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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hi OP,

Both my kids are in high school now, and they were both offered a spot at Barnsley.

One took it, and the other did not. There were things that were fantastic about Barnsley (peer group, fewer classroom distractions, interesting curriculum & projects, really great specials teachers).

There were also things that were fantastic about 4th & 5th grade at the neighborhood elementary (local playmates, better field trips, fantastic 5th grade project).

I wouldn't say that one was better than the other. There were differenet positives for both.

The Barnsley bus got to our local stop around 8:30 am and dropped off around 4:45 pm. Our kid really enjoyed the very social bus!

We left it up to the kids, and they were happy with their decision.

They've both done well in middle school and high school. Leave it up to your kid!

I think the ones for which a CES is a definite option are those who are struggling socially in ES and who might benefit from new classmates.[/quote]

Thank you SO much for this. I think the hardest thing is to know how 4th at the CES would compare to 4th at our home school. My child is very bored in 3rd but we have been told that they will be eligible for both ELC and compacted math at the home school. So it seems like hopefully they will be less bored at home school as well. Can you talk at all about the 4th grade year at the home school vs the CES?

My child surprised me by being much more interested than I expected. They are very socially aware and had some guesses as to which friends might also be eligible because of the kids she’s been put with since k and always in the special groups with them. However the whole lottery system is confusing and I cautioned them not to run around asking people if they got a letter yesterday! I think if even one friend also went they might be interested. Hard to say. I am thankful they are happy at home school, this truly is a great problem to have.

I am struggling to even figure out the logistics and understand exactly how inconvenient this would be. We would not pursue a transfer for our younger child for very specific reasons so it would definitely mean two schools next year.[/quote]

4th grade at the home school was fine for my child who stayed. There were definite ELC strengths at Barnsley...they read and wrote more and also performed a modified Shakespeare play. Math was similar in 4th grade due to the compacted option. I believe everyone in the Barnsley class was in compacted math. At the home school, it was a smaller group for math. They had reading groups at the home school.

Being at the home school made it easier to participate in before school/after school activities (chess, math olympiad, run club). My child who went to Barnsley didn't do any before/after school activities due to the logistics. My child who went to the neighborhood also ended up playing outside and riding their bike more with neighborhood kids.

We were lucky that both options were good. It's 4th and 5th grade, so remember the kids are still young, and it's only a 2 school year commitment (either option you choose). I don't feel it affected them academically at our home middle school. Both were more than capable of doing the work. The one who didn't go to Barnsley elected not to go to Eastern or Takoma. The other (who attended Barnsley) wasn't accepted at either.[/quote]

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