Anonymous
04/02/2021 16:00
Subject: Re:Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Early childhood at EL Haynes has been wonderful and the teachers are truly high quality. The addition of an established specials program and excellent facilities makes it even better. Communication has been excellent and the community is great. Since it's also your closest option (never underestimate the benefits of a good commute) I would re-rank to put it at the top of your list.
Anonymous
04/02/2021 15:52
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Anonymous wrote:Sela apparently has a long wait list this year in PK3 and PK4, for what it’s worth.
Do you know if there is data out? I was wondering about this.
Anonymous
04/02/2021 15:46
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Sela apparently has a long wait list this year in PK3 and PK4, for what it’s worth.
Anonymous
04/02/2021 14:20
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Following up on this thread. Got matched for Pk4 at Haynes. Is it a good school? We’re at Breakthrough now and looking for a more typical elementary school. We’re looking for a school where we can start at Pk4 and stay through grade 5 or 6. Sadly we didn’t get matched at our preferred choices. What are your opinions about Haynes? Established? Disappointing?
Anonymous
03/28/2020 20:40
Subject: Re:Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Can't speak for the other schools, but I wholeheartedly recommend Haynes to anyone. We are in our second year and couldn't be happier. The teachers and administration are all warm and enthusiastic and I have found the community to be supportive across the board. Happy to answer any specific questions.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 20:08
Subject: Re:Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
We ended up choosing between Breakthrough and El Haynes last year, and we chose Breakthrough based on commute and our desire for Montessori. We've been having a great experience at Breakthrough, and I feel like it was the perfect choice for us for the younger grades. My only reservation is that El Haynes has a clear path through Middle School. Breakthrough seems like it might feed into the Montessori Truth Middle School, but it's a new school so there are still some unknowns. Think about your commute, which really matters for quality of life.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 13:41
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
EL Haynes historically does not move a lot. If it moves to that # it will be in the fall.
https://public.tableau.com/profile/aaron2446#!/vizhome/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData/MSDCPublicDisplay
E.L. Haynes is an established school that does a great job.
https://public.tableau.com/profile/aaron2446#!/vizhome/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData/MSDCPublicDisplay
E.L. Haynes is an established school that does a great job.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 13:20
Subject: Re:Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Anonymous wrote:Original poster: Thanks for the comments so far. I got the impression about Sela being the weakest based on it teetering between being a tier one and tier two charter school when the other two are solid ones, and also because BT and Haynes seem so much harder to get into. I definitely think that convenience is important, but we would pick the one that gives us the better chance of being happy all the way through elementary school over greater connivance for prek 3 & 4.
Rookie mistake, OP; popularity does not necessarily equal quality. Sela is easier to get into because parents who value language immersion typically want Spanish, French or Mandarin. Also, Sela's location is not very convenient for some families. I'm not a Sela booster, but that school is doing something special when you look at their demographics and test scores. I would happily send my Pre-K kids there if I could make the commute work.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 11:40
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Kids at breakthrough will not do well on Parcc. They don’t use computers. It’s a computer test. All three use very different philosophies and pedagogy. Does EL Haynes move that much?
Anonymous
03/28/2020 11:26
Subject: Re:Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Anonymous wrote:Original poster: Thanks for the comments so far. I got the impression about Sela being the weakest based on it teetering between being a tier one and tier two charter school when the other two are solid ones, and also because BT and Haynes seem so much harder to get into. I definitely think that convenience is important, but we would pick the one that gives us the better chance of being happy all the way through elementary school over greater connivance for prek 3 & 4.
Sela is not teetering - they had one off year. BT hasn't even had kids old enough to take the full test. Trust they will "teeter," too. Smaller schools have smaller sample sizes which allows for pendulum variations from year. BT is not "solid." It's a new school. Haynes also is not a high-performer. Go with the school that feels like a better fit for your particular kid.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 10:58
Subject: Re:Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Original poster: Thanks for the comments so far. I got the impression about Sela being the weakest based on it teetering between being a tier one and tier two charter school when the other two are solid ones, and also because BT and Haynes seem so much harder to get into. I definitely think that convenience is important, but we would pick the one that gives us the better chance of being happy all the way through elementary school over greater connivance for prek 3 & 4.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 10:42
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Sela is stronger academically than either school. Not sure where you got the impression that it’s the weakest; I don’t kids at Breakthrough have have taken the PARCC yet. That said, I’d value ease of commute and accept a seat at Haynes if you are offered one.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 10:40
Subject: Re:Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Breakthrough will have a playground in the fall of 2021, so you'd have one year of walking to the park or playing in the green space next door. DD gets lots of outdoor time and exercise there.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 09:35
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone - new poster here and hoping for some thoughts about DC lottery results.
We got into Sela, 13 on waitlist at Breakthrough Montessori Takoma, 23 EL Haynes, 54 LAMB, and 55 Lee. It seems like LAMB and Lee are unlikely for us, but realistically we could be choosing between Sela, Breakthrough, and EL Haynes. We like Sela because of the language, we like Breakthrough because of the Montessori approach, and we like EL Hayes because it is very close to home - most convenient though other 2 are not too bad logistically. On paper Sela may be the weakest academically but we got a very good feeling about it when we visited and we see the language is a big plus, as a way to improve mental development.
Just wondering if others here have thoughts about how these schools compare and how to weigh the pros and cons of each. I'm particularly interested in hearing from other families who attend any of those three about your experiences. Also, for Breakthrough families, how does the fact that it does not have a playground affect the kids and your feeling about the school. Thanks!
Hello! I’m afraid I don’t have a whole lot to offer in the way of comparisons, but we did an open house at Haynes and were really impressed. The administrators seemed really enthusiastic about their school and seemed honest in answering questions from parents. If we lived or worked closer, we’d have included it in our lottery probably in our top 4.
Anonymous
03/28/2020 09:20
Subject: Need advice with comparing Sela, Breakthrough, and El Haynes
Hi everyone - new poster here and hoping for some thoughts about DC lottery results.
We got into Sela, 13 on waitlist at Breakthrough Montessori Takoma, 23 EL Haynes, 54 LAMB, and 55 Lee. It seems like LAMB and Lee are unlikely for us, but realistically we could be choosing between Sela, Breakthrough, and EL Haynes. We like Sela because of the language, we like Breakthrough because of the Montessori approach, and we like EL Hayes because it is very close to home - most convenient though other 2 are not too bad logistically. On paper Sela may be the weakest academically but we got a very good feeling about it when we visited and we see the language is a big plus, as a way to improve mental development.
Just wondering if others here have thoughts about how these schools compare and how to weigh the pros and cons of each. I'm particularly interested in hearing from other families who attend any of those three about your experiences. Also, for Breakthrough families, how does the fact that it does not have a playground affect the kids and your feeling about the school. Thanks!
We got into Sela, 13 on waitlist at Breakthrough Montessori Takoma, 23 EL Haynes, 54 LAMB, and 55 Lee. It seems like LAMB and Lee are unlikely for us, but realistically we could be choosing between Sela, Breakthrough, and EL Haynes. We like Sela because of the language, we like Breakthrough because of the Montessori approach, and we like EL Hayes because it is very close to home - most convenient though other 2 are not too bad logistically. On paper Sela may be the weakest academically but we got a very good feeling about it when we visited and we see the language is a big plus, as a way to improve mental development.
Just wondering if others here have thoughts about how these schools compare and how to weigh the pros and cons of each. I'm particularly interested in hearing from other families who attend any of those three about your experiences. Also, for Breakthrough families, how does the fact that it does not have a playground affect the kids and your feeling about the school. Thanks!