Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:WL pre IB essentially wants to see at least a B+ in each 8th grade intensified subject for a kid to qualify. Any less academically and the kid may struggle on the IB track at WL. You want to go the extra mile on language study if you’re serious about IB, e.g. summer immersion camps. Advanced language skills are common for pre IB students at WL. Good luck making your choice.
There is no grade requirement for IB. Every kid zoned for WL who has taken the qualifying classes (2 years of language in middle school and continuing in high school) is considered pre-IB. Anyone who thinks they want to continue with IB needs to take AP government in 10th grade. Those are the only requirements in 9th and 10th grade. The IB classes start in 11th grade.
I have not known a single kid to do a summer immersion program to prepare for IB and I've known a lot of IB kids. I'm not sure what this PP is talking about.
OP as to your question about making the school feel smaller for 9th graders, they use small learning communities (SLCs). There are 5 or 6 and all the core teachers in a SLC are the same. They coordinate planning so there isn't a biology and a history test on the same day, for example. Also, this means a lot of the same kids will be your kids classes because they are only pulling from a group of 100 or so. One of my kids had the exact same kids in both her English and history class, for example.
You may be able to go to the school website and find the presentation they do for incoming 9th graders and for IB to get more info. Check the IB page and also the counseling page.
Anonymous wrote:Thanks! Putting aside TJ and Meridian, which schools (public and private) are best for a STEM kid who lives in Falls Church City? Is there a program or some way for such a kiddo to attend one of those Fairfax County public high schools with more advanced STEM offerings? We love the size of Meridian but IB may just be way too much for our STEM kid.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Hello! In response to 19:35, wow. Thank you for this. We have a STEM-focused kid who is a rising 8th, and we are thinking of moving to Falls Church City for Meridian HS. Do most STEM-focused kids in FCC avoid Meridian and try for TJ? Where do they go if they do not make it into TJ? And if we try to move into FCC for 8th, is it too late to try for TJ from FCC's middle school? Have FCC kids been preparing for ages to get into TJ? Thanks in avdance.
You need to live in the district when applying for TJ in 8th grade. If you already live in Arlington or Fairfax Counties you can apply for TJ from there before moving. But double check, since all participating jurisdictions have strict TJ quotas.
Anonymous wrote:Hello! In response to 19:35, wow. Thank you for this. We have a STEM-focused kid who is a rising 8th, and we are thinking of moving to Falls Church City for Meridian HS. Do most STEM-focused kids in FCC avoid Meridian and try for TJ? Where do they go if they do not make it into TJ? And if we try to move into FCC for 8th, is it too late to try for TJ from FCC's middle school? Have FCC kids been preparing for ages to get into TJ? Thanks in avdance.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:WL pre IB essentially wants to see at least a B+ in each 8th grade intensified subject for a kid to qualify. Any less academically and the kid may struggle on the IB track at WL. You want to go the extra mile on language study if you’re serious about IB, e.g. summer immersion camps. Advanced language skills are common for pre IB students at WL. Good luck making your choice.
There is no grade requirement for IB. Every kid zoned for WL who has taken the qualifying classes (2 years of language in middle school and continuing in high school) is considered pre-IB. Anyone who thinks they want to continue with IB needs to take AP government in 10th grade. Those are the only requirements in 9th and 10th grade. The IB classes start in 11th grade.
I have not known a single kid to do a summer immersion program to prepare for IB and I've known a lot of IB kids. I'm not sure what this PP is talking about.
OP as to your question about making the school feel smaller for 9th graders, they use small learning communities (SLCs). There are 5 or 6 and all the core teachers in a SLC are the same. They coordinate planning so there isn't a biology and a history test on the same day, for example. Also, this means a lot of the same kids will be your kids classes because they are only pulling from a group of 100 or so. One of my kids had the exact same kids in both her English and history class, for example.
You may be able to go to the school website and find the presentation they do for incoming 9th graders and for IB to get more info. Check the IB page and also the counseling page.