Reply to Asking for Advice - Rejection from Oyster-Adams Preschool

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "Asking for Advice - Rejection from Oyster-Adams Preschool"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Former Oyster parent here. We were/are IB Spanish dominant and got WL for Pre-K. We knew it was possible and made alternate arrangements for bilingual pre-K.

The bigger issue is that Oyster (still) isn't consistent in how it does things. It's not necessarily anyone's fault because it's kind of evolved that way over time. The school is a bit of a unicorn because it has high percentage of Hispanics and low percentage of poverty. Anglos have done all kinds of crazy things in the past to get in. So I understand the administration's frustration. But I've never heard a good explanation of why they don't use ELL screen for pre-K. Although that's not perfect either. One of our kids was ELL and the other was considered fluent by DCPS.

Personally, I think if any dual-immersion Spanish program wants to ensure dominance or primacy of Spanish in Pre-K, it should test parents/guardians for Spanish fluency in pre-K. Not ethnicity, nationality, or race, but Spanish fluency. Two parents/guardians that speak and read in Spanish can benefit the other parents or kids who struggle early with the language. That's the only way to determine a 3 year old's dominant language and not get into the nanny-speaks Spanish gray area IMHO.

OP, It's worth it to talk to Rosa Berrocal, not Mayra, in elementary. You don't have to complain, but you could ask her what to expect in K if your child spends a year in an English program. You could ask her thoughts on an appeal based on something like your child's social-emotional wellbeing. Say something like culturally it would help her transition to the US to be around other Latinx and international families - especially if you have no local family. Also emphasize if your spouse speaks or understands and is learning Spanish. You never know. Something could open up and you'd want Rosa in your corner. (We loved her.)

Whatever happens, this is definitely an introduction for how things work, or don't, in DC public education. Try to keep an open mind and a sense of humor. Your child has wonderful parents who care about her education. She can do well anywhere.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics