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The piece from 2005 didn't specifically distinguish between the town and the outskirts (where, amazingly enough, we have access to running water and chili dogs are but a short walk or bike ride away), although the focus was on some of the town's amenities:
"4. Vienna, Virginia
Mark Namdar has thought about moving his family a few times in the 14 years they've lived in Vienna, figuring he could buy more house and more land elsewhere.
"Every time we looked around," he says, "we weren't impressed." So the Namdars recently decided to renovate and stay put.
Vienna, says Namdar, a hotel manager in Washington, offers character lacking in other D.C. suburbs. Much of bustling Fairfax County feels like it was built last week. Not Vienna, a much prized piece of ground in the Civil War. An active historical society is run out of the antebellum Freeman House, which served as a makeshift Civil War hospital and later as a post office, a general store and a train depot. Kids can even attend a summer history camp.
Today, Vienna is valued for its jobs and schools. Median income is more than $110,000, and IBM, Capital One and AOL are among dozens of big-name companies with large operations in the area. And D.C. and federal employment are just 12 miles away.
Unfortunately, jobs outnumber houses. Result: Over the past five years, the median home price in Vienna has nearly doubled. Older homes can be had for $500,000, but new construction goes for north of $700,000. On the plus side, property taxes aren't bad and the local high school consistently ranks among the country's best.
Music, dance and opera run year round in both indoor and outdoor theaters at Wolf Trap, the nation's only national park for performing arts.
Everyone shares one complaint: traffic on Maple Ave. Driving the two-mile main drag can take up to 25 minutes during rush hour. But families like the Namdars swear the hassles are worth it. "We like the sense of neighborhood," says Mark. "And it's safe. The kids can be independent without our having to worry."
There have been separate pieces on the Wolftrap area, which is essentially the 22182 zip code (outskirts of Vienna):
The piece from 2005 didn't specifically distinguish between the town and the outskirts (where, amazingly enough, we have access to running water and chili dogs are but a short walk or bike ride away), although the focus was on some of the town's amenities:
"4. Vienna, Virginia
Mark Namdar has thought about moving his family a few times in the 14 years they've lived in Vienna, figuring he could buy more house and more land elsewhere.
"Every time we looked around," he says, "we weren't impressed." So the Namdars recently decided to renovate and stay put.
Vienna, says Namdar, a hotel manager in Washington, offers character lacking in other D.C. suburbs. Much of bustling Fairfax County feels like it was built last week. Not Vienna, a much prized piece of ground in the Civil War. An active historical society is run out of the antebellum Freeman House, which served as a makeshift Civil War hospital and later as a post office, a general store and a train depot. Kids can even attend a summer history camp.
Today, Vienna is valued for its jobs and schools. Median income is more than $110,000, and IBM, Capital One and AOL are among dozens of big-name companies with large operations in the area. And D.C. and federal employment are just 12 miles away.
Unfortunately, jobs outnumber houses. Result: Over the past five years, the median home price in Vienna has nearly doubled. Older homes can be had for $500,000, but new construction goes for north of $700,000. On the plus side, property taxes aren't bad and the local high school consistently ranks among the country's best.
Music, dance and opera run year round in both indoor and outdoor theaters at Wolf Trap, the nation's only national park for performing arts.
Everyone shares one complaint: traffic on Maple Ave. Driving the two-mile main drag can take up to 25 minutes during rush hour. But families like the Namdars swear the hassles are worth it. "We like the sense of neighborhood," says Mark. "And it's safe. The kids can be independent without our having to worry."
There have been separate pieces on the Wolftrap area, which is essentially the 22182 zip code (outskirts of Vienna):
FYI - Neither Denton56's nor my kids attended or attend Freedom Hill ES, but it just makes you look silly to keep bashing it, so please go ahead.
Running water? Cool!
Nobody's bashing Freedom Hill. You jump the gun too much when you assume that a report is a bash. I'm just reporting on the aspects of Freedom Hill and other schools in Vienna that dispute her assertions.
Fairfax put immersion programs into schools that were very low scoring, low income, schools. Their hope was to bring in higher income, higher scoring, students from outside the school boundary. Since transportation is not provided, only higher income students, with parents who can provide transportation, go to immersion schools. Those out of boundary students help to increase the SOL scores at these low performing schools.
Full day kindergarten is not available in all FCPS schools, only those schools in poorer areas with lower scores. There are not full day kindergarten in schools in McLean, Great Falls, Oakton and Vienna. Again, low preforming schools that need full day kindergarten.
Why doesn't Loudoun have these programs? Their schools aren't bad enough to need them. yet.
BTW, Freedom Hill ES in Vienna does have full day kindergarten, has Head Start, and also has 17% that qualify for subsidized/free lunch. Statewide is 15%.
Marshall Road ES (12% qualify for subsidized/free lunch), Westbriar, and Cunningham Park (25% qualify for subsidized/free lunch) in Vienna also have full day kindergarten.
Nobody's bashing Freedom Hill. You jump the gun too much when you assume that a report is a bash. I'm just reporting on the aspects of Freedom Hill and other schools in Vienna that dispute her assertions.
Sorry, I know little about Freedom Hill since it's nowhere near the town of Vienna.
Sorry, Freedom Hill is located in Vienna, as is Marshall Road, as is Cunningham Park, as is Westbriar.
Louise Archer, Cunningham Park, Marshall Road and Vienna ES are all in the town of Vienna.
Colvin Run, Flint Hill, Freedom Hill, Stenwood, Westbriar and Wolftrap are all in the county with Vienna mailing addresses.
There are students who live in the county with Vienna mailing addresses who attend schools in the town of Vienna. There are also students who live in the county with Vienna mailing addresses who attend Sunrise Valley ES in Reston.
There are students who live in the town of Vienna who attend Flint Hill, Freedom Hill, Westbriar and Wolftrap.
Students in the town of Vienna attend Thoreau or Kilmer Middle, and all are assigned to Madison High. These schools are all in the county with Vienna mailing addresses.
Students in the county with Vienna mailing addresses may be assigned to Cooper, Hughes, Kilmer, Longfellow or Thoreau Middle, or Langley, McLean, Madison, Marshall, Oakton or South Lakes High (or TJ if admitted).
All of these schools are FCPS schools, unlike in Falls Church, where there is a separate city school system. However, some people who live in the town of Vienna think of the elementary schools in the town of Vienna, Thoreau Middle and Madison High as the "town schools." I've come to understand that it's just the way things are.
Louise Archer, Cunningham Park, Marshall Road and Vienna ES are all in the town of Vienna.
Colvin Run, Flint Hill, Freedom Hill, Westbriar and Wolftrap are all in the county with Vienna mailing addresses.
There are students who live in the county with Vienna mailing addresses who attend schools in the town of Vienna. There are also students who live in the county with Vienna mailing addresses who attend Sunrise Valley ES in Reston.
There are students who live in the town of Vienna who attend Flint Hill, Freedom Hill, Westbriar and Wolftrap.
Students in the town of Vienna attend Thoreau or Kilmer Middle, and all are assigned to Madison High.
Students in the county with Vienna mailing addresses may attend Cooper, Hughes, Kilmer, Longfellow or Thoreau Middle, or Langley, McLean, Madison, Marshall, or South Lakes High (or TJ if admitted).
All of these schools are FCPS schools, unlike in Falls Church, where there is a separate city school system.
Thanks for all the "granularity" because it goes to prove is that someone was flat wrong when they made this blanket statement about Vienna schools not having full day kindergarten either because it's not poor or this or that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denton56
Full day kindergarten is not available in all FCPS schools, only those schools in poorer areas with lower scores. There are not full day kindergarten in schools in McLean, Great Falls, Oakton and Vienna. Again, low preforming schools that need full day kindergarten.
As I pointed out about these Vienna schools:
Marshall Road: Full day kindergarten, 12% subsidy or free
Cunningham Park: Full day kindergarten, 25% subsidy or free
Freedom Hill: Full day kindergarten, Head Start, 17% subsidy or free, failed AYP
Westbriar: Full day kindergarten, high scoring school
And, somebody all knowledgeable about the good life of Vienna says this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denton56
Sorry, I know little about Freedom Hill since it's nowhere near the town of Vienna.
Last edited by live_strong28; 08-29-2009 at 07:52 AM..
Marshall Road: Full day kindergarten, 12% subsidy or free
Cunningham Park: Full day kindergarten, 25% subsidy or free
Freedom Hill: Full day kindergarten, Head Start, 17% subsidy or free, failed AYP
Westbriar: Full day kindergarten, high scoring school
What, if any, remedial measures is a school expected to take when a school doesn't meet AYP for one year?
I know Longfellow Middle, which many McLean students attend, didn't make AYP the prior year, either. Is that why the school brought in a new principal or was it just a coincidence? I understand the new principal there is highly regarded.
Louise Archer, Cunningham Park, Marshall Road and Vienna ES are all in the town of Vienna.
Colvin Run, Flint Hill, Freedom Hill, Stenwood, Westbriar and Wolftrap are all in the county with Vienna mailing addresses.
There are students who live in the county with Vienna mailing addresses who attend schools in the town of Vienna. There are also students who live in the county with Vienna mailing addresses who attend Sunrise Valley ES in Reston.
There are students who live in the town of Vienna who attend Flint Hill, Freedom Hill, Westbriar and Wolftrap.
Students in the town of Vienna attend Thoreau or Kilmer Middle, and all are assigned to Madison High. These schools are all in the county with Vienna mailing addresses.
Students in the county with Vienna mailing addresses may be assigned to Cooper, Hughes, Jackson, Kilmer, Longfellow or Thoreau Middle, or Langley, McLean, Madison, Marshall, Oakton or South Lakes High (or TJ if admitted).
All of these schools are FCPS schools, unlike in Falls Church, where there is a separate city school system. However, some people who live in the town of Vienna think of the elementary schools in the town of Vienna, Thoreau Middle and Madison High as the "town schools," as they are the schools that most kids who live in the town attend. I've come to understand that it's just the way things are.
What, if any, remedial measures is a school expected to take when a school doesn't meet AYP for one year?
I know Longfellow Middle, which many McLean students attend, didn't make AYP the prior year, either. Is that why the school brought in a new principal or was it just a coincidence? I understand the new principal there is highly regarded.
I guess Longfellow did something right and they aren't on the list anymore.
I'd say it's a "remarkable comeback" for Longfellow from being in the bottom of the barrel school.
The issue at hand now is Freedom Hill which didn't make the latest AYP requirements.
If you borrow Denton56's suggestion, maybe FFX Cty should put a language immersion program into Freedom Hill and Cunningham park not only to "boost test scores," but to inject "wealth" into the school since both schools are above the statewide average for subsidized and free lunches and Freedom Hill even offers Head Start.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denton56
Fairfax put immersion programs into schools that were very low scoring, low income, schools. Their hope was to bring in higher income, higher scoring, students from outside the school boundary. Since transportation is not provided, only higher income students, with parents who can provide transportation, go to immersion schools. Those out of boundary students help to increase the SOL scores at these low performing schools.
Imagine that, a school in Vienna offering Head Start. Totally goes against her own perception of Vienna although she didn't know that a school named Freedom Hill existed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denton56
Sorry, I know little about Freedom Hill since it's nowhere near the town of Vienna.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Denton56
Full day kindergarten is not available in all FCPS schools, only those schools in poorer areas with lower scores. There are not full day kindergarten in schools in McLean, Great Falls, Oakton and Vienna. Again, low preforming schools that need full day kindergarten.
Maybe the Vienna Inn could pay back the community by donating chili cheese dogs for Freedom Hill and Cunningham Park and Marshall Road lunches to ease the burden on the taxpayers. Hmmm.
Last edited by live_strong28; 08-29-2009 at 09:37 AM..
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