How to attend "old" middle school after moving - Vienna (Fairfax: countertops, new house)

[llamamama]

My daughter is in 7th grade at Kilmer. We expect our new construction house (which is zoned for Thoreau) to be ready late summer/ early fall when she will be in 8th grade. Is there ANY way she can still attend Kilmer after we move? We are thinking that if we do not update our address that no one will know, but our concerns are that for some reason our new address will *need* to be updated with FCPS, which would alert the "zoning systems".

The biggest issue is that I would be still able to drive her to school, but not able to pick her up everyday. Is there a bus from Kilmer that drops off near the middle of Vienna (where our new house will be)? And if so, will the school let her ride a bus that is not assigned to the address they have on file (our old address)? Do the bus drivers even check? Will other kids tell?

I know, I know... this is against the rules (and Kilmer is closed to transfers); but she will only have one year left before HS (Madison) and we don't want to have her change schools for just one year. (We would have been zoned for Madison High School either way.)


Thanks for any advice you can give us. My daughter is already sad to be moving away from her friends, so the thought of having to change schools in 8th grade is devastating to her.

[JD984]

Looks like she might qualify based on "senior" status as a rising 8th grader at Kilmer.

Fairfax County Public Schools: Special Services: Student Transfer Information: Renewal Requests

http://www.fcps.edu/dss/osp/StudentR...s/Glossary.pdf

[llamamama]

Thanks for the link! THe issue is that because Kilmer is already over capacity, it is closed to Student transfers for any reason.

[kutra11]

Originally Posted by llamamama

My daughter is in 7th grade at Kilmer. We expect our new construction house (which is zoned for Thoreau) to be ready late summer/ early fall when she will be in 8th grade. Is there ANY way she can still attend Kilmer after we move? We are thinking that if we do not update our address that no one will know, but our concerns are that for some reason our new address will *need* to be updated with FCPS, which would alert the "zoning systems".

The biggest issue is that I would be still able to drive her to school, but not able to pick her up everyday. Is there a bus from Kilmer that drops off near the middle of Vienna (where our new house will be)? And if so, will the school let her ride a bus that is not assigned to the address they have on file (our old address)? Do the bus drivers even check? Will other kids tell?

I know, I know... this is against the rules (and Kilmer is closed to transfers); but she will only have one year left before HS (Madison) and we don't want to have her change schools for just one year. (We would have been zoned for Madison High School either way.)


Thanks for any advice you can give us. My daughter is already sad to be moving away from her friends, so the thought of having to change schools in 8th grade is devastating to her.

So the message that you are trying to convey to your daughter is it's okay to cheat if the situation inconveniences you?

[leighland]

Originally Posted by kutra11

So the message that you are trying to convey to your daughter is it's okay to cheat if the situation inconveniences you?

No.

Her message is that her need for a swanky address and granite countertops trump the emotional needs of her child.

[url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/272871.php?fb_action_ids=10203276733588248&fb_acti on_types=og.likes&fb_ref=.UwfL41rvimI.like&fb_sour ce=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582]Risk of psychotic symptoms in early adolescence increased by frequent school moves - Medical News Today[/url]


Enjoy that Vienna status bump, Mamma.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by llamamama

Thanks for the link! THe issue is that because Kilmer is already over capacity, it is closed to Student transfers for any reason.

The student transfer season for next year begins on March 1 and I wouldn't let the current "Closed" status for Kilmer deter you from applying. Kilmer will be probably more crowded next year, not less, but I still think schools can exercise some discretion in acting on requests that are made on a timely basis during the official transfer season.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by leighland

No.

Her message is that her need for a swanky address and granite countertops trump the emotional needs of her child.

Risk of psychotic symptoms in early adolescence increased by frequent school moves - Medical News Today


Enjoy that Vienna status bump, Mamma.

The study was focusing on students who'd moved three times by the age of 12, if I read the summary correctly. You can't tell if that's true in the OP's case.

Not to mention that they aren't moving that far away and that, even if her daughter goes to Thoreau next year, she'd still be reunited with some of her current Kilmer friends at Madison in 9th grade. Conversely, even if she stays at Kilmer next year, she'll be parted from some of those friends in 9th grade because they'd be heading off to Marshall (and possibly Langley and TJ as well). If split feeders induce psychosis, we should be preparing a class action lawsuit against FCPS.

[HokieFan]

Originally Posted by llamamama

My daughter is in 7th grade at Kilmer. We expect our new construction house (which is zoned for Thoreau) to be ready late summer/ early fall when she will be in 8th grade. Is there ANY way she can still attend Kilmer after we move? We are thinking that if we do not update our address that no one will know, but our concerns are that for some reason our new address will *need* to be updated with FCPS, which would alert the "zoning systems".

The biggest issue is that I would be still able to drive her to school, but not able to pick her up everyday. Is there a bus from Kilmer that drops off near the middle of Vienna (where our new house will be)? And if so, will the school let her ride a bus that is not assigned to the address they have on file (our old address)? Do the bus drivers even check? Will other kids tell?

I know, I know... this is against the rules (and Kilmer is closed to transfers); but she will only have one year left before HS (Madison) and we don't want to have her change schools for just one year. (We would have been zoned for Madison High School either way.)


Thanks for any advice you can give us. My daughter is already sad to be moving away from her friends, so the thought of having to change schools in 8th grade is devastating to her.

My advice to you would be to help your daughter come to terms and adjust with the transition as much as you can.

1.) She is still close enough to see her friends on weekends, and maybe even after school if you have her enrolled in any afternoon activities outside of school

2.) She will be reunited with her friends going into high school

3.) She will make many new friends, and she'll have these new friends + the old friends going into HS

4.) Before the school year starts, schedule a tour of the school building so she'll be familiar with getting around on her 1st day

5.) Before the school year starts, reach out to the teachers about setting up a time for your daughter to meet them

6.) See if your daughter can be connected with a current student of the school. They can make plans to talk and hang out over the summer - start building a foundation for friendship. Talk to the principal about this, as they usually know of students who are friends to everyone and can connect her with a good match.

I realize that at her age this can be a tough and scary change. I empathize with that and know that your instincts as a parent are to protect her but I think it's your job to help her through the transition.
IMO, teaching your daughter that breaking the rules just to keep her happy is acceptable is not a good lesson to instill in your daughter. I think situations like that encourage the entitlement mentality found in many people today.

Originally Posted by leighland

No.

Her message is that her need for a swanky address and granite countertops trump the emotional needs of her child.

Risk of psychotic symptoms in early adolescence increased by frequent school moves - Medical News Today


Enjoy that Vienna status bump, Mamma.

^^^That's quite the presumption, and uncalled for.

[car54]

I drive a bus (before you jump to conclusions, I am a retired electrical engineer) and no, they will not let her ride a bus that she is not assigned to...school transportation does not work like MetroBus.

And yes, bus drivers look for fraud, because riding buses not assigned to you often involves dangerous situations like crossing major roads, etc. There have been kids (in Fairfax County) killed doing this.

We have even caught George Mason University students riding FCPS buses. Talk about nerve! LOL

What's wrong with Thoreau anyway? I could be wrong, but I think Thoreau is a major pipeline to TJHSST...and NOTHING will impress the neighbors like your kid being accepted to TJHSST!

[JD984]

Originally Posted by car54

I drive a bus (before you jump to conclusions, I am a retired electrical engineer) and no, they will not let her ride a bus that she is not assigned to...school transportation does not work like MetroBus.

And yes, bus drivers look for fraud, because riding buses not assigned to you often involves dangerous situations like crossing major roads, etc. There have been kids (in Fairfax County) killed doing this.

We have even caught George Mason University students riding FCPS buses. Talk about nerve! LOL

What's wrong with Thoreau anyway? I could be wrong, but I think Thoreau is a major pipeline to TJHSST...and NOTHING will impress the neighbors like your kid being accepted to TJHSST!

Are you sure it's not "NOTHING will bore the neighbors like your talking about your TJHSST kid for the next four years"?

It seems the OP has nothing against Thoreau, nor is looking for the best path to TJ for her kid, but is simply thinking about how to minimize the disruption of changing middle schools. Thoreau doesn't send a lot of kids to TJ compared to other schools in the county with separate AAP centers, but that's really not the issue here.

To me, this seems pretty straight-forward. They can give a transfer request a college try based on the existing, established procedures, and if that doesn't pan out because Kilmer is deemed closed to transfers, you tell the kid to buck up and remind her that Facebook or Snapchat or whatever should still be around next year.