Anonymous wrote:The new proposed Camelot AAP Center will not have enough kids to make two AAP classes per grade. They don't have the critical mass to make for a good Center. Again the poorer district is losing out! This proposal is poorly planned.

+1

The new proposed Camelot AAP Center will not have enough kids to make two AAP classes per grade. They don't have the critical mass to make for a good Center. Again the poorer district is losing out! This proposal is poorly planned.

I think the idea is that kids will stay in their pyramids.

Anonymous wrote:But where would my children grandfather into since they are in Falls Church pyramid? Mantua is no longer the AAP Center next year. Would FCPS bus them to Canterbury Woods since that is the new AAP Center for Woodson pyramid? I certainly do not want my children go to Camelot (the new proposed AAP Center for Falls Church pyramid)!

They would grandfather at Mantua if they are now in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade

But where would my children grandfather into since they are in Falls Church pyramid? Mantua is no longer the AAP Center next year. Would FCPS bus them to Canterbury Woods since that is the new AAP Center for Woodson pyramid? I certainly do not want my children go to Camelot (the new proposed AAP Center for Falls Church pyramid)!

Anonymous wrote:FCPS is proposing to take out Mantua AAP Center (a fantastic center) and bus all the children to either Canterbury Woods (AAP Center for Woodson pyramid) or Camelot (proposed new AAP center for Falls Church pyramid). Since my kids are in the Falls Church pyramid, would we still be able to grandfather in our children to attend either Canterbury Woods or Mantua until they go to middle school? Would they phase out Mantua Center until all the third graders this year finish their years at Mantua? Or are they going to abruptly cut off AAP resources at Mantua and don't offer AAP clases there anymore starting next school year? If this ill-conceived idea is passed, my children are screwed. They will attend 3 different schools in 3 years!

Students in an AAP Center at elementary school would be grandfathered in, but perhaps not at the three overcrowded schools.

Rising middle schoolers, however, would have to go to a "new" AAP Center at their base middle school starting next fall and not to the middle school that they are currently assigned to.

FCPS is proposing to take out Mantua AAP Center (a fantastic center) and bus all the children to either Canterbury Woods (AAP Center for Woodson pyramid) or Camelot (proposed new AAP center for Falls Church pyramid). Since my kids are in the Falls Church pyramid, would we still be able to grandfather in our children to attend either Canterbury Woods or Mantua until they go to middle school? Would they phase out Mantua Center until all the third graders this year finish their years at Mantua? Or are they going to abruptly cut off AAP resources at Mantua and don't offer AAP clases there anymore starting next school year? If this ill-conceived idea is passed, my children are screwed. They will attend 3 different schools in 3 years!

Anonymous wrote:Which middle schools would it really be a problem to have an AAP center if all children had to go to their base school? What is the minimum number of AAP students needed to have a middle school center? I hear the elementary level needs about 200 children to have an effective program but don't know about middle school.

Two classes per grade, so a grade 7 - 8 middle school would need 120 students and a grade 6 - 8 middle school would need 180 students.

Which middle schools would it really be a problem to have an AAP center if all children had to go to their base school? What is the minimum number of AAP students needed to have a middle school center? I hear the elementary level needs about 200 children to have an effective program but don't know about middle school.

How much money would the county save on transportation costs if kids attend their base MS?

Anonymous wrote:I think the MS issue is the AAP office's attempt to deal with the 'TJ' issue. Basically only the AAP center MS's send students to TJ. Of course, this kinda makes sense. But their have been complaints that other MS kids don't have a fair chance to get in. Of course everyone has a chance to get in .... it's just that most of the center kids are the strongest candidates. So I believe they are trying to diversify the MS's that kids come from by pushing the kids back to their original MS. The same kids supposedly would get into TJ, but WOW, now they come from lots of different MS. This is something (the TJ students from only some MS) the SB has had meetings on and dicsussed at their last work session.

It's incredible to think they will move all of these thousands of children around (many out of fantastic centers) just for public relations.

Incredible, yet probable, PP.

I think the MS issue is the AAP office's attempt to deal with the 'TJ' issue. Basically only the AAP center MS's send students to TJ. Of course, this kinda makes sense. But their have been complaints that other MS kids don't have a fair chance to get in. Of course everyone has a chance to get in .... it's just that most of the center kids are the strongest candidates. So I believe they are trying to diversify the MS's that kids come from by pushing the kids back to their original MS. The same kids supposedly would get into TJ, but WOW, now they come from lots of different MS. This is something (the TJ students from only some MS) the SB has had meetings on and dicsussed at their last work session.

It's incredible to think they will move all of these thousands of children around (many out of fantastic centers) just for public relations.

What strikes me about these exchanges is that there are so many stories about how parents and their children made decisions based on what was right for them. Some parents elected to stay at their local elementary school and some went to a center-based elementary school, based on their specific situation. Some pursued advanced academics beginning in 3rd grade, others waited until later in elementary school or even middle school to enter the program. The same seems to hold true for middle school -- some parents sent their students to a center-based program, while other parents elected to send their child into the Honors program at the base middle school.

I'm not sure why it is important that the same group of children stay together from grade 1-12. In my particular situation, this would not have worked well at all, and is not what my child wanted. My child spent 4 years with the same 22 children. They were nice children and got along well as a class, but by the end of 4 years my daughter was ready to move on and meet some new people. She is attending a center-based program with over 400 kids. She loves the school, and has made lots of new friends from many different geographic areas. And she still has several of her old friends from elementary school that attend our base middle school.

We are now looking at high schools and she is considering several options (public and private). Coincidentally, her last choice is our base high school. It just doesn't seem relevant to her where other people go to school. But I fully understand that some kids feel it is very important to stay in school with friends they have had for many years.

This county has been great about making options available and allowing parents and students to take advantage of the programs and schools that best fit their child's individual needs. Why the sudden change? And why rush to make a drastic change in 6 months to one of the county's best programs.

Based on all of the stories I've read in this forum, it seems like all of us have benefitted from having options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the changes to MS AAP centers is happening but not being discussed or noticed. Yes, resources may shift from Honors to AAP, but also, resources from the current AAPs will be shifted to the new schools as well. For example, Longfellow and Cooper are already in discussions regarding shifting resources from Longfellow's reputable math program over to Cooper.

Wouldn't those discussions involve Kilmer as well? Some of the Great Falls students go to the AAP center at Kilmer, not Longfellow.

Not some -ALL Forestville and Greal Falls Elementary base school students are assigned to the Kilmer AAP. The Colvin Run AAP center has Colvin Run and Great Falls. Colvin Run base school students are split between Kilmer and Longfellow even if the base school is Cooper. If they used to go to Great Falls or Forestville they go to Kilmer. pre-Kilmer those schools went to Longfellow for AAP then called GT.

With the huge numbers of students in AAP for grades 7 and 8 it makes no sense to grandfather these big AAP programs. These students should be meeting others that will actually be in the same high school.

I'm not sure if you can make a teacher transfer, and isn't it possible that the AA teachers at Kilmer and Longfellow might choose to stay at the school but teach honors or general courses. Doesn't Fairfax County follow a seniorty system? Wouldn't the teachers with the least seniority be the ones forced to move to another school or take a different position? Doesn't that leave the new AA programs with the newest teachers?

It takes years to establish good programs, regardless of the types of program (immersion, IB, performing arts, etc). I've been through this at the Elementary level, and it has taken several years for our elementary school to get the right mix so that level IV works well and immersion work well and they all work together. At our elementary school, teachers have been hired and fired -- the first few years were pretty bad and the kids who stuck with the local program really suffered.

While some students will benefit from going to their "base" middle school, others will not. If Fairfax county feels strongly about wanting to have AA at every middle school, they should seriously consider giving parents the choice to choose the option best for their child.