They should either have a center or nothing. I'm sorry but local level IV for a middle school is a ridiculous idea. They either want the kids from Jackson to move over there or not. All it would do is have confusion again among boundaries and if parents are already not sending their kids to Jackson instead of Thoreau why would they continue to do so if there was this LLIV there which isn't present at any other middle school. School Board, please figure out the boundaries you would like for these schools and how many kids should be together for AAP and re-designate as appropriate. Please do not allow schools to do whatever they want like you did with the whole Shrevewood / Lemon Road debacle.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the replies. Yes, we are one of the handful of families who have Cunningham Park as our base school, with Archer and Jackson AAP centers, followed by Marshall HS. I don't think there's another school in Vienna that follows that track. Unfortunately for my daughter, she is the only girl among the 5 kids from Cunningham Park who will (in theory) go to Jackson. Of those 5 kids, only 2 will then go on to Marshall. The very few girls from the other schools that would feed into Jackson are apparently going to Thoreau, so that's where my concern lies. She'll lose all of her current friends (yes, I know she will see some of them at dance, etc., but it's not the same as being with them all day long), then after 2 years at Jackson, she'd lose all of her friends again because she would be the only girl going on to Marshall. I know kids are resilient and, as a foreign service child, I know what it's like to make new friends every year or two, but she's also a child with quite a bit of anxiety who is extremely averse to change and it makes me nervous to put her into a situation where everything (and everyone) is an unknown. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe we should just send her to Thoreau. I'm not sure how well that would go over either, though, as she considers herself pretty different from her "old friends" at Cunningham Park. Presumably she'd make new friends there, though, since so many elementary schools feed into Thoreau.

Please tell me more about what you've heard regarding AAP coming to Thoreau! I thought that idea got shot down last year, but I hope I'm wrong. That would solve our problem!

What has been shot down repeatedly is the idea of placing an AAP center at Thoreau. I heard from an FCPS middle school teacher (not at Thoreau) last week that Thoreau will be getting some kind of MS version of "local level 4" AAP. I did not know that local level 4 applied to MS (as it does to ES) but I guess it does--? If this happens, families who still want their children to have the AAP center option will still need to send their children to Jackson for that. If I were you I would definitely press for a lot of details about what's different between "local Level 4" and centers so you can make a really informed choice. One other thing -- in your shoes I would want to know exact details of how any new AAP program, just getting started, would train teachers (or bring in trained teachers), what would be different about the curriculum compared to Thoreau's current honors curriculum as well as compared to AAP centers etc. I am not dissing the idea of AAP at Thoreau, which would please many people. I'm only noting that it's worth asking questions since it would be a new program. I'd also want to know if there would be enough kids there, that first year, to have full AAP classes or if they will be somehow mixed in with other levels of classes. Thoreau does have new facilities so that should help.

The thing is that the vast majority of kids at Thoreau go to Madison, not Marshall. Here's the Thoreau boundary map:

http://www.fcps.edu/images/boundarymaps/thoreaums.pdf

The only kids at Thoreau zoned for Marshall are those who live east of Cedar Lane. That's a very small percentage.

So without fretting about it too much now, I'd probably recommend that my child do Jackson AAP and tell her that she can pupil place to Madison later if she wants, where there will be more kids from Cunningham Park, Archer and Jackson. Heck, if no one tells, maybe she could walk to the other side of Cedar and catch the bus to Madison!

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, we are one of the handful of families who have Cunningham Park as our base school, with Archer and Jackson AAP centers, followed by Marshall HS. I don't think there's another school in Vienna that follows that track. Unfortunately for my daughter, she is the only girl among the 5 kids from Cunningham Park who will (in theory) go to Jackson. Of those 5 kids, only 2 will then go on to Marshall. The very few girls from the other schools that would feed into Jackson are apparently going to Thoreau, so that's where my concern lies. She'll lose all of her current friends (yes, I know she will see some of them at dance, etc., but it's not the same as being with them all day long), then after 2 years at Jackson, she'd lose all of her friends again because she would be the only girl going on to Marshall. I know kids are resilient and, as a foreign service child, I know what it's like to make new friends every year or two, but she's also a child with quite a bit of anxiety who is extremely averse to change and it makes me nervous to put her into a situation where everything (and everyone) is an unknown. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe we should just send her to Thoreau. I'm not sure how well that would go over either, though, as she considers herself pretty different from her "old friends" at Cunningham Park. Presumably she'd make new friends there, though, since so many elementary schools feed into Thoreau.

Please tell me more about what you've heard regarding AAP coming to Thoreau! I thought that idea got shot down last year, but I hope I'm wrong. That would solve our problem!

Anonymous wrote:

I wanted to check in with you on that because the post above and your reply to it had me a bit worried that you might think that the kids saying they'll go to Kilmer have it wrong and would end up at Jackson with your child. Not so. It's not quite right to say that
"Archer AAP kids from Archer, Vienna, Cunningham Park and the Madison half of Flint Hill all go to Jackson AAP" because many Archer AAP kids go to Kilmer AAP.

Was referring to AAP kids whose base school is Archer, Vienna, Cunningham Park or the half of Flint Hill that's assigned to Madison being assigned to Jackson. I'm pretty sure the other poster fully understood I was not referring to all the Archer AAP kids, since she was already aware that many others go to Kilmer instead. While I'm somewhat worried you'll confuse her into thinking the AAP kids I mentioned aren't zoned for Jackson AAP, perhaps she'll sort it out.

Anonymous wrote:Big changes coming for Vienna residents -- AAP at Thoreau.

Where did you hear this?

Big changes coming for Vienna residents -- AAP at Thoreau.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to 09:16 above for your comments about Jackson. It helps a lot to hear from current parents there. The 6th-grade homework load this year is affecting most of the AAP kids, not just my daughter, although she does seem to take even longer than most to get through it because of her perfectionist tendencies. The teachers have been responsive and have even instituted a sort of study period most days so that the kids can get a head start on the homework. That has helped tremendously.

I find it interesting that most of the kids from your child's class at Archer went to Jackson for AAP, as we're finding just the opposite this year. As far as we can tell, about 90% of the kids will go to Kilmer next year and this is causing major anxiety at our house, as my daughter feels that she is the only girl from the Archer AAP center who would go to Jackson. I'm sure there are others, but she's right that of all of her many friends at Archer, she is the only one not going to Kilmer. She is begging and pleading to go to Kilmer, but I don't even know that that's an option. I could possibly plead the case that Kilmer was the AAP center when we bought our house and we would prefer that she go there, but I don't know if that argument stands a chance.

I do plan on going to the parent meetings at Jackson and Thoreau (although Thoreau's is scheduled for the same night as the Archer 6th-grade musical, so I don't know what kind of turnout they're going to have) and am curious to hear what they have to say.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Archer AAP kids from Archer, Vienna, Cunningham Park and the Madison half of Flint Hill all go to Jackson AAP. I really can't see that FCPS will let you transfer to Kilmer under the circumstances.

OP, this is previous poster 9:16 here. Please be sure you understand -- At Archer, kids who currently live in the boundary for Kilmer will go to Kilmer for AAP. They do not have the option to go to Jackson because Kilmer has an AAP center and is also their "local" boundary school. Kids who are not living in the Kilmer boundaries are assigned to Jackson because that is the assigned AAP center out of Archer for any Archer AAP student who does not live in the Kilmer boundaries.

So if 90 percent of your daughter's classmates are going to Kilmer next year it's because they live within the Kilmer boundary. They do not have a choice to go to Jackson due to where they reside.

Probably in my kid's sixth grade year there were just many more Archer AAP kids who were not in the Kilmer boundaries and who had the Jackson-Thoreau choice. Sounds like your child's classmates skew heavily toward kids who just happen to live in the Kilmer boundaries.

I wanted to check in with you on that because the post above and your reply to it had me a bit worried that you might think that the kids saying they'll go to Kilmer have it wrong and would end up at Jackson with your child. Not so. It's not quite right to say that
"Archer AAP kids from Archer, Vienna, Cunningham Park and the Madison half of Flint Hill all go to Jackson AAP" because many Archer AAP kids go to Kilmer AAP.

Your child will be fine going to Jackson if only a few of her current classmates go too. This truly was a worry for all of us last year as well and has worked out fine. My child does more with and talks more about new friends from other elementary schools than old friends from elementary school. It is nice to have a few kids there who have had some shared earlier experiences but truly, in MS kids branch out a lot in terms of friendships.

Anonymous wrote:
I have to add that with a heavy extracurricular load she hardly saw any of her neighborhood friends after the age of 10-11. Once the kids mature and develop a focus (sports, arts, community work), they develop new relationships that are based on shared interest, and not just geography.

+1000

We have found with our kids (8th and 10th grades) that the neighborhood friends were attending so many different schools (public and private) that friendships were really based on extra-curricular activities. In many cases the AAP friendships from elementary school were the strongest ones in these mutually shared interests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another question--do you know how many kids go on from Jackson AAP to Marshall HS? From what I'm reading, it seems as if most of them go to Falls Church or Madison. I hate to tear her away from her friends, have her make new friends, then 2 years later, tear her away again if she's the only one who goes to Marshall. Kilmer seems pretty well split between Madison and Marshall, while Thoreau seems to be predominantly Madison-bound kids, with a small subset headed to Marshall.

My DD went to Marshall knowing no one there. Took her some time to orient herself, but she ended up having a great, tight-knit group of friends there.
I have to add that with a heavy extracurricular load she hardly saw any of her neighborhood friends after the age of 10-11. Once the kids mature and develop a focus (sports, arts, community work), they develop new relationships that are based on shared interest, and not just geography.

I don't think the poster is talking about her daughter's wanting to go to school with other kids on her block, but either with her current AAP friends next year, who are mostly heading to Kilmer rather than Jackson, or with the friends she'll likely have in a few years, more of whom will be headed to Madison than to Marshall.

Anonymous wrote:Another question--do you know how many kids go on from Jackson AAP to Marshall HS? From what I'm reading, it seems as if most of them go to Falls Church or Madison. I hate to tear her away from her friends, have her make new friends, then 2 years later, tear her away again if she's the only one who goes to Marshall. Kilmer seems pretty well split between Madison and Marshall, while Thoreau seems to be predominantly Madison-bound kids, with a small subset headed to Marshall.

My DD went to Marshall knowing no one there. Took her some time to orient herself, but she ended up having a great, tight-knit group of friends there.
I have to add that with a heavy extracurricular load she hardly saw any of her neighborhood friends after the age of 10-11. Once the kids mature and develop a focus (sports, arts, community work), they develop new relationships that are based on shared interest, and not just geography.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to 09:16 above for your comments about Jackson. It helps a lot to hear from current parents there. The 6th-grade homework load this year is affecting most of the AAP kids, not just my daughter, although she does seem to take even longer than most to get through it because of her perfectionist tendencies. The teachers have been responsive and have even instituted a sort of study period most days so that the kids can get a head start on the homework. That has helped tremendously.

I find it interesting that most of the kids from your child's class at Archer went to Jackson for AAP, as we're finding just the opposite this year. As far as we can tell, about 90% of the kids will go to Kilmer next year and this is causing major anxiety at our house, as my daughter feels that she is the only girl from the Archer AAP center who would go to Jackson. I'm sure there are others, but she's right that of all of her many friends at Archer, she is the only one not going to Kilmer. She is begging and pleading to go to Kilmer, but I don't even know that that's an option. I could possibly plead the case that Kilmer was the AAP center when we bought our house and we would prefer that she go there, but I don't know if that argument stands a chance.

I do plan on going to the parent meetings at Jackson and Thoreau (although Thoreau's is scheduled for the same night as the Archer 6th-grade musical, so I don't know what kind of turnout they're going to have) and am curious to hear what they have to say.

Thanks again for your feedback.

We went through this. Pretty much impossible to transfer into Kilmer. but the good news is after LJ is Madison compared to Marshall.

I thought the poster was saying she's zoned for Archer AAP, Jackson AAP and Marshall HS, which is possible if, for example, you live in certain parts of the Vienna and Cunningham Park ES districts. If that's correct, your aside about Marshall is gratuitous. Her daughter wouldn't go to Madison unless she pupil places.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to 09:16 above for your comments about Jackson. It helps a lot to hear from current parents there. The 6th-grade homework load this year is affecting most of the AAP kids, not just my daughter, although she does seem to take even longer than most to get through it because of her perfectionist tendencies. The teachers have been responsive and have even instituted a sort of study period most days so that the kids can get a head start on the homework. That has helped tremendously.

I find it interesting that most of the kids from your child's class at Archer went to Jackson for AAP, as we're finding just the opposite this year. As far as we can tell, about 90% of the kids will go to Kilmer next year and this is causing major anxiety at our house, as my daughter feels that she is the only girl from the Archer AAP center who would go to Jackson. I'm sure there are others, but she's right that of all of her many friends at Archer, she is the only one not going to Kilmer. She is begging and pleading to go to Kilmer, but I don't even know that that's an option. I could possibly plead the case that Kilmer was the AAP center when we bought our house and we would prefer that she go there, but I don't know if that argument stands a chance.

I do plan on going to the parent meetings at Jackson and Thoreau (although Thoreau's is scheduled for the same night as the Archer 6th-grade musical, so I don't know what kind of turnout they're going to have) and am curious to hear what they have to say.

Thanks again for your feedback.

We went through this. Pretty much impossible to transfer into Kilmer. but the good news is after LJ is Madison compared to Marshall.

Anonymous wrote:Another question--do you know how many kids go on from Jackson AAP to Marshall HS? From what I'm reading, it seems as if most of them go to Falls Church or Madison. I hate to tear her away from her friends, have her make new friends, then 2 years later, tear her away again if she's the only one who goes to Marshall. Kilmer seems pretty well split between Madison and Marshall, while Thoreau seems to be predominantly Madison-bound kids, with a small subset headed to Marshall.

I don't know the numbers but most AAP kids at Jackson go to Madison or Falls Church. Some also go to Oakton and, of course, TJ, but it looks like only a few go to Marshall unless they pupil place there for IB. I expect some of the kids in your daughter's situation (I'm inferring that you're at either Vienna or Cunningham Park, but zoned for Jackson AAP and Marshall) end up pupil placing to Madison because they have more friends going there than to Marshall, but you just have to play it by ear.

As for Kilmer, the base boundaries are about a 70/30 split between Marshall and Madison, but many of the AAP kids are from Great Falls and go to Langley. Thoreau is about an 80/20 split between Madison and Marshall.

We had the same situation where our child went to Haycock AAP with about 120 kids, and less than 10 went to Kilmer. In 6th grade, we tried to do a lot of things with the kids that would be going to Kilmer with our dc and that helped a lot. Our dc missed his Longfellow friends, but had a handful of friends to start MS with and quickly made new friends (half of which went to Langley instead of Marshall).

AAP is kind of a choice you make knowing that the friend situation will be difficult all the way through, but kids are resilient. They'll make new friends, even if they don't intend to.