Three years ago I entered DS into the YY lottery, not because I cared so much about Mandarin or language immersion, but because I wanted to keep our family's options as open as possible. When we got a waitlist number in the 90s I was actually relieved, because I knew in my heart that I really was not interested in YY. But in D.C. where many local schools are simply not an option and where waitlists as desirable charters are unwieldy and unpredictable, you simply have to maintain as many potentially viable options as possible. It's not perfect but until there are adequate seats at desirable schools for families who want and need them, the madness will continue. Thankfully, fate intervened and we got into our top DCPS choice three weeks after school started. Every single day when I'm driving the four miles to take my son there, I thank my lucky stars. We won the lottery. Now for child #2...we'll see...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't it be truly fair if it was just a lottery and your WL number was your lottery #? Waiting in line, if you can, doesn't make you a better or more "motivated" parent. Being on an ipad at 7:58 with a latte and a spreadsheet in your pjs doesn't make you "savvy".

It was unfair when Oyster did it and it's unfair when charters do it.

Call it a lot if things, but don't call it fair.

Good luck!

Actually getting up at 4 AM to try and get a spot a great school for your child does make you more motivated. And life is not always fair. Sometimes you need to take that extra step to get somewhere. My DH was in line this morning because we got triple digit waitlist numbers everywhere last year. Our neighborhood school is a mess. There were lots of parents switching off and the aunt of an applicant applying for her niece or nephew. It is one day out of your life-- if you are truly motivated then you will do all you can to make it work. Whining about how unfair it is will get you nowhere.

I'm one of the people who waiting in line this morning from quite early (before 6:00am). And I will also be the first person to say that yes, I'm grateful we were able to be there and do this, but I also know MANY single parents or parents with one spouse working/not home and who don't have family or the means to pay someone to watch their kids while they wait in line all night. It is one night/morning out of your life... but some parents simply would be VERY hard-presse4d to make this work without leaving their kids unsupervissed which of course is not ok either.

Yes, there's the lottery, and thank heavens for that, but if you have done your research and feel strongly that this is the school you most want your child to go to, there ARE some parents who would not be able to get there this morning (or not by 5:30am anyway).

Hopefully this year there won't be so many siblings that whether you were in person or online or got your application in by 10:00 somehow you will be ok. But from the tales of Oyster and other high high demand schools in the past, I don't see how anyone can say that a date-time stamped priority waitlist is really fair to all "motivated" parents.

I'm very grateful and don't take it for granted at all that we were able to make it work this morning.

It all depends on how much it matters to you. At worst, your friends could bring their kids with them.

Put it this way: Would your friends be in that line if their kid's life was on the line? They would find a way.

I agree completely. The way YY does this is no surprise. You have many months to make a plan, find and save the money for a babysitter or pay someone to stand in line for you. If I had to and the school was truly a priority for me I would bundle up my kids and take them with me. I'm so tired of people's excuses-- everyone has their hardships.

Our application was in online at 8:04 for a first grade slot. Now I'm wondering about our chances if we don't get a lottery spot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't it be truly fair if it was just a lottery and your WL number was your lottery #? Waiting in line, if you can, doesn't make you a better or more "motivated" parent. Being on an ipad at 7:58 with a latte and a spreadsheet in your pjs doesn't make you "savvy".

It was unfair when Oyster did it and it's unfair when charters do it.

Call it a lot if things, but don't call it fair.

Good luck!

Actually getting up at 4 AM to try and get a spot a great school for your child does make you more motivated. And life is not always fair. Sometimes you need to take that extra step to get somewhere. My DH was in line this morning because we got triple digit waitlist numbers everywhere last year. Our neighborhood school is a mess. There were lots of parents switching off and the aunt of an applicant applying for her niece or nephew. It is one day out of your life-- if you are truly motivated then you will do all you can to make it work. Whining about how unfair it is will get you nowhere.

I'm one of the people who waiting in line this morning from quite early (before 6:00am). And I will also be the first person to say that yes, I'm grateful we were able to be there and do this, but I also know MANY single parents or parents with one spouse working/not home and who don't have family or the means to pay someone to watch their kids while they wait in line all night. It is one night/morning out of your life... but some parents simply would be VERY hard-presse4d to make this work without leaving their kids unsupervissed which of course is not ok either.

Yes, there's the lottery, and thank heavens for that, but if you have done your research and feel strongly that this is the school you most want your child to go to, there ARE some parents who would not be able to get there this morning (or not by 5:30am anyway).

Hopefully this year there won't be so many siblings that whether you were in person or online or got your application in by 10:00 somehow you will be ok. But from the tales of Oyster and other high high demand schools in the past, I don't see how anyone can say that a date-time stamped priority waitlist is really fair to all "motivated" parents.

I'm very grateful and don't take it for granted at all that we were able to make it work this morning.

It all depends on how much it matters to you. At worst, your friends could bring their kids with them.

Put it this way: Would your friends be in that line if their kid's life was on the line? They would find a way.

Anonymous wrote:Okay, I'll bite. We are not passionate about Mandarin, but absolutely committed to language immersion. Other very important factors: academic rigor, facilities, location, parent involvement, diversity. YY definitely our first choice for meeting all of these criteria.

I don't think the line was "crowded with overachievers who really don't want to go to YY," by any stretch.

If you have been part of the charter school system, you probably applied to at least 10 charters that you didn't know anything about or care about, just to avoid getting nothing. That is the problem with the independent lotteries at the charters; there is no cost to applying to all of them, and nobody wants to be stuck with nothing.

Maybe not this year, but it could happen in the next couple.

Of course, the length of the line will be balanced by the ability to apply online. The line doesn't have to be very long before it will be faster to fill out the app. online.

The school's getting more popular. We applied 2 yrs ago for preK, current jumbo K class, and got a waitlist number in the 20ties. Applied around noon the day applications opened. Got off the waitlist in May. It'll be tighter this year than last yr. The current K class has a lot of siblings.

Anonymous wrote:So do online applications get mixed in with the in person ones by time stamp, or do they all get pushed back regardless of time. My online time was 8:03 which I was thinking was good, but maybe not!

They are going to be mixed in. Based on what's been written so far, if you got your app in at 8:03, there were at least 14 people ahead of you, just accounting for in-person apps. Wow!

I heard there were 70+ spots for PK4, and about 30 expected to be filled by siblings.

I am interested specifically because of the Mandarin Chinese, the IB program and the general quality of the school. I think my child would enjoy the language and the school and won’t apply simply because it’s a quality school - Mandarin is a major factor.

I stood in line but I don’t feel more committed than those who didn’t given all the different possible family circumstances already mentioned. If my husband had been out of town, I would been on the computer and not outside.

I don’t think the application process is completely fair but I accept it and appreciate the opportunity to get a good wait list number so I’m not complaining. I don’t know that there was any real advantage in going to the school but I think the parents in line really had a good time chatting it up like twenty-somethings about to get the latest best thing!

Right now, YY is our first choice but we are definitely applying to other public and charter schools.

My DD was in the 30s last year for the PreK waitlist and we received a call during the first week of school. I think I applied 30 minutes after the application was posted. It seems like their waitlist has a lot of movement during the summer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't it be truly fair if it was just a lottery and your WL number was your lottery #? Waiting in line, if you can, doesn't make you a better or more "motivated" parent. Being on an ipad at 7:58 with a latte and a spreadsheet in your pjs doesn't make you "savvy".

It was unfair when Oyster did it and it's unfair when charters do it.

Call it a lot if things, but don't call it fair.

Good luck!

Actually getting up at 4 AM to try and get a spot a great school for your child does make you more motivated. And life is not always fair. Sometimes you need to take that extra step to get somewhere. My DH was in line this morning because we got triple digit waitlist numbers everywhere last year. Our neighborhood school is a mess. There were lots of parents switching off and the aunt of an applicant applying for her niece or nephew. It is one day out of your life-- if you are truly motivated then you will do all you can to make it work. Whining about how unfair it is will get you nowhere.

I'm one of the people who waiting in line this morning from quite early (before 6:00am). And I will also be the first person to say that yes, I'm grateful we were able to be there and do this, but I also know MANY single parents or parents with one spouse working/not home and who don't have family or the means to pay someone to watch their kids while they wait in line all night. It is one night/morning out of your life... but some parents simply would be VERY hard-presse4d to make this work without leaving their kids unsupervissed which of course is not ok either.

Yes, there's the lottery, and thank heavens for that, but if you have done your research and feel strongly that this is the school you most want your child to go to, there ARE some parents who would not be able to get there this morning (or not by 5:30am anyway).

Hopefully this year there won't be so many siblings that whether you were in person or online or got your application in by 10:00 somehow you will be ok. But from the tales of Oyster and other high high demand schools in the past, I don't see how anyone can say that a date-time stamped priority waitlist is really fair to all "motivated" parents.

I'm very grateful and don't take it for granted at all that we were able to make it work this morning.

Anonymous wrote:Wonder how many of the people who waited in person were doing it b/c YY was their first choice - They really want Mandarin - or because they were afraid their DC would be shut out but don't care about Mandarin. Anyone?

While I would love a language immersion program, I am not wed to the idea. I am, however, absolutely sure that I want a school that is safe with a parent base that gives a crap about the school. I think our family could be happy at several different charters, and if we are lucky enough to get into a good one we will definitely "care" about their mission. Children can excel and be happy in lots of different types of schools. We'll see where we land and make the most of it by embracing the school. And yes, we waited in line today.

Anonymous wrote:Wonder how many of the people who waited in person were doing it b/c YY was their first choice - They really want Mandarin - or because they were afraid their DC would be shut out but don't care about Mandarin. Anyone?

What impact does this have on anything? Just curiosity?

Okay, I'll bite. We are not passionate about Mandarin, but absolutely committed to language immersion. Other very important factors: academic rigor, facilities, location, parent involvement, diversity. YY definitely our first choice for meeting all of these criteria.

I don't think the line was "crowded with overachievers who really don't want to go to YY," by any stretch.

If you have been part of the charter school system, you probably applied to at least 10 charters that you didn't know anything about or care about, just to avoid getting nothing. That is the problem with the independent lotteries at the charters; there is no cost to applying to all of them, and nobody wants to be stuck with nothing.