OP, to me it's a no brainer. Mundo Verde! You want the Spanish, it saves you tons of driving every day, and it's a free option over the long term. Hopefully in coming years MV, Yu Ying, and other bilingual schools will band together to create an awesome middle school and high school, so you won't have to worry about what'll come next.

Also-- just putting it out there-- the opportunity to attend MV is probably a one-time deal. There are many other private schools in the city that you could look into if MV isn't the right fit.

We left our wonderful, warm, lovely private Montessori PS program for Yu Ying. It was definitely a hard decision, but we really wanted the Chinese. Can't say the first few weeks at Yu Ying were easy (you'll have a leg up, since your daughter already speaks Spanish), but now my kid says she never wants to go anywhere else.

At any rate, you all will be fine whereever you choose. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

+1, from a parent who currently drives DC 45 min to 1.5 hrs each way for a school I can afford and meets my standards....

OP: Tru that! It takes :45 min to get the the other side of NW from Petworth in the mornings. We do what we can, and we do what we must.

That would seem to be a pretty big argument in favor of Mundo Verde- probably a short bus ride or 10 minute drive from Petworth to Mt. Pleasant. That's an hour of commuting saved each day. That is substantial.

Anonymous wrote:

+1, from a parent who currently drives DC 45 min to 1.5 hrs each way for a school I can afford and meets my standards....

OP: Tru that! It takes :45 min to get the the other side of NW from Petworth in the mornings. We do what we can, and we do what we must.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Stop beating up on the OP. How would you like it if someone told you to stop trying to get a spot at such popular charter schools and instead make due with your in-boundardy school or to try a less popular charter? She has just as much a right to attend MV as anyone.

Well then she should just attend MV and stop asking for opinions here! For the record we ARE making do with our in-boundary school which is one that has NEVER been mentioned here. We don't have any other options.

I will be presumptuous enough to respond that everyone that has the wherewithal to engage in this debate has some options. Maybe they do not like the options they have (move to NOVA or MD, take a loss on a home or rent it out, long commute, move into a smaller apt, etc.). I am assuming that because you can express yourself articulately, ascertain what are the worthwhile charter and OOB schools you would like your child to attend, and have internet access that you likely have a job and with that comes options.

There are plenty of people in DC without options, the vast majority of them do not post here.

+1, from a parent who currently drives DC 45 min to 1.5 hrs each way for a school I can afford and meets my standards....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Stop beating up on the OP. How would you like it if someone told you to stop trying to get a spot at such popular charter schools and instead make due with your in-boundardy school or to try a less popular charter? She has just as much a right to attend MV as anyone.

Well then she should just attend MV and stop asking for opinions here! For the record we ARE making do with our in-boundary school which is one that has NEVER been mentioned here. We don't have any other options.

I will be presumptuous enough to respond that everyone that has the wherewithal to engage in this debate has some options. Maybe they do not like the options they have (move to NOVA or MD, take a loss on a home or rent it out, long commute, move into a smaller apt, etc.). I am assuming that because you can express yourself articulately, ascertain what are the worthwhile charter and OOB schools you would like your child to attend, and have internet access that you likely have a job and with that comes options.

There are plenty of people in DC without options, the vast majority of them do not post here.

Anonymous wrote:

Stop beating up on the OP. How would you like it if someone told you to stop trying to get a spot at such popular charter schools and instead make due with your in-boundardy school or to try a less popular charter? She has just as much a right to attend MV as anyone.

Well then she should just attend MV and stop asking for opinions here! For the record we ARE making do with our in-boundary school which is one that has NEVER been mentioned here. We don't have any other options.

Anonymous wrote:
Stop beating up on the OP. How would you like it if someone told you to stop trying to get a spot at such popular charter schools and instead make due with your in-boundardy school or to try a less popular charter? She has just as much a right to attend MV as anyone.

Plus, maybe by going to MV, she'll be opening up a spot at River School for a child that really needs that school-- or perhaps whatever assistance she is getting will be transferred to another River School family that otherwise would have to drop out.

She really needs to just focus one what is best for her child and her family. By doing that, she is also serving our society. (Adam Smith, Invisible Hand, yadda, yadda)

REspectfully,

Mom of two kids happy at our neighborhood DCPS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're wavering keep your child at private school and free up the place at Mundo Verde for those of us who want to support public schools, can't affor private or have no other options. There are plenty of people who would love to have that option.

OP: My kid is 3; a public or PCS was not an option before this moment in time. My primary job is really not to support public schools but to choose the best situation for my child.

I realize that I am very fortunate to have two reasonable options. Until Mundo, the lotteries made us sick- nothing. We have heard stories of folks with amazing luck and those with little to none. Afford? Not knowing my circumstance, that's a very a very presumtious statement to make; privates have financial aid. I do wish everyone luck in making the best decision they can for their kids. peace.

It's not presumptious at all. Your child is currently at a private school. You clearly have worked out a way to pay for it. Not everyone has the option of going private. We certainly don't. We also haven't received any places in the lottery - and no wait list places with numbers anywhere near reasonable (e.g. under 200).

Stop beating up on the OP. How would you like it if someone told you to stop trying to get a spot at such popular charter schools and instead make due with your in-boundardy school or to try a less popular charter? She has just as much a right to attend MV as anyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're wavering keep your child at private school and free up the place at Mundo Verde for those of us who want to support public schools, can't affor private or have no other options. There are plenty of people who would love to have that option.

OP: My kid is 3; a public or PCS was not an option before this moment in time. My primary job is really not to support public schools but to choose the best situation for my child.

I realize that I am very fortunate to have two reasonable options. Until Mundo, the lotteries made us sick- nothing. We have heard stories of folks with amazing luck and those with little to none. Afford? Not knowing my circumstance, that's a very a very presumtious statement to make; privates have financial aid. I do wish everyone luck in making the best decision they can for their kids. peace.

It's not presumptious at all. Your child is currently at a private school. You clearly have worked out a way to pay for it. Not everyone has the option of going private. We certainly don't. We also haven't received any places in the lottery - and no wait list places with numbers anywhere near reasonable (e.g. under 200).

Anonymous wrote:That's a $1000 (deposit) question!!!

OP: LOL.

Anonymous wrote:If you're wavering keep your child at private school and free up the place at Mundo Verde for those of us who want to support public schools, can't affor private or have no other options. There are plenty of people who would love to have that option.

OP: My kid is 3; a public or PCS was not an option before this moment in time. My primary job is really not to support public schools but to choose the best situation for my child.

I realize that I am very fortunate to have two reasonable options. Until Mundo, the lotteries made us sick- nothing. We have heard stories of folks with amazing luck and those with little to none. Afford? Not knowing my circumstance, that's a very a very presumtious statement to make; privates have financial aid. I do wish everyone luck in making the best decision they can for their kids. peace.

Anonymous wrote:River School was recommended to us for our SN child with mild hearing loss and Asperger's for K. Very bright but the child neuropsych thought he would do better socially in a smaller more nurturing environment. Also, the current head of the River school was well known to her for creating a "warm, nurturing environment with small class sizes." DS currently attends a relatively new language immersion charter, not MV.

We have decided to let him stay at the current immersion school. He has a IEP and the school has been very supportive but mainly b/c DS excels at the language.

Since your child has no SNs, I think it would depend on how much you want Spanish. I'm sure she'll do well at both schools.

OP: Thank you. That seems to be one of the final considerations. Immersion is something we really want/wanted; one of speaks only Spanish to our child and has since birth. It's good to hear stories like yours.

If you're wavering keep your child at private school and free up the place at Mundo Verde for those of us who want to support public schools, can't affor private or have no other options. There are plenty of people who would love to have that option.

River School was recommended to us for our SN child with mild hearing loss and Asperger's for K. Very bright but the child neuropsych thought he would do better socially in a smaller more nurturing environment. Also, the current head of the River school was well known to her for creating a "warm, nurturing environment with small class sizes." DS currently attends a relatively new language immersion charter, not MV.

We have decided to let him stay at the current immersion school. He has a IEP and the school has been very supportive but mainly b/c DS excels at the language.

Since your child has no SNs, I think it would depend on how much you want Spanish. I'm sure she'll do well at both schools.

Anonymous wrote:Eek, posted way too soon!

Here you'll also get scuttlebut on the school's location, perhaps including speculation on where they'll wind up.


But I'd go to General Parenting with the question of how to tell whether your child is ready to move from an extremely part time experience to a 5 day a week program that I'd call extremely academic.

Greta point. This year at River has been full-time, 5 days a week and that will continue. One of us, speaks only Spanish to our toddler currently.