McCourt School Application Timing

After looking into the issue of HS app timing, here is what happens (verified by Erin Hill, our CS counselor) with new schools like Frank McCourt.

The new schools are announced by the DOE in early Feb., too late to include on our HS apps, which are due Dec. 4. The Specialized and Non-Specialized matches come out in the Specialized Round, also in early Feb. If we get a match at that point, we have to accept before McCourt is activated. Thus, unless something changes, kids who get a Spealized match (and therefore also Non-Specialized) in Feb. won’t be able to consider McCourt unless they very riskily turn down both offers which no one in their right mind would do.

Main-round students, however, will be able to include McCourt. They can attend the New School Fair or otherwise research the new schools announced in Feb. and will have the option to revise their application to add one or more new schools into their order. Therefore, those students wil be able to consider McCourt equally with all the other existing schools. According to Erin, NYCiSchool started off the same way (accepting applications in February) and ended up with a great group of kids.

The downside for McCourt is that the school won't get any students like my son who are taking the SHSAT not so much because they really want a Specialized HS but because they want the opportunity for early notification, there is no downside, and it’s good experience. This pool of kids like Ben, it seems to me, are ideal McCourt candidates and the school won’t get any of them (or as many) in Year One because of this timing glitch.

I ran into Gale Brewer at Saturday’s Global Learning Collaborative tour and she said she was aware of the issue and thought that in the case of McCourt, there might be some kind of "waiver.” She was too busy to pin down beyond that so I don’t know what she meant. I e-mailed her and Shula Warren for more info, which I will pass along once I get it.

Global Learning Collaborative and Brandeis Complex

I toured Global Learning Collaborative on Saturday (all 5 rooms of it since it is in it's "pioneer" year) and was was impressed with academic dean, Rachel Dahill-Fuchel, the philosophy of the school, and the overall feeling of what they are working to create. (I also met principal Jennifer Zinn at the HS Fair on Sunday, who confirmed my impression.)

The building itself, The Brandeis Complex, is a "real high school" kind of building with lots of light, wide hallways, a beautiful auditorium (that PS 87 alums will remember from our graduation ceremony), three gyms, a library, science labs and large, well-lit classrooms. There is a large open courtyard in the middle (not visible from the street) with new plantings. The school "owns" or is otherwise connected to the garden at the corner of 84 and Amsterdam and the kids at GLC and Green Careers (another new school in the complex) have the opportunity to work there.

Right now, there is a metal detector at the main entrance, but Gale Brewer, also at the tour, said that it is almost certain that it will be going away soon.

If you want more information about GLC, it's not too late. Rachel is available via telephone at 212 918 1983 or e-mail at rachel@theglcnyc.org. She said interested families are welcome to drop by for a visit if you contact her prior. You can also check out GLC's website at www.theglcnyc.org.

Global Learning Collaborative

Rachel Dahill-Fuchel, Academic Dean at Global Learning Collaborative and a GLC student (CS ’09) will be at CS Cosi's Coffee Talk this Friday, Oct 23, to speak with 8th-grade parents regarding the school. Coffee Talk is a bi-weekly gathering coordinated by Sara Sloves, Computer School parent coordinator.

Where: Cosi's on Broadway (in the back), betw. 77 and 78

When: 8 am to 9:30 am

The second and last Global Learning Collaborative open house will be held at GLC, 145 W 84th, this Saturday Oct. 24, 10am-12pm. For more information: www.ttheglcnyc.org.

GLC will also be at the Manhattan HS fair Oct. 24 and 25.

The second and last Global Learning Collaborative open house will be held at GLC, 145 W 84th, this Saturday Oct. 24, 10am-12pm. For more information: www.ttheglcnyc.org.

GLC will also be at the Manhattan HS fair Oct. 24 and 25.

Response from BP Stringer's Office re D3 High Schools and Input Link

I wanted to introduce myself as the Borough President’s community liaison to the Upper West Side and Community Board 7 and thank you for writing to Borough President Stringer with your concerns on the availability of quality high schools for District 3 students.

As you know, a proposal has been made for the Frank McCourt High School to be placed at the former Brandeis High School Campus. Input on this high school can be directed to the Panel for Educational policy who will be reviewing this proposal. The best address to send input would be portfolio@schools.nyc.gov or (718) 935-4415.

Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Corey Peterson

Corey Samantha Peterson
Community Liaison for Community Boards 5 & 7
Office of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer
Municipal Building, 1 Centre Street, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10007
212.669.4546
cpeterson@manhattanbp.org

Ratio of Boys to Girls in NYC High Schools

Very interesting information, analysis, and comment dialogue at Inside Schools about the ratio of girls to boys in NYC high schools.

http://insideschools.org/blog/?url=http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/10/05/high-school-hustle-where-the-boys-are-or-arent-and-does-it-matter/

Provided by Nancy Brandwein

McCourt School: Three Articles and a Blog Post

http://westsidespirit.com/?p=3391#more-3391

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/59703/

http://westsideindependent.com/2009/10/14/city-wants-frank-mccourt-writing-school-on-west-side/

http://insideschools.org/blog/?url=http://insideschools.org/blog/2009/10/07/frank-mccourt-school-gets-go-ahead-from-klein/

Borough High School Fairs

For those brave souls who want to go to a HS fair (I heard the citywide was absolutely crazed)—

Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Manhattan: Martin Luther King, Jr., Educational Campus 
122 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10023

For information about other boroughs, see the Borough Fair Flyer

http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/C0790F37-10D5-4A10-A590-1E2715309BA5/68825/BoroughFairFlyer_100609.pdf

Sign Up for Beacon Interview Online

You can sign up for a Beacon interview online on their site. It's hard to find The Computer School on the list of Middle Schools. Just type in 245 in the search field and it'll come up. (Sorry, I don't know about other schools.)

http://www.beaconschool.org/admissions/interview/

Even More D2 Context

The news from the Delta HS info session last night is that the potential for D3 students to be accepted by D2 preferred schools is not good, in fact "highly discouraging."

Provided by Richard Kaplan

More D2 Context

I asked Erin Hill specifically how many CS kids were accepted to D2 preferred schools in the past. While CS does not release HS acceptance data, she did say the following:

Acceptance has varied from year to year from no more than four CS students accepted to none at all. We have good reason to think that this year will be only more difficult to get into a D2 school.

—SM

Millennium and Brooklyn Tech Tours

Millinneum has come and gone since mid-day yesterday to this morning. Next available sign up is "Week of October 12."

Brooklyn Tech tours are listed on their website. You have to call between 10 am and 2 pm for an appointment.

http://www.bths.edu/apps/events/show_event.jsp?id=0&REC_ID=544357&d=2009-10-5

School of the Future

From sofechalk.org: School of the Future Open Houses

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22ND, 2009 @ 2:00PM

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12th, 2009 @ 2:00PM

Email sof.highschool@gmail.com to reserve an open house. Please note it may take a few days before you receive a response. Each open house has limited space, it is FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. Due to personnel constraints we cannot take requests over the phone.

Report of a Bard Assessment

Bard asked that you bring your report card to the test scheduled for 4:30 on the day of the assessment. Your child is sent up alone through the cafeteria up to the auditorium where they are given the test which consists of math (algebra--about 32 questions) and a 2-page essay on a general topic like "What did you do yesterday?" (or any day in the past). Parents were told to pick up their children by 6pm. Many got out earlier. Big writers stayed on until the end. Parents could wait in the cafeteria or come back for pick up. It would be worth researching the most efficient way to get there (East Houston and the FDR Drive) and shortening the walk. Best would probably be trains then bus.

Provided by Ina Greenfield

Baruch College Campus HS Heads Up

Here is Erin Hill's (CS Counselor) response to my query about Baruch. If anyone hears anything different, let me know. Does anyone from Delta or other schools have any info?—SM

As for Baruch. . .well, they are really the only school that has said "if you are not in District 2, then don't bother." Parents have told me that the person who runs the tours has directly said that, and he has said it to me. We have NEVER had a student accepted there. They seem to follow the rules to a T, whereas ELRO may be a tad more flexible (that may change, however).

I honestly believe that it is a wasted spot if someone puts it on their application. Again, this will be your decision in the end. If you still would like to tour, I would suggest throwing the District 2 question out there to see if their tune has changed.

NYC HS Admissions Overview

Clearest Description of Specialized/Non-Specialized Admission Process I've Seen—SM
from Brooklyn Tech Website, Admissions Page

There are nine* Specialized High Schools, eight of which require students applying for admission to take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). At the time of the test, students list (in priority order) the specialized high schools they are interested in attending. The tests are scored by an independent company. Specialized high school offers are based solely on test results, the student’s ranked order of the schools, and seat availability.

Students taking the SHSAT or auditioning for the programs at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School must also submit a High School Application and may rank up to twelve (12) additional high schools/programs. Do not rank the Specialized High Schools on this application.

The results of the SHSAT are ordered from the highest score to the lowest score. The student with the highest score will be placed in the school/program of his/her first choice. Going down the list from the highest score, each student will be placed in his/her highest prioritized school in which seats are still available. Therefore, if all the seats in the student’s first choice are filled, he/she will be placed in his/her second choice if there are seats still available. If all the seats in his/her second choice are filled, the student will be offered a seat in his/her third choice if there are still seats available and so on until all the seats in the eight schools have been filled.

Each student receives notice of any offer(s) from a specialized high school, as well as any match to a non-specialized high school/program. A student who receives a specialized high school offer must respond to the offer or it will be forfeited. If a student accepts, he/she will attend that school/program. If a student does not receive an offer or chooses to decline the offer, the non-specialized match he/she received is considered final, and he/she will attend that school/program.

*Bronx High School of Science; Brooklyn Latin; Brooklyn Technical High School; High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College; High School of American Studies at Lehman College; Queens High School for the Sciences at York College; Staten Island Technical High School; and Stuyvesant High School require the SHSAT.

* LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, is also a specialized high school. Acceptance to one or more of their 6 programs is by audition, not participation in the SHSAT.

Math, Science, and Engineering at City College

Open House is October 20.

Provided by Laura Sherman

Here is what their website says:

HS MSE @ CCNY will host our Fall Open House on October 20, 2009 form 6:00 PM till 8:00 PM.

Our main building (Baskerville Hall) will be open for a self-guided walkthrough from 4:30 - 5:30 PM

This event is for students and families that are interested in joining our school community.

The event will take place in The Great Hall which is located in Sheppard Hall (140th St. and Convent Ave.) There is no need to reserve space. Please do not call for an appointment as this is unnecessary.

DOE HS Calendar

http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/High/Calendar/default.htm