Single Mom just relocated looking for Great FCPS...Please Help!!

[Mom2EE]

I am a single mom of a 1st grade son and PreK daughter. We just relocated from Atlanta and am seeking mid year placement in a great Fairfax County School. Any advice would help greatly!! My son was in the gifted program and reads on a 4th grade level. I would prefer a school where they can attend together. Thanks in advance!!

[Anonymous]

There are many good elementary schools in Fairfax, but off of the top of my head, I have no idea which ones (if any) have preK programs. The only ones I know start at K.

[Mom2EE]

Thanks. I was told to check out Falls Church City Schools, Bailey Elementary, and Key Elementary. Know anything about those??

[Anonymous]

Falls Church City seems like a good choice for you, although they don't have gifted centers. It's a small system so there's less beaurocracy.

As for Fairfax County, children don't start attending the gifted centers until 3rd grade. Schools claim to differentiate before that, but honestly, some schools seem to do a better job at that than others. If your son will qualify for 3rd grade GT, you'll want to be sure that whatever school you pick has a gifted center or a local level IV program. This link will take you to the list of schools with Centers. A tab on the web page will take you to a list of school with local level IV services.

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/gt/centers.html

You'll have to find a different school for pre-K, though. I think that the few Fairfax County school that offer pre-K restrict them mostly to special needs kids.

I'm not sure why someone recommended Bailey's. They have a great Spanish immersion program, but your first grader can't enroll in it. Entry points are at the beginning of the year in K and 1st grade, and your child is past that point. The immersion program always has long wait lists, too. It's done by lottery.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much!!

[Anonymous]

One doesn't need to be in the Spanish Immersion to get into Bailey's Elementary (by the way, it is near Alexandria, and near Arlington, Bailey's crossroads / 7 Corners to be exact). Thought it's not a GT center school, it is a Magnet school for the Arts, Sciences and Technology and has partnerships with the Kennedy Center, the US Forest Service etc. It is a very diverse school with some very dedicated teachers and interesting programs. The new principal is really really good!

[Anonymous]

If you like the Falls Church area, you may want to look into zip 22043 (actually in Fairfax County) feeding into Haycock/Longfellow/McLean. Haycock has an excellent reputation and is a GT center.

[Anonymous]

None of the northern VA public school systems have public pre-K, unless your daughter is special needs. Just FYI. Once you settle on a place to live, I would call around to local preschools and see if any have a spot available in their 4s class.

Your son will likely have a group of peers in any first grade FCPS class at or above his reading level so I wouldn't stress too much about which particular school would work--just look for the ones with the decent test scores and a low percentage of free lunch eaters.

[Anonymous]

Also depends on your price range and where you will work. You should probably consider Louise Archer in Vienna as well. Its a GT center, so your two children could attend the same school even if your son is in the GT program.

[Anonymous]

If you're interested in Spanish immersion for your DD, Rose Hill Elementary is one of the few that in-district kids are placed first (via lottery). In the 5 years we've been there, all the in-district kids have gotten in.

[Anonymous]

Our neighborhood ES , Greenbriar East, does have pre-k, but I believe it is need based. It also has full day K. Only half the schools in FFX have all day K so you might want to check that out also,

We did send our son to a fantastic pre-k in Chantilly that included gymnastics everyday. It is called Chantilly Academy. The teachers were fantastic. I cannot reccomend it more than enough.

GBE feeds into the GBW AAP program and is in an affordable area esp. compared to ATL prices. Falls CHurch not so much.

Go Dawgs.

[Anonymous]

FWIW Baileys = Techwood.

[Anonymous]

Go to a AAP School ( aka a school with a GT Center). After that look for other preferences such as commute, student body mix, parents.

[Anonymous]

No offense, but shouldn't you have done this research before moving the kids here? Are they not going to school while you figure this out??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No offense, but shouldn't you have done this research before moving the kids here? Are they not going to school while you figure this out??

Not everyone has the perfect life. Maybe she was offered a job here and had to start right away. Maybe a million other possibilities but the point is that she is seeking advice for a good education for her children. I went to a school for a few months when my father kicked my mother and us out of our home. We lived with our grandparents until the end of the the third quarter and then I started a new school in the spring when my mom was able to rent an apartment.