Anonymous
05/02/2013 15:54
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
+1
What is really frustrating is that no one was informed to get any input or comment prior to this decision, especially the principals of the affected schools. One principal told a parent she was blindsided with this news. Even the AAP teacher at that school did not know.
How is it possible they can change school assignments without School Board approval? What happened here is that Westbriar and Stenwood parents raised a stink to grandfather their kids at LA. The School Board assented and then, they shafted the kids who are part of Madison pyramid who either moved to the area post 3rd grade or applied post 3rd grade. It is disgraceful how they are treating these kids--go get your own ride to school, we'll provide to everyone else but you.
What is really frustrating is that no one was informed to get any input or comment prior to this decision, especially the principals of the affected schools. One principal told a parent she was blindsided with this news. Even the AAP teacher at that school did not know.
How is it possible they can change school assignments without School Board approval? What happened here is that Westbriar and Stenwood parents raised a stink to grandfather their kids at LA. The School Board assented and then, they shafted the kids who are part of Madison pyramid who either moved to the area post 3rd grade or applied post 3rd grade. It is disgraceful how they are treating these kids--go get your own ride to school, we'll provide to everyone else but you.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 15:54
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
Anonymous wrote:Did either the central office or Louise Archer explain the ostensible reasoning for this decision? Why they would accept third graders from a school a mile away but not fourth graders makes no sense to me. Further, it represents such a significant policy decision that it should have not been presented as a simple administrative decision.
Finally, the no busing thing is just wrong. AAP is a special needs program, and if FCPS decides a particular child needs it in order to be appropriately educated, then it needs to provide busing to that child along with all the others who need - and receive - the same accommodations.
FCAG should be alerted to this problem, and could be a good help.
Louise Archer is our base school, too, so I do understand the problem and would support other fixes. The centers could be made free-standing rather than sharing space with neighborhood schools. Or the AAP program eligibility could b tightened to include only the highly and profoundly gifted rather than all the bright ones as well. (In that case, I think the neighborhood schools would have to institute ability-based groupings in order to fairly teach everyone. I think they should have this anyhow.)
Half-assed administrative fixes made behind the scenes, with jury-rigged and inconsistently-applied boundaries, is about the worst possible solution I could imagine.
People at FCAG like Grace Becker Chung and Louise Epstein are well aware of this policy.
The policy was intended to address the stated concerns of in-boundary parents at AAP centers about the ever-growing number of AAP students from other pyramids coming into these schools. It sends a signal that FCPS recognizes that overcrowding at schools like Archer and Haycock negatively impacts students already at those schools.
Maybe it's a bad policy and should be reconsidered. But it didn't come out of nowhere and it wasn't adopted arbitrarily.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 15:26
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
Did either the central office or Louise Archer explain the ostensible reasoning for this decision? Why they would accept third graders from a school a mile away but not fourth graders makes no sense to me. Further, it represents such a significant policy decision that it should have not been presented as a simple administrative decision.
Finally, the no busing thing is just wrong. AAP is a special needs program, and if FCPS decides a particular child needs it in order to be appropriately educated, then it needs to provide busing to that child along with all the others who need - and receive - the same accommodations.
FCAG should be alerted to this problem, and could be a good help.
Louise Archer is our base school, too, so I do understand the problem and would support other fixes. The centers could be made free-standing rather than sharing space with neighborhood schools. Or the AAP program eligibility could b tightened to include only the highly and profoundly gifted rather than all the bright ones as well. (In that case, I think the neighborhood schools would have to institute ability-based groupings in order to fairly teach everyone. I think they should have this anyhow.)
Half-assed administrative fixes made behind the scenes, with jury-rigged and inconsistently-applied boundaries, is about the worst possible solution I could imagine.
Finally, the no busing thing is just wrong. AAP is a special needs program, and if FCPS decides a particular child needs it in order to be appropriately educated, then it needs to provide busing to that child along with all the others who need - and receive - the same accommodations.
FCAG should be alerted to this problem, and could be a good help.
Louise Archer is our base school, too, so I do understand the problem and would support other fixes. The centers could be made free-standing rather than sharing space with neighborhood schools. Or the AAP program eligibility could b tightened to include only the highly and profoundly gifted rather than all the bright ones as well. (In that case, I think the neighborhood schools would have to institute ability-based groupings in order to fairly teach everyone. I think they should have this anyhow.)
Half-assed administrative fixes made behind the scenes, with jury-rigged and inconsistently-applied boundaries, is about the worst possible solution I could imagine.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 13:58
Subject: Re:Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
Colvin Run is a Langley/McLean feeder, but it's in Vienna. I'd either decline the center option or accept it and eventually move to a place in the Langley or McLean districts.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 13:51
Subject: Re:Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
13:37 Yes, that's the issue. Either bus all the AAP kids or none of them. Wow, the Louise Archer parents sure seem entitled. Why they think it's ok that a 3rd grader from Vienna come to their school, but not a fourth grader is beyond me.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 13:37
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
Immersion kids are not bussed in my area of the county.
I wouldn't mind driving my kids to a center, but I would be annoyed if everyone else was getting bussed and my child was one of the few who were not. Especially when I am not choosing a different center but instead being told that this is the only one available to my child.
I wouldn't mind driving my kids to a center, but I would be annoyed if everyone else was getting bussed and my child was one of the few who were not. Especially when I am not choosing a different center but instead being told that this is the only one available to my child.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 13:05
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:After a few phone calls today I confirmed with both Louise Archer and the AAP central office that they are not accepting any 4th graders even if they have a sibling who is going there and even if they are from one of the schools that is still sending 3rd graders there (ie Vienna Elementary). Those older kids are given the option of Colvin Run with the parent providing transportation. Apparently the Cluster 2 office makes this decision and is the one we need to appeal to.
Thank you for posting this update. PLEASE contact the School Board about this SchoolBoardMembers@fcps.edu as well as Erica Hendry of the Patch.
http://leesburg.patch.com/users/erica-r-hendry
Uh, no thanks. We don't want or need anything else to make LA more overcrowded than it already is!
Anonymous
05/02/2013 13:01
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
I think it's crazy that they bus ANY of the AAP students to centers. We choose to send our kids there and I don't think we need to be entitled to busing. Same with the immersion programs. It's nice to have the buses, but I would totally drive the for the enhanced curriculum. We already spend too much money on the buses.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 12:43
Subject: Re:Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
FCPS should provide transportation whichever center is chosen. Why should these students not get transportation anymore? Vienna Elementary does not even have LLIV at the school.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 12:32
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
You might have luck trying to pupil place at Lemon Road. There are several 4th graders from the Haycock redustricting that have decided to forego their placement there. (Private school, base school, moving into Haycock district)
Anonymous
05/02/2013 12:14
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
Anonymous wrote:After a few phone calls today I confirmed with both Louise Archer and the AAP central office that they are not accepting any 4th graders even if they have a sibling who is going there and even if they are from one of the schools that is still sending 3rd graders there (ie Vienna Elementary). Those older kids are given the option of Colvin Run with the parent providing transportation. Apparently the Cluster 2 office makes this decision and is the one we need to appeal to.
Thank you for posting this update. PLEASE contact the School Board about this SchoolBoardMembers@fcps.edu as well as Erica Hendry of the Patch.
http://leesburg.patch.com/users/erica-r-hendry
Anonymous
05/02/2013 11:54
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
After a few phone calls today I confirmed with both Louise Archer and the AAP central office that they are not accepting any 4th graders even if they have a sibling who is going there and even if they are from one of the schools that is still sending 3rd graders there (ie Vienna Elementary). Those older kids are given the option of Colvin Run with the parent providing transportation. Apparently the Cluster 2 office makes this decision and is the one we need to appeal to.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 11:49
Subject: Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
RE: Freedom Hill -- it is one of the schools with LLIV
Anonymous
05/02/2013 11:32
Subject: Re:Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
I meant isn't in the same high school pyramid. Obviously it's an FCPS school as well.
Anonymous
05/02/2013 11:31
Subject: Re:Louise Archer AAP closed to new rising 4th graders???
9:22 and 9:23 I was only referring to new children now opting for the center, not the ones already at Louise Archer. It just seems like Colvin Run isn't in the same school district nor very close to commute to. Lemon Road would have 2 AAP classes of 4-6th graders and most of those kids go onto Kilmer and Marshall. I still don't know why a few additional 4th-6th grade children can't attend Louise Archer. How many can there really be?