School Advice Needed
We were just notified by email that our two kids were offered spots in the Gifted & Talented program at P.S. 9 (The Sarah Anderson School for Music and Art) on the Upper West Side. I obtained some information from insideschools.org and colleagues who live in the Upper West Side and it seems to be…
We were just notified by email that our two kids were offered spots in the Gifted & Talented program at P.S. 9 (The Sarah Anderson School for Music and Art) on the Upper West Side.
I obtained some information from insideschools.org and colleagues who live in the Upper West Side and it seems to be very popular school. I like the fact that it’s an music/arts school too.
The issues/questions, however, are:
– We live in Brooklyn Heights, so it would be a logistical nightmare to get them to and from school, short of moving to the Upper West Side.
– The kids are currently well-settled at PS8. They love it there and we think the principal and teachers are wonderful. We are very happy with the school.
– Why are there spots available at this time? I assume our kids must have been wait-listed and spots came up as families chose other schools and/or moved out of the neighbourhood.
I know there are many parents on this blog who have a lot of experience with the public school system and can offer very solid advice. Is anyone familiar with The Sarah Anderson School? Can you offer suggestions for other questions to ask the people there to assist in our decision?
Any insight is greatly appreciated.
Biff, bikerboynycny posted above that there are 2 Anderson schools. There is one (PS 334) that is indeed open to all city kids but it goes through 8th grade and is no longer associated with PS 9. There is a 2nd Sarah Anderson g&t program that is part of PS 9 that is only open to District 3 residents (according to their website and as per the g&t application last year), and that one is only K-5. So it’s odd your kids would be offered a place there, unless the DOE has made an error (which is entirely possible). If it is the citywide K-8 Anderson, your choice would be more difficult, as that school is not the same as a district g&t. I still think PS 8 offers more advantages, but you should confirm which school it is before making your decision.
Whatever you do, make sure you have your school straight. An earlier commenter was right, the “The Anderson School”, now known as PS 334… USED to be part of PS9 — but is no longer. I think a lot of commenters assume that’s the program you’re referring to.
FWIW, my nephews went to The Anderson School. One for K all the way through 8 and the other from K until where he is now — in 6th grade. They both LOVED it and received an EXCELLENT education. In my opinion, it’s worth moving for. But that’s not the school you heard from — you heard from the PS 9 G&T program — I don’t know how good that is.
Excuse me while I vomit.
Should also add that I was in a G&T program in 3rd thru 8th grades and loved it. My wife did something similar in Chicago. It really opened up horizons for a kid from the suburbs (me).
biff – i tried to write something earlier, so apologies if there’s a double post. this is a tough one. our kid had a 99 on the Olsat, and we only put nest down because couldn’t conceive of going any further. we did not put down the local program which is at 132 and although that’s considered a good school, we wouldn’t have taken the spot, and didn’t want to screw up the chances for another kid who did want it. we selected a walking distance dual language program that we’ve liked since we toured the school and spent time in that classroom 2 years ago (year before kid’s prek year). there are at least 2 kids beside ours that i know of that could’ve done G&T, but stayed at our school for the same reasons we dud. do think that there’s something to be said for a local school, local friends, etc…
did have a conversation with parents that i met at a party that live about 20 blocks only from anderson and they were complaining about the distance (kid is in 2nd grade there). i have heard that the city gifteds make it harder for the kids re: friends close by.
wow. it’s not an easy decision, and not sure what we would’ve done if kid had gotten NEST, but there was definitely a ton of relief to be in the local program that we wanted all along.
also, what about after school activities? our kid is super high energy, and does a ton of classes after school. a long commute sorta rules that out unless they are done at the school itself?
good luck – your smart kids will be fine of course!
Biff, my advice: Think hard about this before rejecting it.
Anderson G & T is EXTREMELY well regarded. You should really look into where 5th graders go on to middle school. You might find that Anderson is a huge advantage down the road vs. PS8.
From all accounts (We have preschoolers, so just what I hear), middle school admissions are a much higher hurdle than elementary ones.
Plus, honestly, if your children are in the 99th percentile why wouldn’t you want to push them a little bit? Maybe you could do the commute for a year and see how it works out. if it doesn’t you’re back at PS8.
Biff,
I was a kid that commuted every day from Astoria to the Upper West Side in the 90s and it was an awesome experience. I loved taking the subway every morning and coming out to a brand new place which was completely different from where I lived. It made the whole process of school a lot more exciting.
A lot of the concerns the other posters made my parents wouldn’t have understood as they are from Europe, where most kids end up taking classes with the same people for their entire school lives and kids travel miles to go to school from preschool and up. I went through a G&T experience in middle school and really enjoyed the difference in teaching methods. The teachers treated us much more like adults participating in a discussion than students performing rote memorization.
Anyhow, I’m sure all of my info is way out of date…
A sincere thanks for the incredibly thoughtful responses above. I can’t respond to each one, but you’ve all given wonderful advice for which I’m truly grateful.
One more time: the school in question is definitely P.S. 9 (The Sarah Anderson School for Music and Art) on the Upper West Side, not PS9 in Brooklyn. It is K-5. It is a city-wide school, which is why kids from Brooklyn (and other boroughs) can be considered for it.
I’m 99.9% leaning towards staying put now, which seems to be the overwhelming sentiment expressed above.
since 2000 — you ask a good question. Maybe the offer was for PS 9 in District 13 and not in Manhattan. You are right that the district g&t programs aren’t open to kids from other districts (unless, I assume, there are open spots, which shouldn’t be the case at the Manhattan PS 9).