What is the class size at Norwood, Sidwell, and WES?

[Anonymous]

Please tell, I am not interested in student teacher ratio. I would like to know what the number of kids in each classroom in k, 1, 2, 3.
Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Norwood had 16 per homeroom in K last year and has 16-17 per homeroom in 1st this year.

[Anonymous]

WES also increased their kindergarten sizes this year. Don't know why -- isn't this the year that enrollment at private schools supposedly fell?

Anyway, it's 18 kids (up from 14) with two teachers. (Don't know about the other class's size). Somehow, though, this group of kids seems to have really clicked. All the kids seem to be doing great together. And the teachers have been very responsive to questions about my DC.

[Anonymous]

I believe Sidwell has 24 per class K-2, but that's just based on having taken the tour.

[Anonymous]

Wow, I'm amazed at how large those classroom sizes are! In those grades, my child's class (top VA school) had no more than 12 kids with 2 teachers. In MS, his classes are 8 - 10 kids. Total class size is 90+.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe Sidwell has 24 per class K-2, but that's just based on having taken the tour.

Is that with two teachers?

We might be in this for the short run, may transfer at the end of 2nd or 3rd either to MCPS GT or Holton, but we are interested in class sizes.

[Anonymous]

That's with 2 teachers.

Norwood also has 2 homeroom teachers in K. In 1st, there's 1 homeroom teacher, but not that much is done in homeroom. Math is taught with 2 teachers, and reading is taught in groups of 8-9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, I'm amazed at how large those classroom sizes are! In those grades, my child's class (top VA school) had no more than 12 kids with 2 teachers. In MS, his classes are 8 - 10 kids. Total class size is 90+.

If your child is now in MS, your stats for kindergarten (presumably 6 years ago or more) aren't relevant.

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised by some of these numbers. My child is in first grade at MCPS in Bethesda. The class sizes are considered relatively large--24 kids for most of the day, but reading is taught in groups of 12. I would have thought that a place like, say, Norwood would have much better numbers. So my child's reading class only has 3-4 more kids in it? For the tuition and fees at Norwood, shouldn't the reading class sizes be smaller?

[Anonymous]

17:21 - Sorry, forgot to mention it was 2 different VA schools. (Wrote my post in the pre-dawn hours before coffee kicked in.) Both schools have very small classroom sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So my child's reading class only has 3-4 more kids in it? For the tuition and fees at Norwood, shouldn't the reading class sizes be smaller?

Would I like them to be smaller? Sure--up to a point. Do I feel short-changed because they're not smaller? Not really because I see the school as a package. We're not just paying for smaller classes; we're also paying for lots of investment in art, music, PE, science, technology, foreign languages, teacher development, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised by some of these numbers. My child is in first grade at MCPS in Bethesda. The class sizes are considered relatively large--24 kids for most of the day, but reading is taught in groups of 12. I would have thought that a place like, say, Norwood would have much better numbers. So my child's reading class only has 3-4 more kids in it? For the tuition and fees at Norwood, shouldn't the reading class sizes be smaller?

How many minutes of reading each day?

[Anonymous]

Re: how many minutes of reading each day in MCPS 1st grade in Bethesda?

I believe that reading is 2 hours each day, although it could be closer to 2 1/2 hours...I think that extra half hour is more focused on writing skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: how many minutes of reading each day in MCPS 1st grade in Bethesda?

I believe that reading is 2 hours each day, although it could be closer to 2 1/2 hours...I think that extra half hour is more focused on writing skills.

that is a lot. How do they have time for math, recess, lunch and other subjects in 6 hours(not to hijack).

[Anonymous]

Other subjects? This is MCPS! It is all about reading and math!!! They only have one "special" a day (gym, art, music, library) and lunch and recess are only half hour each. Science/Social Studies are one hour a day.