South Arlington elementary school boundary adjustments 2019

[Anonymous]

Hey guys,
Just thought it would be a good idea to start a separate thread about elementary schools. The middle school thread is a bit epic and some of the issues raised in the last few posts are pretty specific to a handful of neighborhoods. I would love to begin a a constructive dialogue about the upcoming shift, and all of our hopes for schools that serve the entire community.
It also might be good to engage Facebook as well. I look forward to hearing people’s thoughts.
Thanks.

[Anonymous]

It is epic. And I suspect the same group of us keep jumping on these S Arl threads to voice our concerns about Randolph, Henry, and Barcroft. I don't do FB, but am willing to be engaged.

[Anonymous]

As a current elementary school parent at one of the much-maligned schools, I strongly encourage anyone with concerns about Barcroft or Randolph to reach out to the principals and ask to be connected to current families. I also encourage prospective families to attend PTA meetings, which generally happen monthly. You can get info on the meetings by visiting school websites or calling the school. For those who are at home during the day (I am not) both schools have active volunteer programs which is one way to get inside the school and to see what is happening. I know many families in our neighborhood who choose not to send their children to our school (which is fine) but they did none of these things and several didn't even attend one of the 3 kindergarten open house sessions offered at our school each Spring. To them the test scores, the demoographic makeup and great schools scores tell them everything they need to know.

We are all busy, but I don't think all parents are making completely informed choices. Current parents are also very busy (most who I know work full-time and have multiple children who are in school and other extra-curricular activities) but I am so sick of seeing comments on here implying that we "don't care" about academics. We absolutely do.

I also understand concerns about "teaching to the test" but from stories I hear, this happens in N. Arlington too.

I realize this is not directly related to redistricting, but if folks are planning to become more involved, I also encourage you to become involved armed with actual knowledge and experience and not just rumor and hearsay.

[Anonymous]

We are zoned Drew but choiced into the Montessori when my oldest was 3. I'd say we would be happy to send our kids to the traditional program at Drew if we hadn't gotten the lottery, but we don't actually do so so take that with a grain of salt.

I don't think Drew gets as much attention because the non-choice program is so small, but it's going to expand pretty dramatically as I understand it - something on the order of 450 new students. Currently our plan is to remain at the Montessori when it moves up to the Henry site, so that our two younger children will have the sibling preference from my oldest child. But, I'm somewhat optimistic that the "Drew visioning" process, which hopefully will amount to more than just APS community engagement blather, and rezoning could be good for Drew. I'm not all that enamored of the Montessori approach, and could see us switching back to Drew after our kids have had the chance to go through at least the primary Montessori stage (i.e., PK).

Of our neighbors who resemble us (young UMC families), the children are in ATS, Campbell, Hoffman-Boston, and Drew Montessori (us). I don't know of a family like us who has yet sent their kids to Drew. There are several kids who will be rising K next year, and I'm not sure of the parents' plans. I have definitely heard concern voiced among those folks about whether Drew is a good option.

I'm not sure what to expect out of the elementary boundary process except, frankly, more of the same disheartening exchanges and outcomes that have characterized the HS and MS processes. I don't mean to disparage Henry or Oakridge parents, as I know and am friends with some, but can you imagine the reaction to rezoning those children to a Barcroft or a Drew? I think opposition will be fierce and will be, as usual, couched in the language and criteria (walkability! contiguity!) that we use to avoid talking about how we don't want our kids going to school with poors. I hope I'm wrong. But that's what I'm worried about.

[Anonymous]

Here is a letter about one of the big challenges for redistricting elementary schools:

http://www.arlingtonconnection.com/news/2017/dec/12/opinion-letter-editor-what-about-drew-model/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is a letter about one of the big challenges for redistricting elementary schools:

http://www.arlingtonconnection.com/news/2017/dec/12/opinion-letter-editor-what-about-drew-model/

Thanks. That's my civic association but I don't make every meeting, so had missed this. I'm not sure naming a new principal now will be a panacea (seems like a good idea though) but I certainly agree that the neighborhood has been disserved by hosting both programs in the same school. One of the reasons we were happy when we lotteried into the Montessori is that I had a hard time believing that the traditional program, at one-third the size of the Montessori program, would as much in the way of attention and resources when compared to the choice program.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, it’s s pretty unbelievable they were able to get away with those failures in Nauck.
Boundaries are going to be a tough conversation.
Also, Fleet?
Yeah, they have been telling Long Branch it will be used to hell their over crowding.
So the new South Arlington elementary school that waited so long, and fought so hard for? It’s not so much about us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a letter about one of the big challenges for redistricting elementary schools:

http://www.arlingtonconnection.com/news/2017/dec/12/opinion-letter-editor-what-about-drew-model/

Thanks. That's my civic association but I don't make every meeting, so had missed this. I'm not sure naming a new principal now will be a panacea (seems like a good idea though) but I certainly agree that the neighborhood has been disserved by hosting both programs in the same school. One of the reasons we were happy when we lotteried into the Montessori is that I had a hard time believing that the traditional program, at one-third the size of the Montessori program, would as much in the way of attention and resources when compared to the choice program.

Well, to be fair, they were sending the Nauck kids to Hoffman-Boston and the civic association insisted that they be allowed to go to Drew without having to do Montessori. That's why we have the weird system where since 2004 Nauck kids can go to Hoffman-Boston or Drew "neighborhood" program by right but have to lottery in to Drew Montessori. (That is after they stopped busing Nauck kids all over the county unless they wanted to do Montessori at Drew.)

[Anonymous]

Nauck is a hard to understand situation. There is a huge history to that area. There are some local activists that think it’s going to be wonderful as a neighborhood school and don’t really understand the performance issues. Or think that once the performance issues are out in the open- they will be fixed...

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to say I don’t think because S Arlington is not always represented on this website that people don’t care. My S Arlington neighborhood is filled with MC and IMC. We care. Yes we are busy but don’t let haters tell you we must not care about are kids if we don’t live in N Arlington. In fact, I care about my kids and myself that’s why we chose S Arlington got the down to earth vibe and commute. We are zoned Henry Jefferson/ Fleet Jefferson. I do admit to a slight concern about high school..., but in the 8 years I’ve lived on he South side our neighborhood has changed a lot. Do I am waiting to see on high school. I also think the bds enrollment numbers are way off and 2020/21 is going to be a crazy year for kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just wanted to say I don’t think because S Arlington is not always represented on this website that people don’t care. My S Arlington neighborhood is filled with MC and IMC. We care. Yes we are busy but don’t let haters tell you we must not care about are kids if we don’t live in N Arlington. In fact, I care about my kids and myself that’s why we chose S Arlington got the down to earth vibe and commute. We are zoned Henry Jefferson/ Fleet Jefferson. I do admit to a slight concern about high school..., but in the 8 years I’ve lived on he South side our neighborhood has changed a lot. Do I am waiting to see on high school. I also think the bds enrollment numbers are way off and 2020/21 is going to be a crazy year for kindergarten

No one thinks anything negative about Henry. It’s on par with the performance of the north Arlington Schools. These discussions are really about Randolph, Barcroft, Drew, and Carlin Springs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wanted to say I don’t think because S Arlington is not always represented on this website that people don’t care. My S Arlington neighborhood is filled with MC and IMC. We care. Yes we are busy but don’t let haters tell you we must not care about are kids if we don’t live in N Arlington. In fact, I care about my kids and myself that’s why we chose S Arlington got the down to earth vibe and commute. We are zoned Henry Jefferson/ Fleet Jefferson. I do admit to a slight concern about high school..., but in the 8 years I’ve lived on he South side our neighborhood has changed a lot. Do I am waiting to see on high school. I also think the bds enrollment numbers are way off and 2020/21 is going to be a crazy year for kindergarten

No one thinks anything negative about Henry. It’s on par with the performance of the north Arlington Schools. These discussions are really about Randolph, Barcroft, Drew, and Carlin Springs.

Carlin Springs is doing fairly well in terms of test scores, relative to the other schools. I'd add Abingdon to the list of schools to watch. They've been on an upward trajectory, but the S. Frederick Street project may affect that. It's probably going to bring hundreds more kids living in poverty into the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wanted to say I don’t think because S Arlington is not always represented on this website that people don’t care. My S Arlington neighborhood is filled with MC and IMC. We care. Yes we are busy but don’t let haters tell you we must not care about are kids if we don’t live in N Arlington. In fact, I care about my kids and myself that’s why we chose S Arlington got the down to earth vibe and commute. We are zoned Henry Jefferson/ Fleet Jefferson. I do admit to a slight concern about high school..., but in the 8 years I’ve lived on he South side our neighborhood has changed a lot. Do I am waiting to see on high school. I also think the bds enrollment numbers are way off and 2020/21 is going to be a crazy year for kindergarten

No one thinks anything negative about Henry. It’s on par with the performance of the north Arlington Schools. These discussions are really about Randolph, Barcroft, Drew, and Carlin Springs.

Carlin Springs is doing fairly well in terms of test scores, relative to the other schools. I'd add Abingdon to the list of schools to watch. They've been on an upward trajectory, but the S. Frederick Street project may affect that. It's probably going to bring hundreds more kids living in poverty into the system.

Carlin Springs has those kids in school 6 days a week, after school, and sometimes during the summer. That’s what it takes with those challenges to get the performance up, and it’s really only middling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wanted to say I don’t think because S Arlington is not always represented on this website that people don’t care. My S Arlington neighborhood is filled with MC and IMC. We care. Yes we are busy but don’t let haters tell you we must not care about are kids if we don’t live in N Arlington. In fact, I care about my kids and myself that’s why we chose S Arlington got the down to earth vibe and commute. We are zoned Henry Jefferson/ Fleet Jefferson. I do admit to a slight concern about high school..., but in the 8 years I’ve lived on he South side our neighborhood has changed a lot. Do I am waiting to see on high school. I also think the bds enrollment numbers are way off and 2020/21 is going to be a crazy year for kindergarten

No one thinks anything negative about Henry. It’s on par with the performance of the north Arlington Schools. These discussions are really about Randolph, Barcroft, Drew, and Carlin Springs.

Carlin Springs is doing fairly well in terms of test scores, relative to the other schools. I'd add Abingdon to the list of schools to watch. They've been on an upward trajectory, but the S. Frederick Street project may affect that. It's probably going to bring hundreds more kids living in poverty into the system.

Carlin Springs has those kids in school 6 days a week, after school, and sometimes during the summer. That’s what it takes with those challenges to get the performance up, and it’s really only middling.

They also have reading tutors from middle school once a week after school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nauck is a hard to understand situation. There is a huge history to that area. There are some local activists that think it’s going to be wonderful as a neighborhood school and don’t really understand the performance issues. Or think that once the performance issues are out in the open- they will be fixed...

Here's the other thing. In 1990, Nauck was 90% African-American, now it is down to about a third. It is partly gentrified and partly just diversified. The "community" doesn't have any kind of collective view on things anymore, although the older A-A residents still dominate the civic association -- and the county's perception of who they need to be responsive to. It is going to be a very difficult conversation because the Drew boundaries are where all these racial discussions are going to get hashed out in public.