Weaker Elementary Schools in N Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These people are so full of shit. My firstborn Kindergartner just finished a season of Arlington soccer and snacks (if there were any) were from Costco or Safeway out of bags. We go to Science Focus and the parents there and in are nearby neighborhood are incredibly down-to-earth, non-flash/non-pretentious. I have no idea what part of N.Arlington these other posters are talking about.

Talking about parents from schools in the far north of the county - Nottingham, Tuckahoe, Jamestown...

Not full of sh_t at all - saw this firsthand

Oldest son also just finished his first season of soccer in Nottingham district and I want to echo what the Science Focus parent said. There weren't any tables and plates for postgame snacks. It was just bags of chips and Capri Suns. Normal people.

LOL, my kids have played on mixed Tuckahoe/Nottingham teams for years, and the snacks are Capri Suns, popcorn/chips/crackers, etc. served out of the bag they were carried in. I haven't seen anything like the "rumors" about N. Arlington parents at our games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These people are so full of shit. My firstborn Kindergartner just finished a season of Arlington soccer and snacks (if there were any) were from Costco or Safeway out of bags. We go to Science Focus and the parents there and in are nearby neighborhood are incredibly down-to-earth, non-flash/non-pretentious. I have no idea what part of N.Arlington these other posters are talking about.

Talking about parents from schools in the far north of the county - Nottingham, Tuckahoe, Jamestown...

Not full of sh_t at all - saw this firsthand

Oldest son also just finished his first season of soccer in Nottingham district and I want to echo what the Science Focus parent said. There weren't any tables and plates for postgame snacks. It was just bags of chips and Capri Suns. Normal people.

LOL, my kids have played on mixed Tuckahoe/Nottingham teams for years, and the snacks are Capri Suns, popcorn/chips/crackers, etc. served out of the bag they were carried in. I haven't seen anything like the "rumors" about N. Arlington parents at our games.

People just spread stories like this to make themselves feel better about living somewhere else. I'm not saying North Arlington is the end all be all, but it's an extremely popular place to live, and in my experience the vast majority of people who live here are really happy they do. I hear this a lot on DCUM too. For people who either can't afford N. Arlington or simply made different choices, I can see how it can get annoying to constantly hear about how great N. Arlington is, so they focus on a few random anecdotes that paint an unflattering picture. The truth is that everyone I know here is mellow and down to earth and buys soccer snacks at BJ's or Safeway.

And yes I'm aware that one or more of the PPs (it's unclear are different people) supposedly lives in N. Arlington. I'm not buying it. I think she just said that because it sounds more convincing than the truth, which is that she's worried she missed the boat by living somewhere else. This is silly of course, because there are lots of wonderful places to live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People just spread stories like this to make themselves feel better about living somewhere else. I'm not saying North Arlington is the end all be all, but it's an extremely popular place to live, and in my experience the vast majority of people who live here are really happy they do. I hear this a lot on DCUM too. For people who either can't afford N. Arlington or simply made different choices, I can see how it can get annoying to constantly hear about how great N. Arlington is, so they focus on a few random anecdotes that paint an unflattering picture. The truth is that everyone I know here is mellow and down to earth and buys soccer snacks at BJ's or Safeway.

And yes I'm aware that one or more of the PPs (it's unclear are different people) supposedly lives in N. Arlington. I'm not buying it. I think she just said that because it sounds more convincing than the truth, which is that she's worried she missed the boat by living somewhere else. This is silly of course, because there are lots of wonderful places to live.

this is a very mellow and down to earth post, indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
People just spread stories like this to make themselves feel better about living somewhere else. I'm not saying North Arlington is the end all be all, but it's an extremely popular place to live, and in my experience the vast majority of people who live here are really happy they do. I hear this a lot on DCUM too. For people who either can't afford N. Arlington or simply made different choices, I can see how it can get annoying to constantly hear about how great N. Arlington is, so they focus on a few random anecdotes that paint an unflattering picture. The truth is that everyone I know here is mellow and down to earth and buys soccer snacks at BJ's or Safeway.

And yes I'm aware that one or more of the PPs (it's unclear are different people) supposedly lives in N. Arlington. I'm not buying it. I think she just said that because it sounds more convincing than the truth, which is that she's worried she missed the boat by living somewhere else. This is silly of course, because there are lots of wonderful places to live.

It's not annoying, just amusing. North Arlington is popular, but it's not for everyone, and yet those who find its charms lacking are invariably lectured that they either can't afford your neighborhood or must be envious. At some point, people who live there will learn to turn it down a notch, lest others conclude that the hype doesn't come close to the reality.

[Anonymous]

We are looking at a house in the Nottingham ES district. Does anyone have any insights on this school? We have heard some not so great things about the principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are looking at a house in the Nottingham ES district. Does anyone have any insights on this school? We have heard some not so great things about the principal.

We were considering various county-wide programs vs. Nottingham for DS and had to tour Nottingham and meet the principal. Wasn't impressed. Neighborhood is great, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These people are so full of shit. My firstborn Kindergartner just finished a season of Arlington soccer and snacks (if there were any) were from Costco or Safeway out of bags. We go to Science Focus and the parents there and in are nearby neighborhood are incredibly down-to-earth, non-flash/non-pretentious. I have no idea what part of N.Arlington these other posters are talking about.

Talking about parents from schools in the far north of the county - Nottingham, Tuckahoe, Jamestown...

Not full of sh_t at all - saw this firsthand

Oldest son also just finished his first season of soccer in Nottingham district and I want to echo what the Science Focus parent said. There weren't any tables and plates for postgame snacks. It was just bags of chips and Capri Suns. Normal people.

LOL, my kids have played on mixed Tuckahoe/Nottingham teams for years, and the snacks are Capri Suns, popcorn/chips/crackers, etc. served out of the bag they were carried in. I haven't seen anything like the "rumors" about N. Arlington parents at our games.

People just spread stories like this to make themselves feel better about living somewhere else. I'm not saying North Arlington is the end all be all, but it's an extremely popular place to live, and in my experience the vast majority of people who live here are really happy they do. I hear this a lot on DCUM too. For people who either can't afford N. Arlington or simply made different choices, I can see how it can get annoying to constantly hear about how great N. Arlington is, so they focus on a few random anecdotes that paint an unflattering picture. The truth is that everyone I know here is mellow and down to earth and buys soccer snacks at BJ's or Safeway.

And yes I'm aware that one or more of the PPs (it's unclear are different people) supposedly lives in N. Arlington. I'm not buying it. I think she just said that because it sounds more convincing than the truth, which is that she's worried she missed the boat by living somewhere else. This is silly of course, because there are lots of wonderful places to live.

I can assure you that I live in N. Arlington. Never said the snacks were caviar or from a catering company -- just remarked on the greater variety of the snacks plus the fact that parents brought tables and plates to lay them out on/serve them to the kids on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
People just spread stories like this to make themselves feel better about living somewhere else. I'm not saying North Arlington is the end all be all, but it's an extremely popular place to live, and in my experience the vast majority of people who live here are really happy they do. I hear this a lot on DCUM too. For people who either can't afford N. Arlington or simply made different choices, I can see how it can get annoying to constantly hear about how great N. Arlington is, so they focus on a few random anecdotes that paint an unflattering picture. The truth is that everyone I know here is mellow and down to earth and buys soccer snacks at BJ's or Safeway.

And yes I'm aware that one or more of the PPs (it's unclear are different people) supposedly lives in N. Arlington. I'm not buying it. I think she just said that because it sounds more convincing than the truth, which is that she's worried she missed the boat by living somewhere else. This is silly of course, because there are lots of wonderful places to live.

It's not annoying, just amusing. North Arlington is popular, but it's not for everyone, and yet those who find its charms lacking are invariably lectured that they either can't afford your neighborhood or must be envious. At some point, people who live there will learn to turn it down a notch, lest others conclude that the hype doesn't come close to the reality.

I don't think that's really an issue. In my experience the North Arlington lovers aren't trying to convince other people that it's a great place to live, they're simply expressing their own happiness at having found a place that offers such a unique combination of close-in, great schools, great shops/restaurants (often walkable), and insanely family-friendly. There are drawbacks of course, such as expensive housing, small lots, and school overcrowding, but many people feel the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. This can of course grate on other people after a while, but you're wrong if you think all the North Arlington talk is done in an effort to impress you or anyone else.

[Anonymous]

To answer the 11/25 poster who asked about Nottingham - that's our home school. I think it's accurate to say that folks have very mixed feelings about the principal. She can come off as rough sometimes, and I know that (at least last year) there was some kind of teacher survey leaked that had a fair number of negative comments towards her from the teachers. That said, all of my dealings with her (and I have a kid who has "issues", so I've had a number of them) have gone smoothly. She's listened to my concerns, and suggested ways to work on them. Particularly for some of the more egregious things (last year the extended day staff were letting kids watch movies Every Day - extended day is not under her purview, but she helped me figure out to whom to complain about it - and now we have new extended day staff) shw was really helpful.

The school, while really outgrowing it's physical plant (true in all the local schools I think), has done a pretty good job of managing the growth. My son is in the SpEd program and we've gotten more services than I thought we'd qualify for. All the specialists have been quick to work with us to figure out what my son needs.

That said, I do think many of the kids, and many of the parents, are almost aggresively successful. Like if you meet the benchmarks for educational testing, you are one of the lowest performers in class. An issue that caused my son, with his learning disability, to feel "stupid" even though according to the benchmarks, he's just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer the 11/25 poster who asked about Nottingham - that's our home school. I think it's accurate to say that folks have very mixed feelings about the principal. She can come off as rough sometimes, and I know that (at least last year) there was some kind of teacher survey leaked that had a fair number of negative comments towards her from the teachers. That said, all of my dealings with her (and I have a kid who has "issues", so I've had a number of them) have gone smoothly. She's listened to my concerns, and suggested ways to work on them. Particularly for some of the more egregious things (last year the extended day staff were letting kids watch movies Every Day - extended day is not under her purview, but she helped me figure out to whom to complain about it - and now we have new extended day staff) shw was really helpful.

The school, while really outgrowing it's physical plant (true in all the local schools I think), has done a pretty good job of managing the growth. My son is in the SpEd program and we've gotten more services than I thought we'd qualify for. All the specialists have been quick to work with us to figure out what my son needs.

That said, I do think many of the kids, and many of the parents, are almost aggresively successful. Like if you meet the benchmarks for educational testing, you are one of the lowest performers in class. An issue that caused my son, with his learning disability, to feel "stupid" even though according to the benchmarks, he's just fine.

I know of four teachers who left Nottingham to teach at Abingdon in South Arlington because of the principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think that's really an issue. In my experience the North Arlington lovers aren't trying to convince other people that it's a great place to live, they're simply expressing their own happiness at having found a place that offers such a unique combination of close-in, great schools, great shops/restaurants (often walkable), and insanely family-friendly. There are drawbacks of course, such as expensive housing, small lots, and school overcrowding, but many people feel the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. This can of course grate on other people after a while, but you're wrong if you think all the North Arlington talk is done in an effort to impress you or anyone else.

It's no more or less "unique" than other areas - just a different mix of the many factors that people all over the region weigh in deciding where to live. Of course people who decide to live there should feel the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

[Anonymous]

15:34/Nottingham parent here - as an earlier poster said, I have also heard of teachers leaving because of the principal (that said, I don't personally know those teachers, all of ours have stayed, so I can't vouch for accuracy, just tell you that's a definite rumor I've heard.) I think the principal has favorites - and if you're on the good list you're golden. If not, it can be more than a little dictatorial. And while that sucks for the good teachers who are not happy in their work environment, it hasn't affected my kids (yet?) as we've had all good teachers who have done really tremendous work with my boys and have shown a lot of care and attention. Of course I don't want anyone to be unhappy in their career, and I think a happy teacher is a better teacher, but at least for now, it hasn't affected my kids. (Of course, that can change if more of the better teachers leave and we're stuck with all new teachers in a future year. But for now, it hasn't been a problem.)

[Anonymous]

We bought in Nottingham over the summer, but sent our ds to private pre-k this year. trying to decide what to do next year. what are class sizes like there?

[Anonymous]

re: class sizes in Nottingham, I have one child there now (in second grade) and one who will be in kindergarten next year. Our kindergarten class has 18 kids - which was great, the only problem is that there were JUST barely enough kids to justify the fifth teacher, so we weren't sure until the last minute if it would be a really small class or really large class. Our first grade class had 21 and our second grade class has either 24 or 25.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the helpful posts on Nottingham, PP's! We moved into Arlington this past summer and definitely plan to send our daughter to public, but not for another 3 years.