Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer[i].

Not sure why you'd think that. More than half of the AAP students at Kilmer have Cooper as their base school. These students also go to Langley unless they get into TJ or pupil place to an IB school. In addition, the closest IB school for the Cooper students who go to Kilmer, rather than Longfellow, is South Lakes, not Marshall, so that's another incentive to go to Langley (I'm not dumping on South Lakes, but Kilmer kids would not know many students there).

Yes, but the majority of kids who go to Kilmer go on to Madison or Marshall. It may be about the little AAP club for parents, but kids change when they become teenagers and a very large chunk of the AAP kids will tell you that they wish they had more classes with non-AAP kids who often seem to be more interesting. Teenage years are all about exploration and if you think your AAP kid is going to have nothing but AAP friends for the rest of his/her time in FCPS you are kidding yourself.

Also keep in mind that the plan is to eventually have all Cooper AAP kids stay at Cooper.

I guess it boils down to whether you see more benefit in having classes with non-AAP kids in MS than being in AAP classes. Whatever the future plans are for Cooper, it doesn't have an AAP center yet. If a kid in the Langley pyramid goes to the Kilmer AAP center, he or she will have plenty of middle-school peers who are also going to Langley.

Not sure the above statement is accurate any longer, according to what I heard at Cooper's information session. They don't have the AAP official label, but they're essentially running a center. http://www.fcps.edu/CooperMS/Advanced%20Academics/Cooper's_LevelIV_Program.html

Dunno. Statistics for 2013-14 included in a November 10th presentation to the School Board indicated that 50% of the AAP kids at Kilmer had Cooper as their base school, more than had Kilmer as their base school. The enrollment statistics for this year that are publicly available don't identify any kids at Cooper as receiving AAP services, but maybe they aren't tracking it yet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer[i].

Not sure why you'd think that. More than half of the AAP students at Kilmer have Cooper as their base school. These students also go to Langley unless they get into TJ or pupil place to an IB school. In addition, the closest IB school for the Cooper students who go to Kilmer, rather than Longfellow, is South Lakes, not Marshall, so that's another incentive to go to Langley (I'm not dumping on South Lakes, but Kilmer kids would not know many students there).

Yes, but the majority of kids who go to Kilmer go on to Madison or Marshall. It may be about the little AAP club for parents, but kids change when they become teenagers and a very large chunk of the AAP kids will tell you that they wish they had more classes with non-AAP kids who often seem to be more interesting. Teenage years are all about exploration and if you think your AAP kid is going to have nothing but AAP friends for the rest of his/her time in FCPS you are kidding yourself.

Also keep in mind that the plan is to eventually have all Cooper AAP kids stay at Cooper.

I guess it boils down to whether you see more benefit in having classes with non-AAP kids in MS than being in AAP classes. Whatever the future plans are for Cooper, it doesn't have an AAP center yet. If a kid in the Langley pyramid goes to the Kilmer AAP center, he or she will have plenty of middle-school peers who are also going to Langley.

Thank God. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

Anonymous wrote:The IB option for Great Falls/McLean area is South Lakes?

I thought it was Marshall?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer[i].

Not sure why you'd think that. More than half of the AAP students at Kilmer have Cooper as their base school. These students also go to Langley unless they get into TJ or pupil place to an IB school. In addition, the closest IB school for the Cooper students who go to Kilmer, rather than Longfellow, is South Lakes, not Marshall, so that's another incentive to go to Langley (I'm not dumping on South Lakes, but Kilmer kids would not know many students there).

Yes, but the majority of kids who go to Kilmer go on to Madison or Marshall. It may be about the little AAP club for parents, but kids change when they become teenagers and a very large chunk of the AAP kids will tell you that they wish they had more classes with non-AAP kids who often seem to be more interesting. Teenage years are all about exploration and if you think your AAP kid is going to have nothing but AAP friends for the rest of his/her time in FCPS you are kidding yourself.

Also keep in mind that the plan is to eventually have all Cooper AAP kids stay at Cooper.

I guess it boils down to whether you see more benefit in having classes with non-AAP kids in MS than being in AAP classes. Whatever the future plans are for Cooper, it doesn't have an AAP center yet. If a kid in the Langley pyramid goes to the Kilmer AAP center, he or she will have plenty of middle-school peers who are also going to Langley.

Not sure the above statement is accurate any longer, according to what I heard at Cooper's information session. They don't have the AAP official label, but they're essentially running a center. http://www.fcps.edu/CooperMS/Advanced%20Academics/Cooper's_LevelIV_Program.html

A couple of years if that before the Kilmer option disappears for Cooper students -- as it should.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer[i].

Not sure why you'd think that. More than half of the AAP students at Kilmer have Cooper as their base school. These students also go to Langley unless they get into TJ or pupil place to an IB school. In addition, the closest IB school for the Cooper students who go to Kilmer, rather than Longfellow, is South Lakes, not Marshall, so that's another incentive to go to Langley (I'm not dumping on South Lakes, but Kilmer kids would not know many students there).

Yes, but the majority of kids who go to Kilmer go on to Madison or Marshall. It may be about the little AAP club for parents, but kids change when they become teenagers and a very large chunk of the AAP kids will tell you that they wish they had more classes with non-AAP kids who often seem to be more interesting. Teenage years are all about exploration and if you think your AAP kid is going to have nothing but AAP friends for the rest of his/her time in FCPS you are kidding yourself.

Also keep in mind that the plan is to eventually have all Cooper AAP kids stay at Cooper.

I guess it boils down to whether you see more benefit in having classes with non-AAP kids in MS than being in AAP classes. Whatever the future plans are for Cooper, it doesn't have an AAP center yet. If a kid in the Langley pyramid goes to the Kilmer AAP center, he or she will have plenty of middle-school peers who are also going to Langley.

Not sure the above statement is accurate any longer, according to what I heard at Cooper's information session. They don't have the AAP official label, but they're essentially running a center. http://www.fcps.edu/CooperMS/Advanced%20Academics/Cooper's_LevelIV_Program.html

Anonymous wrote:The IB option for Great Falls/McLean area is South Lakes?

If you're zoned for an AP school and want IB, it's supposed to be the IB school closest to your house with space.

So, while it depends on your specific address, most AAP kids in McLean who live in the Cooper district go to Longfellow for AAP, and Marshall is the closest IB school. AAP kids in the Cooper district who live further west in Great Falls generally go to Kilmer for AAP, and I think they are probably closer to South Lakes than to Marshall. But it is also may depend upon space/availability, so if South Lakes were closed to transfers due to being above-capacity, maybe Marshall would be the option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer[i].

Not sure why you'd think that. More than half of the AAP students at Kilmer have Cooper as their base school. These students also go to Langley unless they get into TJ or pupil place to an IB school. In addition, the closest IB school for the Cooper students who go to Kilmer, rather than Longfellow, is South Lakes, not Marshall, so that's another incentive to go to Langley (I'm not dumping on South Lakes, but Kilmer kids would not know many students there).

Yes, but the majority of kids who go to Kilmer go on to Madison or Marshall. It may be about the little AAP club for parents, but kids change when they become teenagers and a very large chunk of the AAP kids will tell you that they wish they had more classes with non-AAP kids who often seem to be more interesting. Teenage years are all about exploration and if you think your AAP kid is going to have nothing but AAP friends for the rest of his/her time in FCPS you are kidding yourself.

Also keep in mind that the plan is to eventually have all Cooper AAP kids stay at Cooper.

I guess it boils down to whether you see more benefit in having classes with non-AAP kids in MS than being in AAP classes. Whatever the future plans are for Cooper, it doesn't have an AAP center yet. If a kid in the Langley pyramid goes to the Kilmer AAP center, he or she will have plenty of middle-school peers who are also going to Langley.

Has anyone gone to the information sessions? What have been your thoughts?

The IB option for Great Falls/McLean area is South Lakes?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer.

Are you implying that kilmer kids aren't smart

Not at all. Kids all over FCPS are smart. But Kilmer parents are tired of an overcrowded school that is taking in kids from a separate high school pyramid. Kind of like Haycock -- Cooper AAP kids at Kilmer will not be viable much longer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer[i].

Not sure why you'd think that. More than half of the AAP students at Kilmer have Cooper as their base school. These students also go to Langley unless they get into TJ or pupil place to an IB school. In addition, the closest IB school for the Cooper students who go to Kilmer, rather than Longfellow, is South Lakes, not Marshall, so that's another incentive to go to Langley (I'm not dumping on South Lakes, but Kilmer kids would not know many students there).

Yes, but the majority of kids who go to Kilmer go on to Madison or Marshall. It may be about the little AAP club for parents, but kids change when they become teenagers and a very large chunk of the AAP kids will tell you that they wish they had more classes with non-AAP kids who often seem to be more interesting. Teenage years are all about exploration and if you think your AAP kid is going to have nothing but AAP friends for the rest of his/her time in FCPS you are kidding yourself.

Also keep in mind that the plan is to eventually have all Cooper AAP kids stay at Cooper.

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer.

Are you implying that kilmer kids aren't smart

Anonymous wrote:I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer[i].

Not sure why you'd think that. More than half of the AAP students at Kilmer have Cooper as their base school. These students also go to Langley unless they get into TJ or pupil place to an IB school. In addition, the closest IB school for the Cooper students who go to Kilmer, rather than Longfellow, is South Lakes, not Marshall, so that's another incentive to go to Langley (I'm not dumping on South Lakes, but Kilmer kids would not know many students there).

I'd check with Kilmer, but your kid would likely be better off at Cooper if that is your base school. Smart kids, more space and he/she will likely go to high school with most of these kids as opposed to none of the classmates he/she will have at Kilmer.

Does Kilmer do any kind of open house or Q&A for parents deciding between Kilmer and Cooper for middle school? I saw that another middle school has an info night.