What kind of school will Van Ness Elementary end up being? More like Brent, Maury, or Ludlow-Taylor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calls to ameliorate the PreK situation at Brent have gone nowhere, and will continue in that vein, at least under this principal. Admitting more of the kids shut out for PreS3 for PreK4 just isn't a priority of the head, LSAT or PTA Board. Good thing that Van Ness has been taking up some of the slack.

You realize adding a fifth PK clsssroom presents numerous logistical challenges, not the least of which being securing classroom space. Brent managed to build out one additional classroom space last year. Then there's the matter of scheduling for science, PE, art and music, and physical space in the playground twice a day for recess. There's also an issue in terms of moving another group of 17 three and four years around the building for transitions. Yes, Brent could accommodate a few more four year olds by reverting to separate classrooms but I don't think there has been a groundswell of demand for any of this. Let the school focus on the upper grades and assimilating a new cadre of teachers. Your little one will be just fine.

Yes, yes, but as PP's point out, the Upper NW DCPS schools don't offer PreS3. Instead, they do their best to accommodate all IB families for PreK4. By shutting out a good many IB families for both PreS3 and PreK4, Brent loses some families for good. Their K spots are auctioned off for OOB. I'd rather see everybody IB incentivized to come, to build a stronger neighborhood school. Let the parents debate the issue.

As an OOB family, I love it. Honestly, it's not Brent's fault if IB families don't value a neighborhood school enough to go to it. I am more than willing to send my kid to PK somewhere else and then switch at K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calls to ameliorate the PreK situation at Brent have gone nowhere, and will continue in that vein, at least under this principal. Admitting more of the kids shut out for PreS3 for PreK4 just isn't a priority of the head, LSAT or PTA Board. Good thing that Van Ness has been taking up some of the slack.

You realize adding a fifth PK clsssroom presents numerous logistical challenges, not the least of which being securing classroom space. Brent managed to build out one additional classroom space last year. Then there's the matter of scheduling for science, PE, art and music, and physical space in the playground twice a day for recess. There's also an issue in terms of moving another group of 17 three and four years around the building for transitions. Yes, Brent could accommodate a few more four year olds by reverting to separate classrooms but I don't think there has been a groundswell of demand for any of this. Let the school focus on the upper grades and assimilating a new cadre of teachers. Your little one will be just fine.

Yes, yes, but as PP's point out, the Upper NW DCPS schools don't offer PreS3. Instead, they do their best to accommodate all IB families for PreK4. By shutting out a good many IB families for both PreS3 and PreK4, Brent loses some families for good. Their K spots are auctioned off for OOB. I'd rather see everybody IB incentivized to come, to build a stronger neighborhood school. Let the parents debate the issue.

As an OOB family, I love it. Honestly, it's not Brent's fault if IB families don't value a neighborhood school enough to go to it. I am more than willing to send my kid to PK somewhere else and then switch at K.

agreed. some people are really entitled about this stuff.

[Anonymous]

I don't think we are saying different things. I have no problem with OOB students at Brent. If you fix the PK situation by only having PK4, there would likely be some OOB spots for PK4 in certain years. Also, I don't think it's "entitled" for me to want my child to go to public PK and to want to support and be involved in the neighborhood school and in DCPS more generally. We didn't get in anywhere so it may be two more years before that happens (if we stay).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think we are saying different things. I have no problem with OOB students at Brent. If you fix the PK situation by only having PK4, there would likely be some OOB spots for PK4 in certain years. Also, I don't think it's "entitled" for me to want my child to go to public PK and to want to support and be involved in the neighborhood school and in DCPS more generally. We didn't get in anywhere so it may be two more years before that happens (if we stay).

Im sorry that you didn't get in for PK but you can support and be involved in your neighborhood school even before your child attends. It's what we did. You can ever serve on the LSAT or just attend PTA meetings and get to know other parents. The Brent catchment is very small and most of the families shut out for 2013-14 and 2014-15 made their way back to Brent. Several were even admitted for PK4 due to additional spaces opened up as a result of ratios and attrition.

[Anonymous]

This obsession with VN -- is it good enough? Will is stay good? Is really vexing given that all the anxiety of over the proportions of low-, mid- and high-SES.

Give it a rest, Van Ness booster. What will be will be. And you're really testing people's patience. I hope you don't talk like this in 'real life'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PK4 is all Brent IB kids, not PK3. As much as people say they love Van Ness, I guarantee they will move their kids back to Brent for K despite Brent not having a strong K program as it's still more established than Van Ness.

PK3 and PK4 were both allegedly Brent overflow last year too

Yes but with the PK3 class starting this week, Van Ness has moved past that. It should be mostly IB for new classes going forward with some OOB students who might be from anywhere. Any PK3 kid IB for Brent this year who had a lottery draw good enough to get into Van Ness OOB would have also gotten into Brent, so the overlap is none.

PK4 had a few Brent kids last year, but the grade was not an "overflow". I think all (or nearly all) of my child's class returned for K this year.

Are any still IB for Brent?

Not that I know of. The OOB families in my child's class lived in a mix of nearby neighborhoods and EOTR. The couple of IB Brent kids I did know of are attending Brent for K this year. This board's perception of the school being full of Brent IB kids was overblown though IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think we are saying different things. I have no problem with OOB students at Brent. If you fix the PK situation by only having PK4, there would likely be some OOB spots for PK4 in certain years. Also, I don't think it's "entitled" for me to want my child to go to public PK and to want to support and be involved in the neighborhood school and in DCPS more generally. We didn't get in anywhere so it may be two more years before that happens (if we stay).

Im sorry that you didn't get in for PK but you can support and be involved in your neighborhood school even before your child attends. It's what we did. You can ever serve on the LSAT or just attend PTA meetings and get to know other parents. The Brent catchment is very small and most of the families shut out for 2013-14 and 2014-15 made their way back to Brent. Several were even admitted for PK4 due to additional spaces opened up as a result of ratios and attrition.

Sure, you can, but, come on, the arrangement is awkward, and that's putting it mildly. Very few shutout parents make their way to PTA meetings (I say this as a parent who attended faithfully for the two years I was shut out). Shutout parents really aren't considered part of the school community. The principal, PTA Board and LSAT aren't in the habit of welcoming shutout families. It's a loaded subject school leaders avoid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This obsession with VN -- is it good enough? Will is stay good? Is really vexing given that all the anxiety of over the proportions of low-, mid- and high-SES.

Give it a rest, Van Ness booster. What will be will be. And you're really testing people's patience. I hope you don't talk like this in 'real life'

I've met her and she does talk this way in real life. It's really sad, because it pushes the few friends she has away. I know it's sad she can't afford to be IB in the Brent district, but none of her (former) friends can figure out why she's letting that tear her life apart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think we are saying different things. I have no problem with OOB students at Brent. If you fix the PK situation by only having PK4, there would likely be some OOB spots for PK4 in certain years. Also, I don't think it's "entitled" for me to want my child to go to public PK and to want to support and be involved in the neighborhood school and in DCPS more generally. We didn't get in anywhere so it may be two more years before that happens (if we stay).

Im sorry that you didn't get in for PK but you can support and be involved in your neighborhood school even before your child attends. It's what we did. You can ever serve on the LSAT or just attend PTA meetings and get to know other parents. The Brent catchment is very small and most of the families shut out for 2013-14 and 2014-15 made their way back to Brent. Several were even admitted for PK4 due to additional spaces opened up as a result of ratios and attrition.

Sure, you can, but, come on, the arrangement is awkward, and that's putting it mildly. Very few shutout parents make their way to PTA meetings (I say this as a parent who attended faithfully for the two years I was shut out). Shutout parents really aren't considered part of the school community. The principal, PTA Board and LSAT aren't in the habit of welcoming shutout families. It's a loaded subject school leaders avoid.

Total BS IMO, unless you just happen to be someone who uses the address of an inbound rental property to eventually get into Brent.

[Anonymous]

Back to the topic at hand, I see a bright future for Van Ness, with some of the in boundary Brent families staying on indefinitely.

There are parents living in the lower blocks of the Brent District who've discovered that they like the commute despite the CSX tunnel messiness. Also, the K teaching team at Van Ness is stronger. The new school has so much to recommend it.

Good luck to the VN families this fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This obsession with VN -- is it good enough? Will is stay good? Is really vexing given that all the anxiety of over the proportions of low-, mid- and high-SES.

Give it a rest, Van Ness booster. What will be will be. And you're really testing people's patience. I hope you don't talk like this in 'real life'

I've met her and she does talk this way in real life. It's really sad, because it pushes the few friends she has away. I know it's sad she can't afford to be IB in the Brent district, but none of her (former) friends can figure out why she's letting that tear her life apart.

What an unkind post. It isn't easy to raise kids in the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think we are saying different things. I have no problem with OOB students at Brent. If you fix the PK situation by only having PK4, there would likely be some OOB spots for PK4 in certain years. Also, I don't think it's "entitled" for me to want my child to go to public PK and to want to support and be involved in the neighborhood school and in DCPS more generally. We didn't get in anywhere so it may be two more years before that happens (if we stay).

I agree, and hope you won't let name callers get down. Sorry that you're in this situation.

When you say you didn't get in anywhere, you mean nowhere on the Hill for PreS3? You didn't have proximity preference at Van Ness or anywhere else?

Hang in there.

[Anonymous]

This thread is obnoxious for two reasons. First, because it is basically a bunch of parents voicing their hope that low SES kids can be kept out of their school. Second, because it implies that if Van Ness "ends up" like Maury or LT it won't be good enough for the poster, and only a Brent clone is acceptable. It's OPs right to think that, but those schools work for lots of neighborhood families (obviously Maury more universally, but LT's IB population is ticking up every year and there is an IB waitlist for pre k).

And it's all just speculation at this point anyway

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is obnoxious for two reasons. First, because it is basically a bunch of parents voicing their hope that low SES kids can be kept out of their school. Second, because it implies that if Van Ness "ends up" like Maury or LT it won't be good enough for the poster, and only a Brent clone is acceptable. It's OPs right to think that, but those schools work for lots of neighborhood families (obviously Maury more universally, but LT's IB population is ticking up every year and there is an IB waitlist for pre k).

And it's all just speculation at this point anyway

I agree with the bolded, but have noticed several posters in this thread with their fingers seemingly crossed hoping the school is full of kids from public housing. Not sure I understand the motivation on either side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This obsession with VN -- is it good enough? Will is stay good? Is really vexing given that all the anxiety of over the proportions of low-, mid- and high-SES.

Give it a rest, Van Ness booster. What will be will be. And you're really testing people's patience. I hope you don't talk like this in 'real life'

This isn't Manhattan. People here don't want to live in tiny apartments instead of real houses when the options are available at the same price. Whatever you're paying for your condo in Navy Yards will get you a house in a neighborhood with actual families.