do you like your DCPS that isn't "highly regarded" on DCUM?
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Anonymous
| What school and what do you like about it? We would be applying as an OOB family, and it seems like if a school is at the point where it's "highly regarded" on DCUM, it's impossible to get into OOB and that many families consider their DCPS schools to be hidden gems. Thanks! |
Anonymous
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I have a 4-year-old daughter at H.D. Cooke, which is in Ward 1, at 17th and Columbia Road. We are very happy with the school.
- Cooke uses the IB primary years program, which is based on units of inquiry and focuses on the whole child, their environment, etc. Each unit of inquiry is tailored to the age of the students, so the way they study "community" in PK is different than the way they study it in 5th grade. - DD's class has 20 students, one primary teacher and an aide. All the early childhood classes have a Spanish-speaking aide, which is helpful in a school that has a majority Spanish-speaking population. - Cooke has full time specials teachers: art, music, 2 P.E. teachers, Spanish, librarian and 4 guidance counselor types (social workers, psychologists, etc.). - The building was fully renovated in 2009 and is gorgeous. There are a lot of skylights and windows, so almost no part of the school feels dark or gloomy. We have a kitchen on site, and the food is prepared there, rather than being served in single-serving trays. Early childhood students eat breakfast and lunch family style in their classrooms. - We have 2 playgrounds, one for kids aged 2-5 and one for kids aged 5-12. They are new with the building renovation, gated and well maintained. Over the summer, there was some broken equipment but the school worked to get it repaired. We also have a community garden that is maintained by the students, staff and community as well as an outside organization during aftercare. They were literally some of the best cherry tomatoes I've ever eaten in my life. We are also about to start a composting program. - It must be said that the test scores are not good. The administration, who are almost all new this year, have a lot of ideas about how to improve test scores. We are all a little apprehensive about the PARCC implementation this year, because the test itself is different than students have experienced before. I am concerned about technological literacy as well as reading and math proficiency. My daughter will not be taking these assessments for several years, but I plan to volunteer this spring to help students prepare for the test if possible. - Our PTO is fairly active and large this year, as compared to years past (it's my first year). I attribute the expansion of membership and high attendance to people generally being excited about the new principal and the change in school culture that many have seen. Not everyone is happy all the time. It's not perfect. What I know is that my daughter is happy going to school. She has bonded with her teachers (including the specials teachers) and made a lot of great friends. All the kids are friendly to me when I am at the school. The teachers are dedicated, professional and passionate about their school. They also all seem to genuinely like each other. Happy to answer any questions and would also encourage you to visit us at an open house if we're remotely convenient for you! Our next open house is January 15th at 6pm. |
Anonymous
11:13 here. Wow. That was a novel! Sorry 
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Anonymous
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My neighborhood DCPS is Amidon-Bowen. I don't have a school-aged kid but there are very good art and music teachers, the library is nice, and they use Tools of the Mind for early childhood. The younger classes are fairly diverse and small and all have a teacher and an aide, who seem lovely. I like the bulletin boards outside of the classrooms and the stuff I can see they're doing from them (projects, family potlucks, field trips) look good--they have a facebook page with some pictures too. There is a nice playground and some sports programs, though teams are for the older kids. The school is friendly to working parents in that it has an extended day, free aftercare, and is near several metro and bus lines (Waterfront, Federal Center SW, and L'Enfant Plaza are closest, in that order).
There is guaranteed PK for in-bounds families next year but I think that with Appletree and now Van Ness nearby and test scores fairly low there might still be some spaces for OOB kids (the school is over 80% in-bounds now). They are having open houses at 9am the 3rd Monday of each month, so the next one is 12/15. |
Anonymous
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NP here. We are also at H.D. Cooke and are really happy with the school thus far. I'll be honest, it was last on our list last year, even though it's our neighborhood school. But we think it's good that we didn't get into any of the more highly-regarded schools we applied to because we have had a really good experience AND we have the convenience of going to our neighborhood school. The administration this year is all new, and the principal has put in place new policies and programs that are really strengthening the school. For example, one day a week, students have "double specials" so that the principal can meet with all of the teachers in one grade level and facilitate coordination across the grade. That way, kids are all learning in a coordinated way in a grade, no matter who their teacher is. Another example is that she has put in place a behavior system called PBIS that has made sure that kids have incentives to act positively and have consistent messages/responses when they act out. It has vastly reduced behavioral issues at the school. (I don't think the school had behavioral issues in the early childhood grades in the past, but it did in later grades, and now there are many fewer of them).
The most important thing for me is that my child is very happy and thriving in the environment. Good luck, OP. I'm happy to answer questions you may have about Cooke. |
Anonymous
| My PK3 child is doing VERY well at Barnard. She's 3.5 and can write her name and is starting to read. I have no complaints. |
Anonymous
| We're just starting to look at DCPS schools for our nearly 3 year old, and the sense I get is that all of these schools could be great with a little parent attention. I feel like if you are on this website, and asking questions, you are one of the people who can make your local school better. |
Anonymous
| I'm happy with my kids at West. They're still in the early years, but I like what I see for the later years too. |
Anonymous
| Thanks for the replies! Anyone else? |
arowe
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Hi - my family and I are really happy at Powell (which may come as no surprise if you know me or the school).
What makes me even happier is that there are many here who are embracing and enjoying having their children at schools that were not part of that "JKLM" conventional wisdom of a few years ago. It's at the point now where people who read these forums might say, "...but Powell is highly regarded on DCUM!" I'm very happy views on many DCPS schools are changing as DCPS grows. |
Anonymous
| Although not DCPS, our PK3 student is at DC Bilingual, a not HRCS (at least not on these pages). I think it doesn't get much interest because of it is a Title 1 school, but the teachers are amazing and we love it. Scores are not bad, either. |
Anonymous
OP is looking for schools where she has a decent shot of getting in. I was over 150 on the round 1 PK3 waitlist for DC Bilingual. That is a school that is very difficult to get into. |
Anonymous
Free aftercare? That's awesome. Are people pleased with the program? |
Anonymous
| L the community eligibility FARM DCPS have free aftercare. |
Anonymous
| That should read "all" of the community eligibility FARM schools have free aftercare |