TC Williams: what does a family new to Alexandria need to know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are moving to Alexandria and my DC will spend 8th at a local private, but then likely go to TC. TC parents, what, if anything, should we be thinking abut or doing to increase the likelihood that DC will have a good transition to TC? I have heard people talk about things like the STEM academy. Are there programs we need to get DC signed up for in advance?

DC is a strong but not stellar student: generally gets B+ to A grades in academic subjects at a reasonably demanding private. Love the arts; enjoys sports but is not super athletic. Incredibly quick and creative but has never been a strong standardized test taker. Very strong writer.

Any advice welcomed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

Huh? No, it sends exactly the right message: that even if you have a child in your teens, which presumably none of us thinks is a good idea, you can and should stay in school and your school can and should support you in continuing your education.

And yes, actually, I do think it is good for upper middle class white kids to understand that they are really f-ing lucky, and that not everyone in the world is an upper middle class white kid. It is good for them to understand that many kids their age are struggling with extraordinary burdens: first generation immigrants; non-English speakers; kids with completely checked out parents, kids who must work while in school to help support their parents and siblings, and even kids struggling to continue their educations after they themselves have had kids. If my kids come out of TC with an appreciation of how fortunate they are and how very un-level life's playing field is, I'll be grateful.

I think it's great if kids learn about these things too. What I do not think is great is when they learn about them at the expense of being in an environment where they can focus on academics. I'd rather not have the kids whose job it is to be teaching my kids a life lesson (which is a really snobby way to think about your kids classmates, BTW) take the focus away from learning. If my kids can get out of high school with a great preparation for college, I'll be grateful. Which is why my kids go to TJ instead of TC. Different priorities, I guess. Because TJ would not have been possible for them out out ACPS.

[Anonymous]

DD went to TC and was very well-prepared for a top Ivy. I would second the earlier PP's comment that learning to self-advocate at TC was as important to her success as what she learned in class. However, the academics at TC weren't too shabby: she took 12 APs and received 11 scores of 5 and 1 score of 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go private. Seriously.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what's NOT a myth? TC has an on-site day care for apprize 100 babies / toddlers for HS parents, they drop their kiddos and scoot on to school. It sends the wrong message, IMHO, that it's okay to have children that early. That's the population that is closer to jail than Yale

A lot of schools have this. 28 years ago, my large New England High School had this. What would you prefer, ship the girls away to have their babies, or worse yet , make them drop out because they had a child? THAT is the wrong message.

[Anonymous]

Not in ACPS, but I do not get why ACPS parents do not make a stand before the SB and get the TJ ban changed. It seems a terrible policy move. It ends up not costing ACPS much money-- maybe $2,000-$3,000 more per pupil, after the state governors school transfer. Should be no busing issue, because TJ is right there, unlike PWCS. And it encourages smart motivated kids to stick with public MS and ES, and stay in ACPS, rather than fleeing to FCPS and APS. Plus, the kids who stay and try to get into TJ push themselves with academics and extracurriculars to get in. And if ACPS plays it cards right, like FCPS and ACPS, most of the 80% of the kids not admitted stay in at TC with their peer group. Chantilly has become such a strong HS in FCPS precisely because so many kids apply from that area of the county, and are not accepted, but do not flee to privates.

What am I missing?

I have a kid a TJ, so the people I know are obviously self selecting. But I do know several people who moved out of ACPS or never moved in because of the TJ issue. From the outside looking in, it seems like ACPS is cutting of its nose to spite its face. If it has, say, 10 spots a year (IDK the number it used to have), it may give up 10 bright kids. But, it looks like they are losing those kids anyway, because parents move for TJ. Plus, it loses some of the 40 bright, motivated kids a year, whose parents are chose not be be in ACPS so the kids can apply. People know TJ, know that admissions is subjective. Many of kids who have applied to TJ and not been admitted are every bit as smart and motivated as the kids admitted. are An extra 160 of those kids TC seems like a win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not in ACPS, but I do not get why ACPS parents do not make a stand before the SB and get the TJ ban changed. It seems a terrible policy move. It ends up not costing ACPS much money-- maybe $2,000-$3,000 more per pupil, after the state governors school transfer. Should be no busing issue, because TJ is right there, unlike PWCS. And it encourages smart motivated kids to stick with public MS and ES, and stay in ACPS, rather than fleeing to FCPS and APS. Plus, the kids who stay and try to get into TJ push themselves with academics and extracurriculars to get in. And if ACPS plays it cards right, like FCPS and ACPS, most of the 80% of the kids not admitted stay in at TC with their peer group. Chantilly has become such a strong HS in FCPS precisely because so many kids apply from that area of the county, and are not accepted, but do not flee to privates.

What am I missing?

I have a kid a TJ, so the people I know are obviously self selecting. But I do know several people who moved out of ACPS or never moved in because of the TJ issue. From the outside looking in, it seems like ACPS is cutting of its nose to spite its face. If it has, say, 10 spots a year (IDK the number it used to have), it may give up 10 bright kids. But, it looks like they are losing those kids anyway, because parents move for TJ. Plus, it loses some of the 40 bright, motivated kids a year, whose parents are chose not be be in ACPS so the kids can apply. People know TJ, know that admissions is subjective. Many of kids who have applied to TJ and not been admitted are every bit as smart and motivated as the kids admitted. are An extra 160 of those kids TC seems like a win.

Parents in Alexandria City have advocated for Thomas Jefferson attendance allowance (since we pay state taxes for it here) for decades.

Our ACPS School Boards and the City Council are completely tone deaf to their egregious decision not to let our students apply. They totally don't see the down side of their decision. Level headed, hard working parents have tried here many, many times to effect TJHHS.

It's a stupid decision on ACPS School Board part and hurts Alexandria for the reasons you mention.

[Anonymous]

I don't get why people can't just answer the question asked. OP wants to know about TC. She did not ask about TJ or whether Fairfax is better. If someone said, "I'll be eating tomorrow at X restaurant, could those of you who have eaten there tell me what's good," would be start instead explaining that restaurants Y is better?

Yeah. This is DCUM. I guess they would.

But it's not helpful.

[Anonymous]

I find it highly doubtful that OP moves here, starts her kid in private for 8th, and then moves her to TC. That's a night and day jump. If you care enough about your kids education and have enough money to move here and not start them at Hammond, then you will never be able to pull the trigger and move them into TC. And a kid who is happy and doing well in private is going to have a rough transition to TC.

Yes- I know there is someone out there who moved there kid from private MS to TC and kid was happy and thrived and passed 36 APs and was admtted to every single Ivy and has since been shortlisted for the Nobel Prize. But here, in the real world, that is not an attractive that is not a transition you would want a kid to make unless there are no other options. You would at least start your kid at Hammond, so they are not going from a cocoon to Teen Mom and gangs. And so they hopefully at least transition with a nice peer group.

Prediction: OP's DD sticks out her private through HS. Or goes to whatever HS her MS peer group applies to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why people can't just answer the question asked. OP wants to know about TC. She did not ask about TJ or whether Fairfax is better. If someone said, "I'll be eating tomorrow at X restaurant, could those of you who have eaten there tell me what's good," would be start instead explaining that restaurants Y is better?

Yeah. This is DCUM. I guess they would.

But it's not helpful.

There are some folks here very vested in dumping on ACPS, particularly TC. These are people who are not enrolled, and will never be enrolled, yet have passionate feelings about the school. I'm not sure why they care so much.