Reply to Who said there isn't a North-South divide?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Are VPI kids at the wealthier schools allowed to stay though? I thought they were not.[/quote]

They're not, and the wealthier schools don't have VPI classrooms for the most part. They have Montessori satellite classrooms, and the Montessori kids can stay for their K year as part of Montessori and then have to return to their home schools for 1st or apply to Drew at 1st. Some may opt to leave before their K year in order to go to their neighborhood school for Kindergarten. Not sure if any data is available about how frequently this occurs, where students aren't completing their final year of preschool Montessori. I think this has been one of the complaints from Montessori advocates, because the classrooms ideally are supposed to have an equal mix of 3-5 year olds, with the 5 year olds being experience in the Montessori method. [/quote]

Montessori PreKs should not be in the other schools.  But APS already maximizes VPI program; therefore Montessori PreKs at least offer more preschool opportunities (theoretically) for lower-income families.  APS should either switch to centralized preschool centers or distribute preschools throughout the elementary schools permanently instead of shuffling them around to make room for other things.  Hoffman Boston and Campbell should not be half-filled by preschool kids.  Balance enrollment across schools and allow for a better balance of preK classes in each - or centralize them.  Montessori wants to grow its program.  The easiest way for them to do that is to have Montessori "preKs" that are with the Montessori program and not scattered across neighborhood schools.

APS says it prefers to have preschool classes in the neighborhood schools where those kids will be going to kindergarten for "community building" and easier transitioning, etc.  But you know what?  But their current practices don't do that anyway.  Besides, they can transition to a new school just like kids coming from private preschools.  I suspect it's just easier for trying to get the parents involved.  But, when your kid doesn't stay at the school for K-5 anyway, that's not happening either.

I wish APS would stop treating our kids as pawns.[/quote]

Centralizing montessori at Henry, including preschool classrooms, would be ideal, but I don't know that there is enough space. About 30 kids got into grades 1-5 at Drew this year, with a waitlist about that long. Among the 1st graders, preschoolers at Drew got 1st preference, then satellite aps preschool montessori kids, then kids who either had no Montessori experience or went to a "private" montessori school. None of that third group was offered a seat; in not sure all the satellite aps preschoolers got in, either.

Here's a interesting question: why are there so many VPI applications to ATS? As in, way more than any other school? ATS had almost 200 applications for 32 seats. The next highest was Campbell with about 150, then claremont, the others are all way less. Is the size of the Vpi waitlist because if kids get in as preschoolers they don't hAve to lottery in later? Is that what's going on? [/quote]

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