We passed on College Park Academy for logistical reasons when we got off the waiting list rather late and are pleased with our current school

Anonymous wrote:Passed on TAG magnet for my child. He took the private school TAG test and got in through the lottery. It was a tough decision because our private school is a stretch for us financially but I like the environment better at our private. Some of the things that go on in the TAG magnet, behavior-wise, would never be tolerated, or happen in the first place at the private school.

Can you elaborate on this? What kinds of behaviors? Which TAG school?

bump...any more insights?

Passed on TAG magnet for my child. He took the private school TAG test and got in through the lottery. It was a tough decision because our private school is a stretch for us financially but I like the environment better at our private. Some of the things that go on in the TAG magnet, behavior-wise, would never be tolerated, or happen in the first place at the private school.

Anonymous wrote:French Immersion. We were wait listed and our number came up on the third day of school. It was enough time to hear about a teacher who threw something at a kindergartner. That teacher was removed. The same day another K teacher left a child out on the playground for an hour. That was years ago now but it was enough for me to turn it down.

I/m not surprised. I toured the school. Not sure why since my odds of getting in were about as good as winning powerball. I was very unimpressed with the school. Kids seems at times, bewildered or completely disengaged. Some -- not all -- of the teachers seemed very harsh. Kind of barking at these kids. The building was depressing also. My son -- who I now know has learning issues -- would probably have a breakdown there.

Anonymous wrote:20:55 - I think you'll feel it a little bit. The family we know who are sending their kids to College Park Academy next year are very, very excited. If our DC was an A+ student we would have done it but our kid needs lots of structure and a good teacher (with years of experience).

Are the teachers at College Park Academy not going to have experience, like they plan to hire all new grads? Or were you concerned about not having info on the teachers since they hadn't been hired yet? Sorry, just trying to figure out how to interpret the last sentence. They're only hiring certified teachers, right? I thought that was a rule with charters.

French Immersion. We were wait listed and our number came up on the third day of school. It was enough time to hear about a teacher who threw something at a kindergartner. That teacher was removed. The same day another K teacher left a child out on the playground for an hour. That was years ago now but it was enough for me to turn it down.

20:55 - I think you'll feel it a little bit. The family we know who are sending their kids to College Park Academy next year are very, very excited. If our DC was an A+ student we would have done it but our kid needs lots of structure and a good teacher (with years of experience).

We've also known several folks who passed on TAG for logistical reasons. I think the waitlists for TAG tend to see a lot of movement (from what I've heard) because of that.

20:55 - is your Catholic school losing many middle schoolers to College Park Academy to your knowledge? I'm curious to see how this effects enrollment at our parish school since we have expansion of the class at middle school and we tend to get a lot of kids coming in from public then. I wonder if that will be reduced considerably due to the charter school opening. I also heard several parents from our parish school were putting in for the lottery, so I'm wondering if many end up sending their kids next year. It is definitely a leap of faith to be part of the first class in a brand new school that is doing something new. I can't blame you for bailing when they had no school leadership in place.

Yes, I passed on a Montessori school because I decided it wasn't the best fit for my child.

I have known several parents who passed on the TAG school.

They said they had a deadline of early April for hiring a principal but they wanted our answer 2 weeks before then. We decided to stay in a Catholic school.

They *still* haven't hired a principal?!? Weren't they searching back in December?

Are you going private or trying your in boundary school? I can't believe no principal has been identified?!?!?!

We just passed on a spot at the new College Park Academy. The deciding factor for us was they had not hired a principal by the time we had to reply. That was too great of an unknown for us.

If so, what was the school and the reason for passing it up?