers are great, and the admin--particularly Greg-- cares deeply about them and supporting them. That is literally the most important thing that you need in an admin: to be an advocate for the teachers.

I don't love Charis, but I don't think she's the disaster that is implied on this thread. Her ideas and approach often aren't bad, she's just not great at communicating them.

It is very easy to find email addresses for all LAMB administrators online. It literally took me 30 seconds.

My kids have been at 2 other schools in DC--a charter and DCPS--and LAMB knocks their socks off in terms of classroom engagement, teacher creativity, kindness, and community.

Teachers at LAMB are great, but trust that Charis and her cronies are worse than what’s being described here. People are worried about being explicit because she literally spies on parents and badmouths them to the Board.

[Anonymous]

Just fyi probably no aftercare for new students next year since again they will have issues hiring people.

No issue with hiring a half dozen new administrators somehow.

Personally we are playing the lottery and probably will go to our inbound.

[Anonymous]

My take from last night’s Zoom meeting is that the school wants to hire a couple administrators with extensive classroom teaching experience to provide teacher coaching and improve teaching, and while it was unspoken, it appears the administrator whose contract is not being renewed doesn’t have that experience.

Regarding Spanish instruction, yes, that is a big problem. It’s not been the experience in my kid’s classrooms at all, but I know that it has been in other classrooms. Sounds like those teachers in those classrooms need to speak Spanish or be replaced.

[Anonymous]

I’m confused. Why would any parent care of Charis bad mouths then to the board? I could care less about what any of them think of me. It’s the board of a local public charter school. These parents are insane. If there isn’t a problem with teacher retention, the test scores are good and the kids are happy why are you complaining??? Those 3 things alone make LAMB better than most of the schools in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused. Why would any parent care of Charis bad mouths then to the board? I could care less about what any of them think of me. It’s the board of a local public charter school. These parents are insane. If there isn’t a problem with teacher retention, the test scores are good and the kids are happy why are you complaining??? Those 3 things alone make LAMB better than most of the schools in the country.

+1 why the heck would a parent care is Charis is poopy-mouthing them to the Board? What tangible impact does that have on your life, even if it is true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m confused. Why would any parent care of Charis bad mouths then to the board? I could care less about what any of them think of me. It’s the board of a local public charter school. These parents are insane. If there isn’t a problem with teacher retention, the test scores are good and the kids are happy why are you complaining??? Those 3 things alone make LAMB better than most of the schools in the country.

I'm so glad to finally read some rational comments. The audacity of a select few over-entitled parents is really concerning.

The teacher retention at LAMB is above and beyond what any other charter has.