Looking for Best elementary schools

[JD984]

At Louise Archer in Vienna, the elementary extra-curricular activities include Chess Club, Dance, Foreign Languages, Girls on the Run, Karate, Kid-Art, LA Runners, Lego-Robotics, Mad Science, Odyssey of the Mind, Overtime Athletics, Science Olympiad, Skate Lab, Sports Camp and We Do Robotics. Here are the after-school programs at another Vienna-area school and a Falls Church (county, not city) school:

http://www.wolftrappta.org/uploads/W...012_Jan_11.pdf

http://www.haycockpta.org/index.php/...og_detail/C27/

There's plenty to explore for those with the time and interest, though some of this is geared towards children in grades 2 and higher. Overall, and particularly when considering all three levels of education, I think FCPS has as much to offer as the smaller Falls Church City system. But, again, at the end of the day these are personal and family-specfic judgments.

[Fern435]

Originally Posted by finecognac

That's one of and it's 2 years ago. Things change. We have choice of Woodburn/Luther/Falls Church, Mantua/Frost/Woodson, Timber/Longfellow/McLean, Falls Church city and Tuckahoe/Williamsburg/Yorktown. My kids never went to Timer Lane nor Tuckahoe. I do like Tuckahoe.

We choose where to live for the school and rent out the rest but that's too much info already.

My observation is based on the different activities in kindergarten and first grade that my older kid experienced while in Fairfax county and the younger one in FCCPS.

Off-the-chart, compelling, and breath-taking proof--Falls Church Schools are the best.

[finecognac]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I believe FCPS has at least as much to offer as the smaller Falls Church City system.

Those are PTA programs and you have to pay. It's not part of FCPS and it varies between PTAs.

Assuming FCPS has as much to offer as FCCPS, FCCPS still has an advantage over FCPS and that is in class size. Smaller class size is always better. That's why people pay extra for private schools.

[finecognac]

Originally Posted by Fern435

Off-the-chart, compelling, and breath-taking proof--Falls Church Schools are the best.

Thank you for your obtuse observation.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by finecognac

Those are PTA programs and you have to pay. It's not part of FCPS and it varies between PTAs.

Assuming FCPS has as much to offer as FCCPS, FCCPS still has an advantage over FCPS and that is in class size. Smaller class size is always better. That's why people pay extra for private schools.

You pay for these programs one way or the other, if you're a FCC resident, and both teachers and third parties participate in the FCPS after-school programs.

Lower class size does not necessarily translate into a superior education. It depends upon the needs of the students, and there are studies that have found that incremental additions in class sizes do not adversely affect student academic performance. People pay private school tuitions for lots of reasons in addition to class sizes (religious or moral training, sensitivity to special needs, teachers with advanced degrees, social standing, etc.) But, believe what you want. Standardized test scores in many Fairfax schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels are as high as, if not higher, than those in the City of Falls Church's schools, and the course offerings and athletic programs are more extensive at the upper levels.

[finecognac]

Originally Posted by JEB77

But, believe what you want. As I mentioned, standardized test scores in many Fairfax schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels are as high as, if not higher, than those in the City of Falls Church's schools.

To each their own. I believe in smaller class size and I made recommendation based on that.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by Al2012

... so far, all I see is schools teaching for SOL scores ... any comments / suggestions...

Considering the draft language in the proposed FCPS teacher evaluation process, you may be seeing more of this. In the draft under "Performance Appraisal Rubric for Standard 1: Instruction Planning", a teacher is rated "Effective" if, "The teacher plans using the Virginia Standards of Learning in order to be ready for state assessments".

[NYmama2dallas]

OP, what is your budget? Most of the schools in the Reston area have a great reputation-why not start looking near your office?

My two cents on the rest-small class sizes are great but a big problem with the FCC school system is that the kids are with the same small group of kids all the way through k-12. If your child has a problem with a clique, a bully, (or has a rough year and makes a bad impression-it can be tough to recover socially.

[Al2012]

Thanks tgbwc...

and that's exactly what has us concerned. We were not happy when we found out that the school our son attends now will start SOL testing next year for whatever reason as that may shift the teacher's focus .... and I wonder if private schools at Fairfax have to do the same... in any case, we'll explore Langley and Madison schools this summer to see where we go from here as we need to buy a house in the school district of choice...