We just moved to Reston recently for work purposes and are looking for some insight from any long-time locals.

Are the schools really as bad as everyone says they are? We have met a few neighborhood kids who attend the local South Lakes high school and they seem quite nice and smart.

We have a child who is soon entering Junior High and will be attending Langston Hughes. Should we not be concerned about what some uptight helicopter parents say? Or should we run for cover?

BTW- We are very open minded and race is not an issue for us.

Thanks!

New Restonite Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We just moved to Reston recently for work purposes
> and are looking for some insight from any
> long-time locals.
>
> Are the schools really as bad as everyone says
> they are? We have met a few neighborhood kids who
> attend the local South Lakes high school and they
> seem quite nice and smart.
>
> We have a child who is soon entering Junior High
> and will be attending Langston Hughes. Should we
> not be concerned about what some uptight
> helicopter parents say? Or should we run for
> cover?
>
> BTW- We are very open minded and race is not an
> issue for us.
>
> Thanks!

Try to get your child into the GT center at the elementary school and the child will be in GT center classes at Hughes. 26% of the students not in special ed for most of the day are in the GT program at Hughes. If all subjects are not areas of strength then your child should be able to take GT center classes at Hughes in some subjects because it is your base school.

It sound like your child will have an easy commute. Have a nice day.

Hughes/South Lakes are bad by FFX standards but are probably average by national standards. They are not so bad that I'd risk losing $50k by selling and buying in the Oakton, Madison, or Chantilly zones.

If you follow your kid's achievements and the such, you will have won 80% of the battle. Hughes/SL are not so bad that achievement is impossible (as appears to be the case at some of the worse PWC and DC schools.)

Check out the Report Card on FairfaxCaps.org and then make your own decision.

Thanks to all!

We are looking forward to sending our children to the Reston schools!

We just met a family on our street last night who had 2 kids graduate from SL in recent years who went on to attend Duke and an Ivy League school (can't remember which one??)!!! They actually said they would rather have their kids at SL than some of the other nearby preppy schools. Things are looking up!!

Thanks again!

The number one thing you should do is go to South Lakes and meet with Principal Bruce Butler, or Hughes and meet with Principal Amy Montichio. Ignore FairfaxCAPS. It is a vituperative, ill-informed, biased organization. It's so-called "data" are taken out of context and are meaningless and mean-spirited. It is suing the county to stop its kids from going to South Lakes (not against the redistricting process, as it tries to hoodwink people into thinking.)

Go to the school. Talk to the teachers and students and parents. Attend a PTSA meeting. Go to the pyramid meeting at Forest Edge Elementary School on May 28 at 7 pm and meet yet more parents from various Reston schools.

The schools here are terrific, and the high school is outstanding. The single greatest factor in your kids' success is whether you're there to advocate for them. They will succeed anywhere.

There is a lot of bias against Hughes and SLHS from outside Reston from people who don't want their kid going to school with people of different races or who struggle academically. That is the bottom line. Bear that in mind.

Fake poster. Doesn't even for a second sound like a real post. Sad....and weird.

Oh- and I just read on another thread that SL has a higher percentage of kids get into UVA??!! More good news! Thanks again everyone!

South Lakes Rocks Wrote:
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> Ignore FairfaxCAPS. It is a vituperative,
> ill-informed, biased organization. It's so-called
> "data" are taken out of context and are
> meaningless and mean-spirited....

How is it out of context? Truth hurts doesn't it?

> The schools here are terrific, and the high school
> is outstanding.

Compared to what?

> The single greatest factor in your
> kids' success is whether you're there to advocate
> for them. They will succeed anywhere.

At least you said one thing that is accurate.

> There is a lot of bias against Hughes and SLHS
> from outside Reston from people who don't want
> their kid going to school with people of different
> races or who struggle academically.

Sorry, but the bias against Hughes is caused by it being one of the lowest performing middle schools in the county. As for SLHS, it has by no means cornered the market on racially diverse high schools.

Entering junior high and going to Langston Hughes? Wow, you're as clueless as the rest of the South Lakes folks. You'll "fit in" nicely.

Shoulda done your homework, pal.

For complete referances go to the Redistricting thread and enjoy killing an entire Weekend on school issues.

Restonite,
Would your neighbor have the last name of Gibson by any chance?

I did my homework before I moved to Northern VA. I picked a neighborhood after reviewing 4 high schools in the area. I bought a home so my kids could go to Oakton. Then along came Stu.... I met with Mr. Butler, I studied up on IB (my other students were AP kids), and I chose to pupil place my youngest out of South Lakes. To the New Restonite, you chose your high school. I didn't get that opportunity this year...Mr. Gibson and his friends made that decision for me. I chose then to pupil place and accept the roadblocks that FCPS has placed in our way. When your student begins high school, give CAPS a call and they can give you information on pupil placement.

mom of highschooler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I did my homework before I moved to Northern VA.
> I picked a neighborhood after reviewing 4 high
> schools in the area. I bought a home so my kids
> could go to Oakton. Then along came Stu.... I
> met with Mr. Butler, I studied up on IB (my other
> students were AP kids), and I chose to pupil place
> my youngest out of South Lakes. To the New
> Restonite, you chose your high school. I didn't
> get that opportunity this year...Mr. Gibson and
> his friends made that decision for me. I chose
> then to pupil place and accept the roadblocks that
> FCPS has placed in our way. When your student
> begins high school, give CAPS a call and they can
> give you information on pupil placement.

Blah blah blah, why don't you just say you're trying to sell real estate in Oakton and a good way is slam the Reston competition by saying "The schools in Reston are terrible." Your whole post is full of real estate terms.

As for this phantom group of CAPS parents, three parents is hardly an organization.

Oakton Mom Wrote:

> Blah blah blah, why don't you just say you're
> trying to sell real estate in Oakton and a good
> way is slam the Reston competition by saying "The
> schools in Reston are terrible." Your whole post
> is full of real estate terms.
>
> As for this phantom group of CAPS parents, three
> parents is hardly an organization.

Completely ignorant post.

I just found out that South Lakes ranks in the top 2% of public schools nationwide!!! Needless to say we couldn't be happier with our choice.

Yup, Reston is a great place to raise kids with all of the connecting paved walking\bike trials(connecting to the W&O trial), tennis courts, community pools\waterparks, golf courses, and RHOA sponsored Summer camp activities. Lots of Lakes for fun.

The Reston Town Center, Lake Anne and soon Reston will have a Metro link so you can work and visit DC without the hassle of DC traffic.

Don't forget to check out the kayaking classes on the Lakes.

Check out the Reston Homeowners Association site for more details of parks and activities. http://www.reston.org/index.html

Sweet!

I think I'm going to puke. Fake poster GO AWAY. Please, please stop because this is too weird. It's just sad and pathetic. And it's creeping me out.

Here's more details of the 15 Reston pools, kayaking and Summer activities. All 15 Reston pools and tennis courts are available to Reston residents for $15 a season. That includes free sunscreen at all pools. : )

http://www.reston.org/News_and_Publications/images/PDF/AtoZ_Program_Guide.pdf