Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 19:01     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Honestly curious what turned you off there? It's not like ATS with a very strict discipline; it's basically a normal school with a lab and habitat? I doubt you went to a PTA meeting or got embroiled in any of the gifted designation controversy (as every school has its drama and you only know it when there). So what did you see on your tour that was a problem?


I'm probably not going to explain it well, but it seemed so joyless, such a grind. Everything was filtered through science (which makes sense in terms of the name, but not in terms of elementary education), and it made me wonder what reception there was for kids who were more enthusiastic about other topics. The principal was touting how advanced the math was (it wasn't, particularly, at least back then and for my kid), and the expressed focus on quantified academic achievement wasn't what we wanted for our five year old, who was going to do fine academically anyway.

But yeah, the school with the laid-back principal and the crappy G&T person was Super White (TM Benjamin Moore). Luckily MS and HS were less so.


I can see that, the school is pretty no-nonsense since it must work hard to ensure the diverse student body all succeed -- which they do a very good job at.

A school of all UMC kids definitely will allow a lot more slack in academics since they will have so much enrichment at home (like your kid apparently was in math).

I guess this was a long time ago, if they are already in high school?
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 16:34     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


No. The new TJ elementary is for the Henry zone, and some nearby planning units will get pulled in, if there is space - I guess that all depends on the numbers. We will see when all the boundaries are opened up!


You know, that's what they said. But I don't know how that will be possible when they open up all the SA boundaries. I was just looking at the map and if they keep all the current planning units, the new school will be located OUTSIDE of the PU's that are assigned to the school. I think there were some on the SAWG who tried to warn people about this, but I would not be surprised at all if Alcova Heights gets moved into the new building, and everyone south of the Pike and east of Walter Reed gets shifted tot other schools. I think this will result in schools that are more walkable but far less diverse, which is part of the reason putting the ES in that location was not ideal.


The new school will still be *inside* the Henry zone.
Another planning unit that could get pulled in is Ashton Heights.
Ashton Heights will be closer to the new ES than to Long Branch, plus the kids already go to TJ together, too.
It will be a very nice new building, and with much loved teachers, principals and staff in place.
I think a lot of planning units will want to get in... but it will depend on the volume of students in each of the planning units.

Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 15:20     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Honestly curious what turned you off there? It's not like ATS with a very strict discipline; it's basically a normal school with a lab and habitat? I doubt you went to a PTA meeting or got embroiled in any of the gifted designation controversy (as every school has its drama and you only know it when there). So what did you see on your tour that was a problem?


I'm probably not going to explain it well, but it seemed so joyless, such a grind. Everything was filtered through science (which makes sense in terms of the name, but not in terms of elementary education), and it made me wonder what reception there was for kids who were more enthusiastic about other topics. The principal was touting how advanced the math was (it wasn't, particularly, at least back then and for my kid), and the expressed focus on quantified academic achievement wasn't what we wanted for our five year old, who was going to do fine academically anyway.

But yeah, the school with the laid-back principal and the crappy G&T person was Super White (TM Benjamin Moore). Luckily MS and HS were less so.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 15:01     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


No. The new TJ elementary is for the Henry zone, and some nearby planning units will get pulled in, if there is space - I guess that all depends on the numbers. We will see when all the boundaries are opened up!


So while ASFS parents are saying "ASFS is the best! All schools should be like ASFS!" parents elsewhere are saying, "Thanks but no. We like our school the way it is"?

(Our house is in the team zone, and we've lived here long enough that ASFS was possible, but we took a look and fled.)


Honestly curious what turned you off there? It's not like ATS with a very strict discipline; it's basically a normal school with a lab and habitat? I doubt you went to a PTA meeting or got embroiled in any of the gifted designation controversy (as every school has its drama and you only know it when there). So what did you see on your tour that was a problem?
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 14:55     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


No. The new TJ elementary is for the Henry zone, and some nearby planning units will get pulled in, if there is space - I guess that all depends on the numbers. We will see when all the boundaries are opened up!


So while ASFS parents are saying "ASFS is the best! All schools should be like ASFS!" parents elsewhere are saying, "Thanks but no. We like our school the way it is"?

(Our house is in the team zone, and we've lived here long enough that ASFS was possible, but we took a look and fled.)


^^ ... And by fled, you mean you saw how diverse ASFS was and felt more comfortable with your more similar socioeconomic / racial peers at Taylor. Got it.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 11:10     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


No. The new TJ elementary is for the Henry zone, and some nearby planning units will get pulled in, if there is space - I guess that all depends on the numbers. We will see when all the boundaries are opened up!


You know, that's what they said. But I don't know how that will be possible when they open up all the SA boundaries. I was just looking at the map and if they keep all the current planning units, the new school will be located OUTSIDE of the PU's that are assigned to the school. I think there were some on the SAWG who tried to warn people about this, but I would not be surprised at all if Alcova Heights gets moved into the new building, and everyone south of the Pike and east of Walter Reed gets shifted tot other schools. I think this will result in schools that are more walkable but far less diverse, which is part of the reason putting the ES in that location was not ideal.


I'm confused. TJ is within the Henry boundary.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 09:52     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


No. The new TJ elementary is for the Henry zone, and some nearby planning units will get pulled in, if there is space - I guess that all depends on the numbers. We will see when all the boundaries are opened up!


You know, that's what they said. But I don't know how that will be possible when they open up all the SA boundaries. I was just looking at the map and if they keep all the current planning units, the new school will be located OUTSIDE of the PU's that are assigned to the school. I think there were some on the SAWG who tried to warn people about this, but I would not be surprised at all if Alcova Heights gets moved into the new building, and everyone south of the Pike and east of Walter Reed gets shifted tot other schools. I think this will result in schools that are more walkable but far less diverse, which is part of the reason putting the ES in that location was not ideal.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2017 08:01     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


No. The new TJ elementary is for the Henry zone, and some nearby planning units will get pulled in, if there is space - I guess that all depends on the numbers. We will see when all the boundaries are opened up!


So while ASFS parents are saying "ASFS is the best! All schools should be like ASFS!" parents elsewhere are saying, "Thanks but no. We like our school the way it is"?

(Our house is in the team zone, and we've lived here long enough that ASFS was possible, but we took a look and fled.)
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2017 22:36     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


No. The new TJ elementary is for the Henry zone, and some nearby planning units will get pulled in, if there is space - I guess that all depends on the numbers. We will see when all the boundaries are opened up!
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2017 22:28     Subject: Re:ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is going to cascade through several other schools. My guess is that some McKinley PUs get shifted to Ashlawn once Ashlawn loses PUs to Science Focus. Another wild card is whatever happens to Reed. If it is a neighborhood school, then we'll get boundary changes again in two more years. I'm guessing APS will say that is one more reason to make Reed a choice school.


Where are the Ashlawn planning units that you think would shift to ASFS? Seems too far away.


East of Glebe! They are quite far from Ashlawn now.
I think this will impact Long Branch and Taylor.
And Glebe.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2017 20:03     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?


Henry/Fleet has to move to the new building to allow Montessori to move from Drew to the Henry building to free up capacity at Drew in the southern part of the county. Schools in the south are dealing with overcrowding as much as they are in the north.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2017 19:12     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Does the new TJ ES have to stay the same (Patrick Henry/Fleet)? Could ASFS be moved there?
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2017 18:05     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Slightly OT, but can someone explain the origin of the team concept (Taylor, Jamestown, ASFS etc.) that is now being dismantled? What was it supposed to accomplish?


A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when the team was created, APS was not overcrowded. So when ASFS (and Key?) opened, the thought was that students within the four schools' boundaries could attend any of the schools as a way to populate ASFS and Key. Once all the team students were accommodated, any student from anywhere in Arlington could attend ASFS or Key. And it was thought that Key boundary students would also enroll at Taylor or Jamestown if they did not want Spanish immersion. But as it turned out, the Key students who didn't want immersion pretty much all enrolled in ASFS instead, and as ASFS's reputation grew and as the student population increased, it just became much more difficult for a Taylor or Jamestown student to "win" the lottery to attend ASFS. So essentially, the team concept no longer functioned as envisioned.


Thank you! That makes sense. It now just looks like the richest of the rich giving themselves more options/flexibility, so it's good to hear that wasn't the genesis of it.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2017 16:17     Subject: Re:ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I here ASFS families concerned that this change will swarm their school with new students since the dissolution of the team/making ASFS a neighborhood school will happen 1 year before the boundary changes are implemented. That is not what will happen. They have said that no students will be moved from their existing schools as a result of the new transfer/enrollment policy so ASFS is really only looking at the change impacting one year of kindergartners. They will need to accommodate a larger K class for that year. The next year the boundary changes will be effective for all the schools. One thing that isn't clear to me -- will the boundary changes apply to all grades except 5th grade or only to new incoming students. The latter is less disruptive to the school communities but will be much slower to fix the capacity problems.


Boundary changes typically impact right away as opposed to phasing in.


This will really suck. My DC1 is starting K at Taylor this fall. We live in Cherrydale, and I really, really hope we do not have to transfer to ASFS in 2019.


I don't think this will happen. This boundary change is likely to be phased in since it does not coincide with a new school that needs to be filled immediately. To quote the superintendent, "If you're in, you're in." They'll probably allow families who want to move immediately, but I don't think they will force anyone.


Part of the boundary shifts is because of a new school -- if they pull kids from Long Branch to add to the new TJ ES then that cascades further north. They'll also be pulling more kids in the south into the Drew boundary to fill that school as Montessori moves out. Maybe they could say south side school boundaries are immediate while north side are phased but that gets back to the whole inequitable thing. I wouldn't count on it being phased in the north.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2017 15:19     Subject: ASFS Boundary Change -- Any insight
Anonymous wrote:Slightly OT, but can someone explain the origin of the team concept (Taylor, Jamestown, ASFS etc.) that is now being dismantled? What was it supposed to accomplish?


A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when the team was created, APS was not overcrowded. So when ASFS (and Key?) opened, the thought was that students within the four schools' boundaries could attend any of the schools as a way to populate ASFS and Key. Once all the team students were accommodated, any student from anywhere in Arlington could attend ASFS or Key. And it was thought that Key boundary students would also enroll at Taylor or Jamestown if they did not want Spanish immersion. But as it turned out, the Key students who didn't want immersion pretty much all enrolled in ASFS instead, and as ASFS's reputation grew and as the student population increased, it just became much more difficult for a Taylor or Jamestown student to "win" the lottery to attend ASFS. So essentially, the team concept no longer functioned as envisioned.