The teachers are awesome and they care, the most important factor in a school's quality. The school has gotten smaller and will be smaller again next year. If you live in the community, then you know why it's so popular. My DC is thriving.

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Anonymous wrote:Agree with all of the above, especially the community. My experience with one center's base school population was 180 degrees different than my experience with another base school population. Does the base school consider you a nuisance because you are making their school larger (and therefore taking away from what their child experiences) or do they embrace your presence because they realize that you are all in this together?

Or, perhaps, they welcome your AAP kid because the alternative is having low-income kids at another, overcrowded school redistricted to their school against their wishes. There are more than two scenarios out there.

Agree with all of the above, especially the community. My experience with one center's base school population was 180 degrees different than my experience with another base school population. Does the base school consider you a nuisance because you are making their school larger (and therefore taking away from what their child experiences) or do they embrace your presence because they realize that you are all in this together?

I would consider the following:

a) How much construction is there at the school. If they are renovating, will my kid benefit from it, or be gone by the time is done?
b) What after school programs does it have? Is my kid into that? Scrabble club? Chess? Acting? (My kid went to an APS school with great after school classes and there were waiting lists for every class. Not good).
c) Where do you have a sense of community? Can you call someone to drop off your kid's violin for you at either school? If you are going to be part of it all, you should like it.
d) How does it impact the schedule of the rest of your family/your work? Traffic matters.
e) How many of the AAP teachers are certified as AAP? 100%? Are you sure?
f) How is the AART? How long have they been there?
g) Can you tour each school? How welcome were you made to feel? Were kids on task? Smiling?
h) How much overlap is there between GE & AAP? I would not want my kids to only have AAP friends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Maybe because the crowding is reduced this year and most people are very happy to be there. I think something like 97% of the teachers rated it "a good place to work and learn" earlier this year, which is higher than the average county school.

97% is an amazing response...my school's was only 77% but my impression is the principal isn't well liked by staff

95% of the teachers rated the school leadership as effective, again well above the average for county schools. So if some teachers don't like the principal, they still appear to respect the administrative team.

I meant my school, not Haycock. You don't get 97% or 95% with an ineffective principal. Mine just needs to retire. She is useless. I would transfer to Haycock but no offense, Haycock parents seem pretty intimidating.

You wouldn't be any happier there. The parents play that principal like a violin.

No different at Churchill Road. Parents totally run the school and admin ducks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Maybe because the crowding is reduced this year and most people are very happy to be there. I think something like 97% of the teachers rated it "a good place to work and learn" earlier this year, which is higher than the average county school.

97% is an amazing response...my school's was only 77% but my impression is the principal isn't well liked by staff

95% of the teachers rated the school leadership as effective, again well above the average for county schools. So if some teachers don't like the principal, they still appear to respect the administrative team.

I meant my school, not Haycock. You don't get 97% or 95% with an ineffective principal. Mine just needs to retire. She is useless. I would transfer to Haycock but no offense, Haycock parents seem pretty intimidating.

You wouldn't be any happier there. The parents play that principal like a violin.

You don't get that high level of teacher satisfaction without mostly satisfied parents as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Maybe because the crowding is reduced this year and most people are very happy to be there. I think something like 97% of the teachers rated it "a good place to work and learn" earlier this year, which is higher than the average county school.

97% is an amazing response...my school's was only 77% but my impression is the principal isn't well liked by staff

95% of the teachers rated the school leadership as effective, again well above the average for county schools. So if some teachers don't like the principal, they still appear to respect the administrative team.

I meant my school, not Haycock. You don't get 97% or 95% with an ineffective principal. Mine just needs to retire. She is useless. I would transfer to Haycock but no offense, Haycock parents seem pretty intimidating.

You wouldn't be any happier there. The parents play that principal like a violin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Maybe because the crowding is reduced this year and most people are very happy to be there. I think something like 97% of the teachers rated it "a good place to work and learn" earlier this year, which is higher than the average county school.

97% is an amazing response...my school's was only 77% but my impression is the principal isn't well liked by staff

95% of the teachers rated the school leadership as effective, again well above the average for county schools. So if some teachers don't like the principal, they still appear to respect the administrative team.

I meant my school, not Haycock. You don't get 97% or 95% with an ineffective principal. Mine just needs to retire. She is useless. I would transfer to Haycock but no offense, Haycock parents seem pretty intimidating.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Maybe because the crowding is reduced this year and most people are very happy to be there. I think something like 97% of the teachers rated it "a good place to work and learn" earlier this year, which is higher than the average county school.

97% is an amazing response...my school's was only 77% but my impression is the principal isn't well liked by staff

95% of the teachers rated the school leadership as effective, again well above the average for county schools. So if some teachers don't like the principal, they still appear to respect the administrative team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Maybe because the crowding is reduced this year and most people are very happy to be there. I think something like 97% of the teachers rated it "a good place to work and learn" earlier this year, which is higher than the average county school.

97% is an amazing response...my school's was only 77% but my impression is the principal isn't well liked by staff

Then don't come.

It's about to get much worse before it gets better with the renovation

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

Maybe because the crowding is reduced this year and most people are very happy to be there. I think something like 97% of the teachers rated it "a good place to work and learn" earlier this year, which is higher than the average county school.

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.

It's actually not much (if at all) worse than other FCPS elementary schools I have been in.

Why the hell would anyone jump through hoops to attend Haycock? The school is busting at the seams and they herd those kids around like cattle. Ive never been so happy to move in my life.