Anonymous
02/11/2013 21:09
Subject: Re:Latin v. BASIS
So all of us that waited until the last minute to final our application at Basis by going down to the school and handing in our application are put at the bottom of the pile ?
Anonymous
02/11/2013 12:51
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
I also worry about athletics, but that's something that will grow at Latin over time as the high school grows. Speaking of which---Latin has struggled with high school students peeling off for School without Walls (and also to private or parochial, but people not paying for private or moving have trended to SWW). Does the SWW/Francis Stevens proposal make other Latin parents more interested in staying at Latin?
Anonymous
02/11/2013 12:19
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
All I know is that Latin varsity teams compete in leagues with the private schools, GDS, Maret and the rest. Don't know if they win.
Anonymous
02/11/2013 12:17
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
I know Latin has athletic offerings, but are they at all competitive? That's why we may have to select a parochial HS - strong academics and sports.
Anonymous
02/10/2013 17:23
Subject: Re:Latin v. BASIS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The dilemma of DC living, well a drive through Bethesda always grounds me. We also have applied our 5th grader and 7 th to Latin. The 5th grader stands a better chance of getting in, if he does, I presume the 7 th grader will get sibling priority next year for 8th, am I correct in thinking this ?
Yes, if one sibling gets in and accepts, the other will then ave sibling preference.
I believe that once you complete enrollment papers for the 5th grader, the 7th jumps to the top of the wait list.
Anonymous
02/10/2013 15:27
Subject: Re:Latin v. BASIS
Anonymous wrote:The dilemma of DC living, well a drive through Bethesda always grounds me. We also have applied our 5th grader and 7 th to Latin. The 5th grader stands a better chance of getting in, if he does, I presume the 7 th grader will get sibling priority next year for 8th, am I correct in thinking this ?
Yes, if one sibling gets in and accepts, the other will then ave sibling preference.
Anonymous
02/10/2013 14:47
Subject: Re:Latin v. BASIS
The dilemma of DC living, well a drive through Bethesda always grounds me. We also have applied our 5th grader and 7 th to Latin. The 5th grader stands a better chance of getting in, if he does, I presume the 7 th grader will get sibling priority next year for 8th, am I correct in thinking this ?
Anonymous
02/10/2013 11:50
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:All the dumping on Basis for being without a soul (don't remember whether it was here or on another thread) kind of ignores the fact that their track record in Arizona may mean that for the first time EVER Washington DC may end up with a high school that is ranked in the top 20 public schools in the country.
Just careful what you wish for. The reason many Basis campuses and other schools like it achieve top national rankings is not so much because they are truly better than thousands of other excellent (high) schools but because they've figured out what "metrics" to hit. For example, one metric that drives national HS rankings is how many students take AP tests, never mind how many pass. So they'll spend a lot of time taking AP exams to get those numbers up, as simple as that.
Well, it looks an average of about 80 to 90% of Basis students passed their AP exams. See the Basis brochure which has graphs showing last years AP results for Basis compared to other schools:
https://basisdc.org/phocadownload/publications/brochure2012-2013.pdf
So really your assertion is baseless.
Anonymous
02/10/2013 10:20
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
There are a lot of great clubs and extracurriculars at BASIS as well, such as debate team, drama, robotics, science bowl and many others - DC has something going on every day and loves it. Only dilemma was too many to pick from and not enough time - DC mentioned yet a couple more starting up...
Anonymous
02/09/2013 23:13
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
Anonymous wrote:This is a serious question regarding HS. My DS is a good student. I would not describe him as gifted. I would say that he has always tested well above grade level and gets high marks. He also a child who is well rounded and a "joiner."
Please tell me about Latin's extracurricular activities.
My child is passionate about sports. He is also a musician and actor. I am not considering BASIS because of the AP emphasis. I am considering Wilson because he can have it all there. I told him that we will apply everywhere as we need to keep our options open. Ideally, I would send him to a private or parochial school that is strong in academics and athletics if we can afford it, but Latin, with its new facility, may hold promise for us.
There is a lot to do, and the school is very responsive to kids who want to 'start' things. For example, a student started a model UN club and has attended Model UN conferences this year with a small group of students and the awesome teacher who is supporting/coaching them. There are varsity sports and the kids love the fellowship and fun of them. There used to be more theatrics in HS--really, quite good ones. Less now, but that could come back. Again, a lot of it comes from , and is responsive to, student interest. Our kid is looking forward to ultimate frisbee this spring.
Anonymous
02/09/2013 21:33
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
Anonymous wrote:This is a serious question regarding HS. My DS is a good student. I would not describe him as gifted. I would say that he has always tested well above grade level and gets high marks. He also a child who is well rounded and a "joiner."
Please tell me about Latin's extracurricular activities.
My child is passionate about sports. He is also a musician and actor. I am not considering BASIS because of the AP emphasis. I am considering Wilson because he can have it all there. I told him that we will apply everywhere as we need to keep our options open. Ideally, I would send him to a private or parochial school that is strong in academics and athletics if we can afford it, but Latin, with its new facility, may hold promise for us.
I would just call Head of school Martha Cutts on Monday morning or send her an email to arrange a sit down and full tour and a shadow day. Cutts was in leadership of National Cathedral School for many years and knows all of the DC private schools too. Mcutts@latin.pcs.org
Anonymous
02/09/2013 20:54
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
Latin also has a strong AP emphasis, and with any of these schools, AP offering is really not all that extraordinary as compared with the most highly touted suburban schools and private college preparatory schools.
Anonymous
02/09/2013 15:25
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
This is a serious question regarding HS. My DS is a good student. I would not describe him as gifted. I would say that he has always tested well above grade level and gets high marks. He also a child who is well rounded and a "joiner."
Please tell me about Latin's extracurricular activities.
My child is passionate about sports. He is also a musician and actor. I am not considering BASIS because of the AP emphasis. I am considering Wilson because he can have it all there. I told him that we will apply everywhere as we need to keep our options open. Ideally, I would send him to a private or parochial school that is strong in academics and athletics if we can afford it, but Latin, with its new facility, may hold promise for us.
Please tell me about Latin's extracurricular activities.
My child is passionate about sports. He is also a musician and actor. I am not considering BASIS because of the AP emphasis. I am considering Wilson because he can have it all there. I told him that we will apply everywhere as we need to keep our options open. Ideally, I would send him to a private or parochial school that is strong in academics and athletics if we can afford it, but Latin, with its new facility, may hold promise for us.
Anonymous
02/09/2013 15:20
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
ITA. In the 5th grade geography class at Latin, the kids have read novels regarding life as a female under the Taliban, and children sold into child labor in India. The homework assignments were designed to make the kids think about how they would feel under such circumstances. This work was coupled with standard geographical material for the areas in question---population, major religions, political systems, etc.
Anonymous
02/09/2013 15:09
Subject: Latin v. BASIS
Anonymous wrote:All the dumping on Basis for being without a soul (don't remember whether it was here or on another thread) kind of ignores the fact that their track record in Arizona may mean that for the first time EVER Washington DC may end up with a high school that is ranked in the top 20 public schools in the country.
Just careful what you wish for. The reason many Basis campuses and other schools like it achieve top national rankings is not so much because they are truly better than thousands of other excellent (high) schools but because they've figured out what "metrics" to hit. For example, one metric that drives national HS rankings is how many students take AP tests, never mind how many pass. So they'll spend a lot of time taking AP exams to get those numbers up, as simple as that.