Reply to ISO thoughts about S Arlington vs N Arlington schools (esp Gunston)

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Reply to "ISO thoughts about S Arlington vs N Arlington schools (esp Gunston)"

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[quote=Anonymous]OP here - I did see the thread about a number of elementary schools - unfortunately it did not cover Gunston or Oakridge.  Thanks for any specific feedback on either.  To the pp comment about being better off in N Arlington - any specific reasons please?  We know that the schools are "better" but from my research, I'm not sure if it's the teachers, cirriculum or etc?  I know that because boundaries will be changing, we are in N Arlington going to end up in a school in N arlington - we're not really going to pick a specific one.  In S Arlington, we would specifically look at the Oakridge district.  As for my kids - I'm really not inclined towards a heavy academic curriculum.  I grew up in a private school environment and my husband went to the best HS here in Fairfax.  Neither of us really "benefited" from those experience.  Because neither of us are that gifted :)  I took honors/AP classes and went to GW but honestly, we seek to find an environment for our kids that will make learning enjoyable.

I do not want an insane number of hours of homework daily - I really want them to learn the basics of course and get the rewards of various programs - extracurriculars, neat programs, outdoor time, etc.  I want them to learn and I will not be happy if they don't know the basics of course but I'm not looking to push them into gifted programs nor on that AP track if that's not how they tend.   So for us, a good school means lots of great engaging teachers in a safe and progressive environment - creative, learning focused but not psycho academic - most of all a lot of parental involvement and the experience of being able to develop relationships/friendships.  I speak fluent Mandarin, my kids will always have their Spanish nanny in their lives and have Spanish language opportunities so it's not something that's a priority for us to have a school offering 5 languages or something.  I will teach my kids to play piano, speak Mandarin and I'd be happy if they fall in love with reading books for life :)  I'd be fine if my kid wanted to go to a trade school for example if he loved working with his hands or something - college is not something that is a must do.  Do I want them to be prepared? Hell yes but unlike a lot of N Arlington parents I think, we're a bit more relaxed about it :)  That's cause my mom was a tiger mom and it really did drive me crazy! So if there are N/S Arlington schools that you think make a good fit for what we seek, thank you very much in advance for your thoughts.
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