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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Agreed. No interest in Basis at all.

All grind, no idea what they're doing in DC, and students won't be well-rounded. No thank you.

I'd like to see how DCI plays out. If it succeeds in what it's supposed to do? That will work well for us: differentiation, high-expectations, well-rounded students (languages, sports, travel, community service). Of course, it helps to not be on the bleeding edges (but it's always best not to be on the bleeding edge). 8)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Agreed. No interest in Basis at all.

All grind, no idea what they're doing in DC, and students won't be well-rounded. No thank you.

I'd like to see how DCI plays out. If it succeeds in what it's supposed to do? That will work well for us: differentiation, high-expectations, well-rounded students (languages, sports, travel, community service). Of course, it helps to not be on the bleeding edges (but it's always best not to be on the bleeding edge). 8)

+2. No interest in Basis or Latin but DCI with an IB degree and curriculum would be worth considering over private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't imagine why the school is taking 5th graders abroad for 2 weeks. They plan on fundraising but with 9 months to go, good luck! Need $100k.

The only reason I can imagine pushing the trip to 5th is to make it part of the PYP experience, before MS starts. Students who would peel off to Basis, Latin, which start at 5th, beg to stay for the trip?

It makes us MORE likely to leave because I think it is inappropriate and unaffordable. We'd rather be somewhere else than explain why he can't go. (even if it was free, our 11 yr old son is not going to Asia for 2 weeks without a parent, and his parents aren't taking 2 valuable vacation weeks for a school trip).

OMGoodness you people are priceless. God himself could not statisfy you people. You bitch about everything. You are bitching and complaining about something that you are too damn lazy to gather information about. I don't know the answers, but you emphatically state that even if it was free your child would not partake. In the same breath, you bitch about the cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is just the principal pushing for this because her son will get to go and she will be one of the 2 chaperones. It is ideal for her, really. Unfortunately, everyone in the community was going with the assumption that it would be in 8th grade as it had been announced in prior years. Then it was announced for this year. She is pushing the fundraising very hard, but it is ludicrous to the think that anyone can fundraise that much money for a school trip in that short of time. Presuming they fall short on their goal of fully funding all 35 kids, I'm curious how it'll be decided who will get the money they raise. Is if for kids who can't afford to go at all? Kids who may be able to contribute some but not all of the cost? Merit based?

Ha. More misinformation floating around DCUM. I guess thats to be expected. Actually the fourth grade parents pushed the school administrative to change the date. Sixth grade is an entering year for private school and some parents pushed their agenda for a fifth grade trip. Also, parents are allowed to go, at their own expense of course. I think it would be an invaluable opportunity for the children. I will accompany my child, and if I get financially lucky, I will try to find a way to extend a couple more days to tour Hong Kong without the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I'd really like to tell it directly to the principal's face, but she's mean and vindictive and I'm afraid she'll take it out on my kid.

Well, I have disagreed with both the principal and executive director on several instances. I am not one to mince my words. I have not noticed a difference in how my child has been treated. If you to damn chicken-shit to advocate on behalf of your child, then shame on you.

[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.

It's not mandatory. Keep your baby home. That's what choice is all about.

[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.

You are so dense. You don't know any of the facts, yet you object. Why don't you get some facts before you start putting boulders in front of other's desires.

[Anonymous]

LOL! This is cracking me up. Whatever anyone says, the YY threads have the most entertainment value: all drama and angst. Too funny.

Anyway, thrilled about DCI and really, really hope it takes off. Finally, public high school and middle school options in DC that we'll consider over private schools. Yay!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LOL! This is cracking me up. Whatever anyone says, the YY threads have the most entertainment value: all drama and angst. Too funny.

Anyway, thrilled about DCI and really, really hope it takes off. Finally, public high school and middle school options in DC that we'll consider over private schools. Yay!

Hahahahaha!!! Hopefully the bucket o' crabs that constitutes the YY bitches will get the hell out and off our collective backs!!

[Anonymous]

Once again, cannot believe all the complaints. If the trip were optional and during vacation, people would be complaining that it was shutting out kids from less advantaged families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once again, cannot believe all the complaints. If the trip were optional and during vacation, people would be complaining that it was shutting out kids from less advantaged families.

I hope they're reading the new thread about open 5th and 6th grade slots at Cap City.

[Anonymous]

There will be a open lottery for free spots, right? Because it looks like there will be many free space, esp at the MS and HS level. This would be a great option for many of the families initially shut out of the ES options. This could be great news. A good MS/HS option with appeal for all kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There will be a open lottery for free spots, right? Because it looks like there will be many free space, esp at the MS and HS level. This would be a great option for many of the families initially shut out of the ES options. This could be great news. A good MS/HS option with appeal for all kids!

Yes. Students at the feeder schools and their siblings will get first priority. Then, for the finite amount of spaces left, there will be an open lottery, I'm assuming any waitlists
will be done in order of application time stamp, as that's how some of the feeder schools do their waitlist now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Have to agree. No interest in the BASIS (Ward 5 Middle School) problem.

[Anonymous]

Posters may not be aware of just how tough it's becoming to get into Latin. They had around 300 applications for 30 non-sibling spots for 5th this spring when, just three years ago, they were taking close to 100% of the names going in the hat. Basis is likely to see a similar surge in applications, even if it is a grind. There just aren't enough decent MS options in the offing, particularly for Wards 5 and 6, leading me to suspect that DCI will be popular even if it starts at 6th. Alll those families striking out at Latin and Basis have to go somewhere.

What I'd like to see, although nobody's talking about it, is for all the immersion elementary schools to have a direct feed into DCI, whether charter or DCPS. Is there no scope for a charter-DCPS hybrid school? Kaya Henderson has been talking about the concept of late. Seems artificial to exclude, for example, Oyster. That way, you would have more strong students than not. I worry that too much in the way of open lottery admissions could hurt the school in a city with such dramatic disparities between the prep most upper-middle-class kids come in with and others. The language immersion school kids, regardless of class, tend to be much better prepped than others.