jbchehmh wrote:PK4, just learned we are moving to DC from Puerto Rico after the initial application deadline, but luckily applied before 3/29.

Ross #210
Janney #318
Stoddert #229
Lafayette #249
Eaton #313
Schools Without Walls @ Francis Stevens #1 ( IB)

I really didn't do much research, just picked out was geographically closest. Any insights on SWWFS since that appears to be my only shot?

jbchehmh wrote:PK4, just learned we are moving to DC from Puerto Rico after the initial application deadline, but luckily applied before 3/29.

Ross #210
Janney #318
Stoddert #229
Lafayette #249
Eaton #313
Schools Without Walls @ Francis Stevens #1 ( IB)

I really didn't do much research, just picked out was geographically closest. Any insights on SWWFS since that appears to be my only shot?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami,

Going into K:

5 Eaton Elementary School Waitlisted - #46
6 Mann Elementary School Waitlisted - #41
7 Shepherd Elementary School Waitlisted - #11
9 Hyde-Addison Elementary School Waitlisted - #35
11 Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS - P Street NW Waitlisted - #9
12 Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS Waitlisted - #21

Any chance for Hyde-Addison (going back to Georgetown), Mann (went to waitlist #55 last year, but was in swing space last year), Eaton (went to waitlist #36 in 2017, only moved 4 spots last year, but moving to swing space this year)? This matters because I have twins. I'm thinking - if we get a WOTP offer - it will be in October, and it will only be for one spot. We are willing to send the kids to separate schools for year. But, we might need an afternoon caretaker or maybe au pair - which means we need to start planning back-up plans now?

Thanks!

What's your IB?

We are currently at a Charter near Brookland. We live in the middle of the city - so Brookland and WOTP are equally in/convenient. Mundo is the best commute, but I'm not interested in immersion. I think it would frustrate my kids, who will be nearly 6 in the fall. Commute matters though. My job is demanding and Mundo aftercare stays open until 6:30. I wonder why other aftercare programs don't stay open for longer? People in DC seem to think 5:30 pm is the perfect time to catch-up or send an urgent email (and I'm a fed). That 30 minute cushion is the difference between screaming at traffic and popping blood pressure pill so I don't have a heart attack on the way to pick-up my kids versus being a normal calm person collecting her kids without sweat stains showing through a blazer. Sorry for the rant.

I could rationalize paying for a nanny or au pair if it meant sending my kid to an established school with access to middle/high school path. Not sure I can rationalize for charters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami,

Going into K:

5 Eaton Elementary School Waitlisted - #46
6 Mann Elementary School Waitlisted - #41
7 Shepherd Elementary School Waitlisted - #11
9 Hyde-Addison Elementary School Waitlisted - #35
11 Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS - P Street NW Waitlisted - #9
12 Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS Waitlisted - #21

Any chance for Hyde-Addison (going back to Georgetown), Mann (went to waitlist #55 last year, but was in swing space last year), Eaton (went to waitlist #36 in 2017, only moved 4 spots last year, but moving to swing space this year)? This matters because I have twins. I'm thinking - if we get a WOTP offer - it will be in October, and it will only be for one spot. We are willing to send the kids to separate schools for year. But, we might need an afternoon caretaker or maybe au pair - which means we need to start planning back-up plans now?

Thanks!

What's your IB?

We are currently at a Charter near Brookland. We live in the middle of the city - so Brookland and WOTP are equally in/convenient. Mundo is the best commute, but I'm not interested in immersion. I think it would frustrate my kids, who will be nearly 6 in the fall. Commute matters though. My job is demanding and Mundo aftercare stays open until 6:30. I wonder why other aftercare programs don't stay open for longer? People in DC seem to think 5:30 pm is the perfect time to catch-up or send an urgent email (and I'm a fed). That 30 minute cushion is the difference between screaming at traffic and popping blood pressure pill so I don't have a heart attack on the way to pick-up my kids versus being a normal calm person collecting her kids without sweat stains showing through a blazer. Sorry for the rant.

I could rationalize paying for a nanny or au pair if it meant sending my kid to an established school with access to middle/high school path. Not sure I can rationalize for charters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For PK3:

1. DC Bilingual -- #2
2. Marie Reed -- #8
3. Powell -- #9
4. MV 8th -- matched

How much movement (generally) for the DC Bilingual wait list?

You will probably get in to DC Bilingual. https://public.tableau.com/profile/aaron2446#!/vizhome/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData/MSDCPublicDisplay It looks like 6 offers the last 2 years in PK3 but only 2 the year before. Congrats!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's interesting--one of the DC council members posted about the lottery results. A couple people appear to have a good understanding, but several others commented angrily about their results, even posting screen shots of their results. Many are for popular schools with few slots available (Brent, Janney, HRCS, etc.). Makes me realize how many people don't understand the lottery process.

Does MySchoolDC offer any tips or strategies these days, for families who are interested in maximizing chances of matching? Or do they simply tell families to list schools in the order of their true choice?

The latter

I honestly have no clue how to maximize my chances. I really struggled w/ prioritizing my choices and ultimately matched w/ first choice. But I didn’t use any particular strategy. Simply listed in order of preference. Would be interested in hearing specific strategies.

I'm the OP that raised the question. I was mostly thinking about the importance of including safety schools if you want to match somewhere, how to determine which schools may qualify as safeties based on last year's waitlists, etc.

Absent other circumstances such as an older sibling, OP, the safest school you can pick is your in-boundary school. The instruction is to rank in order of your true preference, because the risk is that if you rank a safety school above a more preferred school and are admitted, you will not even be placed on the waiting list for your most desired school. That removes any chance of you getting off that wait list. There is no way to game the system other than to include schools where something about your family makes it more likely that you will get in.

OP here--so what to do about the many angry commenters I mentioned, who don't appear to understand the odds game when selecting schools? And when I mention safety schools, it seems the criteria would be 1) a safe bet of getting in, AND 2) a school that is less desirable, but one that you wouldn't mind sending your kids to if any of your higher choices don't pan out. So safety schools would be at the end of the list, and not ranked above more preferred schools.

There is nothing to be done about the angry commenters. The people I've met who fit that bill are people who HAVE been told "rank in order of your true preference" by peers, by lottery staff, etc. and just don't believe it. They think there MUST be some way to game the system, usually because there used to be more strategic, Vegas-style ways to lottery. However, that was before the common lottery, back when there were separate lotteries for every charter school and all the DCPS schools were lumped together. As to your points about what is a safety school, safety schools traditionally have been considered to be schools that have a lot of waitlist movement, such that out of bounds students get in via the lottery or before the school year starts. It used to be that once the year started, there was a bunch of waitlist movement in September-ish as people's lists moved - a person would get off the waitlist at Inspired Teaching and would remove themselves from the waitlist at Stokes and LAMB (or whatever) and then those lists would move. That does not happen anywhere near as much as it did 5+ years ago, but people who participated in the lottery 5+ years ago still comment about how to play strategically. There is no strategy anymore other than to rank schools in order of your true preference. The ONLY thing I can think of is ranking your IB school below schools where you do not have any kind of preference, since your preference there will automatically put you higher on the waitlist.

Anonymous wrote:#5 for K at Lafayette, think there is any chance?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swami,

Going into K:

5 Eaton Elementary School Waitlisted - #46
6 Mann Elementary School Waitlisted - #41
7 Shepherd Elementary School Waitlisted - #11
9 Hyde-Addison Elementary School Waitlisted - #35
11 Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS - P Street NW Waitlisted - #9
12 Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS Waitlisted - #21

Any chance for Hyde-Addison (going back to Georgetown), Mann (went to waitlist #55 last year, but was in swing space last year), Eaton (went to waitlist #36 in 2017, only moved 4 spots last year, but moving to swing space this year)? This matters because I have twins. I'm thinking - if we get a WOTP offer - it will be in October, and it will only be for one spot. We are willing to send the kids to separate schools for year. But, we might need an afternoon caretaker or maybe au pair - which means we need to start planning back-up plans now?

Thanks!

What's your IB?