We've experienced all three schools.

Peabody is special place. And Watkins is on the upswing. With a PS3 student you'll likely have a larger cohort stay through all of Watkins.

That said, switch.

SWS now has quite a few upper elementary refugees from Watkins this year. Wish I could connect you with them, but you could ask if the SWS office could, I guess.

SWS is a very warm and happy school

Never experienced Watkins and can't say we are 100% satisfied with sws. Best for special needs kids, or kids who are not on a traditional public school path. But I can say both of the pk3 teachers are excellent and you will likely have a smooth transition.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This, if there's any chance that you'll still be on the Hill in several years, OP.

Go to Watkins, and if you're not in PC mode, count the white kids who seem to be first graders. Now count those who seem to be 4th or 5th graders. Ask where did 2/3 of the white kids went along the way and why (despite their kick-ass PARCC scores, best in the city in reading this year).

If you have lingering doubts, visit both schools' cafeterias during lunch.

The in-bounds white fourth and fifth graders are at SWS. Those are the last cohorts of students for whom SWS was by right for the cluster catchment.

The 3rd graders at SWS are actually the last group of IB Cluster kids. My kid is at SWS in that class.

I agree with all the PP. Definitely switch -- you won't regret it.

Anonymous wrote:This, if there's any chance that you'll still be on the Hill in several years, OP.

Go to Watkins, and if you're not in PC mode, count the white kids who seem to be first graders. Now count those who seem to be 4th or 5th graders. Ask where did 2/3 of the white kids went along the way and why (despite their kick-ass PARCC scores, best in the city in reading this year).

If you have lingering doubts, visit both schools' cafeterias during lunch.

The in-bounds white fourth and fifth graders are at SWS. Those are the last cohorts of students for whom SWS was by right for the cluster catchment.

You are crazy if you don't switch.

Are the PK-3 teachers equally good at SWS? Is one preferred over the other?

I don't have any experience with the Cluster outside of the year our kid was in the Peabody building before SWS moved. (Peabody seemed like a great school, as you've found.) But our family has many years in with SWS and we feel incredibly lucky. It is a warm, happy, thoughtful place with some truly amazing teachers. (Including the upper grades--my personal favorites so far are in 3rd grade.)

I think you'll ultimately be happy if you switch, especially if you are IB for SH. I will miss the school terribly when our kids are no longer there--it's a real community. But I get what you're saying--transitions are hard when they're so little. One month in and it'll be easy.

It's because Watkins doesn't have teachers with their 6 and 7 year olds - yes, those are first and second graders - all day. They move to room to room for subjects.

SWS focuses more on the whole child as a person, not as a vessel for receiving compartmentalized information.

This, if there's any chance that you'll still be on the Hill in several years, OP.

Go to Watkins, and if you're not in PC mode, count the white kids who seem to be first graders. Now count those who seem to be 4th or 5th graders. Ask where did 2/3 of the white kids went along the way and why (despite their kick-ass PARCC scores, best in the city in reading this year).

If you have lingering doubts, visit both schools' cafeterias during lunch.

Agree, switch. If you get to SWS and don't like it this year, you can always return to Peabody, at least for K, and continue on to Watkins. But you may not have another shot at SWS. While everyone I know who is at Peabody loves it, the people I know at Watkins are...decidedly less happy. OTOH, everyone I know who has been at SWS in the upper grades speaks about it glowingly.

You'll be glad you switched by day 1 of first grade at Watkins. Privately, look at the stunning difference in the FARMs rates for both schools.

Most PreS3 kids can adapt to this type of change surprisingly quickly and with little pain. You'll probably have around 2 weeks of ups and downs at the new school, then it's all a closed chapter for years to come. We switched from one DCPS to another in the fall of preschool, no big deal. We worried far too much about emotional and social fallout beforehand.

Take the kid to SWS a couple times before the switch, walk around, say hi to teachers and staff, talk about how excited you are about the new school, hang out on the playground with SWS families etc., arrange a play date with an SWS PreS3 family. She'll get there.

I have had kids at both -- switch now. You will thank me by 4th grade. If you are IB for SH, there're is not one reason in the world to second guess switching.

Switch.

We got a surprise today – we got off the waiting list at School Within a School for PK three. DD started at Peabody in August. We feel lucky to be at Peabody and my she loves it. But SWS seems to offer a better path through fifth grade. If you have experience with SWS or Watkins, or with switching schools mid-term in PK, I'd really appreciate it. Too disruptive to switch her out of Peabody? SWS really that much better than Watkins? Help! And thank you!