Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for correcting me -- 39 wait listed proves my point even more.

How can that be when my impression of Watkins and the Cluster School wars from 2006 indicate that no one inbounds would ever attend or want to attend Watkins???

Im not sure how much wait list numbers prove much. There are 40 waitlisted for my super under perfoming, title 1 school. For all you know, its the 11th choice for folks on the waitlist. They only end up there out of desperation.

40 inbound people are waitlisted for your super under performing title 1 school? Which school is this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for correcting me -- 39 wait listed proves my point even more.

How can that be when my impression of Watkins and the Cluster School wars from 2006 indicate that no one inbounds would ever attend or want to attend Watkins???

Im not sure how much wait list numbers prove much. There are 40 waitlisted for my super under perfoming, title 1 school. For all you know, its the 11th choice for folks on the waitlist. They only end up there out of desperation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for correcting me -- 39 wait listed proves my point even more.

How can that be when my impression of Watkins and the Cluster School wars from 2006 indicate that no one inbounds would ever attend or want to attend Watkins???

Agreed. My impression from 1999 was that Capitol Hill was a war zone and no one in their right mind would want to buy a house there. Parents discussing sending their snowflakes to an inbound school anywhere on the Hill just boggles the mind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for correcting me -- 39 wait listed proves my point even more.

How can that be when my impression of Watkins and the Cluster School wars from 2006 indicate that no one inbounds would ever attend or want to attend Watkins???

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is comparing Watkins to Brent apples to apples? I thought Watkins was really big so it 'crowded out' IB kids with tons out OOB kids, whose parents also comprised the parent leadership.

Can someone familiar with the current Watkins explain the number of classes for each grade, how Watkins is right-sizing itself to better accommodate a feed from Peabody, etc? I'd like to know myself.

Disclaimer: I'm not quite sure about this, as I can't find it where I read it, so hopefully someone else will either confirm or correct, but I believe that there are currently four classes in most grades and five classes in a few grades. I also think that the plan is to shrink the number of classrooms as part of the renovations, so that there would be four classes in all five grades. And yes (at least in first grade), there are two sets of two classrooms, with one teacher specializing in math/science and the other in reading/humanities; the kids switch classrooms for a few hours each day.

To all those naysayers, I also note that there are four Classes In each grade at Peabody, so, if Peabody students do indeed go to Watkins, there's no reason why Watkins' size would prevent it from becoming majority inbound.

I further note that the demographics in the neighborhood have changed a lot, even since we bought our inbound house. There are something like 33 inbound families waitlisted for Peabody PS3 this year--those families have to send their kids somewhere.

And the renovations to Watkins will only help attract families.

Now let's hope for a good new principal.

I think it's unclear as to whether every grade at Watkins is 4 classes. If they start increasing to 5 in the upper grades, then I'd have to think that would let more OOB kids.

If they start increasing to 5 in the upper grades, as in 5th grade so that the student will have feeder rights to SH, it is either good news because Brent/Maury/SWS families are moving for the feed or very bad news, because even more OOB kids will be heading to SH.

Hope the detachment of SH from Cluster leadership will not be a bad thing for SH.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is comparing Watkins to Brent apples to apples? I thought Watkins was really big so it 'crowded out' IB kids with tons out OOB kids, whose parents also comprised the parent leadership.

Can someone familiar with the current Watkins explain the number of classes for each grade, how Watkins is right-sizing itself to better accommodate a feed from Peabody, etc? I'd like to know myself.

Disclaimer: I'm not quite sure about this, as I can't find it where I read it, so hopefully someone else will either confirm or correct, but I believe that there are currently four classes in most grades and five classes in a few grades. I also think that the plan is to shrink the number of classrooms as part of the renovations, so that there would be four classes in all five grades. And yes (at least in first grade), there are two sets of two classrooms, with one teacher specializing in math/science and the other in reading/humanities; the kids switch classrooms for a few hours each day.

To all those naysayers, I also note that there are four Classes In each grade at Peabody, so, if Peabody students do indeed go to Watkins, there's no reason why Watkins' size would prevent it from becoming majority inbound.

I further note that the demographics in the neighborhood have changed a lot, even since we bought our inbound house. There are something like 33 inbound families waitlisted for Peabody PS3 this year--those families have to send their kids somewhere.

And the renovations to Watkins will only help attract families.

Now let's hope for a good new principal.

I think it's unclear as to whether every grade at Watkins is 4 classes. If they start increasing to 5 in the upper grades, then I'd have to think that would let more OOB kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is comparing Watkins to Brent apples to apples? I thought Watkins was really big so it 'crowded out' IB kids with tons out OOB kids, whose parents also comprised the parent leadership.

Can someone familiar with the current Watkins explain the number of classes for each grade, how Watkins is right-sizing itself to better accommodate a feed from Peabody, etc? I'd like to know myself.

Disclaimer: I'm not quite sure about this, as I can't find it where I read it, so hopefully someone else will either confirm or correct, but I believe that there are currently four classes in most grades and five classes in a few grades. I also think that the plan is to shrink the number of classrooms as part of the renovations, so that there would be four classes in all five grades. And yes (at least in first grade), there are two sets of two classrooms, with one teacher specializing in math/science and the other in reading/humanities; the kids switch classrooms for a few hours each day.

To all those naysayers, I also note that there are four Classes In each grade at Peabody, so, if Peabody students do indeed go to Watkins, there's no reason why Watkins' size would prevent it from becoming majority inbound.

I further note that the demographics in the neighborhood have changed a lot, even since we bought our inbound house. There are something like 33 inbound families waitlisted for Peabody PS3 this year--those families have to send their kids somewhere.

And the renovations to Watkins will only help attract families.

Now let's hope for a good new principal.

I think it's unclear as to whether every grade at Watkins is 4 classes. If they start increasing to 5 in the upper grades, then I'd have to think that would let more OOB kids.

Anonymous wrote:As far as discussions of the past go, let's keep in mind that Watkins has had 5 APs in 4 years. Another is leaving this year. The Principal has been demoted. More than 50% of the teaching staff left after the end of the 2013-2014 school; year. Ask yourself why. Talk to parents who have decided not to send their kids there as well as those who have. There are two sides to every story.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is comparing Watkins to Brent apples to apples? I thought Watkins was really big so it 'crowded out' IB kids with tons out OOB kids, whose parents also comprised the parent leadership.

Can someone familiar with the current Watkins explain the number of classes for each grade, how Watkins is right-sizing itself to better accommodate a feed from Peabody, etc? I'd like to know myself.

Disclaimer: I'm not quite sure about this, as I can't find it where I read it, so hopefully someone else will either confirm or correct, but I believe that there are currently four classes in most grades and five classes in a few grades. I also think that the plan is to shrink the number of classrooms as part of the renovations, so that there would be four classes in all five grades. And yes (at least in first grade), there are two sets of two classrooms, with one teacher specializing in math/science and the other in reading/humanities; the kids switch classrooms for a few hours each day.

To all those naysayers, I also note that there are four Classes In each grade at Peabody, so, if Peabody students do indeed go to Watkins, there's no reason why Watkins' size would prevent it from becoming majority inbound.

I further note that the demographics in the neighborhood have changed a lot, even since we bought our inbound house. There are something like 33 inbound families waitlisted for Peabody PS3 this year--those families have to send their kids somewhere.

And the renovations to Watkins will only help attract families.

Now let's hope for a good new principal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for correcting me -- 39 wait listed proves my point even more.

How can that be when my impression of Watkins and the Cluster School wars from 2006 indicate that no one inbounds would ever attend or want to attend Watkins???

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for correcting me -- 39 wait listed proves my point even more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is comparing Watkins to Brent apples to apples? I thought Watkins was really big so it 'crowded out' IB kids with tons out OOB kids, whose parents also comprised the parent leadership.

Can someone familiar with the current Watkins explain the number of classes for each grade, how Watkins is right-sizing itself to better accommodate a feed from Peabody, etc? I'd like to know myself.

Disclaimer: I'm not quite sure about this, as I can't find it where I read it, so hopefully someone else will either confirm or correct, but I believe that there are currently four classes in most grades and five classes in a few grades. I also think that the plan is to shrink the number of classrooms as part of the renovations, so that there would be four classes in all five grades. And yes (at least in first grade), there are two sets of two classrooms, with one teacher specializing in math/science and the other in reading/humanities; the kids switch classrooms for a few hours each day.

To all those naysayers, I also note that there are four Classes In each grade at Peabody, so, if Peabody students do indeed go to Watkins, there's no reason why Watkins' size would prevent it from becoming majority inbound.

I further note that the demographics in the neighborhood have changed a lot, even since we bought our inbound house. There are something like 33 inbound families waitlisted for Peabody PS3 this year--those families have to send their kids somewhere.

And the renovations to Watkins will only help attract families.

Now let's hope for a good new principal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is comparing Watkins to Brent apples to apples? I thought Watkins was really big so it 'crowded out' IB kids with tons out OOB kids, whose parents also comprised the parent leadership.

Can someone familiar with the current Watkins explain the number of classes for each grade, how Watkins is right-sizing itself to better accommodate a feed from Peabody, etc? I'd like to know myself.

Disclaimer: I'm not quite sure about this, as I can't find it where I read it, so hopefully someone else will either confirm or correct, but I believe that there are currently four classes in most grades and five classes in a few grades. I also think that the plan is to shrink the number of classrooms as part of the renovations, so that there would be four classes in all five grades. And yes (at least in first grade), there are two sets of two classrooms, with one teacher specializing in math/science and the other in reading/humanities; the kids switch classrooms for a few hours each day.