Anonymous
04/07/2024 20:26
Subject: Re:How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:Personally I am not a fan of the VAC at all and would not recommend it.
Among (many) other things, the teachers frown upon students taking AP and IB classes because they believe they take the focus away from art.
If you're ok with your kid being discouraged from challenging themselves academically, as if that somehow diminishes rather than enhances their art practice, then sign right up.
Best thing about the VAC is the kids. Some really really lovely kids and families.
And yeah don't expect the counselors at Einstein or your home school to be much help with all of the credits and enrollment stuff. They might -- there are some lovely and very helpful counselors out there -- but there are some duds, too.
Ask me how I know! lol
That’s odd. My IB diploma kid at Einstein has plenty of VAC kids in their IB classes. Is this a recent experience?
Admittedly, it’s probably nearly impossible to do both the VAC and a full IB diploma, but I know that plenty of kids take AP and IB classes “a la carte.”
Anonymous
04/07/2024 19:45
Subject: Re:How do VAC students fit everything in?
Personally I am not a fan of the VAC at all and would not recommend it.
Among (many) other things, the teachers frown upon students taking AP and IB classes because they believe they take the focus away from art.
If you're ok with your kid being discouraged from challenging themselves academically, as if that somehow diminishes rather than enhances their art practice, then sign right up.
Best thing about the VAC is the kids. Some really really lovely kids and families.
And yeah don't expect the counselors at Einstein or your home school to be much help with all of the credits and enrollment stuff. They might -- there are some lovely and very helpful counselors out there -- but there are some duds, too.
Ask me how I know! lol
Among (many) other things, the teachers frown upon students taking AP and IB classes because they believe they take the focus away from art.
If you're ok with your kid being discouraged from challenging themselves academically, as if that somehow diminishes rather than enhances their art practice, then sign right up.
Best thing about the VAC is the kids. Some really really lovely kids and families.
And yeah don't expect the counselors at Einstein or your home school to be much help with all of the credits and enrollment stuff. They might -- there are some lovely and very helpful counselors out there -- but there are some duds, too.
Ask me how I know! lol
Anonymous
03/28/2024 16:28
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I wish MCPS would give PE credit for participation in athletics. That would make things easier for so many kids trying to juggle requirements.
You should write to the board. They already approved a resolution in 2019 asking the superintendent to look into this and report back to them. Then the pandemic happened and it was forgotten about.
OP here. That would be a huge help for DD.
Anonymous
03/28/2024 16:14
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:I wish MCPS would give PE credit for participation in athletics. That would make things easier for so many kids trying to juggle requirements.
You should write to the board. They already approved a resolution in 2019 asking the superintendent to look into this and report back to them. Then the pandemic happened and it was forgotten about.
Anonymous
03/28/2024 13:34
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
I wish MCPS would give PE credit for participation in athletics. That would make things easier for so many kids trying to juggle requirements.
Anonymous
03/27/2024 14:50
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:Just a thought from a college application perspective (I'm not familiar with VAC requirements).
Jr year seems to be what college admissions looks at most closely, so having a heavier load Jr year seems to be fairly common, and a light senior spring also seems fairly common. (I'm not saying it's the best for time management or mental health, but it may be the best for college admission purposes).
Yes, we thought about that, but it’s unfortunately the whole senior year, not just spring semester. I guess she just explains the program requirements, shows off an amazing art portfolio, and hopes for the best!
Anonymous
03/26/2024 21:27
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
Just a thought from a college application perspective (I'm not familiar with VAC requirements).
Jr year seems to be what college admissions looks at most closely, so having a heavier load Jr year seems to be fairly common, and a light senior spring also seems fairly common. (I'm not saying it's the best for time management or mental health, but it may be the best for college admission purposes).
Jr year seems to be what college admissions looks at most closely, so having a heavier load Jr year seems to be fairly common, and a light senior spring also seems fairly common. (I'm not saying it's the best for time management or mental health, but it may be the best for college admission purposes).
Anonymous
03/26/2024 17:43
Subject: Re:How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She should be able to fit in three years each of science, social studies and world languages, and can take a fourth year of whichever one of those three she prefers.
That’s the current plan. She can take a fourth year of zero, one or two, depending on how many credits she gets in summer school.
Back to the original question, assuming she takes a fourth year of just world language, can she skip history junior year and science senior year, or does she have to skip both history and science in her senior year?
"All students must take a social studies course in the 11th grade." I don't see a similar statement about science in 11th grade, though, so maybe defer that until senior year.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D4DTO5FaM8pcZoRLvlyOIqLuLoy0hL_ZrgxeRNcIpfg/edit
Thank you! Good to know.
Anonymous
03/26/2024 16:43
Subject: Re:How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She should be able to fit in three years each of science, social studies and world languages, and can take a fourth year of whichever one of those three she prefers.
That’s the current plan. She can take a fourth year of zero, one or two, depending on how many credits she gets in summer school.
Back to the original question, assuming she takes a fourth year of just world language, can she skip history junior year and science senior year, or does she have to skip both history and science in her senior year?
"All students must take a social studies course in the 11th grade." I don't see a similar statement about science in 11th grade, though, so maybe defer that until senior year.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D4DTO5FaM8pcZoRLvlyOIqLuLoy0hL_ZrgxeRNcIpfg/edit
Anonymous
03/26/2024 16:39
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
Take 2-3 years of foreign language, health ed summers, and maybe the tech summers. PE 9th to get it out of the way.
Anonymous
03/26/2024 16:27
Subject: Re:How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:She should be able to fit in three years each of science, social studies and world languages, and can take a fourth year of whichever one of those three she prefers.
That’s the current plan. She can take a fourth year of zero, one or two, depending on how many credits she gets in summer school.
Back to the original question, assuming she takes a fourth year of just world language, can she skip history junior year and science senior year, or does she have to skip both history and science in her senior year?
Anonymous
03/26/2024 16:16
Subject: Re:How do VAC students fit everything in?
She should be able to fit in three years each of science, social studies and world languages, and can take a fourth year of whichever one of those three she prefers.
Anonymous
03/26/2024 15:19
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
Anonymous wrote:Everyone who can takes health in the summer.
Usually kids take PE in 9th, and fit in other requirements as they can. Most MS don’t have the HS tech requirement. My kids took AP Comp Sci Prin in 9th grade to fulfill it (not in VAC).
Essentially in 8th grade, before signing up for 9th grade classes, kids or their parents need to draw up a 4 year plan to figure out how to fit in the courses they think they’ll need/want. This is what I did for both my kids.
This is a great example of why it’s a VAC-specific question. VAC students can’t take PE in 9th without giving up world language, which seems like a bad idea for a college-bound student.
VAC students take 2 periods of Art all 4 years, which leaves just enough room in their schedules to fit in the rest of the graduation requirements. Even if they take Tech and Health over the summer, they have to give up an academic course - history, science or world language - senior year in order to fit in PE, which can’t be taken over the summer. So I’m wondering what other VAC kids do.
Anonymous
03/26/2024 15:07
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
Everyone who can takes health in the summer.
Usually kids take PE in 9th, and fit in other requirements as they can. Most MS don’t have the HS tech requirement. My kids took AP Comp Sci Prin in 9th grade to fulfill it (not in VAC).
Essentially in 8th grade, before signing up for 9th grade classes, kids or their parents need to draw up a 4 year plan to figure out how to fit in the courses they think they’ll need/want. This is what I did for both my kids.
Usually kids take PE in 9th, and fit in other requirements as they can. Most MS don’t have the HS tech requirement. My kids took AP Comp Sci Prin in 9th grade to fulfill it (not in VAC).
Essentially in 8th grade, before signing up for 9th grade classes, kids or their parents need to draw up a 4 year plan to figure out how to fit in the courses they think they’ll need/want. This is what I did for both my kids.
Anonymous
03/26/2024 14:57
Subject: How do VAC students fit everything in?
DD went to a MS that doesn’t offer HS-level Tech credit. Right now, without summer school, her only real academic classes senior year would be English and math. (The other 5 would be 2 credits of Art, plus Tech, Health and PE.)
Assuming we can get her to take Health in summer school, would it be crazy to skip History junior year for Tech and either Science or World Language senior year for PE? So she at least has 4 academic classes each of those two years, rather than 5 junior year and 3 senior year? Would she even be allowed to skip History junior year?
How do other VAC students manage? She isn’t sure she wants to go to art school and doesn’t want to blow college admissions chances.
Assuming we can get her to take Health in summer school, would it be crazy to skip History junior year for Tech and either Science or World Language senior year for PE? So she at least has 4 academic classes each of those two years, rather than 5 junior year and 3 senior year? Would she even be allowed to skip History junior year?
How do other VAC students manage? She isn’t sure she wants to go to art school and doesn’t want to blow college admissions chances.