CHARTERS MAY MERGE AT WALTER REED (The DC International School, IB Diploma Programme)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you were 15 or 16 and a junior in high school.

We're talking 10 or 11 year olds flying half way around the world. To go on a 3 cities in 12 days tourist jaunt.

An 8th grader, who spends 3 years raising money, yes. A 5th grader who spends 9 months, no.

No, you've missed the point entirely.

I'm lucky I got to make the decision for myself, and am more than happy to watch other young people make the decisions for themselves.

You would prefer to prevent your child from making the decision for him/herself. And because you're spineless, you're rather prevent other children and their families from making that decision for themselves, just to make sure you don't look like the bad guy.

You might fool your child, but you won't fool everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Sure, my kid can decide they want to go to China. They are welcome to decide.

However, I'm the one stuck trying to come up with a huge amount of cash.

If I don't I'm the bad parent who didn't let my kid go to China.

So thanks! This will undoubtedly end up making several children and families feel very, very left out. But that sums up the whole Yu Ying experience--mean and exclusionary.

[Anonymous]

Sad that your child is at a school where you feel the whole experience is "mean and exclusionary". Why do you stay if you are that miserable?

[Anonymous]

On to another topic. I'm a LAMB parent concerned that the decision by PAs/PTAs, administrators, and boards at the feeder schools to start DCI at 6th grade is short-sighted, because Latin, Basis and some privates begin middle school at 5th.

The problem is this: many parents of 4th graders at the feeders schools are unlikely to feel confident enough about the new feeder to refrain from putting their kids' names into the Latin and Basis lotteries. If they get in, many, if not most, will go. They will have mixed feelings of losing that final year of language immersion, but since they need a quality MS, their children probably won't end up at DCI.

You've got Latin probably planning to move to a closed ES school campus in Fort Totten next summer. If this move takes place, some of the NW (Tenley Town, Cleveland Park, Friendship Heights etc.) parents are threatening to pull out for Deal, possibly opening up spots at Latin. Latin takes replacement kids for dropouts from 6th to 8th. With so many Hill kids at the feeders, particularly YY, and Fort Totten being a lot closer to them than the current Latin location, read the writing on the wall.

I don't understand why the feeder schools don't think in terms of a final year of immersion language at DCI to keep many of the families who would otherwise head to Basis and Latin. Seems like the practical solution under circumstances that are much less than ideal.

Any views on this situation?

[Anonymous]

I agree it makes much more sense to start the DCI at 5th. The IB curriculum is Primary Years Programme thru 5th grade, Middle Years from 6th to 10th grades, and Diploma for 11th and 12th.

I think that is the reason YY admin won't consider starting at 5th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sad that your child is at a school where you feel the whole experience is "mean and exclusionary". Why do you stay if you are that miserable?

Lousy IB options and a couple more years to get into Latin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On to another topic. I'm a LAMB parent concerned that the decision by PAs/PTAs, administrators, and boards at the feeder schools to start DCI at 6th grade is short-sighted, because Latin, Basis and some privates begin middle school at 5th.

The problem is this: many parents of 4th graders at the feeders schools are unlikely to feel confident enough about the new feeder to refrain from putting their kids' names into the Latin and Basis lotteries. If they get in, many, if not most, will go. They will have mixed feelings of losing that final year of language immersion, but since they need a quality MS, their children probably won't end up at DCI.

You've got Latin probably planning to move to a closed ES school campus in Fort Totten next summer. If this move takes place, some of the NW (Tenley Town, Cleveland Park, Friendship Heights etc.) parents are threatening to pull out for Deal, possibly opening up spots at Latin. Latin takes replacement kids for dropouts from 6th to 8th. With so many Hill kids at the feeders, particularly YY, and Fort Totten being a lot closer to them than the current Latin location, read the writing on the wall.

I don't understand why the feeder schools don't think in terms of a final year of immersion language at DCI to keep many of the families who would otherwise head to Basis and Latin. Seems like the practical solution under circumstances that are much less than ideal.

Any views on this situation?

Yes. Talk to your administration. The DCI will be a high-quality bridge from ES to MS/HS that continues the immersion experience. That's the whole point: an entire bilingual experience culminating in competitive pre-college offerings that allow the students to complete the IB Diploma (internationally recognized as the best pre-University program in the U.S. and worldwide).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You've got Latin probably planning to move to a closed ES school campus in Fort Totten next summer. If this move takes place, some of the NW (Tenley Town, Cleveland Park, Friendship Heights etc.) parents are threatening to pull out for Deal, possibly opening up spots at Latin. Latin takes replacement kids for dropouts from 6th to 8th. With so many Hill kids at the feeders, particularly YY, and Fort Totten being a lot closer to them than the current Latin location, read the writing on the wall.

The new Latin locatation (on the border between Petworth & Manor Park, not Fort Totten) is just a few blocks off Military. By public transport, it's a much easier trip from upper NW than the 16th St. location is.

Where did you hear that upper NW parents were upset with the move?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure, my kid can decide they want to go to China. They are welcome to decide.

However, I'm the one stuck trying to come up with a huge amount of cash.

If I don't I'm the bad parent who didn't let my kid go to China.

So thanks! This will undoubtedly end up making several children and families feel very, very left out. But that sums up the whole Yu Ying experience--mean and exclusionary.

or you can get off your butt and out of the crab bucket and start being proactive and excited. Start raising some money and quit whining!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sad that your child is at a school where you feel the whole experience is "mean and exclusionary". Why do you stay if you are that miserable?

Lousy IB options and a couple more years to get into Latin

Many charters have lots of empty slots at the higher grades and Haynes and Cap City just opened a ton of slots. Go! Don't let the door hit your whiny butt on the way out!! Buh Bye!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree it makes much more sense to start the DCI at 5th. The IB curriculum is Primary Years Programme thru 5th grade, Middle Years from 6th to 10th grades, and Diploma for 11th and 12th.

I think that is the reason YY admin won't consider starting at 5th.

Like many families before DCI became news, we were planning to send DC to private for high school at the latest. We chose our charter because of the immersion language. The IB diploma maybe enough of a carrot to keep families through high school even if it starts in 6th although it makes more sense logistically to start in 5th in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Where did you hear that upper NW parents were upset with the move?

A close friend is a teacher at Latin. She tells me there's been a big to do about the planned location, with a sizeable group of NW parents being very unhappy about it. They're fighting the move, but are losing because there isn't a viable altenative site in NW, one with the ample space/playing fields Latin is looking for. She suspects that threats by parents to pull out won't amount to much, mainly because Deal is getting so crowded and it would be disruptive for kids to change middle schools. But it's hard to say.

I don't doubt that DCI will have a strong and attractive curriculum etc. But I do wonder if starting at 6th is strategic given that Latin is well-established now, Basis will have a three-year head start on DCI, and both start at 5th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree it makes much more sense to start the DCI at 5th. The IB curriculum is Primary Years Programme thru 5th grade, Middle Years from 6th to 10th grades, and Diploma for 11th and 12th.

I think that is the reason YY admin won't consider starting at 5th.

I don't think it's the goal of the DCI to "beat" Basis or Latin in competition for students. How about it makes sense to start Middle School in 6th grade? How about they hope parents will actually choose a model on its perceived merits and not because it's convenient or starts at an artificially chosen grade level? How about other reasons not known by the general public but known by the founders of the DCI who would tell if asked?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Where did you hear that upper NW parents were upset with the move?

A close friend is a teacher at Latin. She tells me there's been a big to do about the planned location, with a sizeable group of NW parents being very unhappy about it. They're fighting the move, but are losing because there isn't a viable altenative site in NW, one with the ample space/playing fields Latin is looking for. She suspects that threats by parents to pull out won't amount to much, mainly because Deal is getting so crowded and it would be disruptive for kids to change middle schools. But it's hard to say.

I don't doubt that DCI will have a strong and attractive curriculum etc. But I do wonder if starting at 6th is strategic given that Latin is well-established now, Basis will have a three-year head start on DCI, and both start at 5th.

I just used mapquest to measure the distance from 16th & Miltary to 16th & Upshur = 1.6 miles. to 3rd & Hamilton = 1.44 miles. So the current 16th St location is about as accessible as Rudolph, assuming one is driving. Also depends on where you drive afterward to get to work, I suppose. There just isn't affordable space in Ward 3, if that is where these parents want to locate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Where did you hear that upper NW parents were upset with the move?

A close friend is a teacher at Latin. She tells me there's been a big to do about the planned location, with a sizeable group of NW parents being very unhappy about it. They're fighting the move, but are losing because there isn't a viable altenative site in NW, one with the ample space/playing fields Latin is looking for. She suspects that threats by parents to pull out won't amount to much, mainly because Deal is getting so crowded and it would be disruptive for kids to change middle schools. But it's hard to say.

I don't doubt that DCI will have a strong and attractive curriculum etc. But I do wonder if starting at 6th is strategic given that Latin is well-established now, Basis will have a three-year head start on DCI, and both start at 5th.

I just used mapquest to measure the distance from 16th & Miltary to 16th & Upshur = 1.6 miles. to 3rd & Hamilton = 1.44 miles. So the current 16th St location is about as accessible as Rudolph, assuming one is driving. Also depends on where you drive afterward to get to work, I suppose. There just isn't affordable space in Ward 3, if that is where these parents want to locate.

What should be particularly attractive about the Rudolph location is that the E2/3/4 crosstown buses stop just two blocks from the building. The 60 & 64 buses also stop nearby (though they're only useful if you're coming from a Green Line station. In fairness, the 16th St. location is much easier if you're taking Beach Dr/Rock Creek Parkway (Beach to Blagden, through Crestwood to 16th, then Upshur to Arkansas to Piney Branch).