Anonymous
06/10/2023 14:56
Subject: Re:Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.
No. Old Town has some of the best food in Northern Va. It has the famous Chart House right by the water. The original Hard Times Cafe. The Fish Market. Union Street Public House. Gadsby’s Tavern, Il Porto.
With King Street now closed to cars, it has become wonderful public space with outdoor seating reminiscent of many European cities or Montreal.
I love Old Town restaurants but interestingly not these, lol. Le Refuge, Taverna Cretekou, Yunnan Noodle House, Nasime!
Shhh! You’re giving away the hidden gems
Anonymous
06/10/2023 14:44
Subject: Re:Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.
No, you’re not the only one. I’m completely flabbergasted by all the “we can’t imagine living anywhere else in the US, or world, but Old Town!” posts.
I am not sure there have been I can’t imagine living anywhere but Old Town posts. I think there have been posts defending Old Town as a place to live despite ACPS being a poorly functioning school system.
Anonymous
06/10/2023 09:45
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We moved but missed old town so much we moved back and just bite the billet and pay for private. It makes me sad that Alexandria throws all of this money away on a disastrous public school system that seems to be getting worse and worse and sad for the kids who have no choice and are stuck in systemic failures.
This is one of my fears. It's hard to beat the lifestyle in Old Town, particularly walkability with young kids. Unfortunately private isn't an option for us due to one of our kids being in special Ed. So it looks like moving is the only path. It's such a ridiculous situation. Agree that it seems to be worsening every year.
Moved over 20 years for the exact same reason. Not sure if the situation is worsening, looks the same to me.
Covid probably exacerbated what was already wrong with the school system. That’s why it seems more hopeless now. Someone on here said that George Mason ES is emptying out, since there are no longer enough families to sustain it
George Mason ES was highly rated about 10 years ago bc the families living in the neighborhood were sending their kids to the school. There isn't tremendous turn over in the neighborhood and those families kids are now in middle school, high school or college and there won't be neighborhood kids to replace them in the schools.
George Mason has a strange boundary and includes a part of Arlandria that is not contiguous to the neighborhoods of the school. That area has more apartments and much higher turn over of families with a larger number of school age kids. It's also an large ELL and low income population so going forward it will face the challenge that so many other similarly situated ACPS elementary schools.
While some of this is true, its not the full picture. GM wasn't ever "highly rated" by any scale in the last 10 years. No ES in ACPS could be considered this if you look at proficiency levels. Certainly, It was a better school 10 years ago but its reputation came from the neighborhood parents convincing themselves that ACPS was fine for elementary. Some of whom didn't find out what was happening in the school until covid. Many knew and paid for private tutoring in reading and math.
The building is representative of the school. Looks adorable from the outside but it's literally rotting on the inside. Math instruction is known to be disastrous, the previous principal supported no homework, no day to day tests or work going home, he allowed teachers to refuse to help struggling kids in the name of equity, every teacher had a different definition of the grading scale. Currently there are parents complaining at PTA meetings that their kids cannot read or write despite there being a number of specialists in the building.
During and post covid, many neighborhood families left. Some were in kinder at that point. The biggest departures were in the grades before 5th. This is evident not only by the numbers - GM lost the most students during the covid period, over 100 kids and it isn't recovering the way other ES in the district are. They are losing an additional two classrooms in the fall and the space is being filled in by an ACPS special needs program. The principal claims that they are losing kids at the same rate at the other schools. It's simply isn't true if you look at the numbers.
The PTA isn't raising the same money it was before covid. Not by a long shot. They are still coasting on PTA money that was raised before covid. All of that money came from the neighborhood families. They are currently raising a fraction of what used to be raised.
The new building is slated to be more than 120,000 square feet (it will take over much of the lot starting at the tennis courts and going over the sports fields) and the school board has been discussing since December to either add a middle school to it (this makes a lot of sense).
Sounds like closing schools for two years really worked out then.
True. A lot of kids got out of that disaster of a school or will never have to go there.
Anonymous
06/09/2023 19:18
Subject: Re:Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Time to grow up and move out of Old Town and Del Ray. You won’t miss it nearly as much as you think you will.
"Grow up?" What a spiteful recommendation. You may not share the values of people who live here including walkability and sense of community. It's a rare thing in this area.
My sense of community was destroyed by Alexandria and ACPS. If you go along to get along, don't complain and follow the orders of the political establishment, you can enjoy the illusion of community. Trying speaking out against ACPS and the establishment. There is no community here just like there is no open mindedness.
I'm OP and I have read and considered all the responses here. I completely understand what you mean PP... the very few times I've spoken out against ACPS leadership I've been met with cult-like disdain. It is, I realize, eroding my sense of community. With some thought I don't think I'll miss this aspect of living here at all.
Cult-like is a perfect description. I used to be very involved in ACPS and events across the city. I regret the time, it was totally wasted.
And the cult that meets everyone who critiques or offers solutions with disdain is white or diverse or?? From what I understand the entire city council and mayor, and school board (accused here of knowingly covering up the rape of a minor!!) is black or diverse or?
Are you gonna be OK?
Anonymous
06/09/2023 18:44
Subject: Re:Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Time to grow up and move out of Old Town and Del Ray. You won’t miss it nearly as much as you think you will.
"Grow up?" What a spiteful recommendation. You may not share the values of people who live here including walkability and sense of community. It's a rare thing in this area.
My sense of community was destroyed by Alexandria and ACPS. If you go along to get along, don't complain and follow the orders of the political establishment, you can enjoy the illusion of community. Trying speaking out against ACPS and the establishment. There is no community here just like there is no open mindedness.
I'm OP and I have read and considered all the responses here. I completely understand what you mean PP... the very few times I've spoken out against ACPS leadership I've been met with cult-like disdain. It is, I realize, eroding my sense of community. With some thought I don't think I'll miss this aspect of living here at all.
Cult-like is a perfect description. I used to be very involved in ACPS and events across the city. I regret the time, it was totally wasted.
And the cult that meets everyone who critiques or offers solutions with disdain is white or diverse or?? From what I understand the entire city council and mayor, and school board (accused here of knowingly covering up the rape of a minor!!) is black or diverse or?
Anonymous
06/09/2023 18:22
Subject: Re:Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.
No, you’re not the only one. I’m completely flabbergasted by all the “we can’t imagine living anywhere else in the US, or world, but Old Town!” posts.
Anonymous
06/09/2023 17:10
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We moved but missed old town so much we moved back and just bite the billet and pay for private. It makes me sad that Alexandria throws all of this money away on a disastrous public school system that seems to be getting worse and worse and sad for the kids who have no choice and are stuck in systemic failures.
This is one of my fears. It's hard to beat the lifestyle in Old Town, particularly walkability with young kids. Unfortunately private isn't an option for us due to one of our kids being in special Ed. So it looks like moving is the only path. It's such a ridiculous situation. Agree that it seems to be worsening every year.
Moved over 20 years for the exact same reason. Not sure if the situation is worsening, looks the same to me.
Covid probably exacerbated what was already wrong with the school system. That’s why it seems more hopeless now. Someone on here said that George Mason ES is emptying out, since there are no longer enough families to sustain it
George Mason ES was highly rated about 10 years ago bc the families living in the neighborhood were sending their kids to the school. There isn't tremendous turn over in the neighborhood and those families kids are now in middle school, high school or college and there won't be neighborhood kids to replace them in the schools.
George Mason has a strange boundary and includes a part of Arlandria that is not contiguous to the neighborhoods of the school. That area has more apartments and much higher turn over of families with a larger number of school age kids. It's also an large ELL and low income population so going forward it will face the challenge that so many other similarly situated ACPS elementary schools.
While some of this is true, its not the full picture. GM wasn't ever "highly rated" by any scale in the last 10 years. No ES in ACPS could be considered this if you look at proficiency levels. Certainly, It was a better school 10 years ago but its reputation came from the neighborhood parents convincing themselves that ACPS was fine for elementary. Some of whom didn't find out what was happening in the school until covid. Many knew and paid for private tutoring in reading and math.
The building is representative of the school. Looks adorable from the outside but it's literally rotting on the inside. Math instruction is known to be disastrous, the previous principal supported no homework, no day to day tests or work going home, he allowed teachers to refuse to help struggling kids in the name of equity, every teacher had a different definition of the grading scale. Currently there are parents complaining at PTA meetings that their kids cannot read or write despite there being a number of specialists in the building.
During and post covid, many neighborhood families left. Some were in kinder at that point. The biggest departures were in the grades before 5th. This is evident not only by the numbers - GM lost the most students during the covid period, over 100 kids and it isn't recovering the way other ES in the district are. They are losing an additional two classrooms in the fall and the space is being filled in by an ACPS special needs program. The principal claims that they are losing kids at the same rate at the other schools. It's simply isn't true if you look at the numbers.
The PTA isn't raising the same money it was before covid. Not by a long shot. They are still coasting on PTA money that was raised before covid. All of that money came from the neighborhood families. They are currently raising a fraction of what used to be raised.
The new building is slated to be more than 120,000 square feet (it will take over much of the lot starting at the tennis courts and going over the sports fields) and the school board has been discussing since December to either add a middle school to it (this makes a lot of sense).
Sounds like closing schools for two years really worked out then.
Anonymous
06/09/2023 16:42
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Yes, it's extremely sad. We've been very pleased with our elementary school, but know that in a few years when when our child reaches middle school that we will have to move. It makes me so mad that the school board won't turn the 2nd brand new high school building into a real stand alone second high school and instead claim that this urban city is somehow just as racist as 1960s Alabama and that there is no way to have more than I high school in Alexandria even though all our neighborhood counties somehow manage to have more than one high school. Instead kids should be stabbed because the school board refuses to keep kids safe. And the pretend search for a new superintendent was despicable.
Anonymous
06/09/2023 14:00
Subject: Re:Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.
No. Old Town has some of the best food in Northern Va. It has the famous Chart House right by the water. The original Hard Times Cafe. The Fish Market. Union Street Public House. Gadsby’s Tavern, Il Porto.
With King Street now closed to cars, it has become wonderful public space with outdoor seating reminiscent of many European cities or Montreal.
I love Old Town restaurants but interestingly not these, lol. Le Refuge, Taverna Cretekou, Yunnan Noodle House, Nasime!
Anonymous
06/09/2023 13:57
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:I miss the days of George Mason backyard PTA parties where a former PTA member was seen in a second story window giving a BJ to a married dad. I was there!
Do you miss the old music teacher who used to film the kids in class without parents knowing and post the videos to his business youtube account?
Anonymous
06/09/2023 13:36
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
I miss the days of George Mason backyard PTA parties where a former PTA member was seen in a second story window giving a BJ to a married dad. I was there!
Anonymous
06/09/2023 13:17
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We moved but missed old town so much we moved back and just bite the billet and pay for private. It makes me sad that Alexandria throws all of this money away on a disastrous public school system that seems to be getting worse and worse and sad for the kids who have no choice and are stuck in systemic failures.
This is one of my fears. It's hard to beat the lifestyle in Old Town, particularly walkability with young kids. Unfortunately private isn't an option for us due to one of our kids being in special Ed. So it looks like moving is the only path. It's such a ridiculous situation. Agree that it seems to be worsening every year.
Moved over 20 years for the exact same reason. Not sure if the situation is worsening, looks the same to me.
Covid probably exacerbated what was already wrong with the school system. That’s why it seems more hopeless now. Someone on here said that George Mason ES is emptying out, since there are no longer enough families to sustain it
George Mason ES was highly rated about 10 years ago bc the families living in the neighborhood were sending their kids to the school. There isn't tremendous turn over in the neighborhood and those families kids are now in middle school, high school or college and there won't be neighborhood kids to replace them in the schools.
George Mason has a strange boundary and includes a part of Arlandria that is not contiguous to the neighborhoods of the school. That area has more apartments and much higher turn over of families with a larger number of school age kids. It's also an large ELL and low income population so going forward it will face the challenge that so many other similarly situated ACPS elementary schools.
While some of this is true, its not the full picture. GM wasn't ever "highly rated" by any scale in the last 10 years. No ES in ACPS could be considered this if you look at proficiency levels. Certainly, It was a better school 10 years ago but its reputation came from the neighborhood parents convincing themselves that ACPS was fine for elementary. Some of whom didn't find out what was happening in the school until covid. Many knew and paid for private tutoring in reading and math.
The building is representative of the school. Looks adorable from the outside but it's literally rotting on the inside. Math instruction is known to be disastrous, the previous principal supported no homework, no day to day tests or work going home, he allowed teachers to refuse to help struggling kids in the name of equity, every teacher had a different definition of the grading scale. Currently there are parents complaining at PTA meetings that their kids cannot read or write despite there being a number of specialists in the building.
During and post covid, many neighborhood families left. Some were in kinder at that point. The biggest departures were in the grades before 5th. This is evident not only by the numbers - GM lost the most students during the covid period, over 100 kids and it isn't recovering the way other ES in the district are. They are losing an additional two classrooms in the fall and the space is being filled in by an ACPS special needs program. The principal claims that they are losing kids at the same rate at the other schools. It's simply isn't true if you look at the numbers.
The PTA isn't raising the same money it was before covid. Not by a long shot. They are still coasting on PTA money that was raised before covid. All of that money came from the neighborhood families. They are currently raising a fraction of what used to be raised.
The new building is slated to be more than 120,000 square feet (it will take over much of the lot starting at the tennis courts and going over the sports fields) and the school board has been discussing since December to either add a middle school to it (this makes a lot of sense).
Anonymous
06/09/2023 12:53
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We moved but missed old town so much we moved back and just bite the billet and pay for private. It makes me sad that Alexandria throws all of this money away on a disastrous public school system that seems to be getting worse and worse and sad for the kids who have no choice and are stuck in systemic failures.
This is one of my fears. It's hard to beat the lifestyle in Old Town, particularly walkability with young kids. Unfortunately private isn't an option for us due to one of our kids being in special Ed. So it looks like moving is the only path. It's such a ridiculous situation. Agree that it seems to be worsening every year.
Moved over 20 years for the exact same reason. Not sure if the situation is worsening, looks the same to me.
PP did you find a better special ed district that worked out, and are you happy with your decision long term?
Anonymous
06/09/2023 11:58
Subject: Re:Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Am I the only one who doesn’t think Old Town is so great? Being genuine. Tourist trap. Bad restaurants. Avoid.
No. Old Town has some of the best food in Northern Va. It has the famous Chart House right by the water. The original Hard Times Cafe. The Fish Market. Union Street Public House. Gadsby’s Tavern, Il Porto.
With King Street now closed to cars, it has become wonderful public space with outdoor seating reminiscent of many European cities or Montreal.
The Chart House is a chain restaurant.
Is it true the new zoning laws that mayor and council are pushing through will have buildings towering over old town? They've been trying for years to extend height limits in the city and it sounds like they are going to get it done soon.
The mayor and councilors can build all their high rises in the Carlyle neighborhoods. Why would they endanger the historic status of Old Town?
1. The mayor is a blank check transit and density whor*. You live in Old Town and put up with the city because of transit and density AND historicalness. His job at Amtrak is the epitome alternate reality, no need to meet market demands.
2. The mayor and most of council are market illiterate in general. They want more housing, but then also approve more AirBnBs. They want more subsidized that someone has to pay for, and that adds another story. Or kills the project. What was 4-5 floors is now 5-7. Mixed use when the market can’t support retail, so it just sits empty, and needs to be offset with yet another floor.
3. Aguire is a communist and Chapman is bought by Alfred St Baptist. They are for density, unless it affects their people (that’s when they push back).
4. Some are on council as a stepping stone up the party ranks. Ergo the line is one size fits none missing middle, now brought to you by race(ism). Literally they rebranded their housing policy based on race(ism). So it doesn’t matter if it’s bad for Old Town or Alexandria.
5. The real risk is Del Ray. Most of Old Town is protected by several layers, although things are approved that don’t maintain the open air museum feel. Then there are things outside the historic district but are visible and affect the district. Parker Grey (colloquially Old Town) is nebulous and less protected but technically a historic district too. The board just doesn’t mandate anything because Parker Grey is fake.
However Del Ray is not protected. No real requirement to maintain the look and feel, even when you build up and out.
The city must think people move to Alexandria for the schools. Or will move to new areas like Potomac Yard for the history and character.
Anonymous
06/09/2023 10:49
Subject: Any other Alexandrians heartbroken about ACPS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We moved but missed old town so much we moved back and just bite the billet and pay for private. It makes me sad that Alexandria throws all of this money away on a disastrous public school system that seems to be getting worse and worse and sad for the kids who have no choice and are stuck in systemic failures.
This is one of my fears. It's hard to beat the lifestyle in Old Town, particularly walkability with young kids. Unfortunately private isn't an option for us due to one of our kids being in special Ed. So it looks like moving is the only path. It's such a ridiculous situation. Agree that it seems to be worsening every year.
Moved over 20 years for the exact same reason. Not sure if the situation is worsening, looks the same to me.
Covid probably exacerbated what was already wrong with the school system. That’s why it seems more hopeless now. Someone on here said that George Mason ES is emptying out, since there are no longer enough families to sustain it
George Mason ES was highly rated about 10 years ago bc the families living in the neighborhood were sending their kids to the school. There isn't tremendous turn over in the neighborhood and those families kids are now in middle school, high school or college and there won't be neighborhood kids to replace them in the schools.
George Mason has a strange boundary and includes a part of Arlandria that is not contiguous to the neighborhoods of the school. That area has more apartments and much higher turn over of families with a larger number of school age kids. It's also an large ELL and low income population so going forward it will face the challenge that so many other similarly situated ACPS elementary schools.