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P.S. Huck is in DuPont, and I too work around K Street, so it's an easy walk.
Anonymous wrote:That is a possibility. In any event, I am out of luck given my 90++ WL number.Anonymous wrote:Maybe it moved more but some sibs moved up?
Me too! My # for the English program is better, but it's still one of the last #s, and there are half as many English-only seats as there are dual language. What a bummer. I loved the school and thought a bunch of people would turn it down when they saw the facilities.
Anonymous wrote:When we briefly registered at Marie Reed they were insisting on a birth certificate and I refused to provide it. I told them it was not on the required documents list. Considering English is the only language I speak, they seemed to back down, but it left me with a bad taste and switched to another school when our number came up.
Was this for PK3 or PK4? Because a birth certificate is required for those grades.
Currently, my school has about 30% proficient/advanced. We are trying it out for PK. However, we won't stay past PK or maybe K if they can't get the #s up. When 70% of the students are failing, those who are in the 30% at or above grade level cannot have their needs met. That is my top issue.
I also want a new principal for our school--one who really cares about transforming the school and getting IB families to attend. The principal at my school does not return emails from families and never shows up at PTA meetings. This principal seems to have no interest in actually making the school attractive to families. I see what Richard Trogish (sp?) has done for SWW@F-S and think someone like that could make a huge difference for my IB school.
I also would like to see more SES/racial diversity at the school. It is hard to be an "only," even at a school where test scores are on the rise.
I also want a new principal for our school--one who really cares about transforming the school and getting IB families to attend. The principal at my school does not return emails from families and never shows up at PTA meetings. This principal seems to have no interest in actually making the school attractive to families. I see what Richard Trogish (sp?) has done for SWW@F-S and think someone like that could make a huge difference for my IB school.
I also would like to see more SES/racial diversity at the school. It is hard to be an "only," even at a school where test scores are on the rise.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to lay these numbers against DCPS numbers for PK3, and see if DC is truly able to offer universal PK3. I'm not talking preferences, Tier 1, anything just sheer number of seats. I know of at least 6 families shut out, and that's just amongst the people I have chatted with on the playground, etc.
You are not shut out until school starts and you don't have a seat. In the next few weeks, seats will open up....
Agree with this. There are schools that have seats available, e.g., Seaton did not fill its entire PK3 class.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I really don't see how they can make anything final in September when there will be a new mayor come January.
The Mayor will (likely) still be the Mayor in September. So he can approve the final recommendation (or change it). Of course, a new mayor can approve something else in January. But I think part of the timing is intentional. Boundary changes are necessary but never popular (part of the reason DC hasn't done it for almost 40 years). So Gray can approve something, and Mayor Bowser or Catania can blame him but say it is a done deal now.
I agree with PP's analysis. There will be significant inertia against making a change to the September plan after the November election concludes. Even if the new mayor disagrees with aspects of the September plan, it's hard to see how he/she would want to wade into the battle and piss lots of people off, when he/she can more easily blame it on the former administration. Seems the new mayor will have other more pressing issues. People need to speak now, or be prepared to live with whatever the DME proposes.
At the last meeting, DME said she wants more feedback from Wards that had not previously participated. But if there are no more meetings on the schedule, how is that going to occur?
I think they can make the boundary changes, and maybe the OOB set-aside, but I would be really surprised if they moved forward with A or C and the new Mayor didn't roll it back come January. However, I've lived in DC long enough that I shouldn't be surprised when anything happens.
I just have no desire to live in VA. Would much prefer MoCo.
I love how you handled it, OP.
Not to me. I think it depends on your priorities. Commute is huge for me. Our commute to PK3 next year will be approximately 40 feet--can't beat that.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Found this helpful: http://greatergreatereducation.org/post/22378/why-are-so-many-dcps-schools-listed-as-99-low-income-its-not-necessarily-because-they-are/
I don't have time to look right now, but am wondering-- does that mean there is no DC-CAS score breakdown by income at the 99% schools?
I think everyone at the school is considered low-income, so the low-income scores are the same for the school at large.
Anonymous wrote:
Bancroft, like Oyster, has no English-only track. If you move in-boundary for 3rd grade both schools have to take you and do whatever they can to get you up to speed, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Much as I'd love the kid to learn Spanish, throwing her into it seems a little cruel, yeah. I've thought about it.
Wait, What does SWS stand for? And where is it? And it's a charter?
School-Within-School: It is an extremely popular DCPS that is city-wide and is Reggio-inspired. I think next year they may have a 3rd grade, but there is no chance you will get in given its popularity, unfortunately. There are no boundaries so you cannot move in boundary to get in.
Anonymous wrote:I lived in NY back when Clinton Hill was still Bedstuy, so I'm wondering what the racial/socioeconomic mix is now, and what the test scores are for your current schools, and your level of comfort with a changing school environment. I imagine the schools in Ft. Greene/Clinton Hill are still on an upward trajectory performance wise? I live in Petworth and you can get a great house for your price range, but very few professional parents have 3rd graders in the local schools. That said, I don't think it's out of the question. If you are looking EOTP but not into immersion programs, I have heard good things about West, and the scores are reasonably high. I know parents with kids currently in PK and 1st grade who said they would definitely consider staying through 5th. The principal is really energetic and approachable, so definitely organize a tour for when you come out here. There is also an engaged parent group. At Powell, the draw is really the Spanish immersion track, and the highest grade that I know people with kids is 1st but all in the bilingual program. I do not know the quality of the English-only track. Again, you can definitely visit and there is an engaged parent group. Bancroft is another popular "rising" school in Mt. Pleasant, but I feel like again it is the Spanish track that is attracting the professional class. But Mt. Pleasant is an awesome neighborhood. It seem like for an English-only option I would look at West, Brent, Maury, Ross, ... I'm IB for Barnard and it seems to be an extremely well-run school with beautiful facilities, but your daughter would really be an "only" in her class. That said, I was pretty impressed with the classrooms I saw.
Bancroft, like Oyster, has no English-only track. If you move in-boundary for 3rd grade both schools have to take you and do whatever they can to get you up to speed, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Anonymous wrote:How do you get downtown from Glover Park? Also... price...
The 30 buses go toward downtown, but having lived there without a car, I can say it is hard. If you want to go car-free or minimize time in a car, I would look to be relatively close to a Metro line.
Anonymous wrote:Ross--okay, Dupont Circle. I see. Where is SWWSX?
It is in the West End neighborhood but currently I know part of Adams Morgan and most of DuPont gets to choose between there and their other elementary school (Marie-Reed for A-M folks and Ross for DuPont folks). We really liked it when we saw it and met a bunch of parents who switched over from Ross.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:NO PETS, NO Pets, no pets..... hrm. This is going to be harder than I thought.
Re: diversity in the upper grades--as long as the programs are good, I'm okay with the kid being a minority. So where are the programs good in the upper grades east of the park? (That's EOTP? I assume, lol)
Dog or cat? Cats are easier. We are considering a move WOTP and have found some dog-friendly places on Craig's list, though. (I'd recommend filtering by that so you see what your options are.) I don't think there are many EOTP schools that are strong for 3rd-5th grade. We send our child to a school that we would not go to beyond 1st grade. Ross is good, but expensive (tons of dogs around there, though!). The other school you could check out is SWW@Francis-Stevens.
I would definitely apply in round 2 of the lottery--why not? You can check it out at www.myschooldc.org. I think the deadline is May 15.
Best of luck.
She's going to need a DC address to sign up (though you can make that up I guess) and to enroll, though. Plus, what are the chances of getting a decent 3rd grade spot in the second round???
No, you can apply without a DC address, you just don't get in-boundary (for PK/PS) or proximity preference that way. (But, I agree that ability to get a spot is slim. Still, why not apply to see if you have some options?)