Current Herndon HS parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's great if Herndon parents are happy because at times it's certainly seemed like some were complaining or pushing for boundary changes.

That only happens in response to parents in our district think they’re so above changes that might put them into HHS. The elitism from some of the parents in those districts is utterly distasteful. Rebalancing absolutely should happen where it makes sense and socioeconomics between neighborhoods should not be a factor.

I am not in your region. I am in region 4 the West Springfield/Lake Braddock/South County/Robinson and I believe Centreville area. I agree with what you said in bold but apparently I am a communist for thinking that way. Are you also the parent of the young scholar? Just a guess based on your writing style.

Nay. -scholar PP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, this school has very large ESOL population and thus AP cohorts are much smaller than in some FCPS schools. But that does not make school bad? If you have a serious kid, they will find great opportunities at Herndon. That is all I am saying. If you look at AP participation vs AP exam tested counts on schoolprofiles.fcps.edu, 99% of AP students took AP exam last year.

Test scores don't tell the whole story. If your child is average but wants to learn, and doesn't get in to the AP program (because let's face it, they have an arbitrary cutoff based on limited seats at each school) then your kid is in with the general population. Even if they're in the AP program, they are still subject to those distractions because they have to share the same hallway, elective classes, etc. with the problem kids. Maybe you don't want your kid exposed to gangs, drug use, etc.

Since when do kids "not get in" to the AP classes, they're open enrollment? You just have to sign up. Now, some kids might not do well in the class/be counseled against taking it if they're not ready, but they're free to ignore that and sign up anyways if they want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, this school has very large ESOL population and thus AP cohorts are much smaller than in some FCPS schools. But that does not make school bad? If you have a serious kid, they will find great opportunities at Herndon. That is all I am saying. If you look at AP participation vs AP exam tested counts on schoolprofiles.fcps.edu, 99% of AP students took AP exam last year.

The AP participation rate at Herndon is also lower among ethnic subgroups that typically are not ESOL students.

I am looking at Herndon vs Fairfax vs Centerville (no special agenda, just schools close by with higher AP enrollments). Participation rates for (A, B, H, W, O) are:
Herndon (57, 30, 14, 66, 53)
Fairfax (83, 36, 37, 65, 63)
Centerville ( 78, 34, 31, 58, 59)

The only lower number is for Asians.

Now, number of AP subjects with the avg AP exam score in the top 50% of all FCPS schools:
Herndon 12
Fairfax 4
Centerville 8

If I was choosing between the three schools for my kid I would not discard Herndon for sure, given my kid is serious about their studies.

Again, all I am saying, Herndon gets such bad rap on this website. But families who are seriously considering moving to Herndon might want to visit and get the info most relevant to them.

What is been done, if anything, to encourage more AAP participation for the Hispanic and Asian students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, this school has very large ESOL population and thus AP cohorts are much smaller than in some FCPS schools. But that does not make school bad? If you have a serious kid, they will find great opportunities at Herndon. That is all I am saying. If you look at AP participation vs AP exam tested counts on schoolprofiles.fcps.edu, 99% of AP students took AP exam last year.

The AP participation rate at Herndon is also lower among ethnic subgroups that typically are not ESOL students.

I am looking at Herndon vs Fairfax vs Centerville (no special agenda, just schools close by with higher AP enrollments). Participation rates for (A, B, H, W, O) are:
Herndon (57, 30, 14, 66, 53)
Fairfax (83, 36, 37, 65, 63)
Centerville ( 78, 34, 31, 58, 59)

The only lower number is for Asians.

Now, number of AP subjects with the avg AP exam score in the top 50% of all FCPS schools:
Herndon 12
Fairfax 4
Centerville 8

If I was choosing between the three schools for my kid I would not discard Herndon for sure, given my kid is serious about their studies.

Again, all I am saying, Herndon gets such bad rap on this website. But families who are seriously considering moving to Herndon might want to visit and get the info most relevant to them.

What is been done, if anything, to encourage more AAP participation for the Hispanic and Asian students?

There is no AAP in HS, only AP classes which any child can enroll in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

Most immersion programs want native speakers in the class because it helps the other kids learn the language. the hope would be that a native Spanish speaker would learn English while the native English speakers learn Spanish.

[Anonymous]

It is two immersion at HES, and is supposed to be 50/50 in terms of native Spanish/English speakers. One way immersion is most kids are not native speakers of the target foreign language. The program at HES is open only to people in its zone as opposed to those in the previous French immersion class. It starts in Kindergarten. The first class with Spanish immersion from HES is now in the 10th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

My coworker told me that her daughter did indeed take the french immersion program in elementary school and then dropped out in middle school either b/c they no longer offered it or because she started ROTC. She can't remember. She thinks in middle school French became an elective. She did mention that her daughter can still speak some French today b/c she will just start talking in French every now and then.

A lot of my friends that are native Spanish speakers told me that their kids took Spanish in FCPS school b/c they do not speak Spanish in their house only English. I asked if their kids can Speak fluently now and she said no, none of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

My coworker told me that her daughter did indeed take the french immersion program in elementary school and then dropped out in middle school either b/c they no longer offered it or because she started ROTC. She can't remember. She thinks in middle school French became an elective. She did mention that her daughter can still speak some French today b/c she will just start talking in French every now and then.

A lot of my friends that are native Spanish speakers told me that their kids took Spanish in FCPS school b/c they do not speak Spanish in their house only English. I asked if their kids can Speak fluently now and she said no, none of them.

The immersion program isn’t about language acquisition though many go in thinking that and are disappointed. I started another thread about immersion. What I didn’t mention in the other thread was that my child (now in HS) was far ahead of kids who didn’t have immersion. He struggled a bit understanding with what the various parts of speech were because FCPS doesn’t seriously cover that in English. His teachers have said his non-immersion classmates put together sentences more mechanically rather than a kid like who goes with what is more natural to say. He’s gotten a lot of positive feedback for someone who doesn’t speak Spanish at home. He comprehends very well inside and outside of the classroom, and has carried on conversations in Spanish beyond how are you? What’s your name?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

My coworker told me that her daughter did indeed take the french immersion program in elementary school and then dropped out in middle school either b/c they no longer offered it or because she started ROTC. She can't remember. She thinks in middle school French became an elective. She did mention that her daughter can still speak some French today b/c she will just start talking in French every now and then.

A lot of my friends that are native Spanish speakers told me that their kids took Spanish in FCPS school b/c they do not speak Spanish in their house only English. I asked if their kids can Speak fluently now and she said no, none of them.

The immersion program isn’t about language acquisition though many go in thinking that and are disappointed. I started another thread about immersion. What I didn’t mention in the other thread was that my child (now in HS) was far ahead of kids who didn’t have immersion. He struggled a bit understanding with what the various parts of speech were because FCPS doesn’t seriously cover that in English. His teachers have said his non-immersion classmates put together sentences more mechanically rather than a kid like who goes with what is more natural to say. He’s gotten a lot of positive feedback for someone who doesn’t speak Spanish at home. He comprehends very well inside and outside of the classroom, and has carried on conversations in Spanish beyond how are you? What’s your name?

And this is why so many people homeschool and/or enroll their children in enrichment camps.
Billions of dollars for our “excellent” school system but we have to pay time and attention to make sure our children learn grammar well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

My coworker told me that her daughter did indeed take the french immersion program in elementary school and then dropped out in middle school either b/c they no longer offered it or because she started ROTC. She can't remember. She thinks in middle school French became an elective. She did mention that her daughter can still speak some French today b/c she will just start talking in French every now and then.

A lot of my friends that are native Spanish speakers told me that their kids took Spanish in FCPS school b/c they do not speak Spanish in their house only English. I asked if their kids can Speak fluently now and she said no, none of them.

The immersion program isn’t about language acquisition though many go in thinking that and are disappointed. I started another thread about immersion. What I didn’t mention in the other thread was that my child (now in HS) was far ahead of kids who didn’t have immersion. He struggled a bit understanding with what the various parts of speech were because FCPS doesn’t seriously cover that in English. His teachers have said his non-immersion classmates put together sentences more mechanically rather than a kid like who goes with what is more natural to say. He’s gotten a lot of positive feedback for someone who doesn’t speak Spanish at home. He comprehends very well inside and outside of the classroom, and has carried on conversations in Spanish beyond how are you? What’s your name?

And this is why so many people homeschool and/or enroll their children in enrichment camps.
Billions of dollars for our “excellent” school system but we have to pay time and attention to make sure our children learn grammar well.

+100
I’m a product of the FCPS of the 80s when it actually was an excellent school system. Great emphasis was placed on learning grammar and how to write correctly. My own kids haven’t been as fortunate, so my husband and I have had to teach them this at home. It’s truly disgraceful what FCPS has become.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

My coworker told me that her daughter did indeed take the french immersion program in elementary school and then dropped out in middle school either b/c they no longer offered it or because she started ROTC. She can't remember. She thinks in middle school French became an elective. She did mention that her daughter can still speak some French today b/c she will just start talking in French every now and then.

A lot of my friends that are native Spanish speakers told me that their kids took Spanish in FCPS school b/c they do not speak Spanish in their house only English. I asked if their kids can Speak fluently now and she said no, none of them.

The immersion program isn’t about language acquisition though many go in thinking that and are disappointed. I started another thread about immersion. What I didn’t mention in the other thread was that my child (now in HS) was far ahead of kids who didn’t have immersion. He struggled a bit understanding with what the various parts of speech were because FCPS doesn’t seriously cover that in English. His teachers have said his non-immersion classmates put together sentences more mechanically rather than a kid like who goes with what is more natural to say. He’s gotten a lot of positive feedback for someone who doesn’t speak Spanish at home. He comprehends very well inside and outside of the classroom, and has carried on conversations in Spanish beyond how are you? What’s your name?

And this is why so many people homeschool and/or enroll their children in enrichment camps.
Billions of dollars for our “excellent” school system but we have to pay time and attention to make sure our children learn grammar well.

+100
I’m a product of the FCPS of the 80s when it actually was an excellent school system. Great emphasis was placed on learning grammar and how to write correctly. My own kids haven’t been as fortunate, so my husband and I have had to teach them this at home. It’s truly disgraceful what FCPS has become.

Were you in an Honors or GT or Gen Ed class? Just curious. I suspect the only reason I learned grammar at APS was b/c I had a GT English teacher that made us diagram sentences. I had to supplement grammar recently with my child here in FFX as well. Bought a bunch of grammar workbooks off Amazon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The AP participation rates at Herndon are lower for just about every ethnicity than at many other AP schools.

So if the point is that the kids who make it to AP courses at Herndon often do well, great point to make, but others may ask what’s happening in the pyramid that makes kids less likely to take those more challenging courses.

I asked my work colleague about her children's experiences at HHS. She said that they all liked it. One of her children did a French immersion program there. My work colleague identifies as Filipina (we talk openly about our ethnic backgrounds). She lived in both the town of Herndon and FFX portion of Herndon. She said some of her kids had to go to Chantilly and preferred HHS b/c of the counselor services at HHS. I asked her about the AP participation rates and she said a lot of kids had to work after school. Her daughter dropped out of an AP course b/c it was too much additional after school work and her daughter wanted to enjoy her social life instead.

Herndon ES replaced its French immersion program with Spanish immersion five years ago.

Can kids take Spanish immersion if they speak Spanish at home?

My coworker told me that her daughter did indeed take the french immersion program in elementary school and then dropped out in middle school either b/c they no longer offered it or because she started ROTC. She can't remember. She thinks in middle school French became an elective. She did mention that her daughter can still speak some French today b/c she will just start talking in French every now and then.

A lot of my friends that are native Spanish speakers told me that their kids took Spanish in FCPS school b/c they do not speak Spanish in their house only English. I asked if their kids can Speak fluently now and she said no, none of them.

The immersion program isn’t about language acquisition though many go in thinking that and are disappointed. I started another thread about immersion. What I didn’t mention in the other thread was that my child (now in HS) was far ahead of kids who didn’t have immersion. He struggled a bit understanding with what the various parts of speech were because FCPS doesn’t seriously cover that in English. His teachers have said his non-immersion classmates put together sentences more mechanically rather than a kid like who goes with what is more natural to say. He’s gotten a lot of positive feedback for someone who doesn’t speak Spanish at home. He comprehends very well inside and outside of the classroom, and has carried on conversations in Spanish beyond how are you? What’s your name?

And this is why so many people homeschool and/or enroll their children in enrichment camps.
Billions of dollars for our “excellent” school system but we have to pay time and attention to make sure our children learn grammar well.

+100
I’m a product of the FCPS of the 80s when it actually was an excellent school system. Great emphasis was placed on learning grammar and how to write correctly. My own kids haven’t been as fortunate, so my husband and I have had to teach them this at home. It’s truly disgraceful what FCPS has become.

RWNJs are still upset over last elections. Cry harder.

P.S. - Try to avoid the passive tense next time (for example, "Teachers emphasized grammar" rather than "Great emphasis was placed on learning grammar...").