Anonymous
02/28/2023 10:53
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My daughter had to make the choice between Swanson and HB and is very happy at HB.
Everyone who comes to HB in 6th is coming from other schools, so the kids are all making new friends together. The friends my daughter had from her school were not close neighbors anyway, so there was always a little bit of travel involved to see them, mostly.
My daughter feels fortunate to be at HB and wishes everyone had the opportunity. She has heard a few stories about old classmates at Swanson over the last year or two and even though HB is more urban, is really happy to be at HB.
I don't think HB is harder than other middle schools. If anything, imho, they have fewer course options than bigger schools, so there are fewer advanced classes available, and fewer on-site language options I think. You get what you get! That's okay for us. My daughter has an IEP and some learning issues. The administration is much better with our IEP than our elementary school was. Things can still be hard for my kid but the school is providing almost all the support that's possible, and that's a huge change from our elementary, where individual teachers were great but the administration had to be dragged into every support kicking and screaming.
There are quirky kids at HB. My daughter is quirky. She isn't getting picked on at HB like she was in elementary -- of if she is it's subtle enough that it's off her radar. There are kids with significant issues at HB, but there are also totally normal kids. My daughter isn't one of the cool kids, but there are still definitely in groups and friend groups etc, and you can still be at HB and be a pretty normal kid and play sports (though not reallly in middle school, except ultimate) and be cool etc. imho it's significantly easier to be a quirky kid at HB than at some other schools.
HB was a big deal for our kid, it has really totally changed the way she felt about school. I don't think it's that way for every HB kid, but it was for us. Good luck with your decision!
Thank you for this great post...my DC has an IEP and I was unsure whether the more "instructed" aspect of HBW would work.
I think it depends what type of IEP support your kid needs. If it's social or executive functioning, there is an instructional studies class and a social skills class. If your kid is behind in academics and needs that type of support, I think that would be different and I would ask a lot of questions about how the special ed instruction will be delivered, or not. Also the pace of classes will have an impact too.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 21:06
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:My daughter had to make the choice between Swanson and HB and is very happy at HB.
Everyone who comes to HB in 6th is coming from other schools, so the kids are all making new friends together. The friends my daughter had from her school were not close neighbors anyway, so there was always a little bit of travel involved to see them, mostly.
My daughter feels fortunate to be at HB and wishes everyone had the opportunity. She has heard a few stories about old classmates at Swanson over the last year or two and even though HB is more urban, is really happy to be at HB.
I don't think HB is harder than other middle schools. If anything, imho, they have fewer course options than bigger schools, so there are fewer advanced classes available, and fewer on-site language options I think. You get what you get! That's okay for us. My daughter has an IEP and some learning issues. The administration is much better with our IEP than our elementary school was. Things can still be hard for my kid but the school is providing almost all the support that's possible, and that's a huge change from our elementary, where individual teachers were great but the administration had to be dragged into every support kicking and screaming.
There are quirky kids at HB. My daughter is quirky. She isn't getting picked on at HB like she was in elementary -- of if she is it's subtle enough that it's off her radar. There are kids with significant issues at HB, but there are also totally normal kids. My daughter isn't one of the cool kids, but there are still definitely in groups and friend groups etc, and you can still be at HB and be a pretty normal kid and play sports (though not reallly in middle school, except ultimate) and be cool etc. imho it's significantly easier to be a quirky kid at HB than at some other schools.
HB was a big deal for our kid, it has really totally changed the way she felt about school. I don't think it's that way for every HB kid, but it was for us. Good luck with your decision!
Thank you for this great post...my DC has an IEP and I was unsure whether the more "instructed" aspect of HBW would work.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 21:06
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Socially HBW can be challenging due to the small grade size. Took a while for my kid to find a couple of friends. And kids are from all over Arlington so my DC can’t just walk or bike over to any of her school friends. I think DC wishes that she could still be close to her friends from elementary school in the neighborhood but they have moved on.
My kid is in 8th grade at HB and I agree she really struggled to find a group of people in 6th. But it was also the Covid year so most of her classes were online and there was not a ton of options for everyone to meet. Even in 7th I found they struggled with meeting outside of school especially with having to travel all over Arlington to make it happen. This year I think she has found her people and is settling in and has said she is happy with the choice but it did take a while. Although I think COVID was a big part of it.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 14:35
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
My kid at HB is still very good friends with one friend from elementary. I don't think she would have stayed friends with any other elementary friends even if they were in the same school.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 14:26
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
My 10th grader is friends with exactly 1 person who was a friend in 5th grade. Between changing interests, departures for private school and the split into 2 high schools in 9th, the friend group is 100% different despite always being at the neighborhood school.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 13:21
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
It's actually much easier to make sports teams at W-L than at Yorktown due to demographics. The vast majority of student athletes at Yorktown are competing for limited spots, whereas at W-L a smaller number of student athletes are competing for limited spots, even though the school is larger. More students at Yorktown are on travel teams and other competitive clubs than at W-L by virtue of the neighborhoods that are zoned to it. That said, W-L is still competitive, so it's not exactly easy to make certain cut sports teams.
True, WL has been bulking up with higher FARMS student so no money for travel teams there.
FARMS students get scholarships and stipends for travel teams.
Okay, I’ll bite. What percentage of Arlington soccer travel teams get FARMS?
And it covers all the costs for travel like hotels and transport, and gets them practice weekly?
Anonymous
02/27/2023 13:20
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
It's actually much easier to make sports teams at W-L than at Yorktown due to demographics. The vast majority of student athletes at Yorktown are competing for limited spots, whereas at W-L a smaller number of student athletes are competing for limited spots, even though the school is larger. More students at Yorktown are on travel teams and other competitive clubs than at W-L by virtue of the neighborhoods that are zoned to it. That said, W-L is still competitive, so it's not exactly easy to make certain cut sports teams.
True, WL has been bulking up with higher FARMS student so no money for travel teams there.
FARMS students get scholarships and stipends for travel teams.
Okay, I’ll bite. What percentage of Arlington soccer travel teams get FARMS?
Anonymous
02/27/2023 12:09
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
We know a family with a kid who tried HB for a year or two and then went back to Swanson. I'm not sure of the reason (it may have been connected with sports), but it does happen.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 11:56
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Socially HBW can be challenging due to the small grade size. Took a while for my kid to find a couple of friends. And kids are from all over Arlington so my DC can’t just walk or bike over to any of her school friends. I think DC wishes that she could still be close to her friends from elementary school in the neighborhood but they have moved on.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 11:36
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
A high level of self-motivation is recommended since there are more student freedoms than in the comprehensive schools. Students occasionally leave HB for their home schools when it’s not a good fit.
Yeah, basically you weed out underperforming and under resourced students — if their parents aren’t on top of HBW lottery or don’t want to deal with a distant school (like how to pickup a sick kid if you have to take bus across county), and then the academic pace encourages slower kids and ESL to leave for easy embrace of neighborhood school. I can’t imagine walking away from that for some team sports. With 3000 kids at WL, good luck making the team!
It's actually much easier to make sports teams at W-L than at Yorktown due to demographics. The vast majority of student athletes at Yorktown are competing for limited spots, whereas at W-L a smaller number of student athletes are competing for limited spots, even though the school is larger. More students at Yorktown are on travel teams and other competitive clubs than at W-L by virtue of the neighborhoods that are zoned to it. That said, W-L is still competitive, so it's not exactly easy to make certain cut sports teams.
True, WL has been bulking up with higher FARMS student so no money for travel teams there.
FARMS students get scholarships and stipends for travel teams.
Anonymous
02/27/2023 11:28
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
There is no one type of student at HB. The generalization that can be made, I think, is that it is generally a kinder and more accepting community than the bigger neighborhood middle and high schools. This may be due in large part to the smaller size of the school because there is more accountability for your actions.
With regard to sports, yes, you are missing out on playing on school teams in 6th and 7th grade. However, beginning in 8th grade your child is eligible to try out for any non-middle school sports that are offered at their home high school. Once in high school, students can build in a free block at the end of the day so that they don't have to miss classes when they have early sports practices.
My daughter was reluctant to leave her neighborhood friends to attend HB in 6th grade, but we encouraged her to just give it a try. As others have said, and as we told our daughter, you can always go back to our neighborhood school if it's not a good fit. My daughter has been very happy at HB and has never expressed any interest in leaving, but for some kids it is just not the right fit. They just transfer back to their home schools if that turns out to be the case. No big deal.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 22:50
Subject: Re:Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:There are kids at HB who play sports for their home school but this isn't possible until high school due to the schedules. If you want the traditional sporty middle and high school experience, don't go to HB.
This. HB is for nerds. Anyone who gets in is very lucky. It’s like a private within Arlington.
We thought HB was more for quirky introverts...Trekkie types? Is it a good fit students who are average / below average academically?
There are all kinds of kids at HB. For kids who are below average academically it may be difficult. HB classes only meet 4 times a week instead of the typical 5 so they can get another period into the day. This means the classes have to move faster, to get all the content in in far less time. This may not work if your kid is already having trouble keeping up.
The way it works in the regular middle schools is the classes only meet 3 times a week. Two long periods and one shorter one.
OK but you're missing the point. HB classes meet for less time each week than the regular middle schools meaning the classes at HB move faster.
Anonymous
02/26/2023 21:59
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
My daughter had to make the choice between Swanson and HB and is very happy at HB.
Everyone who comes to HB in 6th is coming from other schools, so the kids are all making new friends together. The friends my daughter had from her school were not close neighbors anyway, so there was always a little bit of travel involved to see them, mostly.
My daughter feels fortunate to be at HB and wishes everyone had the opportunity. She has heard a few stories about old classmates at Swanson over the last year or two and even though HB is more urban, is really happy to be at HB.
I don't think HB is harder than other middle schools. If anything, imho, they have fewer course options than bigger schools, so there are fewer advanced classes available, and fewer on-site language options I think. You get what you get! That's okay for us. My daughter has an IEP and some learning issues. The administration is much better with our IEP than our elementary school was. Things can still be hard for my kid but the school is providing almost all the support that's possible, and that's a huge change from our elementary, where individual teachers were great but the administration had to be dragged into every support kicking and screaming.
There are quirky kids at HB. My daughter is quirky. She isn't getting picked on at HB like she was in elementary -- of if she is it's subtle enough that it's off her radar. There are kids with significant issues at HB, but there are also totally normal kids. My daughter isn't one of the cool kids, but there are still definitely in groups and friend groups etc, and you can still be at HB and be a pretty normal kid and play sports (though not reallly in middle school, except ultimate) and be cool etc. imho it's significantly easier to be a quirky kid at HB than at some other schools.
HB was a big deal for our kid, it has really totally changed the way she felt about school. I don't think it's that way for every HB kid, but it was for us. Good luck with your decision!
Everyone who comes to HB in 6th is coming from other schools, so the kids are all making new friends together. The friends my daughter had from her school were not close neighbors anyway, so there was always a little bit of travel involved to see them, mostly.
My daughter feels fortunate to be at HB and wishes everyone had the opportunity. She has heard a few stories about old classmates at Swanson over the last year or two and even though HB is more urban, is really happy to be at HB.
I don't think HB is harder than other middle schools. If anything, imho, they have fewer course options than bigger schools, so there are fewer advanced classes available, and fewer on-site language options I think. You get what you get! That's okay for us. My daughter has an IEP and some learning issues. The administration is much better with our IEP than our elementary school was. Things can still be hard for my kid but the school is providing almost all the support that's possible, and that's a huge change from our elementary, where individual teachers were great but the administration had to be dragged into every support kicking and screaming.
There are quirky kids at HB. My daughter is quirky. She isn't getting picked on at HB like she was in elementary -- of if she is it's subtle enough that it's off her radar. There are kids with significant issues at HB, but there are also totally normal kids. My daughter isn't one of the cool kids, but there are still definitely in groups and friend groups etc, and you can still be at HB and be a pretty normal kid and play sports (though not reallly in middle school, except ultimate) and be cool etc. imho it's significantly easier to be a quirky kid at HB than at some other schools.
HB was a big deal for our kid, it has really totally changed the way she felt about school. I don't think it's that way for every HB kid, but it was for us. Good luck with your decision!
Anonymous
02/26/2023 21:11
Subject: Woodlawn vs Swanson?
Anonymous wrote:Can I suggest as nicely as possible that you leave HB for the kids who really want to be there? I’m an HB parent and I feel bad for the kids who don’t get to go who would thrive their because the spot is taken by someone who just threw their hat in the ring without really thinking about it, and then take the spot because it is a “golden ticket” and they can always leave.
What’s the difference? If the kid gets in and goes they won the spot. They aren’t taking it from anyone.