Anonymous wrote:We moved to FCPS this year from a New England state. I was told to prepare myself for poor schooling for my kid.

My fourth grade had a fantastic year. There were three field trips, one to Jamestown. There were multiplication and division daily fact practice. There were many book clubs, five paragraph essays, and daily use of agendas. There were spelling tests and homework. My kid finished the year with a grade level musical. I’m not sure what people are complaining about.

Could you name your ES or the HS pyramid? You got a good one.

We moved to FCPS this year from a New England state. I was told to prepare myself for poor schooling for my kid.

My fourth grade had a fantastic year. There were three field trips, one to Jamestown. There were multiplication and division daily fact practice. There were many book clubs, five paragraph essays, and daily use of agendas. There were spelling tests and homework. My kid finished the year with a grade level musical. I’m not sure what people are complaining about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Why didn’t your school go?

Lazy teachers and a principal who cares more about keeping teachers happy than families.

Sounds bad. Maybe you should get a teaching job and show ‘em how it’s done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

Did you know that your car can go there as well?

Did you know that the purpose of this thread was for people to gripe about things FCPS used to do pre-covid but didn't do this year?

You are incorrect but you don’t seem to get that. There are plenty of schools that didn’t go to Jamestown before COVID.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Not all schools go to Jamestown. I taught 4th grade for a few years about 7-9 years ago and we didn’t go. I don’t ever remember the 4th graders going to Jamestown.

My current school has never gone to Jamestown. My last school did - they went to Williamsburg in the same trip (the farms rate was about 10%). It cost $70 per person. This is why my current school has never gone. Parents at Title 1 schools don’t have that kind of money to spare. And no, there is no money from the school or the virtually non-existent PTA.

In fact, for some grades in my school there is ZERO money from the school to go on any field trips (but I’ve seen it in the county budget plans so that’s always confusing). And you can’t go far because you leave at 9:30 and have to be back at 1:00.

I'm the first person that complained about Jamestown. Our PTA could afford to send the entire 4th grade at $70/kid, they have an excess of funds every year -- far more than the $7000 it would have cost to send 4th grade to Jamestown.

So why not complain to your PTA? Better yet, run to be on the PTA board to help make these decisions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Not all schools go to Jamestown. I taught 4th grade for a few years about 7-9 years ago and we didn’t go. I don’t ever remember the 4th graders going to Jamestown.

My current school has never gone to Jamestown. My last school did - they went to Williamsburg in the same trip (the farms rate was about 10%). It cost $70 per person. This is why my current school has never gone. Parents at Title 1 schools don’t have that kind of money to spare. And no, there is no money from the school or the virtually non-existent PTA.

In fact, for some grades in my school there is ZERO money from the school to go on any field trips (but I’ve seen it in the county budget plans so that’s always confusing). And you can’t go far because you leave at 9:30 and have to be back at 1:00.

I'm the first person that complained about Jamestown. Our PTA could afford to send the entire 4th grade at $70/kid, they have an excess of funds every year -- far more than the $7000 it would have cost to send 4th grade to Jamestown.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

Did you know that your car can go there as well?

Did you know that the purpose of this thread was for people to gripe about things FCPS used to do pre-covid but didn't do this year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

correction: it’s a fourth grade trip

Yes, I said rising 5th grader. That means 4th grader in the past school year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

+1 same

Other schools went. Ours didn’t.

Why didn’t your school go?

Lazy teachers and a principal who cares more about keeping teachers happy than families.

[quote=Anonymous][quote]
What is being done about these disriptive kids to ensure that the teacher can teach and the rest of the class can learn? I know there are kids on ieps that want to learn and need some more help, but there are also kids that have some serious emotional problems that are really disruptive. Why can't they be sent to a special school?[/quote]

Everything is about being "inclusive" these days if you haven't already noticed. [/quote]

This is not a bad thing is PUBLIC school. But there is a spectrum between fully immersed in a classroom where the child is being disruptive and send them away out of sight/out of mind.

[quote]
What is being done about these disriptive kids to ensure that the teacher can teach and the rest of the class can learn? I know there are kids on ieps that want to learn and need some more help, but there are also kids that have some serious emotional problems that are really disruptive. Why can't they be sent to a special school?[/quote]

Everything is about being "inclusive" these days if you haven't already noticed.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private. [/quote]

Blah, blah, blah. Tired of the right wing attacks on public schools. I have kids in FCPS and do not believe schools are in free fall. Many of us disagree yet you people keep stating this same thing as if it’s fact.[/quote]

They’re like a broken record, starting a new post weekly on this forum.[/quote]

When I can see the difference between my older DC and younger DC's learning, at the same schools, I'm not a right winger. I'm a concerned parent. It seems Democrats haven't learned anything from Youngkin's election.

Parents are unhappy. [/quote]

Teachers are unhappy too...we spend our days parenting kids with out of control behaviors.[/quote]

+1, we can’t teach when we’re managing ongoing, disruptive behaviors.[/quote]

What is being done about these disriptive kids to ensure that the teacher can teach and the rest of the class can learn? I know there are kids on ieps that want to learn and need some more help, but there are also kids that have some serious emotional problems that are really disruptive. Why can't they be sent to a special school?[/quote]

Unless there is a serious physical or sexual assault, it takes years of meetings to get to that point.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It’s time to accept the fact that FCPS is in free fall. There is no fixing it without voting in a school board that will lead, find a competent superintendent, and ensure worthless layers of middle management are eliminated to provide funding to hire and retain excellent teachers.

FCPS uses technology very poorly and burdens teachers with a myriad of non-teaching duties.

Given the political makeup of Fairfax County, that is very likely to happen, so if you have the means it is time to go private. [/quote]

Blah, blah, blah. Tired of the right wing attacks on public schools. I have kids in FCPS and do not believe schools are in free fall. Many of us disagree yet you people keep stating this same thing as if it’s fact.[/quote]

They’re like a broken record, starting a new post weekly on this forum.[/quote]

When I can see the difference between my older DC and younger DC's learning, at the same schools, I'm not a right winger. I'm a concerned parent. It seems Democrats haven't learned anything from Youngkin's election.

Parents are unhappy. [/quote]

Teachers are unhappy too...we spend our days parenting kids with out of control behaviors.[/quote]

+1, we can’t teach when we’re managing ongoing, disruptive behaviors.[/quote]

What is being done about these disriptive kids to ensure that the teacher can teach and the rest of the class can learn? I know there are kids on ieps that want to learn and need some more help, but there are also kids that have some serious emotional problems that are really disruptive. Why can't they be sent to a special school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My rising 5th grader didn't get to go to Jamestown. I'm pretty pissed about that.

Did you know that your car can go there as well?

I don't know that the trip to Jamestown is necessary, however second grade took a trip to Gunston Hall and I dont understand why 4th did not.

Because one is an hour away and the other is 3.5 hours.

That is not the point. I am wondering why 4th did not go to Gunston.

Because that’s where they went in 2nd grade?

No they did not. Current 2nd went for the first time. Usually 2nd did a different field trip.

FCPS is very large, so no one’s experience, good or bad, is necessarily reflective of the system as a whole. They take care of some people and screw over others.