I think it depends upon the child. My son had some friends at his base school, but it was when he moved to the Center that he really developed solid and close friendships.

Also, at our Center the AAP kids are not isolated from the general ed kids. The kids mix all together for PE, for band, for art and music, etc.

My son was never the sort who was very extreverted and would make friends quickly. But within the first month at the Center (in 3rd grade) he had four buddies that were all interested in the same things he was. It was great to see!

I've been wondering which option might be better socially for children who are bright but perhaps not off the charts. Do parents think their children at AAP centers develop close friendships or is it just less stressful for them socially because there are more children similar to them? I'm not sure I want my DC to only interact with only AAP children all day, but then having only one class of the same students for four years could be limiting too even though this happens all the time in private schools. It just seems that when you have to spend time traveling to school, meeting children who live further away from where you live, having to start this new school in 3rd grade, and having to switch classes each year, you'd tend to develop fewer close friendships than if you just stayed at the base school. It would almost be like going to a large private school. What do parents think about the social aspects of a local level IV class that tends to have a lot of AAP participants? Our base school is Wolftrap which I think has enough AAP students to fill a class or at least close to one class.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. Can anyone provide feedback about the Mosby Woods AAP center?

Yes, check the FCAG Yahoo group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FCAG/

Interesting. Can anyone provide feedback about the Mosby Woods AAP center?

FCAG and its Yahoo group are such great resources for Fairfax County parents. Is there a similar group in Loudoun County? We are considering a move to Loudoun and are seeking information on which elementary, middle, and high schools would be the best options for gifted students. Any insights would be much appreciated.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not the original poster -- and my GT Center experience is only with Haycock -- but I do think that one great thing that Haycock can offer (that most of the other GT programs can't) is several GT classes per grade. This allows for further differentiating in math, spelling, etc. -- and, obviously, differentiation is a big reason to choose a GT program. And, the multiple classes per grade offers that much larger of a peer group -- and peer group is another major reason to enroll in a GT program.

I agree. Our AAP Center only has two classes per grade. But it is far better than the handful of AAP Center-eligible students per grade at our base school.

Anonymous wrote:I curious to how you arrived at that conclusion. Do you have experience with other GT programs and have found something at Haycock that stands out or were you sastifed by your child's experience in the program? Is there any data that might allow one to compare the centers?

I'm not the original poster -- and my GT Center experience is only with Haycock -- but I do think that one great thing that Haycock can offer (that most of the other GT programs can't) is several GT classes per grade. This allows for further differentiating in math, spelling, etc. -- and, obviously, differentiation is a big reason to choose a GT program. And, the multiple classes per grade offers that much larger of a peer group -- and peer group is another major reason to enroll in a GT program.

How about Churchill RD's GT?

Yes, Haycock's GT is better than Chesterbrook's GT.

Anonymous wrote:I curious to how you arrived at that conclusion. Do you have experience with other GT programs and have found something at Haycock that stands out or were you sastifed by your child's experience in the program? Is there any data that might allow one to compare the centers?

See www.fcag.org

I curious to how you arrived at that conclusion. Do you have experience with other GT programs and have found something at Haycock that stands out or were you sastifed by your child's experience in the program? Is there any data that might allow one to compare the centers?

Haycock's GT center is probably the best in NoVA.

A plug for Chesterbrooks' Level IV program - my 3rd grader LOVES it! We moved our 3 kids out of private (2 are public school age) because it wasn't challenging enough for our then 2nd grader (and because we had a horrific year with my middle son's JK teacher). My 3rd grader, who finished 3rd grade level math in 2nd grade, says the work is much harder than at his old school, but that makes it more fun. And my 3rd grader is your typical video-game-loving, nerf-gun fanatic boy. He loves to go to school, and he has met lots of new friends. We couldn't be happier.

We did consider Haycock's program (we could choose between Haycock's center or Chesterbrook's Level IV program), but chose to stay at Chesterbrook b/c of the smaller class sizes and we loved the 3rd grade teaching team. But we have also heard great things about Haycock's center program.

not familiar with Haycock and note the poster whomade these assertions didn't back them up with any particulars, but at my kid's GT center, he says at recess he and several of the other lads play tag and then tell jokes. He has told me a few he heard and they are funny. There are probably at least 120 kids in the AP program at his age level so he can associate with the ones he finds interesting and on his wavelength, so there's been no problem fitting in so far.

Another Haycock parent here. PP, I wouldn't worry about what that other poster says about the Haycock GT kids. How could s/he possibly know what the kids at both schools are like? It's just a BS post based on probably one or two kids she met. It amazes me the crap people will post on here.