Reply to SFH in Arlington with good schools for 600K

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We live in Arlington Heights which is just south of Route 50. We moved here almost 7 years ago and absolutely love the neighborhood.  There are tons of children and the neighbors are great.

Houses range from 550K-1 million plus.  There's a new build for 1.1 in the Penrose neighborhood right next to ours.  That said, you should also look at homes in Penrose.

There is a house on South Jackson St. (300 or so S. Jackson) that has a sign that says "coming soon."  I bet it will be in your range.

We recently made the decision to add a significant addition onto our house rather than move (we were looking at some new builds over in 22201 and 22205) because we like it here so much.  The neighbors are down to earth, people genuinely care about others, and the location is hard to beat.  All the new restaurants and shops on Columbia Pike are also great!!

Many people are scared of South Arlington because they think the schools are "bad."  Not true.  I am a teacher (now in "retirement").  Neighbors rave about Henry Elementary and TJ Middle School.  Our children go to Campbell Elementary (the county's Expeditionary Learning school) but I would choose that school no matter where I lived in the county because it's philosophies align most closely with our philosophies regarding education.  Campbell is a county-wide school, so we would have that option.  It's an amazing place.

I may be a little off with my numbers, but something like 25 families transferred to TJ from Williamsburg this year and there is a definite buzz about the wonderful teachers, etc. at TJ.  Seven years ago, the buzz was not as positive.

I don't know much about the high school, but I do know that the new building is slated to open in 2014.  There are rumors that there will be an additional IB program (there is one at W-L as well) when the new high school opens.

Anyhow, I definitely recommend taking a look at our neighborhood, Penrose, and Alcova Heights for that matter.  They are all great neighborhoods.

Good luck to you!!  [/quote]

Can you please share more about Campbell?  What philosophies?  Are parents involved?[/quote]

Sure!

If you visit the school's website you'll find a wealth of info, but I can tell you why we chose it for our children.

* Expeditionary Learning (I included some info. below from the school's website which describes EL)

* There are mixed K/1 classes (our son is in K so he'll have his teacher for two years).  2nd graders loop with their teachers to 3rd grade and the same holds true for 4th graders.

* Work sampling report cards and no grades (see the website for more info.)

* 2 recesses

* Responsive Classroom

* Children eat lunch in their classrooms.  This is going to change for 2-5th graders.  They will begin eating in the multipurpose room in the near future (to offer more variety, etc.) but the principal and along with some parents (including me) are working on a model which is more "cafe" like to keep within the principles of EL.  I think it's going to be really neat.

* Diversity.  The school is diverse racially, religiously, economically, ability-wise, etc.

* Strong sense of community

* The playground.  New equipment is slated to be installed over spring break which is great, but there is also a huge field and there's a "track" where children can ride tricycles, bikes, scooters, etc.

* They go outside in snow.  Other APS schools keep the children inside.

* Watershed habitat:  We are raising funds right now to build a watershed habitat in the rear of the playground.  It's going to be really, really neat and will allow for a great deal of fieldwork (part of EL) right at school.  Work should begin this winter.  It's going to be the first habitat of it's type in APS.

* Strong leadership and top-notch teachers.

I hope this helps!  Below is info. about the EL model from the school's website.

[i]What is Expeditionary Learning?

Expeditionary Learning (EL) is a program for continual school improvement that builds on ideas of Kurt Huhn, the founder of Outward Bound. While Outward Bound targets personal growth and renewal, EL focuses on developing good schools and “breathing life” into curriculum and instruction. High achievement is the goal of an EL school. This is achieved through active learning, character growth and teamwork!
EL Binoculars
How are Outward Bound and EL similar?

The act of discovery and experience are considered the best teachers in both programs. They are both based on the premise that to be successful in academics and in life, a person has to learn and practice teamwork, curiosity, and resilience.

What are core practice benchmarks?
 
The core benchmarks describe EL in practice. They describe the roles of teachers, students, school leaders, and other partners in a fully established EL model. These practices cover learning expeditions, school culture and character, leadership and school improvement, structures, and active teaching and learning across the disciplines. High achievement can only be achieved with all the people involved in an EL school working together!
 
What is a "learning expedition"?

A learning expedition is the primary way of organizing curriculum. It is an in-depth investigation designed around a compelling topic. Guiding questions link these in-depth investigations. These investigations require students to engage in a long term study of some aspect of the compelling topic. Expeditions take state standards and incorporate them into these studies to make the curriculum accessible to all students as well as engaging. The students become experts on the topic. By doing so, students are able to construct deep understandings and skills and create products for real audiences. These products are often presented in the form of an exhibition or performance.

What is fieldwork?

Fieldwork is an important part of a learning expedition. It is not like a traditional field trip. It has a clear purpose and is used to build curiosity and background knowledge. It might require visiting the same place over an extended period of time several times. It might require the collection of data through tools such as interviewing, sketching, mapping, using observation skills, etc. Data collected from fieldwork is usually published or presented to real audiences.

Responsive Classroom

The Responsive Classroom plays an integral part in an EL program. It promotes positive discipline and effective classroom management strategies. It creates a common language for teachers and children to share and use everyday. It builds a community of learners who are responsible, caring, can apply self-control, and understand their role as learners.
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