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1. luckymom30
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   Denny International Middle School, Madison Middle School and Explorers West are the schools I would like input on. Pros and Cons from students and parents.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

2. teachermom
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   Madison has room, spectrum seats, and lots of super dedicated teachers.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

3. DBurns
   Member Profile

   

   We love Denny! My daughter graduated 2 years ago (10th gr at Kennedy) and our son is in 8th grade now and I am SO sad to be done there! I'll never be able to provide feedback on what the new campus will be like, but the team of teachers and administrators going there are awesome. The transition from elementary to middle can be tough but they have always been totally available, nurturing, caring and attentive. It's a small school and they really know the kids. They have the Spectrum program as well. The band is amazing. (My kids are not band kids but the band is so much a part of what goes on there that the whole school loves them!) I really believe that most all types of kids are served well there; and the diversity is unmatched - near perfect in my opinion.
   Having said all of the above, I firmly believe that the only way to determine if it's a good match for your child is to go there and talk to all kinds of people - the attendance lady (my fave), coaches, a security guard, the office admins, as well as other parents and kids. You know your child and you will know what will feel like a fit for them. Every school has pluses and minuses, it's really about weighing the benefits and prioritizing for your family. Good Luck!! We're in the thick of choosing a high school and it's exciting and bittersweet.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

4. NW Home Designers
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   Check out Westside School. They are having an open house today from 1pm to 3pm. It is a wonderful school with fantastic teachers.
   http://www.westsideschool.org
   Good Luck!

   Posted 1 year ago #         

5. NW Home Designers
   Member Profile

   @ DBurns: I love hearing that about Denny! That would have been our first choice if Westside decided not to extend their grades.

   Please keep me/us posted on the High School you decide on. Any chance Cheif Sealth is on your list?

   Best wishes and luck to you as well.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

6. NW Home Designers
   Member Profile

   @ DBurns: I love hearing that about Denny! That would have been our first choice if Westside decided not to extend their grades.

   Please keep me/us posted on the High School you decide on. Any chance Cheif Sealth is on your list?

   Best wishes and luck to you as well.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

7. luckymom30
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   Thanks for all the information! I am still not decided as to which school she will attend. Our assignment says Denny but we do have the option of Madison. Also there is the problem of her getting there safely, I am returning to work and she will be on her own. We don't like the idea of her walking to school, especially almost 2 miles by herself.

   She would be in the band (she is in advanced band now). Just yesterday we received a leter from the principal at Denny stating there will be an open house so we will be attending with many questions.

   West Side is a private school, what is the cost?

   Posted 1 year ago #         

8. angelescrest
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   Have you considered Vashon?

   Posted 1 year ago #         

9. luckymom30
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   And how would she get to Vashon by herself? She is 10 years old.

   Posted 1 year ago #         

10. angelescrest
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    Many 6th-graders from W. Sea are commuting to Vashon. Of course, it does depend upon transportation to and from the ferry dock. Vashon has tried to implement an elementary-school commuting program as well, with supervision on the Vashon-end of the ride as the kids come off the ferry. I suppose if you consider a two-mile journey home from Madison, perhaps a one-mile trek home from the ferry dock is shorter.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

11. hoffanimal
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    The music program at Denny is outstanding. If your daughter is really into music I would give it a serious look.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

12. Gina
    Member Profile

    

    http://www.westsideschool.org/admissions/faq.htm
    Tuition, Fees, Fundraising and Volunteering
    How much is tuition? Tuition for the 2010-2011 school year is $10,500 for Kindergarten - 5th grade. Full-day PK is $9,450 and half-day preschool is $6300.

    Are there extra fees for field trips, supplies, books or other expenses? Your tuition covers field trip costs, supplies, books and most classroom expenses.

    And before you ask, there is no transportation provided, but there is a parent roster that can be signed up for to carpool.

    If your kid loves band, Denny is the place to go.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

13. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Thanks everyone for all your suggestions.

    hoffanimal and Gina: Yes she loves being in band and is looking forward to being in marching band. I hear that Denny is a great school but we are still concerned about her commute by herself. It would be great if she had a walking pal or even a pal to ride Metro with, we don't live far enough away her her to ride the school bus which will be passing by our house to Denny.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

14. GenHillOne
    Member Profile

    Another Denny fan here! That aside, I'm curious about transportation. If you choose a school outside of your reference school - in your case, Madison - you wouldn't get transportation to that location farther away would you? It seems counterintuitive to the cost-cutting argument for eliminating yellow buses for middle and high school in general and using neighborhood assignments.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

15. angelescrest
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    I really think that all middle schools (public/private) should offer after-school care. At the school I taught at in CA, along w/after-school programs, the library was kept open until 5-ish.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

16. me on 28th Ave SW
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    West Seattle is fortunate to have 2 middle schools (Denny and Madison) with robust, healthy music programs. However, I think only Denny has marching band.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

17. add
    Member Profile

    I don't know about Denny, but Madison had a great after-school program when my son was there (2 years ago now). Pathfinder K-8 also offers some after school classes/sports for middle-school kids.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

18. DBurns
    Member Profile

    

    Denny has many after school offerings. However, Middle School, especially 6th grade, is a tough transition year. I have always had a hard time "letting go" of my kids - we feel the need to know where they are at all times, and that there is an adult who is aware and responsible for them wherever they are. There are many different parenting styles and views, and the tough part is that a lot of people give their kids a lot more freedom and independence than we do, especially as they are getting older (middle school and beyond) so the peer-happenings can be a challenge. You have to really get to know your kids, their friends and how they like to spend their time. You have to be involved and re-direct and prevent problems just like when they were toddlers! It involves a LOT of sacrifice and also a lot of time spent negotiating, compromising, communicating and trusting. And clear expectations need to be set. "You'll be grounded for life" is less likely to stop my kid from taking the beer than, "your phone will go, your bedroom door will go, your allowance will go, your Facebook will go," etc. That's what goes through my kid's mind when he/she is faced with a bad choice. So far, it's working well, but one day at a time. We keep our eyes wide open.
    Seems like a bit of a tangent, I know, but truth is that when people say "you're lucky your kids are so great" I thank them but am thinking inside that luck may be part of it, and the rest is WORK! After school programs are great, Southwest Community Center is great (next door to Denny) but keeping your kids safe and out of trouble is a j-o-b. Yours. I feel for 6th grade parents, really I do - the programs exist but there are a lot of kids whose needs are not met by these activities and a lot of people find themselves really stuck at this age. Keep the conversation going - you are not alone!! And @NW Home Designers - Our daughter is at Kennedy & loves it. My son's first choice is O'Dea but Sealth is a close 2nd (he's ALL about basketball) we'll figure it out sooner than later!

    Posted 1 year ago #         

19. angelescrest
    Member Profile

    

    Absolutely true what you say, DBurns; really well put. The more you can be there for your middle-schooler after school, the better. It's a critical time, and as much as they might not admit to wanting you about, they really do want you and need the support. Makes them feel secure at a time of high insecurity.

    When DBurns says, "...a lot of people find themselves stuck at this age", I think how hard it must be to have a job that does not allow parents to be home when their kids are out of school.

    As a teacher, sometimes of my own kids, I had their hours all the way through. I knew I was lucky, and they were too.

    It would be nice as a community to provide after-school alternatives for kids whose parents cannot be there--I'm thinking creatively here.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

20. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Yes our child would qualify for school bus transportation if attending Madison Middle School. We are aware that having our child attend a school out of our assignment area (as many others have done for years) is counterproductive to limit bus transportation, however when it comes to the safety of our child we do not find it counterproductive. Riding the school bus and being dropped off at the school safely vs. walking or taking metro and then walking the reminder of the way alone, these are our options. I have learned that school bus service will be available to children just 1 block from us attending Denny which would pass our house each day. But living just shy of the required 2.0 miles means our child has other means of transportation.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

21. Garden_nymph
    Member Profile

    

    My daughter is at Denny and has had some amazing teachers. Her math teacher offers drop-in, after-school help. She is in honors Algebra, but at times, she has questions and has been able to get the help she needed. I can't rave enough about the english/ language teaching team she currently has and I love that she is taking Mandarin. Denny is a very culturally diverse population, and I love it! She plans to attend Sealth, by choice, for the IB program. She had attended private school for eight years prior to Denny and I was very uncertain in the beginning. I have been delightfully surprised with the education she has received at Denny.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

22. GenHillOne
    Member Profile

    luckymom30 - I was talking about <the district's> cost-cutting argument for eliminating yellow buses for middle and high school in general and <the district> using neighborhood assignments. I thought yellow service was being/had been phased out by the district and it just surprised me that transportation is being offered for choice seats. No one's attacking your desire for a sense of safety.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

23. Garden_nymph
    Member Profile

    

    Luckymom30,

    At the beginning of this school year I seem to remember families in Arbor Heights being able to get a ride for their children because a bus passed their way. I may be over simplifying the situation, but it may be worth looking into. Would it be possible for your daughter to walk to the bus stop a block away? You never know, the power of the blog is great and far reaching. You may just be able to coordinate a carpool. Best of luck!

    Posted 1 year ago #         

24. suzanne
    Member Profile

    I am another Denny fan. One of my children is still there and my other went on to Sealth.The music program is outstanding! There are many wonderful teachers and I absolutely love the diversity.
    Transportation was a problem for us as well, and I definitely worried more about it in 6th grade. I was able to work it so I could drop my kids off in the AM. If they sign up for after school programs, they will usually qualify for bus transportation after the scheduled activity, even if they don't qualify for transportation otherwise. There were times when there weren't after school activities, such as the first couple weeks of school. My daughter often walked with some friends to the library and they hung out there and read. It really worked for us. I'm sure the library doesn't want to be seen as a middle school day care, but my daughter loves to read and she felt very comfortable there.
    I also remember hearing something about Arbor Heights parents working with the district to get transportation for their kids who were just out of the service area, but I don't remember the specifics.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

25. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Thanks Garden _ nymph and Suzanne for your input! I have heard alot of good about Denny and the wonderful music program and band they have as well as the differnt languages the kids have the opportunity to learn. I do feel frustrated and lost because of the transportation problem with both my husband and I working and not being available for our child for transportation.

    Not sure how to go about learning more about the bus service that will be provided to other Arbor Heights aera children who will attend Denny other than contacting the school district. It would be great to get to know someone else in the neighborhood who has a child attending Denny that our child could get to know and commute.

    I will check with the school district and see how far I get.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

26. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Just found out that if 10+ families call Denny needing bus transportation a rep from the school can petition for a school bus for the Arbor Heights area.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

27. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Problem solved! Such a relief. Orca card provided by the district and a numbre of Arbor Heights area kids ride Metro so our child will have plenty of company.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

28. mom3
    Member Profile

    I have to chime in here. I know this thread is about Middle school as a whole, but I see quite a deal of discussion concerning the Denny band. This leaves the impression that Madison doesn't have a band program - which is not the case.

    West Seattle is blessed to have two very talented middle school band teachers. I have had kids at both middle schools and just cannot say enough about both band programs.

    Madison has Clark Bathum, a very cool, excellent band teacher. Their program is extreemly viable and features a beginning band, advanced band, jazz band, orchestra and maybe even a Latin Jazz (don't know if this after school program is still going on.) Mr. Bathum does an amazing job of music appreciation as well as teaching kids to play musically - what the composer means and intends the music to sound like. The kids just love him (he is young and hip.) His kids grow and perform quality, high level pieces. The band program, like Denny's, is quite large and a good deal of the school participates.
    Marcus Pimpleton (another young, hip guy) is at Denny. Denny has a vibrant program - which gets a little more publicity due to the Marching Band exposure. He, too, is a gift to West Seattle and we are lucky to have him. The Denny program features a Marching Band, Advanced Band, Beginning Band, Mariachi, Jazz, Steel Drums and Orchestra. He works to get as many students involved in music and also trains them up to march in the Seattle School's summer 'All City Band' which proudly cheer during the summer parade season. Marcus keeps his band busy!

    Both schools hire a strings coach/teacher for the orchestra. Both are building their orchestra programs. We are fortunate to have this as a resource and I hope this program isn't a victim of funding cuts.

    Both programs attend a year end competition, either in Idaho, Federal Way and this year Denny is going to Disneyland. Usually the also attend a district wide festival at Washington middle school where everyone plays a piece or two.

    I have had kids attend both schools, and can truthfully say that there are things that each school excells at, but as a whole, both offer good programs. Both offer after school programs Monday through Thursday.

    Visit the schools, sit in some of the classes if you would like and support those music programs (I am a band mother!)

    Posted 1 year ago #         

29. luckymom30
    Member Profile

    Thanks mom3 for speaking about the Madison band, wish they had more information on their school website.

    Posted 1 year ago #         

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