Anonymous wrote:Dawn Clemens is reaching out to PTA meetings at Brent and Maury this month. Also holding a meeting for 4th and 5th grade parents at Watkins trying to stem the bleed to BASIS and Latin.

Principal Clemens came to Brent and told us she has 15 spots for Brent kids. After questions, she said that those 15 spots are actually for anyone who applies, not for Brent or Maury. Thus, according to last year's lottery, any given kid has about an 8% chance of winning the Stuart Hobson lottery.

Not exactly comforting and not exactly the kind of certainty one needs to plan a child's future.

it's not just in Ward 6 that parents think of the middle school when deciding where to send their child for 4th or 5th grade, it is all over the city.

Anonymous wrote:agreed, one might consider Watkins for 5th... One of the pathways would then be Watkins/SH.

I totally understand this reasoning but that cannot be a policy. I have a current 4th grader in a non cluster ES and there is no way that we'll put him (and us) through a year of elementary school at a new school just to put him in line for a spot at Stuart-Hobson. Besides, he is where he is because that's the best fit for him, not Watkins. Playing these suboptimal tricks will do us all a disservice because such a change would simply set him back, academically, socially, and emotionally. The simple fact of being forced to think about it in these terms, is what's wrong with the Ward 6 middle school options and feeder patterns.

Why is Stuart Hobson building an art wing - brand new additional square footage - when there is so much unused space at Eliot Hine (and Jefferson) and in DCPS?

Why is Stuart Hobson building a new sports field on top of a parking structure, when Eliot Hine / Eastern has state of the art facilities already?

Why is Stuart Hobson building a parking structure in a residential / historical area?

Why doesn't Stuart Hobson leadership lay out a vision for Ward Six - using data - that explains how the rest of us plebeians get a great middle school?

Why does Stuart Hobson assert that they are the second best middle school in DCPS, but then follow up with an assertion that they like being a C+ school, and that's good enough for them?

Why is Stuart Hobson advocating for using so many resources to benefit so few people in Ward Six? Why is Ward Six going to be nicked for the cost of Stuart Hobson's modernization, when it doesn't benefit most Ward Six students?

Didn't Spock tell us "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"?

I don't think they will actually go there, but they will feed to one orvthe other depending on the permanent location of SWS. The official FAQ that came to SWS parents from DCPS last week made it clear that the expanded SWS will not feed to Stuart Hobson.

Logan feeds to Eliot Hine. I believe only the leading class has the.option to go to Stuart Hobson. Then, no more.

Um......Logan feeds into SH or EH. And how many of the Logan parents are going to choose EH.

You haven't been around long of you think Brent is considered equal in the minds of Cluster parents. Not the normal parents but the crazies who rule the Clusters.

And if you even think for a moment that SWS will go to EH or Jefferson then you are actually smoking something.

I meant "neither Logan Montessori nor expanded SWS will feed into Stuart Hobson". By the way, there is no risk taking Brent students into Stuart Hobson. If you are looking at test scores, Brent outscored Watkins and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Anonymous wrote:I truly believe that the Cluster parents would rather slit their wrists than allow Maury or Brent kids become feeders for SH. It is their grand plan, after successfully expanding the Montessori, to expand SWS and create a little protected environment. They will kick and scream until SH is renovated then fill it with their expanded programs rather than take a risk on allowing Brent or Maury or Tyler (rember them?) kids into SH.

You are wrong on this. Neither Logan Montessori nor an expanded Montessori will feed to Stuart Hobson. That is not conjecture, that is fact. They will feed to Eliot Hine or Jefferson. That is why Cluster parents/ principal would rather like a feed from Brent and Maury if there was space in their building.

Also, SWS is expanding precisely to become less of a "little, protected environment" than it is as part of the Cluster. It will become a true neighborhood school serving the entire community in which it.is located

I truly believe that the Cluster parents would rather slit their wrists than allow Maury or Brent kids become feeders for SH. It is their grand plan, after successfully expanding the Montessori, to expand SWS and create a little protected environment. They will kick and scream until SH is renovated then fill it with their expanded programs rather than take a risk on allowing Brent or Maury or Tyler (rember them?) kids into SH.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a nice idea but people have to choose Latin/basis in 5th or risk no spots. A possible oob spot at Stuart Hobson for 6th isn't enough for families to take that risk. If Brent and Maury graduates had guaranteed spots at Stuart Hobson, things might be different.

agreed, one might consider Watkins for 5th, as well as lotteries for Latin/ Basis. One of the pathways would then be Watkins/SH.

I am a Brent parent and we are considering applying to Watkins OOB for 5th.

Anonymous wrote:Its a nice idea but people have to choose Latin/basis in 5th or risk no spots. A possible oob spot at Stuart Hobson for 6th isn't enough for families to take that risk. If Brent and Maury graduates had guaranteed spots at Stuart Hobson, things might be different.

agreed, one might consider Watkins for 5th, as well as lotteries for Latin/ Basis. One of the pathways would then be Watkins/SH.

Then, we are talking a path way that somewhat resembles a Deal set up. IB and all.

Or if Stuart Hobson wanted to move into a bigger, nicer building and become the solid backbone to a larger program where all of Ward 6 elemntary schools could have guaranteed spots

Its a nice idea but people have to choose Latin/basis in 5th or risk no spots. A possible oob spot at Stuart Hobson for 6th isn't enough for families to take that risk. If Brent and Maury graduates had guaranteed spots at Stuart Hobson, things might be different.

Dawn Clemens is reaching out to PTA meetings at Brent and Maury this month. Also holding a meeting for 4th and 5th grade parents at Watkins trying to stem the bleed to BASIS and Latin.