Elementary schools that are great despite Great Schools rating?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I really really appreciate the feedback. I'm curious as to how PP at 13:02 would respond to PP at 13:21. The Hyattsville ES you describe is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to hear, but the scared part of me is worried about the stuff 13:21 is mentioning, particularly if a strong principal were to, say, move on. How are class sizes at Hyattsville ES?

I'm not sure yet whether or not bad MS and HS feeders is an issue for me. Part of me would maybe be ok going private at that point. Obviously that's the case or else I wouldn't even be considering staying in PG.

13:02 again and I would also add after reading 13:21 - if you are going to need aftercare, make sure to drop by randomly at a couple different times and check it out. The same kids who have behavior issues during the day in the classroom are the same kids with behavior issues in aftercare. Add to that aftercare is not staffed usually be teachers and the ratio is high - 20 kids or more (depends on the regs in your area) to 1 adult. Even if you have afterschool clubs/classes run by vendors, it's not much better. In fact, my kid was in those as well at her school and they were mostly a disaster because the adults running them just didn't have the skills needed to deal with kids with difficult behavior issues, the kids themselves were wore out with focusing on school so had little left to pay attention during the class, and the ratios were also high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids go to Spellman in Cheverly and we are really happy there. Not a lot of white kids in the upper grades but that is changing. The school is 60% black and 35% Latino. Lots of immigrants from African/Caribbean counties too. The PTA is very active and has managed to get a good cross section of the school community involved which isn't always easy. It is a Title 1 school but there is a lot of economic diversity and more and more middle class families are choosing to send their kids there. The principal is young and dynamic and is making a good school even better. The school has also committed to getting physical activity incorporated into the day as much as possible. It has it's problems for sure and the school isn't set on a beautiful campus but the kids are great, the staff is fantastic and there is a real sense of School community. https://www.facebook.com/GNSPTA/

The town of Cheverly is great, even more affordable than Hyattsville or Greenbelt and most of the houses are walking distance to Metro. Check out the blog https://ichoosecheverly.com/ if you are interested.

The middle school and high school we are zoned for are dismal and we are just going to cross our fingers that we can get into a charter or magnet when we get to that point in a few years. Our TAG magnet is Highland park and nearly everyone who applies for second grade gets in if that is something you want to explore.

I've heard good things and bad things about Greenbelt Elementary. I hear that the class sizes in the lower grades can be really big (over 25 and close to 30 in some K classes) and that communication with the admin is hit or miss. The community of Greenbelt is fantastic though and living there gets you into Greenbelt Middle and Eleanor Roosevelt (regular stream not S&T program).

Another school to think about is Calverton Elementary School which has just won an EGATE award. They are zoned for MLK middle school which is also highly rated in comparison to other PG schools.

We also live in Cheverly, and are planning on Spellman (still a couple of years away). I'm happy to see your endorsement of it! I've had a few opportunities to be in the school during the day for various reasons, and I've been impressed with teachers and students each time. The thing about Cheverly is that it's just a really great town. We have very little desire to base where we live on GS ratings, preferring to choose community as our priority. Cheverly has that. We'll deal with middle/high school when we get to that point. It does have a small town feel, very civic minded, but it's NOT conservative. However, I am conservative and feel incredibly welcome and at home - it just doesn't matter that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I really really appreciate the feedback. I'm curious as to how PP at 13:02 would respond to PP at 13:21. The Hyattsville ES you describe is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to hear, but the scared part of me is worried about the stuff 13:21 is mentioning, particularly if a strong principal were to, say, move on. How are class sizes at Hyattsville ES?

I'm not sure yet whether or not bad MS and HS feeders is an issue for me. Part of me would maybe be ok going private at that point. Obviously that's the case or else I wouldn't even be considering staying in PG.

13:02 again and I would also add after reading 13:21 - if you are going to need aftercare, make sure to drop by randomly at a couple different times and check it out. The same kids who have behavior issues during the day in the classroom are the same kids with behavior issues in aftercare. Add to that aftercare is not staffed usually be teachers and the ratio is high - 20 kids or more (depends on the regs in your area) to 1 adult. Even if you have afterschool clubs/classes run by vendors, it's not much better. In fact, my kid was in those as well at her school and they were mostly a disaster because the adults running them just didn't have the skills needed to deal with kids with difficult behavior issues, the kids themselves were wore out with focusing on school so had little left to pay attention during the class, and the ratios were also high.

Although it doesn't really matter, the above was not written by 13:02 (me) and it's bizarre that someone would claim that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I really really appreciate the feedback. I'm curious as to how PP at 13:02 would respond to PP at 13:21. The Hyattsville ES you describe is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to hear, but the scared part of me is worried about the stuff 13:21 is mentioning, particularly if a strong principal were to, say, move on. How are class sizes at Hyattsville ES?

I'm not sure yet whether or not bad MS and HS feeders is an issue for me. Part of me would maybe be ok going private at that point. Obviously that's the case or else I wouldn't even be considering staying in PG.

13:02 again and I would also add after reading 13:21 - if you are going to need aftercare, make sure to drop by randomly at a couple different times and check it out. The same kids who have behavior issues during the day in the classroom are the same kids with behavior issues in aftercare. Add to that aftercare is not staffed usually be teachers and the ratio is high - 20 kids or more (depends on the regs in your area) to 1 adult. Even if you have afterschool clubs/classes run by vendors, it's not much better. In fact, my kid was in those as well at her school and they were mostly a disaster because the adults running them just didn't have the skills needed to deal with kids with difficult behavior issues, the kids themselves were wore out with focusing on school so had little left to pay attention during the class, and the ratios were also high.

Although it doesn't really matter, the above was not written by 13:02 (me) and it's bizarre that someone would claim that.

Oops! Yes I transposed the numbers. Sorry about that. I am poster 13:21. And no it's not bizarre or some strange plot against you, it was just an honest mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out Hyattsville Elementary School. It has a strong principal (Julia Burton), PTA, and aftercare options (Art Works Now, Joe's Movement, perhaps Pyramid Atlantic soon). There's widespread community support for the school. Large numbers of unusually well-educated parents are taking a hands-on approach to investing in and improving their local school. The test scores reflect the diverse make-up of the student body. Language and socio-economic barriers keep those test scores (and, consequently, the Great Schools rating) from reflecting the school's strengths, but those who live in Hyattsville are justifiably proud of their neighborhood school. Search the archives for HES and you'll see what I mean.

Unfortunately, I'm not quite as enthused about Hyattsville Middle School or Northwestern High School. Everything in this area is trending upward, so I'm hopeful for future improvements, especially as the vanguard of involved PTA parents has started to transition over to the middle school. Still, that's something to keep an eye on for longer-range planning.

+2 Current Hyattsville Elementary parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I really really appreciate the feedback. I'm curious as to how PP at 13:02 would respond to PP at 13:21. The Hyattsville ES you describe is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to hear, but the scared part of me is worried about the stuff 13:21 is mentioning, particularly if a strong principal were to, say, move on. How are class sizes at Hyattsville ES?

I'm not sure yet whether or not bad MS and HS feeders is an issue for me. Part of me would maybe be ok going private at that point. Obviously that's the case or else I wouldn't even be considering staying in PG.

13:02 again and I would also add after reading 13:21 - if you are going to need aftercare, make sure to drop by randomly at a couple different times and check it out. The same kids who have behavior issues during the day in the classroom are the same kids with behavior issues in aftercare. Add to that aftercare is not staffed usually be teachers and the ratio is high - 20 kids or more (depends on the regs in your area) to 1 adult. Even if you have afterschool clubs/classes run by vendors, it's not much better. In fact, my kid was in those as well at her school and they were mostly a disaster because the adults running them just didn't have the skills needed to deal with kids with difficult behavior issues, the kids themselves were wore out with focusing on school so had little left to pay attention during the class, and the ratios were also high.

This depends on the type of aftercare program. If you qualify for the needs based program then that's a separate aftercare program from say, ArtWorks.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is a kindergartner at Paint Branch Elementary in College Park. They have a Great Schools rating of 5. We love it. They have a Chinese immersion program - math and science are taught in Chinese. There are two teachers in the classroom (one teaching in English and one in Chinese) so the ratio is 10:1. She really is thriving and learning a lot. We were considering sending her to Holy Redeemer but decided to give PB a try first, and I'm really so glad we did.

[Anonymous]

We are currently considering both Holy Redeemer and Paint Branch. What has concerned me most about Paint Branch is my inability to connect with parents who send their kids there. Can you tell me a bit more about why you are so happy there? Excellent teaching? The immersion program? Other academic programming? Sense of community at the school? Communication with teachers/admin? Social interactions/friendships for your daughter? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are currently considering both Holy Redeemer and Paint Branch. What has concerned me most about Paint Branch is my inability to connect with parents who send their kids there. Can you tell me a bit more about why you are so happy there? Excellent teaching? The immersion program? Other academic programming? Sense of community at the school? Communication with teachers/admin? Social interactions/friendships for your daughter? Thank you!

I work in DC and my schedule isn't too flexible so I haven't become very involved in the school. DC has several friends in the neighborhood, some that are in her class at school and some that are not. I live in Berwyn and it's a great neighborhood with a nice feel and community activities. There's a bonfire in the fall, a group of neighbors that's planting a sustainable garden along the bike path that goes through the neighborhood, a volunteer group that picks up litter - things like that. We end up more involved in these events. So all that to say that most of the social interaction for her doesn't come from the school. I don't think there's a strong PTA or a lot of parental involvement, but my schedule is going to loosen up in a month or so and I'm hoping to become more involved next year.

What I like about the school - I think her teachers are great. They're very responsive. There's a lot of communication about how she's doing, what the class is working on - things like that. I loved the idea of an immersion program, and thought they were valuable before we moved here. I like the immersion teacher and her style and my DC is grasping the language - she's able to make small talk in Chinese now, and read some signs. She's a trip when we're picking up takeout. And she's teaching me the language now - she says something, has me repeat it, encourages me when I try but don't say it correctly. She's parroting her teacher with what she's saying to me, and I like the style of what I'm hearing.

My DC is an only child and a kindergartner, so this is the only school I know so I might not be the best judge, but I like it. The biggest reason is because she seems to be thriving. She loves school, loves her teachers, is learning a lot - she's made great strides in reading and math this year and is excited to go to school. I like the way they cover the material - there's a variety of activities and ways of teaching the material from what I see.

When we moved into the neighborhood I was assuming Holy Redeemer would be where she went. But then we looked into Paint Branch and I liked the idea of it but I wasn't sure. We ended up deciding that we'd give it a try in kindergarten and see how it went - we could always pull her and put her in Holy Redeemer if we hated it, but we figured if we started with Holy Redeemer that's where we'd keep her. I'm glad that we did it this way, at least for now.

I hope this helps - I'm at work and writing as I have time, so I hope I covered what you want to hear. I'll try to check back more frequently if you have other questions.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Very helpful information.

[Anonymous]

H.e. double toothpicks no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:H.e. double toothpicks no

what are you referring to?