Anonymous wrote:We've been happy with Swanson. My DC is a 7th grader and the kids are broken up into teams. I feel that the teacher's know my kid and are supportive. I got contacted a lot at the beginning of the year when assignments weren't turned in on time, etc. Less so now as things have stabilized.

My advice is ask for the homeroom teacher (TA, STAR, whatever it's called at the school) be one of the core class teachers. This makes a huge difference as they meet daily and it's nice for your child to have a teacher that knows them.

Ditto. We're at TJ but the team approach is the same at all the middle schools. My son had a much better adjustment to 6th grade with one of his core class teachers as TA. My daughter's 6th transition was really difficult in part because her TA was a long-term sub in a non-core class so she 1) never saw DD outside of TA and 2) had no idea herself about processes/procedure/etc. so she was useless as a resource. We ended up having DD meet with the school counselor for help.

We've been happy with Swanson. My DC is a 7th grader and the kids are broken up into teams. I feel that the teacher's know my kid and are supportive. I got contacted a lot at the beginning of the year when assignments weren't turned in on time, etc. Less so now as things have stabilized.

My advice is ask for the homeroom teacher (TA, STAR, whatever it's called at the school) be one of the core class teachers. This makes a huge difference as they meet daily and it's nice for your child to have a teacher that knows them.

We've been happy at TJ with one very extroverted boy and one introverted girl.

The middle school IB program is different from HS. I don't think there is any more reading than at other middle schools but I think they do more writing. There is a focus on writing as a "reflection" activity after a unit, after a band performance, etc. I think it's a good self management technique (although DS, who dislikes writing, hates it -- I think it's especially valuable for him!) There is a requirement of community service starting in 6th grade. And, the electives are structured differently with foreign language required starting in 6th grade.

Anonymous wrote:One kid went to Gunston MS in South Arlington and the other is still there (we live in North Arlington). We've been happy with it. They make an effort to get to know all of the kids, and the teachers have generally been good.

Do your kids do Montessori or Immersion? What is it like having 3 programs there? Does it feel like a small school within a school or is it confusing?

Anonymous wrote:We're really happy with Kenmore. They are supportive and have co-taught classes. TJ and the IB program is also supposed to be very good.

Thank you! Do you know if they do co-taught classes for science/social studies as well as for math/reading?

TJ sounded interesting, but I was concerned about the amount of reading required for IB (but maybe I don't fully understand the program.)

And yes (for the snipers), this is real. We like that Arlington is close in, has sidewalks and generally seems like a nice place to live. We could consider Fairfax, but not our first choice now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This can't be real.

I'm not OP, but why do you say this?

With all that's going on with Arlington schools in general and allegedly with one middle school in particular (per another thread) I can't believe anyone wouldn't focus on Fairfax.

This can't be real.

We're really happy with Kenmore. They are supportive and have co-taught classes. TJ and the IB program is also supposed to be very good.

One kid went to Gunston MS in South Arlington and the other is still there (we live in North Arlington). We've been happy with it. They make an effort to get to know all of the kids, and the teachers have generally been good.

because there are no scandals in fairfax schools?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This can't be real.

I'm not OP, but why do you say this?

With all that's going on with Arlington schools in general and allegedly with one middle school in particular (per another thread) I can't believe anyone wouldn't focus on Fairfax.

Anonymous wrote:This can't be real.

I'm not OP, but why do you say this?

This can't be real.

Anonymous wrote:Have you looked in Fairfax? They have better special-ed programs than Arlington.

We like the proximity and parks in Arlington, but are open. What do you recommend in Fairfax?

Have you looked in Fairfax? They have better special-ed programs than Arlington.

We are thinking of moving to Arlington before our oldest starts middle school. Would love feedback! She gets along well with a variety of classmates, but is somewhat introverted. She has mild ADHD, reading challenges/special ed and has thrived in a co-taught class. Our budget is flexible. We would like to buy a single family home (need yard for our dog). Looking for a strong commmnity with welcoming families.