Did they say whether the number of seats will be increased at the Chevy Chase center?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else notice that the letter said parents will have the option to decline consideration but they don't mention the reverse? They were saying a few months ago you could opt in to testing but that was conspicuously absent from the letter.

At the meeting they said parents could request either, and there would be a simple way to do it on the letter sent to all third grade families.

Does that mean I'd have to explicitly consent to testing and send the letter back to them, if my child is identified? If testing happens at school, does that mean the school will be given a list of third-graders to test? What if some consent letters get lost in the mail?

In the past, when parents 'nominated' their kids, it was obvious that they wanted their children tested. Now it gets murkier.

I'm also pretty upset about the changed boundaries. My child goes to Luxmanor ES, and the ride from to Chevy Chase during rush hour would be terrible. Sure, the new catchment area will 'cut down on travel time' for kids in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, but we are getting the sharp end of the stick here. Not only the competition is higher at BCC/Whitman and it's harder to get in, the commute will be crazy.

UGH!

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else notice that the letter said parents will have the option to decline consideration but they don't mention the reverse? They were saying a few months ago you could opt in to testing but that was conspicuously absent from the letter.

At the meeting they said parents could request either, and there would be a simple way to do it on the letter sent to all third grade families.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just got a mailing from MCPS that Barnsley will now only serve Rockville, RM, and Wheaton. WJ will got to Chevy Chase with BCC and Whitman. Cold Spring unchanged.

Does this mean that the current WJ cluster 4th graders at Barnsley will go to Chevy Chase for Grade 5?

I have a child at Barnsley in 4th grade, but we live in one of the other three clusters. Just wondering if there will be two classes next year rather than three. Seems like a relatively large number of children in my kid's class from WJ cluster elementary schools.

I went to the meeting at RM tonight. Meredith Casper said current 4th graders stay where they are for 5th grade next year.

Did anyone else notice that the letter said parents will have the option to decline consideration but they don't mention the reverse? They were saying a few months ago you could opt in to testing but that was conspicuously absent from the letter.

Anonymous wrote:I didn't plan on going to that meeting but now I feel so tempted to! WTH is happening? Why are they changing the rules on us with such little notice?

+1
They ran the numbers and realized they weren't going to get the URM yields they wanted.

Last year, the Wait List for Barnsley had about 80 students on it - all equally qualified to attend a CES.

Any idea how many students were on the Chevy Chase Wait List?

Why can’t they make a CES for each cluster? Instead of this seemingly random re-zoning.

Any one with a link to streaming?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the one who got the mailing, it went to 3rd grade parents. It literally arrived in the mail this afternoon. I’m thinking about going to the CES info meeting tonight at RM to see if I can get more info.

Wow! I'm a WJ cluster parent and we know nothing about it (I should probably go check my mailbox). Please go to the meeting, if you can, and report back to us!

FWIW, I went to the first informational meeting at Kennedy High in November, and the leaflet we got had WJ going to Barnsley.

Strange it they changed it between November and January. That was only 2 months ago!

Barnsley draws from something like 20 elementary schools currently. That is a lot of kids. Maybe dividing it up better will lead to more spots?

Strange, indeed! In fact, I :thought that meeting was a waste of time, since they didn't disclose anything we hadn't known beforehand. And I remember talking to my husband about the commute to Barnsley, should my child get in. Now, the commute to Chevy Chase would be even worse.

All: remember that Chevy Chase has more space in the building now that the 6th graders will be fully moved out to Silver Creek MS. This probably allows for an additional class in the Center. Look at the clusters that remain at Barnsley - more seats for less privileged kids. Commute to Chevy Chase from WJ Cluster: they will have to take the beltway.

I didn't plan on going to that meeting but now I feel so tempted to! WTH is happening? Why are they changing the rules on us with such little notice?

It lists Piney Branch ES has a school that feeds into Pine Crest but Piney Branch has its own center. What's up with that?

Also looks like oak View and Pine Crest are becoming separate centers.

Maybe they are counting on that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the one who got the mailing, it went to 3rd grade parents. It literally arrived in the mail this afternoon. I’m thinking about going to the CES info meeting tonight at RM to see if I can get more info.

Wow! I'm a WJ cluster parent and we know nothing about it (I should probably go check my mailbox). Please go to the meeting, if you can, and report back to us!

FWIW, I went to the first informational meeting at Kennedy High in November, and the leaflet we got had WJ going to Barnsley.

Strange it they changed it between November and January. That was only 2 months ago!

Barnsley draws from something like 20 elementary schools currently. That is a lot of kids. Maybe dividing it up better will lead to more spots?

Strange, indeed! In fact, I thought that meeting was a waste of time, since they didn't disclose anything we hadn't known beforehand. And I remember talking to my husband about the commute to Barnsley, should my child get in. Now, the commute to Chevy Chase would be even worse.