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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I appreciate that the original posting was concerning, but I think this has gone on a bit long and a bit far without any corroboration with this story.  I am strongly considering sending my son to Sela next year for PK3.  On the plus side, I spoke to two teachers from Sela who taught the PK4 classes this year.  I also spoke with a recent parent whose child was in PK4.

Both the teachers and the PK4 parent were so effusively positive that I am basically shocked to read these postings, and I question these postings.  Are these all real?  Are all of them from concerned parents?  Is it possible that some of these are from internet trolls with an axe to grind?

One teacher is one of the Hebrew teachers who left for Israel this year.  He left because his wife finished her post-doc at a local university, and she got a permanent position in Israel.  His wife's sister is a good friend of mine from graduate school.  I don't see why he would lie to me.  The other teacher I spoke with is staying.  She is a Hebrew teacher and she said she only knew of two Hebrew teachers who are leaving.  She told me the only teachers that left were those who had to for family reasons.  Both teachers were so positive that it seemed that they saw Sela as part of their personal identities.  The PK4 teacher who had to move back to Israel actually told me that he will always feel like he is part of the Sela family.  To me, it sounds like a major endorsement from a person who would still be teaching at Sela if family circumstances allowed him to stay in the US.

In addition, in the email that the principal sent to parents at the end of the year, Dr. Arthurs announced that two new hires would be Hebrew teachers with over 12 years of experience.  Those new teachers are not on short-term visas, so they are likely to stay for some time.  While the school had a number of postings for new jobs, some of those postings may very well have been for the two new teachers that Dr. Arthurs announced.  Moreover, the school is expanding by adding PK3 classrooms.  This does not sound like a school that is in disarray.

Regarding the issue of immersion, I am going to directly quote from the email:

"As you know, we are expanding and will offer Pre-K3 during the upcoming school year. Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students will still receive full Hebrew immersion, while also receiving approximately an hour of English each day from a Pre-K English-speaking teacher (similar to this school year). Kindergarten students will still receive Hebrew Language instruction about 50% of their instructional time each day instead of receiving Hebrew all day on one day and English all day on the next day."

I don't have any information about the rest of the school, but for now, that's not my concern.  Sela is a new school, and it had a rocky first year.  But, in my understanding, the second year went quite well.  Dr. Arthurs seems to be a great addition, and she is an administrator who earned the admiration of the teachers I spoke to.  Moreover, I found her to be extremely nice, personable, and caring.

I think as parents, you have to decide what you want for your children.  Immersion for the PK classes is seemingly assured.  Immersion seems like a good idea to me.  I will think about the kindergarten class and beyond when I need to.

I can't say much about how the front office works at Sela.  I send emails to the principal.  She answers my emails.  Not within seconds but within a very reasonable amount of time.  I know that they can't answer some things easily.  For instance, there was an RFP for transport services.  They are supposed to come up with a response for that RFP by July 31st, as per the public document.  So, until they know, I am not sure that they can answer the questions.

My one fear is that this DCUrbanMom thread will scare off parents who would otherwise have sent their kids to Sela.  I don't know if that is the case, however, because I can't verify anything

But one thing I do know.  My quote above is a direct quote from Dr. Arthurs' email to parents, sent on June 21st.  It starts off: "Dear Awesome Sela Families,"

If you were a Sela parent, or a parent whose child matched at Sela for next year, you probably received that message from Dr. Arthurs.  So, you know at least that my posting is genuine.  About these other people, I can't be sure.  Is there any other evidence that you can provide to suggest that you are who you say you are?  Is there

Moreover, are you talking about facts?  Do you know actual teachers, or are you spreading other people's rumors?

Their first year didn't go well.  Fine.  But, the second year (i.e. last year) sounds like it went pretty well, and I want to focus on the future anyway.  If you have concerns, by all means, post them, but let's not hear from people who are against the very idea of a Hebrew charter school (would they be against a Danish charter school?  or a Quechua charter school?).  Parents can decide for themselves about things like that.  The questions that are legitimate are: does Sela do a good job at what it claims to do?  Does it educate its kids with love and with love of its target language?  Does it prepare its students for their future?

Those are the real questions.  I wish I knew more parents at Sela.  I don't.  But the one parent I do know loved it.  The only problem she had was the location -- it was too far from home, and so she is changing schools for her child.  But that said, if the logistics weren't a problem, she would continue at Sela.  Why is there so much negativity on this thread?  How can these people that I know, who have absolutely no reason to lie to me, be wrong?

I think this thread is full of trolls, and I am deeply suspicious of the negative posters who are stating unverifiable rumors.[/quote]

NP here. Sela has been a target on DCUM in the past, so you may well be right on the money.

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