Reply to Got off waitlist at EL Haynes prek3

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Reply to "Got off waitlist at EL Haynes prek3 - any feedback?"

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[quote=Anonymous]So, I don't have kids in elementary or middle at Haynes. They were pretty high on our lottery list this year for elementary (we ended up getting in somewhere that's a bit easier of a commute, so we're not going to Haynes).

But I wanted to respond because we did a LOT of research this year and were really happy with Haynes. We spent a bunch of time with them at EdFest, talked to a current family with older kids there who love it, we went to an open house, and we even scheduled a private tour because we wanted to see the teaching during school hours. Our kid is a rising K, so I don't know anything specific about PK.

We were really, really impressed with Haynes. Their approach to differentiation really seemed top notch. The classes are on the bigger side (high 20s, obviously not for PK). But the upper elementary math teacher walked me through how they structure their day with lots of pull outs for various kids who need extra support (special ed, kids who are below grade level, and English language learners, which Haynes has a lot of) and how this leaves specific chunks of time every day for the remaining kids (ie, on and above grade level students) to have their primary teacher for advanced, small group work. It was really, really cool to hear about (and we actually saw it on our tour - and you can see how they have a ton of pull out spaces of various sizes, pretty much in constant use). The family we know has kids getting 5s on PARC and says they always felt appropriately challenged at school, and always had opportunities to work ahead.

Their curriculum for ELA is Wit and Wisdom, which is whole book focused (unlike DCPS ELA, which focuses on excerpts, to the detriment of students, IMHO). They have a robust theater/music/arts program. On my tour (which I picked the time for, so it isn't like they gave me the "best" snapshot) every class was engaged and focused, and the teachers were excellent. Very little screen use.

I think the middle school is iffy (the family we know is not choosing to send their kid there), but I think the elementary is truly a hidden gem.

There is, though, great value in a neighborhood DCPS (walking to school, meeting your neighbors, etc) but if you're looking for a school that can take you through 4th or 5th, and if your DCPS doesn't, I think you'd have that in EL Haynes. [/quote]

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