G&T letters delayed
Last week, we confirmed with Department of Education representatives that kindergarten and 1st grade gifted and talented placement letters would go out starting today.
Now, the DOE website says letters will go out starting June 19th, this Friday — which leaves exactly one week until the deadline for registration, June 26th. Reasons for the delay are, as yet, unclear. As always, we’ll post details when they’re known. But families waiting by the mailbox should bide their time for a few more days, as the June 15th deadline will not be met.
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I am not surprised.
Comment by Anonymous — June 15, 2009 @ 2:39 pm
The slop (er slip) is even bigger than that.
As I recall, the original date that offer letters were to have gone out (at least to K and 1) was end-of-May.
And REGISTRATION (for K and 1) — NOT the DOE’s sending of offer letters — was to have started June 15.
AND… for K and 1 there had formerly been NO end-date for accepting offers. I am glad to see there now is such a date; June 26.
Comment by Michael M. — June 15, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
EEK. I checked my notes.
Correction:
As of May 14, DOE website said offer letters would go out on June 15. Not end-of-May as per above.
(But there indeed was no registration cut-off date.)
(Jeepers, why can’t I edit my InsideSchools comments as easily as DOE changes their website?
)
Comment by Michael M. — June 15, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
If it takes 1 week or more for the mail to be delivered, as it was the case with the score report - we received the mail on 5/15 though DOE claimed to have mailed it on 5/4, then there will be no time to register with any school AT ALL. I’m so sick of this G&T process.
Comment by Anon — June 15, 2009 @ 4:06 pm
Rumors abound about last year’s G & T notification process. I did not personally experience it, but I have heard that the DOE dispatched couriers to hand deliver the notifications, because they were so behind!
Maybe others with personal experience can comment on this.
Comment by Anonymous — June 15, 2009 @ 4:27 pm
i am sick and tired of this D.O.E process too much anxiety why the delay another 5 days of waiting for a winning lottery ticket politics as usual
Comment by proud parent — June 15, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
The D.O.E is up to something it does it take this long for a computer to work. Something is up maybe they are fixing results for their District #3 preferred customers. This the D.O.E anything goes and nothing is certain. This delay is not helping with private school admission because they want their first payment ASAP
Comment by proud parent — June 15, 2009 @ 4:44 pm
This is going on for a group of pre-k applicants as well. At least some people who were supposed to have received pre-k placements on May 18th got an email on June 8th asking them to resubmit all the information they had previously submitted. It seems that some applications were lost or something else unusual happened. Inside Schools - do you have any scoop on this issue?
Comment by Anonymous — June 15, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
Yes. It would be nice to know the reasons for the delays. It’s so frustrating being so in the dark.
Comment by Anonymous — June 15, 2009 @ 5:49 pm
Anonymous at 5:46, we’ve heard of one school where OLSATs were lost but not of the pre-K situation you mention; if you can send in specifics, glad to check it out. And anonymous at 4:27, as far-fetched as it seems, the DOE did courier placement news last year, at enormous expense, inconvenience, and much public frustration. DOE has not yet provided a specific reason for the delay; a spokesman said they needed a few more days but when pressed, could not / would not explain why.
Comment by Helen — June 15, 2009 @ 6:15 pm
To comment no. 5:
YES. DOE actually hand delivered the placement letter last year.
When I first saw the post about thin on UB, I didn’t believe it. I though it is kind of urban legend-ish stuff. BUT in that afternoon (after not receiving the notification in the regular mail & disappointed), the letter was magically placed in the lobby of our building!
That weekend was CRAZY. Many many parents lost sleeps or drunk too much till we got the result.
Comment by D30 parent — June 15, 2009 @ 8:03 pm
Following up on my pre-k placement comment (5:46), I filled out the pre-k application in a timely manner (which was confirmed by email confirmation from the DOE), but I got no placement on May 22nd (or any other date). I got the following email on June 9th, responded right away and have received no word since. It would be great if you Inside Schools folks could get to the bottom of it! Here’s the June 9th letter:
Dear Parent,
We are contacting you regarding your child’s online pre-Kindergarten application. In order for us to resolve this situation, please reply to this email with the following information by Friday, June 12, 2009:
Child’s Full Name (Last Name, First Name)
Child’s Date of Birth (mm-dd-yy)
Parent Full Name (Last Name, First Name)
Home Address (Include apt. num, if any)
Parent Phone Number
Pre-K Programs you listed on your child’s application in order of preference (As they appeared on the application (DBN - AM/PM/FD)
Sibling’s Full Name (If any) (Last Name, First Name)
Sibling’s School for 2009-2010 (DBN)
Sibling’s Grade
We will follow up with you as soon as possible regarding our inquiry into this matter. If we determine that your child has been offered a pre-Kindergarten placement in one of your choices, you will be able to pre-register your child at the school you have been offered.
We appreciate your assistance as we work to resolve this matter.
Thank you.
Elementary School Enrollment Team
Comment by Anonymous — June 15, 2009 @ 8:42 pm
What I don’t understand is -some people will be offered placements- not everyone will accept -so how does it work if not all spots are accepted at a school that is your first choice (but you don’t get your first choice or even second for that matter) who then gets offered these spots? How can you even check out the school if it’s closed? There’s gotta be a better way!
Comment by Alicia — June 15, 2009 @ 10:50 pm
Oh, right as a working parent we were supposed to go and visit ALL the schools offered -give me a break -who has time for that? - Maybe if we got our placement offers earlier we could actually visit the school site actually offerd so as to make an informed decision as to that placement instead of wasting time (if you can do it that’s great) at open houses to schools you might not even to get into - I had to rank my choices according to info. I learned about from the schools through this website and through other parents and a few previous visits -Is G&T only for parents who don’t have to work or who will sacrafice all their sick time and vacation time to look at schools -it doesn’t seem very fair -but ah, I guess such is life
Comment by Alicia — June 15, 2009 @ 11:07 pm
One delay is that the low scorers at PS 9 in Brooklyn were retested as parents felt the test was improperly administered.
Comment by Anonymous — June 16, 2009 @ 10:17 am
#13: Some seats will be filled over the summer by kids that just moved to the city. After that they are mostly left open. This is not really a big deal for the schools that are most popular (Anderson or Lower Lab, for example) because the DOE oversubscribes the programs using historic data about acceptances and enrollments.
Comment by anonymous — June 16, 2009 @ 11:00 am
#14: To be honest, try to see as many schools as possible beforehand. Most had open houses and tours. Then just pick whatever you are comfortable with. Every school is pretty much the same.
Comment by anonymous — June 16, 2009 @ 11:02 am
Alicia,
This is in response to your question about what happens to spots in the G&T schools that aren’t accepted. I do not work for the DOE, but have heard the following from numerous people, including some of the schools we toured during this process.
I have a 2 part answer:
1. The DOE offers more G&T spots than they actually have, anticipating that a certain number of people will not take spots. How they figure out this number I don’t know. It would be great to get a clarification on this.
2. If there are open spots, they are given to the children of families who are just moving to NYC over the summer. To me, and others I have spoken to, this seems very unfair considering everything all of the parents have gone through over the past year trying to secure a spot in one of the G&T programs. I have heard claims that a waitlist would be a “logistical nightmare,” and that the DOE doesn’t have the means to compile waitlists. This seems ridiculous to me.
Again, all the above information is from all the research I’ve done, which is mostly talking to the schools and other families that have gone through this process, and scouring the internet, so anyone can feel free to fill in the blanks, or correct me.
Comment by Dave — June 16, 2009 @ 11:03 am
To #16: I cannot speak to Anderson’s situation, but you are wrong when it comes to Lower Lab. Last year the DOE’s no-waitlist situation hurt the school immensely. Several classes were not filled to the usual level of 28 students, and while it is nice to have smaller classes, Lab is a small school and lost about $40,000 as a result of the DOE’s lack of accuracy. That amount of money hurts in a small school, especially when budget cuts seem to be a constant these days! Also, having gone through the terribly stressful admissions process myself, I feel for those families who both have qualified children and fell that our school is the best fit for them as a family, yet they are denied entrance while seats remain open!
Comment by Lower Lab Parent — June 16, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
# 15, question about your comment that “low scorers” at PS 9 in Bklyn kids were retested: This is news to me, but perhaps you’re thinking of PS 9 in Manhattan, where a few dozen tests were lost in transit, somewhere between the school, DOE, and Texas, where the tests were shipped for scoring. When those tests didn’t surface, about 60 PS 9 (Manhattan) kids were retested. Are you certain that PS 9 in Brooklyn had kids retested as well?
Comment by Helen — June 16, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
#13, #14 and #18 - in the past, the GT seats in local schools are normally kept EMPTY for the school year (no waiting list) -As a result, other (non-GT) classes at that grade level (in the school) are sometime overcrowded and the school does lose $$$ (look at post #19).
The GOOD thing about the empty seats: next year: kids that take the OLSAT test at the next grade level get a shot at those few remaining GT seats. ELSE there is NO opening (seats) at the higher grade level.
Comment by anonymous — June 16, 2009 @ 3:43 pm
#21 I wonder if you are referring to District G&T seats when you talk about leaving seats empty. I can certainly see that being the case, since there are District G&T programs that are undesirable, or just not as sought after as other programs (Not all G&T programs are created equal, which is unfortunate).
I should have been more specific, because I was referring to Citywide G&T.
With schools like NEST and Anderson, there is NEVER any empty seats, and the GOOD news scenario doesn’t apply. The only way to get a seat in 1st grade is via attrition.
This info was straight from the schools.
Comment by Dave — June 16, 2009 @ 4:04 pm
Any answer about the pre-k seats? I know that it wasn’t the point of the original post, but I’d be intersted in any information.
Comment by Anonymous — June 16, 2009 @ 4:31 pm
Nowhere on the DOE website does it say that the letters will be delayed. Where are you getting your information?
Comment by K — June 17, 2009 @ 8:32 am
#19: I am a parent at LL. I think you are exaggerating a bit here. The school was not hurt as much as you made it sound. But then I am a K parent only and even though one of the K classes was one child short (a port, btw, that was filled over the course of the year by a transfer).
Comment by anonymous — June 17, 2009 @ 9:14 am
I just looked at the timeline at the bottom of the link. The ‘6/19/09′ date for distribution of letters looks like a typo to me because of the dates of the registration timeline. Breathe.
Comment by K — June 17, 2009 @ 9:23 am
Dear #25 Lower Lab K Parent,
I’m sorry to say, I’m not exaggerating at all. It’s true that K classes were nearly filled, but that was not the case in the upper grades. And $40,000 is the number provided by the principal as the approximate amount the school lost. I am a very involved parent at the school and I wouldn’t state these things if they weren’t true.
Comment by Lower Lab Parent — June 17, 2009 @ 10:19 am
Parents should really try to be a little more optimistic and a little less whiny. It’s not helpful but it makes me think twice about putting my g&t child in a school whose parents are a bunch of whiners!! Overthinking about how my child is making a school and trying to figure out the statistics or better yet, complaining that the DOE is a bunch of idiots. I bet you’d all do a better job of placing hundreds of children in a G&T program.
Comment by Optimistic Mom — June 17, 2009 @ 12:02 pm
#28 It’s not a matter of being whiners. Although some people are definitely being negative (I agree with you there), most of us just want the best possible education for our child, and when it’s literally the luck of the draw whether your child has access to the best schools, or gen ed, it’s somewhat frustrating.
Comment by Brooklyn Parent — June 17, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
Parents listen District #3 has every ear in D.O.E I can not wait for Bloomberg to leave already but with all the money he is spending it is impossible and with all the money District #3 is spending i wouldn’t put it past D.O.E to wait for P.S 9 results what a disgrace
Comment by proud parent — June 17, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
Post #27 - Lower Lab parent
$40K is just the cost for 2/3 of a teacher.
School get roughly $7500 per kid - so 6 kids/seats wasn’t filled as a result.
Comment by Anonymous — June 18, 2009 @ 5:30 am
Dave - #22
…I wonder if you are referring to District G&T seats when you talk about leaving seats empty. I can certainly see that being the case, since there are District G&T programs that are undesirable, or just not as sought after as other programs…
Dave - you have NO idea of what you are talking about. District GT are controlled by central (OSEPO) - if a local (District) school has 20 seats. OSEPO will sent it 20 names during this June process. If only 15 kids shows up come September (some may have moved or decide to go elsewhere), that local program does not have an opportunity to fill the 5 seats ’cause OSEPO will NOT re-submit the next 5 names. Principal are forced to leave those 5 seats open.
AND.
the stats in some of these local/District GT are better than the ciywide program (ie: NYS ELA/MATH so the word you used ‘undesirable’ is a STUPID comment.
Comment by Anonymous — June 18, 2009 @ 5:52 am
#32, I’m sure some District G&T programs perform very well. Yet I also know some of them are very “undesirable”, being hosted at failing schools and don’t get enough applications in the first round. It happens in our district in Queens at least.
Comment by Anon — June 18, 2009 @ 9:15 am
Anon #32-Before you tell me I have NO idea what I’m talking about, I know people who have received spots in a G&T program in our neighborhood, and have pulled there kids out, because they were not happy with programs. And were much happier at another school in the gen ed.
In fact, at this particular school, they are desperate for kids to attend the school, because it suffers from low attendance. So sorry, but this means that some G&T programs are “UNDESIRABLE.” And yes, there might be some excellent district programs that rival or even surpass citywide G&T programs. I’m not disputing that there are great district G&T programs, but to assume there is no variance in the programs, and they are ALL good, is pure ignorance.
Comment by Dave — June 18, 2009 @ 9:25 am
I was wondering since the G&T application was submitted online will I receive my son’s placement by email? And once we’ve been offered a seat is that seat guarented or is the registration based on first come first served? Where can I find the statistics about how many kids applied for the first grade and how many received a 99%,this was our first experience with the board of ed and G&T? Thanks for any help and I hope everyone remembers our children also need to enjoy their childhood.
Comment by Marie — June 18, 2009 @ 10:47 am
Dave - post #34 -
Going back to your original posting of complaining of WHY some of these District GT have empty seats: Central (OSEPO) controls the so-call waiting list. Currently, OSEPO does NOT send additional names to these school(s) when seats are empty for 1 reason or another. Citywide schools like NEST+M are allowed a waiting list. District program are NOT.
In your opinion: … So sorry, but this means that some G&T programs are “UNDESIRABLE.” ….
Having empty seats at these District/Local GT schools does not make them “UNDESIRABLE.”
So yes, in MY opinion, your comment shows you to be STUPID and IGNORANCE. Only the un-informed (or new) parents would believe your ‘rant’.
Comment by anonymous — June 18, 2009 @ 10:59 am
In reference to the question about wait listing - we live on Staten Island where at this point G&T does not start until 1st grade. There was a big push last year for G&T testing overall and at my daughter’s pre-school so we had her tested. She scored in the 97th percentile but the only programs she was eligible for were the Citywides. We were still green then =) and ranked NEST+m as our first choice as it is the closest to us of the Citywide programs but unless your’re a sib or a 99th percentiler you have virtually no chance of getting in. Needless to say she did not get an offer. In late August we received a letter offering her a place in TAG on the Upper East side but dragging a 5 y.o. from SI to East 109th every day did not make sense to us since we are zoned for an excellent elementary school on SI. So offers do happen after the initial round of registration but I can’t tell you what the circumstances behind that offer were. Our zoned school is starting a G&T program this year and we ranked it as our first choice for next year so here’s hoping. Good luck to all.
Comment by Jen of SI — June 18, 2009 @ 11:34 am
I called the DOE today to inquire about placement letters. And they confirmed that they would be mailed tomorrow, June 19th but that they would also be emailed to expedite things.
Comment by Anonymous — June 18, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
Does “expedited” mean a printout of the email will be valid for registration if the letter gets delayed in the mail?
Comment by Anonymous — June 18, 2009 @ 6:02 pm
What #32 described happened to the District programs in D6 last year, resulting in the DOE shutting down both programs on the grounds of low enrollment, only a few weeks before the start of the school year. Had OSEPO provided a little more flexibility in this situation, or over-enrolled the way they do at citywides, there’s a strong possibility that those programs would have gone forward. Instead, there were no G&T programs for Kindergarteners in D6 last year. It is simplistic to blame this situation on a program being “undesirable.”
Comment by D6 parent — June 18, 2009 @ 9:27 pm
Has anyone received placement offers via email yet? This process if grueling. Also, if a child who qualifies for the citywide program does not get an offer to a citywide school, is there a waitlist for next year? Thanks, I am new to G & T.
Comment by Curious — June 19, 2009 @ 10:25 am
Helen: Do you know whether there is any special requirements for teachers who teach G&T class? Thanks!
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 11:26 am
I have not received anything via email as of yet, and do not believe there is any sort of waitlist for next year even if you qualified for citywide and do take one of the options provided to you. The way I understand it if you do not accept an offer or opt out of a G&T for this year you must retest for next year and the number of seats in 1st grade are few to none, so chances are not great.
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
if you are not offered a place, does DOE notify you of that to?
Comment by dan — June 19, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
Clarification - you will only receive email placement offers if you applied online.
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
Has anyone got email offer yet? or is it going to be delayed again????
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 3:40 pm
No offer yet………I also keep checking the DOE website for updates, and there are none with regard to further delays, though I would not be surprised if there were additional delays.
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
I applied online but have not received a response yet! I wonder if you are DOE will notify me if my child does not get a placement offer? Does anyone know? Good luck everyone, I know we all want what is best for our children!
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 4:32 pm
Think emails will come between 5 and 7 after office has closed based on how they did pre-k emails. Then they don’t have to deal with complaints/questions until Monday
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 4:42 pm
called DOE around 2:30, they said it is not 5:00pm yet, and also they said that today does not mean 5:00Pm……it is so sad for the way they handle the matter.
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 4:45 pm
Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for all of your response they are quite comforting! As my first time experiencing this G and T processes I am naive about alot of things, so thanks for all the input. I can’t wait until this waiting process if over so that I can just move on! lol! If anyone receives anything would you let us all know, this way we’ll know that the DOE has the “ball rolling?”
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 4:55 pm
If anyone wants to participate in communal nailbiting, the message board at urbanbaby.com is full of people waiting for the email. I’m sure it will be posted there within seconds of someone receiving the notification.
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 5:14 pm
i visited doe web side there is delay again results going to be send on 7/3/09
Comment by yelena — June 19, 2009 @ 5:29 pm
7/3/09 is the date for grade 2/3 letters. Still says today for K/1
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 5:32 pm
my mistake
Comment by yelena — June 19, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
Guess the DOE had our hopes up for nothing, AGAIN.
Comment by Anon — June 19, 2009 @ 8:09 pm
has anyone received an email from the doe tonight?
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
“has anyone received an email from the doe tonight?”
Pretty sure no one has.
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
Nope.
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 9:27 pm
Does anyone know if there’s a breakdown of score by 99%, 98%, 97% etc.?
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 9:28 pm
Still no email in my inbox. And I spoke to Michael Adin at G&T on the phone this afternoon and got an email from Anna Commitante this morning and they both SWORE the emails would be coming today.
Comment by K&K's mom — June 19, 2009 @ 9:39 pm
… still 2 hours left in the day …
Comment by Hang in there — June 19, 2009 @ 9:55 pm
still 1 hour and 15 minutes left in the day
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 10:47 pm
is this typical of DOE to say one thing but do the other? 40 minutes left in the day and still no answer… Glad to see we are not alone in this :0)
Comment by Anonymous — June 19, 2009 @ 11:11 pm
the email really isnt coming is it?
Comment by motherof2 — June 19, 2009 @ 11:57 pm
Just got placement letter in email for Inquiry !!!
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 2:44 am
Good morning all!
I just got an offer from the DOE at 1:30 a.m. to the new citywide program in Queens. It’s not Nest + m, but we’re happy we got an offer. Good luck everyone!!!!
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 5:19 am
I got an offer for P.S. 163.
I am surprised because I ranked P.S. 145 above P.S. 163 and I thought that getting into P.S. 145 would be easier than P.S. 163 - I thought that more parents would rank P.S. 163 above P.S. 145.
Did anybody get an offer for P.S. 145? If so, did you also rank it above P.S. 163?
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 7:47 am
I got the email from DOE, PS 108 in Queens is it, we are so happy,we really weren’t interested in the citiwide programs, just seemed like my son would have fun while learning there. But I hope everyone else is happy with their placement,citiwide or district. Good luck!
Comment by Queens proud mom — June 20, 2009 @ 7:50 am
If you filled out the application online you would get an email Friday night; We woke up this morning to find that our little one was offered a spot at P.S 24 in the Bronx. This is great news because we dd not want to send her to PS 54.
THIS SITE IS A GREAT RESOURCE!!!!
Comment by Dad looking for help — June 20, 2009 @ 8:30 am
Does anyone know anything about PS 11 in District 2 in Chelsea???? We got placed there, but were unable to go to the tour - any comments would be helpful thanks
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 10:42 am
Got our email for placement at PS 29 on Staten Island at 1:59am. Just sent back the acceptance notice. Thank heaven this whole rigamarole is (almost) over! Good luck to all and may all of our kids have a good year wherever they are placed.
Comment by Jen of SI — June 20, 2009 @ 10:46 am
Anyone else not receive an email yet?
Comment by another d30 parent — June 20, 2009 @ 10:55 am
Are there any thoughts about the tag young school in east Harlem. Thanks!
Comment by Hannah — June 20, 2009 @ 11:18 am
No e-mail as of yet and we registered on-line
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 11:41 am
i registered online and still haven’t received any email from doe.
Comment by Anon — June 20, 2009 @ 1:51 pm
Regarding question # 71. We also got placed in ps 11 and did not get a chance to go to the tour. I was thinking about going on Monday, would be happy to relay any info to you.
Comment by UES parent — June 20, 2009 @ 2:17 pm
Has anyone gotten a letter in the regular mail today? There was nothing in my mail today. I’ll check again on Monday.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
If you did the online application and are still waiting, try sending an email to online@semsnycdoe.com.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
Actually online@semsnycdoe.com has the placement information for all kids, whether the application was submitted online or on paper.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
My child was placed at TAG. Does anyone have any info about the school? Or went on the tour?
Comment by Brooklyn Mom — June 20, 2009 @ 4:03 pm
I emailed to the address from #79, and the person gave me the placement info a few minutes after I sent the email. The first time I encountered fast service from the DOE.
Comment by Anon — June 20, 2009 @ 4:35 pm
We registered on line, and nothing by e-mail nor regular mail
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
#77, is PS 11 having a tour on Monday? I thought they finished offering tours when scores got sent out? I went on tour, but would like to go again, for I am on the fence.
Comment by Another Parent — June 20, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
Does any one know if we need to wait for the letter in the mail to register at the accepted school?
Comment by a — June 20, 2009 @ 4:44 pm
#77, No there is no tour but I wanted to check out the school in person. what did you think when you went on the tour?
Comment by Vinisha — June 20, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
#82, when did you send the email. Is it today or yesterday, if today around what time.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 5:29 pm
i sent it today at 2:40pm
Comment by anon — June 20, 2009 @ 5:44 pm
I applied online and have not receive any email about the placement. Sent an iquiry email around 5 pm not sure if we are going to hear back from today or not. Does anyone out there facing my situation.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 6:00 pm
We also applied online, verified by online receipt, and have not received anything either via email or snailmail and it is dinnertime Saturday!
Comment by K&K's mom — June 20, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
#90, I just got the reponse from doe online help desk and found out the placement information. I think you should write to them as well, they are responding promptly. Good Luck.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
#86, I really was impressed with PS11 and am torn right now as to whether accept over another offer at another school. The parent coordinator and principal both v. articulate and parent friendly. School has a strong arts program, nice computer lab, a pool, and a great roottop space for k. The parent coordinator emphasized that the school is all about family and family oriented activities, and I really appreciated that. There is a modest yard, with a new garden that looks like it will be v. lovely once finished. Downside is that it may loose library this year, although the classrooms had plenty of bins of books. If we did not have this other offer, it would be a yes, yes, yes situation for us.
Comment by Another Parent — June 20, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
If you applied on line, send an e-mail to online@semsnycdoe.com - It took them about 90 minutes to respond and they confirmed that e-mails were sent out late last night (although we never received one) and placement
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
For anyone got an email, where was the email from? I’m still waiting. Also, did anyone get a letter yet?
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 7:14 pm
Email to online@semsnycdoe.com, they will help you look it up even you did not apply online. I received the answer within an hour.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 8:05 pm
No email so I sent to online@semsnycdoe.com and am waiting. But can anyone who did get an email please tell me where they are being sent from? Thanks.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 8:38 pm
#96, first they sent you an auto response from
SEMS NYC DOE with the following:
Thank you for contacting the SEMS-Helpdesk. We will respond to your email within 24 hours and look forward to resolving any issues you might be facing.
Regards,
NYC DOE SEMS Help
Then I received an follow up email from someone @vanguarddirect.com, I think they are the contractor for DOE. She looked up the information using applicant name and DOB. It only took her about 10 minutes to email me back the placement letter. It was after 7pm.
Hope this can help. Good Luck.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
To # 96: Someone had the same question on Urban Baby. The original emails sent out after midnight Friday night are coming from noreply@semsnycdoe.com, and the Help Desk is online@semsnycdoe.com. Those addresses both belong to vanguarddirect.com, a private contractor.
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 9:02 pm
#77 I will probably go visit ps 11 on Monday as well, my hesitation is that we are on the upper east side as well and on great schools it only gets a 4 out of 11 rating which seems really low, do you know why it rates so low???? Is it because this gifted and talented is in an underperforming school??? or is the G&T itself underperforming. How many G&T classes per grade in this school????
Comment by Anonymous — June 20, 2009 @ 9:29 pm
#99. do not know the answers to any of your questions but I have the same questions as well. I am going to try to go to ps 11 around 1-2 pm. will leave my name and number at school for you if you want to talk and commiserate about long distance to school.
Comment by vinisha/UES mom — June 20, 2009 @ 10:02 pm
Had most of you done your homework when you moved into your respective school districts, your collective neuroses would’ve been alleviated and all of these posts might not have been necessary. Your kids scored in the 90%+ percentile — can’t you just dig that?
Comment by k — June 20, 2009 @ 10:39 pm
Posting #99: ….Is it because this gifted and talented is in an underperforming school???
…
most of the time: NYCDOE will placed the more/most desirable program in the worst neighborhood: WHY: to draw the population/crowding away from the crowded schools to the schools that need the help and support from the GT kids - else these underperforming school(s) will fall into SINI status.
ex: look at the placement of schools such as Brooklyn Latin, BARD College HS, NEST+M and others in the recent past.
Comment by Anonymous — June 21, 2009 @ 8:57 am
Riverdale; Bronx Lots of us received our offers for G&T on Saturday.
Comment by cathy — June 21, 2009 @ 11:09 am
My child scored 98% at G&T and got an offer from P.S.11.
How many kids will there be in the G&T class who scored 98% or 99%?
Comment by Anonymous — June 21, 2009 @ 9:16 pm
101 maybe you should not be on this web site.
cathy
Comment by cathy — June 21, 2009 @ 9:42 pm
Sorry, Cathy. I thought there were many other sites in which people could vent their emotional responses to “nothing”. I think there are several Hotlines for this also. I just hope all of the ‘venters’ have more patience with their kids.
Comment by k — June 22, 2009 @ 8:59 am
#104: Why does it matter?
Comment by anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 9:58 am
Applied online. Got an email @ 1AM Saturday morning. It was placed in SPAM(not surprising). Good luck everyone.
Comment by Anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 10:14 am
Yes, it is important for many educational reasons, otherwise we would not be taking OLSAT, or discussing it here on the Gifted and Talented Website all along.
Comment by Anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 10:35 am
It is a shame that online@semsnycdoe.com has more resources than all those fools at Tweed. You will think with all the delays somebody will be able help all these uneasy parents. The D.O.E is a joke
Comment by proud parent — June 22, 2009 @ 11:22 am
Post #104: ….My child scored 98% at G&T and got an offer from P.S.11. How many kids will there be in the G&T class who scored 98% or 99%?….
What does it matter ? Your child will get an education that ‘regular’ kids will NOT get: No ESL, few Title I and very little Spec Ed (or diversity) in that GT class/school.
My experience after putting 3 kids thru GT classes thru the elementary schools after 10 years:
1). a handful of kids will NOT be able to keep up with the rest of the class. Look at the NYS scale score for the citywide NEST+M, LAB and Anderson: All will pass BUT not all are at the level ‘4′.
2). kids that will have acquire the knowledge, maturity and accurity to be in that GT Class/school at the higher grades will be left at the gate ’cause there’s no room.
Parents complaining about who’s at 97% (or higher) should really re-examine their priorities to what’s really important to them and their kids.
Comment by anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 11:24 am
My son scored 98 and was placed at PS 11 also.
I called PS 11 and they are not even registering today, can you believe that, and I asked if someone could show me around because I had not visited the school and they told me no, no more tours, they only do them in the spring……..end of story. How are we expected to send our children to a school that we can not even see?????They also told me to bring my child, I did not realize they had to be present for registration.
Comment by Anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 11:26 am
Does PS 11 have assistant teachers in the classrooms??? How many G&T classes for K at PS 11 and how many in the class, I keep reading about small class size but how small???? Is there a foreign language component starting from K??? Anyone know how often the children are exposed to the arts each week???? I have read they do theather, arts, music, yoga, dance etc. but how often.
Comment by Anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 11:32 am
If you have questions about a program, contact either your local CEC or call your community board office. In my district, the board was able to coordinate a tour. Also worth calling your council person, they can pressure local schools as well.
Comment by Old pro — June 22, 2009 @ 11:45 am
#113: Does PS 11 have assistant teachers in the classrooms???
__
if a K-class goes over 24 kids, a teacher aide is often assigned. This might be in the UFT contract.
TA is often not needed in GT classes - TA are needed in CTT (Spec Ed) and ESL classes. This is paid for with Title VI and other Fed $$$. No extra $$$ for GT.
Comment by anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
#114: If you have questions about a program, contact either your local CEC or call your community board office. In my district, the board was able to coordinate a tour. Also worth calling your council person, they can pressure local schools as well…
__
It’s the LAST week of school (4.5 days - Friday is a half day) - schools are dealing with graduation and other last minute issue. Incoming Kindergarten GT are the last thing that they want to deal with.
CEC: a whole slate/group/member of CEC just been elected. Most CEC are just lame-duck.
Comment by anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
To 112
I called P.S.11 also: people at the Main Office were rude, as rude can be. The lady told me: “There are more children than your child” and something like that. Basically telling me how unimportant the K students are.
Comment by Anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
TO: #111
I’m sorry your children did not score in the high nineties.
Comment by Anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
TO: #118
My 3 kids are currently in GT JHS and BTHS. My kids all went thru Elementary District GT program (citywide wasn’t offered in our borough). Each with perfect 4th and 5th Grade NYS ELA/MATH score (800). As a parent, we accepted them as they were, GT or not. High 90’s or low 90’s it didn’t matter.
New parents with their first born in Pre-K should learn to ‘Chill’ when it come to these GT program.
Comment by anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 4:31 pm
#74 & #81 About TAG - I went on the Tag tour on the very last day (the day applcations were due). My kid scored a 99 and initially, we didnt want to consider tag due to location but thought we should as Anderson & NEST are so popular.
I found the tour incredibly disorganized and the tour guide could not answer the simplest of questions. In addition, we really weren’t encouraged to go into the class (I can understand this but then have someone who can answer questions). i was also disappointed the principal didn’t stop to speak with us although she said hi in the hall. Aside from the tour, I found the school extremely noisy (older kids loitering in the lobby) and couldnt hear the tour…made me wonder if kids could hear their lessons. Compared to the other 2 citywides I had toured at the time, tag had less artwork, kids work, reading/math material displayed around the halls and in rooms. Overall, I wasn’t impressed and did not list it as an option. Again, I went on the last possible day for tours.
Comment by mary — June 22, 2009 @ 5:01 pm
Any thoughts on Brooklyn School of Inquiry…?
Comment by lakme — June 22, 2009 @ 5:03 pm
Can anyone give guidance on how to prepare children from the G&T test. I’m thinking of applying for the next year. Seems very stressful. My child is in pre-school now.
Thanks.
Comment by MAC — June 22, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
Can anyone give guidance on how to prepare children from the G&T test. I’m thinking of applying for the next year. Seems very stressful. My child is in pre-school now. Also, Bronx District vs. Citywide?
Thanks.
Comment by MAC — June 22, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
Had to apply via snail mail … still no word on my child’s placement. anyone else waiting?
Comment by Anonymous — June 22, 2009 @ 11:50 pm
#124 - I think you can send an email request for your results, even if you applied by snailmail. Try
online@semsnycdoe.com or giftedandtalented@schools.nyc.gov
Didn’t see any reports of letters arriving Monday, we didn’t get ours yet.
Comment by Anonymous — June 23, 2009 @ 7:13 am
Does anyone have anything they want to share good or bad re:ps230 in Brooklyn, I am debating between my zoned schoolps321 and G&T(ps230).Thanks
Comment by Alicia — June 23, 2009 @ 10:05 am
G&T parents aren’t being somehow shunted aside. All school tours end in the spring and all decisions regarding lottery spots etc. are made after tours end–G&T or non-G&T. Pretty much every K parent who opts out of zoned, is in the same boat–deciding on a school long after tours have ended.
A school’s priority is taking care of the kids already there–and in the last two weeks, that’s a big job. Yes, at that point, those kids in their care ARE more important to them than your kid who may or may not go there. And as a mom of a K kid (not at PS11), who was in your shoes last year, I now see that is as it should be. You’ll feel that way next year. You will not want this crazy upheaval of a final week made even crazier by the administration/teachers dealing with myriad questions from potential parents. The fault is with the DOE, who should handle this WAY earlier, not the schools who are in no position to deal with the DOE’s timing.
So please cut the schools some slack–they are having one of the busiest weeks in their year, figuring out horrendous budget cuts, and handling assorted graduations and assignments for next year. Fielding anxious questions from POSSIBLE future families who didn’t tour before applying, is nearly impossible for them to handle gracefully.
Again, it’s the DOE’s horrid timeline, not the schools or parents, who are at fault here.
Comment by Julie — June 23, 2009 @ 10:08 am
I just received my son’s placement. It’s not for our 1st choice, one of our district schools where his brother attends the G&T program, but for TAG, which was fairly far down on my ranking. I thought siblings had preference? It’s in the Bronx, so I guess it’s possible they decided not to open a Kindergarten class at that school. Needless to say, I’m disappointed.
Comment by Sue — June 23, 2009 @ 11:19 am
I got a call from DOE today that my son has been offered placement to PS 9. My child scored 99 percentile and I only selected 3 citywide options. PS 9 is not on the list at all. How is this possible. Has anyone experienced this? They told me they would get back to me with 48 hours.
Comment by Kay — June 23, 2009 @ 12:35 pm
I was not impressed with TAG on 109th Street in Manhattan.
A simple question there was taken with a huge defensive approach -I asked about the children who were playing nearby if they were from TAG, since they were wearing identical skirts, and the school representative looked at me and said:”Are you talking about ethnicity?” Even her co-worker was startled.
Then these children spent good 20 minutes at the bathroom, all waiting for each other to finish,and looked bored. Their teacher was alone, without any assistant and looked just as unenthusiastic.
Comment by anonymous — June 23, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
Congratulations on P.S.9 - this is Anderson School.
Comment by anonymous — June 23, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
But the lady I spoke from DOE said it is not Anderson but a school sharing the same building with Anderson. Please, I just need clarification since I am yet to get my child’s offer letter and we have just this Friday to accept or reject.
Comment by Kay — June 23, 2009 @ 1:10 pm
I also called Anderson and they are PS334 NOT PS9
Comment by Kay — June 23, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
Kay, did you list Anderson, NEST and TAG? Do you live in District 3? If so, you might want to just grab that PS 9 spot - it’s a great school. I would be concerned at this point that the DOE might place you at TAG, and if you live in District 3, you would probably be happier at 9!
Comment by L — June 23, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
#132: PS 9 is the Sarah Anderson School. At the moment they are sharing a building with PS 334 The Anderson School.
Comment by Anonymous — June 23, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
Even though my daughter scored 99% and I submitted her application online, on time, we still haven’t received a placement. G&T can’t seem to find her “file”. I have given them her ID#, the receipt# for our online submission (filled out properly & completely) and yet they can’t give me any info. So she’s now registered exactly nowhere for next year. Isn’t that lovely?
Comment by K&K's mom — June 23, 2009 @ 10:01 pm
I just really feel for you. What a nightmare. But good news are from DOE’s letter :”Some gifted programs may have seats that become available due to attrition. These seats will be filled by children who did NOT receive an offer during the initial Gifted placement period.” So, with 99 you might get into NEST yet.
Comment by anonymous — June 24, 2009 @ 8:55 am
Received offer for citywide program at PS85 in Queens. Any thoughts about this school?
Comment by Anonymous — June 24, 2009 @ 10:19 am
We received offer for PS85 as well. Still trying to make a tough decision - the commute from where we are to Astoria isn’t short. The subway noise right outside the classroom is a concern. And my child is very happy at our neighborhood school in Forest Hills.
Comment by Sarah's mom — June 24, 2009 @ 11:11 am
to #138 and #139: We went on a quick tour of 85 this morning and are excited to accept a first-grade spot there. For me, the playground space and the dedication to playing outside or in the gym after lunch (rather than watching movies in the auditorium) more than make up for the subway noise. The administration and teachers seem very friendly, and eager to get input from parents. The parent coordinator mentioned trying to get parents in touch with each other to work on commute issues, so you might want to contact her.
Comment by another d30 parent — June 24, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
We too are sending our child to 85 for 1st grade. The school has a lot of advantages many others don’t: small size, a large library staffed with an actual school librarian; music with instruction on keyboards for every student starting in K; a beautiful playground that is actually used; a greenhouse and observatory; large, light-filled classrooms all equipped with smartboards; and more. The location under the tracks is unfortunate, but as far as I can tell only a real issue in the warmer months when the windows are open, and we were told they are working on getting air conditioning.
Comment by anonymous — June 24, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
Helen:
From reading the posts here and also from speaking to a mom in our neighborhood, it seems that many applications were processed incorrectly and families were offered spots at schools they had not ranked at all. The family I know was offered a spot at TAG, though they had not ranked it on the application. They had ranked P.S. 85 #1 and were not offered a spot, although, according to the school itself, there were/are additional seats available.
This family sent in the paperwork by regular mail as opposed to submitting the application on-line; I don’t know what the situation was for others or if this is how the error occurred.
Do you have any comment from the DOE on this, or on what these families should do?
Thank you.
Comment by anonymous — June 24, 2009 @ 3:12 pm
#141, Thanks for your input. You have put me at ease. My daughter got a spot at P.S 85Q (citywide program) as well. I was a little disappointed at first because Nest was our first choice but after reading so many posts about children who scored high and did not received an offer, I am not complaining anymore. I did not get a chance to go on the tour so I was a bit concerned but she is registered at P.S 85 none the less. Thanks again!!! I am excited for our children.
Comment by Anonymous — June 27, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
the messed up part is tag gets overbooked and nest and anderson don’t Anderson’s PTA pays for the T.A’s
Comment by Anonymous — June 28, 2009 @ 10:17 am