Immersion parent here. Since there is no longer an option to keep the kids together at middle school #2, in the survey sent out I deferred to whatever the neighborhood families want. Other parents I talked to in immersion thought the same. It would be great to keep the kids together, but I don't think that outweighs the proximity issue, if that is the preference of the neighborhood (especially lower income families). As an immersion family, I do understand that we are very lucky to have this opportunity. But it is frustrating to get criticized by both sides: if immersion families vote to keep the school together at Westland we are selfish, and if we stand up and advocate on behalf of the neighborhood lower income families we are seen as disingenuous (see earlier posts on thread).

How is the deck stacked against immersion? Your kid is receiving extremely specialized instruction and gaining a valuable life-long skill, that s/he is bussed to from all over the county, for free, in a classroom that’s capped at 25 kids with exactly 0 kids who receive free and reduced meals or are learning English for the first time. Meanwhile, the neighborhood kids are sitting next door in their home school, with classrooms packed with over 30 kids (at least in 3rd-5th grades), nearly half who qualify for free meals, and nearly a third who are learning English for the first time.

SO WELL SAID!!!!!

Anonymous wrote:"You seem to be confused. Both immersion and neighborhood parents got up and eloquently spoke to why despite our initial preference to Option #6 we all support Option #7 for the benefit of the FARMS community. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see us coming together like this."

This is so misleading. Immersion parents do not want to see RCF split articulation for middle school. We don't all support Option #7 so you have no authority to say so. There are a few folks with an agenda for Option #7 and they continue to have the audacity to mislead the community that everyone wants the same thing.

So you support option #1? Clearly no RCF parent wants to split so but it's either option#1 or 7. The school overwhelming supported #7 from the survey no matter if from the immersion or English program. So I'm not really sure what the argument is here.

What's the timeline for decisionmaking? Can the public still weigh in via email, or has that time passed?

Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"You seem to be confused. Both immersion and neighborhood parents got up and eloquently spoke to why despite our initial preference to Option #6 we all support Option #7 for the benefit of the FARMS community. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see us coming together like this."

This is so misleading. Immersion parents do not want to see RCF split articulation for middle school. We don't all support Option #7 so you have no authority to say so. There are a few folks with an agenda for Option #7 and they continue to have the audacity to mislead the community that everyone wants the same thing.

+1000
agree with stacking the deck against Spanish immersion

7 was not an option that anyone at RCF wanted originally, and most of those who support it now do so with a lot of regret for how it splits our school.

However, there have been so many opportunities to express opinions, discuss, and work for something else. Did you participate? Hard truth is after the Sup’s recommendation it came down to Options 7 and Option 1. There was no option that had a prayer that had RCF together at MS2. Sucks, but true. Have you watched the deliberations and read Smith’s report?

When more than 85% of neighborhood families say they prefer Option 7 over Option 1, and 55% of Immersion families say the same, that equals a majority. If you didn’t participate, you have no right to complain. If you preferred another option and didn’t see it being advocated for, you should have devoted some time to making it happen.

How is the deck stacked against immersion? Your kid is receiving extremely specialized instruction and gaining a valuable life-long skill, that s/he is bussed to from all over the county, for free, in a classroom that’s capped at 25 kids with exactly 0 kids who receive free and reduced meals or are learning English for the first time. Meanwhile, the neighborhood kids are sitting next door in their home school, with classrooms packed with over 30 kids (at least in 3rd-5th grades), nearly half who qualify for free meals, and nearly a third who are learning English for the first time.

Immersion parents get a choice where their kids go to middle school - your home school or continue with Immersion to Westland. Neighborhood families have no choice where they go.

Again, who is this stacked against?

After the racist grafitti at Westland today, the BOE would be insane to create a school of White Supremacy with Option 7 giving Westland less than 7% minorities and practically zero diversity.

Clearly the school has a real problem and they will be giving racists exactly what they want, a brown free school. This is why equity among the two schools is so important!!! It's for the long term vitality of all our communities. Isolate privrleged white kids at one school and they become more hostile to.those that don't look like them! Wake the h$#@% up!!!! Support equit, fairness, and equailty....option 1!!!!

Anonymous wrote:"You seem to be confused. Both immersion and neighborhood parents got up and eloquently spoke to why despite our initial preference to Option #6 we all support Option #7 for the benefit of the FARMS community. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see us coming together like this."

This is so misleading. Immersion parents do not want to see RCF split articulation for middle school. We don't all support Option #7 so you have no authority to say so. There are a few folks with an agenda for Option #7 and they continue to have the audacity to mislead the community that everyone wants the same thing.

+1000
agree with stacking the deck against Spanish immersion

"You seem to be confused. Both immersion and neighborhood parents got up and eloquently spoke to why despite our initial preference to Option #6 we all support Option #7 for the benefit of the FARMS community. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see us coming together like this."

This is so misleading. Immersion parents do not want to see RCF split articulation for middle school. We don't all support Option #7 so you have no authority to say so. There are a few folks with an agenda for Option #7 and they continue to have the audacity to mislead the community that everyone wants the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did Bethesda voice an opinion? I think the new Option 11 sends them to the new school. Did the Board's line of questioning tell you anything about which way they might go?

Bethesda is strongly opposed to option 11, because of practically immediate overpopulation at one school and underpopulation at the other.
It favors either option 1 or 7 (sorry, OP).

OP here, completely agree that 11 is super yucky. But knowing what BE went through with split articulation I don't see how they can support 7 which brings that madness to RCF

At first Bethesda parents all agreed option 1 was the best.
However it seems RCF was fine with option 7, which means we are fine with it too. But it was not our initial position.

Who are you kidding? You're fine with it because your kids will be in the all white rich school and RCF won't be mixed in with your snowflakes. Give me a break.

Actually I have a problem with an overly affluent all white "live in a bubble" school, since our family is international and multiethnic, and this is why we didn't want to go to Pyle and Whitman, but this is actually not the most important criteria in my opinion and I recognize that not all criteria can be fulfilled. The most important one is split articulation and bussing, so even option 1 isn't perfect. NO OPTION IS PERFECT. We just have to pick one of the least objectionable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did Bethesda voice an opinion? I think the new Option 11 sends them to the new school. Did the Board's line of questioning tell you anything about which way they might go?

Bethesda is strongly opposed to option 11, because of practically immediate overpopulation at one school and underpopulation at the other.
It favors either option 1 or 7 (sorry, OP).

OP here, completely agree that 11 is super yucky. But knowing what BE went through with split articulation I don't see how they can support 7 which brings that madness to RCF

At first Bethesda parents all agreed option 1 was the best.
However it seems RCF was fine with option 7, which means we are fine with it too. But it was not our initial position.

Who are you kidding? You're fine with it because your kids will be in the all white rich school and RCF won't be mixed in with your snowflakes. Give me a break.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Watched some of the testimony today. RCF stacked the deck for community against Spanish Immersion. No seem to speak up for Spanish Immersion today. made me sad as I have had kids in immersion since 1997. Seen a lot of division and now unity, but option 7 is going to destroy all that.
FARMS number under option 7 is same as current Westland and the achievement gap sucks, so you think this new plan is going to make things better with one school at 5% and the other at more than 15%. Be realistic.

You seem to be confused. Both immersion and neighborhood parents got up and eloquently spoke to why despite our initial preference to Option #6 we all support Option #7 for the benefit of the FARMS community. It actually brought tears to my eyes to see us coming together like this.

I have no clue what proceeding you were watching.

,

I found that testimony to be so condescending "Oh look at how noble we white people are sacrificing so the FARMS community can have an easier commute for 3 more years" At he same time the immersion kids will go to a school with a better situation, so not really a sacrifice. Moreover will this sacrifice actually have a long term benefit for this same FARMS community? Shouldn't our goal be to look at and look out for future generations. What happens when the school reaches 125% capacity within 7 years, no expansion is possible and the quality of education has been diluted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to truly care about this and advocated heavily for Option 1. But sensing Option 7 is inevitable (even though it will dramatically increase the achievement gap and hurt all children involved), I am so done. I am taking my children, my time and my resources and am currently touring and applying my kids to private schools. You don't get to use and abuse my community without consequences. Flight is beginning. Good luck to those left behind.

I am sorry you feel that way but I think you are being overdramatic. Reasonable people can disagree about option 1 vs option 7 but there is no reason to believe either will "dramatically increase the achievement gap" or "use and abuse" any community (although some RCF parents would probably argue that could to them under option 1).

A lower FARMS rate currently at Westland hasn't lowered the achievement gap, so why do you think a higher one, with higher ESOL won't increase the gap?

Anonymous wrote:The highlight for me is when that one dad from the Triad flipped his lid and starting going after Ortman Fouse!

NCC parent here, and that guy's temper tantrum/diatribe against Ortman-Fouse and the Rock Creek Forest group was not only embarrassing, but damaging to those of us attempting to present a well reasoned case for Option 1. Nice work there.

NCC people (and anyone else supporting Option 1), we need to acknowledge the case the RCF group is putting forth, it's NOT about a "convenient commute" and reducing it to such does us no favors.

The highlight for me is when that one dad from the Triad flipped his lid and starting going after Ortman Fouse!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did Bethesda voice an opinion? I think the new Option 11 sends them to the new school. Did the Board's line of questioning tell you anything about which way they might go?

Bethesda is strongly opposed to option 11, because of practically immediate overpopulation at one school and underpopulation at the other.
It favors either option 1 or 7 (sorry, OP).

OP here, completely agree that 11 is super yucky. But knowing what BE went through with split articulation I don't see how they can support 7 which brings that madness to RCF

At first Bethesda parents all agreed option 1 was the best.
However it seems RCF was fine with option 7, which means we are fine with it too. But it was not our initial position.