Thoughts on McKinley or Discovery?

[Anonymous]

Fingers crossed we can raise funds for a new fax machine for Randolph.

It is a school that wants for nothing, as it is able to raise funds for whatever needs are identified.

Discovery: I suggest on your next brainstorming session, on what the students could *possibly* do for charity, you have them simply call another PTA for ideas how to help that school. There will be a ton of opportunities to do something charitable.
Other schools do Christmas gifts and Thanksgiving dinners for APS students, coat drives, backpack drives, even toothbrush drives, you name it.

I'm saying this, because I was so embarrassed for Discovery, when they could come up with nothing at all.
They finally recommended each student bring in one apple (!) for AFAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Fingers crossed we can raise funds for a new fax machine for Randolph.

It is a school that wants for nothing, as it is able to raise funds for whatever needs are identified.

Discovery: I suggest on your next brainstorming session, on what the students could *possibly* do for charity, you have them simply call another PTA for ideas how to help that school. There will be a ton of opportunities to do something charitable.
Other schools do Christmas gifts and Thanksgiving dinners for APS students, coat drives, backpack drives, even toothbrush drives, you name it.

I'm saying this, because I was so embarrassed for Discovery, when they could come up with nothing at all.
They finally recommended each student bring in one apple (!) for AFAC.

Yes, this.

Discovery parent here. There is a still-nascent discipline policy on the books. They seem to not know how to handle discipline problems - after nearly 2 years. And the teachers who left mid-year were NOT having an affair as a PP claimed. There is not-insignificant teacher turnover, and I don't know why - it would be pure speculation for me to comment on that.

I don't know McK at all. I don't know what I'd do in your shoes, OP. Can you visit each school early this week and get a feel for the culture? I suspect, but do not know, that the two are very different.

[Anonymous]

An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

How do you help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

How do you help?

Other ES in APS do real food drives (not just an apple/person!), donate money that goes to Target and Giant gift cards to needy families at Christmas, coat drives, portion of funds raised through things like school auctions donated to the CCPTA fund that provides grants to poorer schools for things like field trips, school gardens. But if the parents at Discovery can't figure this out I don't know how you help people so determined to ignore the less fortunate around them.

[Anonymous]

I'm confused--does each school have its own discipline policy? Why isn't this something that's standard county-wide?

[Anonymous]

There is very real food insecurity at a couple of our elementary schools. Such a small county yet we have children living in completely different worlds. It breaks my heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

How do you help?

McKinley is partnering with Food Bus to take food that would otherwise be thrown away and get it delivered to AFAC. http://foodbus.org/

That's obviously in addition to other things like a holiday toy drive, all the extra books from the annual book swap are delivered to a Title I school for distribution, and a few other things. Lots of ways for a PTA or administration of a well-off school to help the school community give back to others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

How do you help?

McKinley is partnering with Food Bus to take food that would otherwise be thrown away and get it delivered to AFAC. http://foodbus.org/

That's obviously in addition to other things like a holiday toy drive, all the extra books from the annual book swap are delivered to a Title I school for distribution, and a few other things. Lots of ways for a PTA or administration of a well-off school to help the school community give back to others.

How soon can I pull my kid out of Discovery and enroll her at the McK?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused--does each school have its own discipline policy? Why isn't this something that's standard county-wide?

IKR. This from one of those types of post that tell you there's "something" wrong but doesn't exactly say what is wrong. So useful...not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

Y'all making a hatchet job.
Discovery PTA is involved in:

Borromeo Housing Holiday Drive
Care packages for the Children's National Medical Center.
Gifts that Give Hope
Food bus.

There. I admit I had to look it up but at least I am informed and won't make claims that I know little about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

Y'all making a hatchet job.
Discovery PTA is involved in:

Borromeo Housing Holiday Drive
Care packages for the Children's National Medical Center.
Gifts that Give Hope
Food bus.

There. I admit I had to look it up but at least I am informed and won't make claims that I know little about.

Yes, I was going to come in and say this. Discovery does Food Bus, coat drives, food drives, school supply drives (for both local and distant schools), and there are others, but I am spacing out on them. They ran a community service effort for MLK Day that was so well attended that they ran out of supplies. It's not just one suggested apple donation per student.

Now, I will say that I have run into some shockingly tone deaf parents at Discovery (I am no Discovery apologist), but I do not think Discovery has the monopoly on tone-deafness. I've met plenty upon plenty of parents in playgrounds across N Arlington that are equally clueless...so let's stop pointing fingers at one isolated school that is mere blocks from two other N Arlington schools not being named, but with similar demographics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

Y'all making a hatchet job.
Discovery PTA is involved in:

Borromeo Housing Holiday Drive
Care packages for the Children's National Medical Center.
Gifts that Give Hope
Food bus.

There. I admit I had to look it up but at least I am informed and won't make claims that I know little about.

You lost me at y'all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

Y'all making a hatchet job.
Discovery PTA is involved in:

Borromeo Housing Holiday Drive
Care packages for the Children's National Medical Center.
Gifts that Give Hope
Food bus.

There. I admit I had to look it up but at least I am informed and won't make claims that I know little about.

You lost me at y'all.

Me too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An apple for AFAC? Yikes! That's shameful that th most wealthy population is so unaware of how to help others in need.

Y'all making a hatchet job.
Discovery PTA is involved in:

Borromeo Housing Holiday Drive
Care packages for the Children's National Medical Center.
Gifts that Give Hope
Food bus.

There. I admit I had to look it up but at least I am informed and won't make claims that I know little about.

You lost me at y'all.

Not cool enuff fo u?