Anonymous
09/24/2014 14:09
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Stokes is your best bet for good charters as they expand somewhat at the K class size. LAMB won't take kids that old. Mundo Verde will but wait list is massive. Wait list is also big for Stokes.
DC bilingual also is likely to be filled by sibs. Mary Macleod Bethune is also bilingual through 2nd but not yet hugely popular with middle class parents. You have to remember that lotteries start here with PK3 for incoming 3 year olds. So K is not an entry year.
If you can afford it, you can move in boundary for Oyster, Powell, or Tyler, all DCPS, and be guaranteed a slot at the local school. oyster is the best regarded. Good luck!
DC bilingual also is likely to be filled by sibs. Mary Macleod Bethune is also bilingual through 2nd but not yet hugely popular with middle class parents. You have to remember that lotteries start here with PK3 for incoming 3 year olds. So K is not an entry year.
If you can afford it, you can move in boundary for Oyster, Powell, or Tyler, all DCPS, and be guaranteed a slot at the local school. oyster is the best regarded. Good luck!
Anonymous
09/24/2014 14:07
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:12:41 again -- you could use a friend's address to apply, but unless it's in the same school boundary you move into it won't help you get in boundary status. So you need at least to have an agreement of a place to rent or rent by around the start of March to get in-boundary preference. Don't pin your hopes on getting into a language-immersion charter out of bounds. It's highly unlikely to happen. And by law they can't consider language proficiency in admissions so that gives you no advantage. We can tell you more about your options if you give your child's age and what grade you will be applying for.
DC is 4.5 and will be entering K.
Then you will have a guaranteed seat in boundary at a school. Don't worry about moving before March when the lottery closes. If I were you, I would play the lottery, see if I get into any charters, and if not then I'd move in boundary for a good school. For me, that would be Oyster if I could afford it.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 14:06
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:12:41 again -- you could use a friend's address to apply, but unless it's in the same school boundary you move into it won't help you get in boundary status. So you need at least to have an agreement of a place to rent or rent by around the start of March to get in-boundary preference. Don't pin your hopes on getting into a language-immersion charter out of bounds. It's highly unlikely to happen. And by law they can't consider language proficiency in admissions so that gives you no advantage. We can tell you more about your options if you give your child's age and what grade you will be applying for.
DC is 4.5 and will be entering K.
OP - sorry, meant that DC is currently 4.5 and will be entering K in fall 2015 when he will be 5.
LAMB is out of the question, then. They only accept students in PK3 or PK4.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 14:06
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Anonymous wrote:There are three Spanish-immersion charters. All are highly regarded and have waitlists several hundred students long for just a handful of spots.
Stokes has both a Spanish and French program and accepts applications through April 4 next year
http://www.ewstokes.org/admissions
LAMB is a Spanish-language Montessori and doesn't have a deadline up yet, but it was March 17 last year. The lottery is only open for preschoolers and pre-kindergarten, no upper grades
http://www.lambpcs.org/admission-process/
Mundo Verde is a Spanish-immersion "green" school with an environmental focus. It was the only one of the three to participate in the common lottery last year, which as mentioned before had the March 3 deadline.
http://mundoverdepcs.org/admissionsoverview/
There are more than 3. I can think of two others off the top of my head -- DC bilingual and Bethune. There may be others as well.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 13:59
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Anonymous wrote:There are three Spanish-immersion charters. All are highly regarded and have waitlists several hundred students long for just a handful of spots.
Stokes has both a Spanish and French program and accepts applications through April 4 next year
http://www.ewstokes.org/admissions
LAMB is a Spanish-language Montessori and doesn't have a deadline up yet, but it was March 17 last year. The lottery is only open for preschoolers and pre-kindergarten, no upper grades
http://www.lambpcs.org/admission-process/
Mundo Verde is a Spanish-immersion "green" school with an environmental focus. It was the only one of the three to participate in the common lottery last year, which as mentioned before had the March 3 deadline.
http://mundoverdepcs.org/admissionsoverview/
DC Bilingual?
Anonymous
09/24/2014 13:58
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:12:41 again -- you could use a friend's address to apply, but unless it's in the same school boundary you move into it won't help you get in boundary status. So you need at least to have an agreement of a place to rent or rent by around the start of March to get in-boundary preference. Don't pin your hopes on getting into a language-immersion charter out of bounds. It's highly unlikely to happen. And by law they can't consider language proficiency in admissions so that gives you no advantage. We can tell you more about your options if you give your child's age and what grade you will be applying for.
DC is 4.5 and will be entering K.
OP - sorry, meant that DC is currently 4.5 and will be entering K in fall 2015 when he will be 5.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 13:56
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Anonymous wrote:12:41 again -- you could use a friend's address to apply, but unless it's in the same school boundary you move into it won't help you get in boundary status. So you need at least to have an agreement of a place to rent or rent by around the start of March to get in-boundary preference. Don't pin your hopes on getting into a language-immersion charter out of bounds. It's highly unlikely to happen. And by law they can't consider language proficiency in admissions so that gives you no advantage. We can tell you more about your options if you give your child's age and what grade you will be applying for.
DC is 4.5 and will be entering K.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 13:04
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
There are three Spanish-immersion charters. All are highly regarded and have waitlists several hundred students long for just a handful of spots.
Stokes has both a Spanish and French program and accepts applications through April 4 next year
http://www.ewstokes.org/admissions
LAMB is a Spanish-language Montessori and doesn't have a deadline up yet, but it was March 17 last year. The lottery is only open for preschoolers and pre-kindergarten, no upper grades
http://www.lambpcs.org/admission-process/
Mundo Verde is a Spanish-immersion "green" school with an environmental focus. It was the only one of the three to participate in the common lottery last year, which as mentioned before had the March 3 deadline.
http://mundoverdepcs.org/admissionsoverview/
Stokes has both a Spanish and French program and accepts applications through April 4 next year
http://www.ewstokes.org/admissions
LAMB is a Spanish-language Montessori and doesn't have a deadline up yet, but it was March 17 last year. The lottery is only open for preschoolers and pre-kindergarten, no upper grades
http://www.lambpcs.org/admission-process/
Mundo Verde is a Spanish-immersion "green" school with an environmental focus. It was the only one of the three to participate in the common lottery last year, which as mentioned before had the March 3 deadline.
http://mundoverdepcs.org/admissionsoverview/
Anonymous
09/24/2014 12:56
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
rent or buy
not rent or rent
not rent or rent
Anonymous
09/24/2014 12:55
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
12:41 again -- you could use a friend's address to apply, but unless it's in the same school boundary you move into it won't help you get in boundary status. So you need at least to have an agreement of a place to rent or rent by around the start of March to get in-boundary preference. Don't pin your hopes on getting into a language-immersion charter out of bounds. It's highly unlikely to happen. And by law they can't consider language proficiency in admissions so that gives you no advantage. We can tell you more about your options if you give your child's age and what grade you will be applying for.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 12:52
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
Anonymous wrote:The dates aren't out yet. Last year the lottery deadline was March 3, so you'd need to have a DC address by then to put on the application. You wouldn't have needed to prove residency until the May 1 deadline to accept a space. If Spanish immersion is vitally important to you, you need to move in-bounds for a school that offers it. You are going to be a long shot to get into any of the dual-language charters through the lottery since all the Spanish immersion programs are very popular and have extremely long wait lists. You could apply to them all and cross your fingers that you get lucky, but odds are you won't get into any of them. Of the DCPS options, Oyster-Adams is the most highly regarded and where I would target if I could do it all over again. Not sure if you want to buy or rent there, but houses are very expensive in that district. Powell is another Spanish immersion elementary that is considered up and coming and is in an area of town that's more affordable. You can see all the DCPS schools by going here http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/ and narrowing down under "select programs" to dual language.
OP - Thanks for the links, that is helpful!
Anonymous
09/24/2014 12:51
Subject: Re:moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
OP - wow this sounds even more complicated and confusing than our current city's lottery...
So if say we were planning to move in April but applied, could I use a friend's address in DC to apply, and then when verification time comes, use the address we actually have?
And is there a Spanish proficiency test? If there is, and theoretically if my child passes it (unlikely but he did go to a Spanish preschool) would that help us get in somewhere?
So if say we were planning to move in April but applied, could I use a friend's address in DC to apply, and then when verification time comes, use the address we actually have?
And is there a Spanish proficiency test? If there is, and theoretically if my child passes it (unlikely but he did go to a Spanish preschool) would that help us get in somewhere?
Anonymous
09/24/2014 12:43
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
How old is your child?
The lottery usually opens in December and closes in March. Some charters participate in the common lottery, some do not. Your address at the time you submit your lottery application matters - for anywhere you're applying out of bounds, you need to have an address in DC or you get put at the end of the list. If you're applying in bounds for any schools, you need the address and to demonstrate proof of residency when you enroll (usually the first week of May).
You could rent somewhere in bounds for Oyster-Adams, which has a strong Spanish immersion reputation.
The lottery usually opens in December and closes in March. Some charters participate in the common lottery, some do not. Your address at the time you submit your lottery application matters - for anywhere you're applying out of bounds, you need to have an address in DC or you get put at the end of the list. If you're applying in bounds for any schools, you need the address and to demonstrate proof of residency when you enroll (usually the first week of May).
You could rent somewhere in bounds for Oyster-Adams, which has a strong Spanish immersion reputation.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 12:41
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
The dates aren't out yet. Last year the lottery deadline was March 3, so you'd need to have a DC address by then to put on the application. You wouldn't have needed to prove residency until the May 1 deadline to accept a space. If Spanish immersion is vitally important to you, you need to move in-bounds for a school that offers it. You are going to be a long shot to get into any of the dual-language charters through the lottery since all the Spanish immersion programs are very popular and have extremely long wait lists. You could apply to them all and cross your fingers that you get lucky, but odds are you won't get into any of them. Of the DCPS options, Oyster-Adams is the most highly regarded and where I would target if I could do it all over again. Not sure if you want to buy or rent there, but houses are very expensive in that district. Powell is another Spanish immersion elementary that is considered up and coming and is in an area of town that's more affordable. You can see all the DCPS schools by going here http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/ and narrowing down under "select programs" to dual language.
Anonymous
09/24/2014 12:24
Subject: moving to DC - best month so we can apply to schools?
We are moving to DC next year. I'd love my child to go to a Spanish immersion program, but if we don't end up living in bounds for one of the in-boundary Spanish immersion programs, by what time do we need to apply for one of the charters? And can someone catch me up on the reputations of all the Spanish immersion programs? Thank you!