Anonymous wrote:Haycock is probably the most cut throat ES in the McLean pyramid. This was made worse last year when it was decided to grandfather out of boundary kids and not admit anymore AAP kids who are within the Lemon Road boundary.

I'm surprised no one has suggested Lemon Road and Timber Lane..the latter which feeds to McLean.

I'm also surprised that OP is "priced out" of North Arlington, but is still considering McLean. Both areas have similar housing costs.

Anonymous wrote:Haycock is probably the most cut throat ES in the McLean pyramid. This was made worse last year when it was decided to grandfather out of boundary kids and not admit anymore AAP kids who are within the Lemon Road boundary.

I'm surprised no one has suggested Lemon Road and Timber Lane..the latter which feeds to McLean.

I'm also surprised that OP is "priced out" of North Arlington, but is still considering McLean. Both areas have similar housing costs.

Anonymous wrote:Op, come out for a house hinting trip and try the commutes.

The schools are excellent everywhere. You really, really do not need to limit yourself to McLean for good schools and a reasonable commute.

Coming from Kansas, you are going to find that area far more competitive than anything you have ever seen, particularly with regards to kids academics and activities

If your kids are stars back home, they are likely to be middle of the pack there. If they are laid back, middle of the pack type kids odds are very good they will get lost in the shuffle.

My recommendation is you find less cut throat school pyramid, and also try to go into one of the communities with a smalle elementary of around 600-800 kids. You can get high achieving with less competition doing that.

I am the midwest poster from earlier who mentioned culture shock. That is what I am talking about. The school culture here, and especially at Haycock, is very, very intense and like nothing you have ever seen, especially at the elementary level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you have received wonderful advice. My kids attend Shrevewood and are very happy there. I'm also very pleased with the school as well as the admistration. Yes, it's over crowded, however, we currently do not house any classrooms (other than specials) in trailers.

As for the schools you really can't go wrong with this area. Now that being said, what I think is great and what you think is great, can be miles apart. For me, it's all about the teachers and administration. So far, my kids have had great teachers at Shrevewood. We have had great communication with the teachers and they are very in tune to notice problems if they exist. I have one child who has difficulty adjusting to new teachers in the begining of the year, all the teachers have met his needs and deal with him very well.

Some people don't look at Shrevewood because of the diversity, there is lots of it! For me the diversity is one of the main reasons I love it so much. My kids have met children from all over the world.

This area is very tranisant, you have diplomats, State Dept, IMF, World Bank, military, you get the idea.

I know of a couple of parents at Haycock, while they are happy with the academics they are a bit disappointed with the classrooms in trailors. The Haycock construction will last at least 2 years from what I have heard.

Good luck with your decision, I would suggest you and your family come out to the are for a long weekend to get a feel for the area and look around.

Nothing against the Shrevewood's quality of teaching, but I have been inside the school many times and found it to be run down and drabby. Quite a contrast to the high tech electronic bulletin board in front of the school.

BTW, KG is very diverse also, and holds a yearly international night. In contrast, schools like Spring Hill, Churchill Road, Chesterbrook, and Franklin Sherman are predominantly white.

I'm guessing you've never been inside Haycock or many other FCPS schools. If you consider Shrevewood to be drabby, Haycock would be downright ghetto. Not only has the inside not been updated since the 50s, but many kids never get to spend time in the building anyway. My dd was there for 3rd-6th and was in a trailer every year except for 4th grade. It's not a school experience that should be accepted as normal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you have received wonderful advice. My kids attend Shrevewood and are very happy there. I'm also very pleased with the school as well as the admistration. Yes, it's over crowded, however, we currently do not house any classrooms (other than specials) in trailers.

As for the schools you really can't go wrong with this area. Now that being said, what I think is great and what you think is great, can be miles apart. For me, it's all about the teachers and administration. So far, my kids have had great teachers at Shrevewood. We have had great communication with the teachers and they are very in tune to notice problems if they exist. I have one child who has difficulty adjusting to new teachers in the begining of the year, all the teachers have met his needs and deal with him very well.

Some people don't look at Shrevewood because of the diversity, there is lots of it! For me the diversity is one of the main reasons I love it so much. My kids have met children from all over the world.

This area is very tranisant, you have diplomats, State Dept, IMF, World Bank, military, you get the idea.

I know of a couple of parents at Haycock, while they are happy with the academics they are a bit disappointed with the classrooms in trailors. The Haycock construction will last at least 2 years from what I have heard.

Good luck with your decision, I would suggest you and your family come out to the are for a long weekend to get a feel for the area and look around.

Nothing against the Shrevewood's quality of teaching, but I have been inside the school many times and found it to be run down and drabby. Quite a contrast to the high tech electronic bulletin board in front of the school.

BTW, KG is very diverse also, and holds a yearly international night. In contrast, schools like Spring Hill, Churchill Road, Chesterbrook, and Franklin Sherman are predominantly white.

I'm guessing you've never been inside Haycock or many other FCPS schools. If you consider Shrevewood to be drabby, Haycock would be downright ghetto. Not only has the inside not been updated since the 50s, but many kids never get to spend time in the building anyway. My dd was there for 3rd-6th and was in a trailer every year except for 4th grade. It's not a school experience that should be accepted as normal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you have received wonderful advice. My kids attend Shrevewood and are very happy there. I'm also very pleased with the school as well as the admistration. Yes, it's over crowded, however, we currently do not house any classrooms (other than specials) in trailers.

As for the schools you really can't go wrong with this area. Now that being said, what I think is great and what you think is great, can be miles apart. For me, it's all about the teachers and administration. So far, my kids have had great teachers at Shrevewood. We have had great communication with the teachers and they are very in tune to notice problems if they exist. I have one child who has difficulty adjusting to new teachers in the begining of the year, all the teachers have met his needs and deal with him very well.

Some people don't look at Shrevewood because of the diversity, there is lots of it! For me the diversity is one of the main reasons I love it so much. My kids have met children from all over the world.

This area is very tranisant, you have diplomats, State Dept, IMF, World Bank, military, you get the idea.

I know of a couple of parents at Haycock, while they are happy with the academics they are a bit disappointed with the classrooms in trailors. The Haycock construction will last at least 2 years from what I have heard.

Good luck with your decision, I would suggest you and your family come out to the are for a long weekend to get a feel for the area and look around.

Nothing against the Shrevewood's quality of teaching, but I have been inside the school many times and found it to be run down and drabby. Quite a contrast to the high tech electronic bulletin board in front of the school.

BTW, KG is very diverse also, and holds a yearly international night. In contrast, schools like Spring Hill, Churchill Road, Chesterbrook, and Franklin Sherman are predominantly white.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Np here following this thread with interest. Re : Shrevewood, the school is ranked 659 in the state. Is it that good? Several ACPS elementary schools are ranked better and everyone complains that system stinks. Why not recommend that the OP consider the Alexandria parts of FFX county where housing prices are cheaper. E.g., Waynewood and Stratford Landing. Both ranked higher than Shrevewood.

OP - you might want to check out Waynewood and Stratford Landing systems. You can find a nice home in your price range ($600 -$700 k) and not have the McLean and Haycock drama. And it's close in!

I think people recommended Shrevewood because it's in the immediate area of where OP was already looking but in a lower price range, which I think she said she wanted. It's an 8 on Great Schools for what that's worth.

Anonymous wrote:Np here following this thread with interest. Re : Shrevewood, the school is ranked 659 in the state. Is it that good? Several ACPS elementary schools are ranked better and everyone complains that system stinks. Why not recommend that the OP consider the Alexandria parts of FFX county where housing prices are cheaper. E.g., Waynewood and Stratford Landing. Both ranked higher than Shrevewood.

OP - you might want to check out Waynewood and Stratford Landing systems. You can find a nice home in your price range ($600 -$700 k) and not have the McLean and Haycock drama. And it's close in!

Anonymous wrote:Np here following this thread with interest. Re : Shrevewood, the school is ranked 659 in the state. Is it that good? Several ACPS elementary schools are ranked better and everyone complains that system stinks. Why not recommend that the OP consider the Alexandria parts of FFX county where housing prices are cheaper. E.g., Waynewood and Stratford Landing. Both ranked higher than Shrevewood.

OP - you might want to check out Waynewood and Stratford Landing systems. You can find a nice home in your price range ($600 -$700 k) and not have the McLean and Haycock drama. And it's close in!

Anonymous wrote:Np here following this thread with interest. Re : Shrevewood, the school is ranked 659 in the state. Is it that good? Several ACPS elementary schools are ranked better and everyone complains that system stinks. Why not recommend that the OP consider the Alexandria parts of FFX county where housing prices are cheaper. E.g., Waynewood and Stratford Landing. Both ranked higher than Shrevewood.

OP - you might want to check out Waynewood and Stratford Landing systems. You can find a nice home in your price range ($600 -$700 k) and not have the McLean and Haycock drama. And it's close in!