Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, I don't have to move to Arlington? Tell the military that. You would also know that if you read the previous threads and ALSO know that there have been some rude responses. I am assuming they are rude because they disagree with my parenting...which they have no right to be rude about. Don't come on here and tell me your "done" with my thread because I accuse rude people of being rude, which the very strong gratitude expressed to those who were helpful!

The military bars you from living in Fairfax or Alexandria?

NP here. I would seriously consider Fairfax. I grew up in Fairfax County, and there were always a ton of military families. Families moved in and out, and the kids got used to meeting new friends every year. While Arlington does have some transitions, it's not the same. Plus, my nieces and nephews are in Fairfax and use the iPads a lot less than my kids do in Arlington. Housing prices are also much more affordable. If your budget is limited and you're worried about sending your kids to a public school, I would pick a Fairfax one over what you could likely afford in South Arlington.

Anonymous wrote:Oh, I don't have to move to Arlington? Tell the military that. You would also know that if you read the previous threads and ALSO know that there have been some rude responses. I am assuming they are rude because they disagree with my parenting...which they have no right to be rude about. Don't come on here and tell me your "done" with my thread because I accuse rude people of being rude, which the very strong gratitude expressed to those who were helpful!

The military bars you from living in Fairfax or Alexandria?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. I have decided to rent an apartment in Rosslyn and go to Arlington Science Focus school zoned for the neighborhood. In case anyone military is reading this, we do have rights regarding fair schooling come to find out. That means our kids can have the opportunity to enter the lottery and not miss out just because we have orders to move 2 months into the school year.

I get this in theory, but I’m not sure how it would work. If they lottery has been done for that school year, how would you get in?

+1. Do you put in an application and then roll a die? Roll a six and you’re in, otherwise it’s the waitlist?

they *pretend* to teach cursive in third grade but do not actually

(at least not at our APS elementary school)

OP, Abingdon is a fine school. It has a great principal but I think she is retiring. Fairlington is a great community. The pools are super fun in the summer. It's a great option for a military family coming to Arlington for a few years.

Many of us don't like the iPads but have kind of given up fighting the system on the whole thing. You can opt out but that makes you an annoying parent. But they don't get used a ton in the younger grades and APS is getting more sensible about it now vs. when it first started.

People are trying to be helpful and temper your expectations. Arlington is a very tech-focused school system. You not wanting your kids on iPads is not going to make them magically go away. In the older grades they do assessments and the SOL exams on computers. They teach cursive in third grade. Your other option is Catholic school - I don’t know how they are on technology, but you’d have to pay.

ASFS is more hard nosed than most of the other schools. But because of all the differentiated learning, the kids are still on computers, especially the later grades. But you will get a million pieces of paper coming home as well.

tburchar wrote:....so that I can find my "weirdo" tribe? Goodness, I didn't realize that the desire to have my kids use actual pen and paper made me a weirdo. For every 2 useful comments from helpful people, there are 3 rude ones.....I can hardly wait to move to Arlington!

Yes, our BAH is only $2780 to be exact. We don't live a life of luxury in the military!

I mean yeah, those are your people. All longing for their kids to be taught like it’s 1940 while posting on an iPhone 11pro.

Maybe homeschooled is for you.

Anonymous wrote:

tburchar wrote:....so that I can find my "weirdo" tribe? Goodness, I didn't realize that the desire to have my kids use actual pen and paper made me a weirdo. For every 2 useful comments from helpful people, there are 3 rude ones.....I can hardly wait to move to Arlington!

Yes, our BAH is only $2780 to be exact. We don't live a life of luxury in the military!

Many people here have taken time to help you, OP, including me. But when you reply with accusations of rudeness rather than thanks to the helpers, that when I'm done.

You don't have to move to Arlington, you know.

NP: OP, not all of Arlington is rude. But DCUM isn't the place to go for neighborliness or even for much objective useful information. If you have the opportunity, visit some of the schools and talk with the principals. The Shirlington/Fairlington area is great and Abingdon is one of the schools that has done fairly well implementing the iPads into its curriculum. But keep in mind, you can opt out of the iPad if you'd like. If you aren't going to be here for long, then don't bother with the option schools. They are in high demand and should be available for students who will be in them long enough to benefit from the program. If you pick a neighborhood you like, the corresponding school will serve you nicely.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to the 3 people who stated bah covering their mortgage. Mortgage is and always will be cheaper than renting, therefore I can find next to nothing in NOVA in that price range to rent....including apartments. I was lucky, as I stated earlier, to find a few 2 bedroom and much smaller 3 bedrooms in shirlington/fairlington that are in our price range, but I'm iffy on the school. I will contact the school when they are back in session to ask questions. Thanks everyone that took the time to write helpful responses!!

APS is a little late in scheduling the K info night, but that will help you. It's usually the last week in January. If you are here in time, you can enter those lotteries. If not, you might be out of luck and stuck with the school you are zoned to.

I don't think anyone meant to be rude to you, but if you go back through the history of these threads, there is someone with similar questions to yours every week and you all ask the same things, with seemingly little research. FWIW, you're a military family - you can probably get into Fleet or Long Branch, but it seems you can't escape technology.

Thanks to the 3 people who stated bah covering their mortgage. Mortgage is and always will be cheaper than renting, therefore I can find next to nothing in NOVA in that price range to rent....including apartments. I was lucky, as I stated earlier, to find a few 2 bedroom and much smaller 3 bedrooms in shirlington/fairlington that are in our price range, but I'm iffy on the school. I will contact the school when they are back in session to ask questions. Thanks everyone that took the time to write helpful responses!!

Oh, I don't have to move to Arlington? Tell the military that. You would also know that if you read the previous threads and ALSO know that there have been some rude responses. I am assuming they are rude because they disagree with my parenting...which they have no right to be rude about. Don't come on here and tell me your "done" with my thread because I accuse rude people of being rude, which the very strong gratitude expressed to those who were helpful!

tburchar wrote:....so that I can find my "weirdo" tribe? Goodness, I didn't realize that the desire to have my kids use actual pen and paper made me a weirdo. For every 2 useful comments from helpful people, there are 3 rude ones.....I can hardly wait to move to Arlington!

Yes, our BAH is only $2780 to be exact. We don't live a life of luxury in the military!

Many people here have taken time to help you, OP, including me. But when you reply with accusations of rudeness rather than thanks to the helpers, that when I'm done.

You don't have to move to Arlington, you know.

Anonymous wrote:

tburchar wrote:....so that I can find my "weirdo" tribe? Goodness, I didn't realize that the desire to have my kids use actual pen and paper made me a weirdo. For every 2 useful comments from helpful people, there are 3 rude ones.....I can hardly wait to move to Arlington!

Yes, our BAH is only $2780 to be exact. We don't live a life of luxury in the military!

DCUM is hardly representative of Arlington. Asking for help and advice from an anonymous forum like this one will inevitably involve some comments you won’t like. If you had read DCUM before you posted you would know this. Despite this there is nothing else like it which makes it worth the negatives for most of us.

yes OP, not representative. at all.

OP, if you want a school that isn’t heavy on iPad use, or that are consistent in iPad policy across teachers and grade levels, you’re going to have to look at an option school rather than a neighborhood school. The option schools with a pedagogical focus like you’re hoping for are Montessori and Campbell Expeditionary Learning. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

tburchar wrote:....so that I can find my "weirdo" tribe? Goodness, I didn't realize that the desire to have my kids use actual pen and paper made me a weirdo. For every 2 useful comments from helpful people, there are 3 rude ones.....I can hardly wait to move to Arlington!

Yes, our BAH is only $2780 to be exact. We don't live a life of luxury in the military!

This is what our mortgage for our 3 bed/2 bath is in South Arlington.

$400 more than our mortgage for our 4 bed/3 bath in S. Arlington

Hey it is what it is

Our BAH is only slightly higher than that and it just about covers our mortgage for our 3/2.5 SFH in S Arlington.