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Can someone give me the scoop on what's going on at that location? Is it still PS 22 or did they close it and now it's K 705 or do they share the space? If PS 22 did close, does anyone have their kid in K 705? Experiences? Opinions? I'm looking at pros and cons of public school vs private school for our son. Thanks!
Brooklynian » Forum » Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts Gardens »
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PS 22 is being phased out and 705 is being phased in.
I have heard goog things about 705 so far.
I would contact the parent coordinator that could put you in touch with the PTA and other involved parents. Usually the responsiveness of these people is a very good barometer to see if you should even pursue more information.
in the thick of it -
My son is eligible for Pre-K starting in the Fall and my wife and I attended an open house at 705 a couple of weeks ago (we’ve been hearing promising things about the school through the grapevine). It was pretty well-attended - a pretty diverse group of maybe 70 or 80 parents looking at the K and Pre-K options. Next year I think they are going to have 3 classes of K and 3 of Pre-K with about 20 kids in each class. My understanding is that, as PS 22 phases out next year, 705 is going to be adding higher grades as well, and should be a full K-5 school within the next few years (could be wrong or not up to date on all this stuff, so others should feel free to correct).
We would like to be able to send are son to PS 705, and are actively seeking more info (we’ll be checking this conversation and are hoping others with info/opinions/insights will chime in). At the moment we are on the fence:
PROS - We liked the principal and her philosophy. The core of the PTA seems committed and energetic. The school’s facilities and upkeep seemed fine. According to the principal, colocation with a charter school has not presented meaningful problems.
CONS – Students must wear uniforms, which we’re not crazy about. We are not sure about the teachers (it was hard to get a read on them from a quick tour, although the principal claimed she skewed the investment of her budget into the teachers). Probably most importantly for us, the school is lacking in diversity. On this last point, we were somewhat encouraged by the diversity of the parents in attendance at the info session, but don't know how this will translate into next year's Pre-K class.
If you have direct questions for the school, you can try this email address: brooklynartselementary@gmail.com
Although I’m not sure how often they check it. -
Our daughter attends Pre-K Dual Language (Spanish/English) at PS 705 and we're having a wonderful experience. She's been happily engaged in her class from day one. We love that she's learning Spanish and will continue to do so through each grade. In addition to our satisfaction with the education and enrichment Principal Soto and teachers are providing, we love feeling absolutely comfortable expressing our ideas, feedback, etc. We've found Ms. Soto and staff to be completely open and embrace new ideas.
Regarding uniforms, I wasn't thrilled at first, but honestly they've worked out well and there's still room for expression through accessories and shoes, so it really hasn't been a big deal for us.
As mentioned, we'll have (3) Pre-K classrooms next year (54 spots). We think the school is very diverse, especially in the Pre-K and Kindergarten grades. The following are Prospective Parent Tour dates: March 8th, April 5th, May 3rd @ 9AM in the auditorium on the 2nd floor. RSVP to brooklynartselementary@gmail.com
To connect with more PS 705 families, our PTA email address is PS705PTA@gmail.com and one of our parents will be in touch with you.
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My son is in the above-mentioned dual-language pre-K and is very happy there. We appreciate the diversity and the excellent staff of teachers, especially Principal Soto. The curriculum is commendable as well. We are enrolling for kindergarten, as are the majority of the students in his current pre-K class.
I agree with the earlier poster that the uniforms don't pose any issues. My son enjoys choosing different colored shirts to wear under his uniform shirt each morning.
DNA.info just ran a piece on the school that speaks to the level of parental satisfaction:
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Softee, I'm actually fond of the uniform-wearing, so that's not an issue. What do you mean by 'lacking diversity" because dougalcurrie seems to imply the opposite?
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Hi lovechild -
Yeah, we're not so into the uniforms, but it's not a deal killer for us. I know some people like them too. 705 seems to have struck something of a compromise by having what appears to be a loose implementation of their policy. Kids appeared to have flexibility in what they were wearing under or in addition to their sweatshirts and pants.
In terms of diversity, the school seems to be pretty diverse in terms of economic background, which is something we really liked. The school did not seem to be that ethnically diverse which, in addition to economic diversity, is something that is also important to us. But if dougalcurrie already has a child there then he probably can give a better assessment. Either way, this issue too is not a deal breaker for us, but is one of the possible cons we noticed.
It is definitely encouraging to read positive comments here and elsewhere from current 705 parents.
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Softee:
What specifically do you mean when say "ethnically diverse"? Do you mean in terms of the ethnicity of the children, the teachers, or both? My son is one of only two white children in his pre-K class of 18, but a number of his classmates are mixed race or non-white. I appreciate that he is being exposed to that kind of diversity at a young age. -
Hi dougallcurrie -
I guess what I’m talking about is a student body that’s not dominated by any one race or ethnicity. We've been pretty lucky to have our son in a couple of day cares that have been really diverse, meaning kids from all different races, ethnicities and nationalities, without any real sense of one group being a noticeable minority. Although it’s not an absolute requirement for us, our ideal Pre-K would be similarly mixed. Sounds like you and your son are having a positive experience with the level of diversity at 705, which is encouraging to us. -
My son is in the 1st Grade at P.S. 705. He was at a school that was a bad match for for him. Things had gotten so bad at the other school we felt that we needed to make a change right away. So after the winter/holiday we moved him to P.S.705. We were very hesitant to move him mid year, but after the first week we absolutely knew that it was the right thing to do. He went from struggling in school, feeling bad about himself and not wanting to go to school, to thriving! He is very happy and so are we. His teachers are wonderful. They are warm, attentive and creative. Principal Soto is fantastic, she sets a peaceful and thoughtful tone through out the school.
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Softee: That's the type of diversity I'm hoping for, too. However, I'm not naive to the fact that the influx as of late is going to shift the class makeups into the other extreme. Thank you everyone for your feedback. I'll definitely be looking at PS 705 as an option next year.
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