Looking for tips and opinions for inquisitive/gifted student and motivated parents in PWCS

[Anonymous]

I know everyone thinks that their kid is gifted. I'm one of those parents. I won't go into why I think my first grader is smart, but I was wondering if I could get some tips or opinions on what to do or if anyone was in the same boat. I feel like the education is lacking in PWCS and I'm not sure I want to go the private school route.

Would trying to move to FCPS or another county in the DC area be worth it? Would the education be any different? Would there be more resources and more after school clubs? Would being around more motivated students be better? Would just paying for activities outside of school be good enough to keep him curious?

I'm worried because he's already been at PWCS for nearly two years (K and 1st grade) and I don't see him learning much at all from school other than socialization. I'm not aware of any after-school clubs for him. He's the type of kid who is interested in astronomy, geography, chess, math, science, that sort of thing. I want to foster his natural curiosity and creativity and I'm concerned that currently what we are doing isn't cutting it. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know everyone thinks that their kid is gifted. I'm one of those parents. I won't go into why I think my first grader is smart, but I was wondering if I could get some tips or opinions on what to do or if anyone was in the same boat. I feel like the education is lacking in PWCS and I'm not sure I want to go the private school route.

Would trying to move to FCPS or another county in the DC area be worth it? Would the education be any different? Would there be more resources and more after school clubs? Would being around more motivated students be better? Would just paying for activities outside of school be good enough to keep him curious?

I'm worried because he's already been at PWCS for nearly two years (K and 1st grade) and I don't see him learning much at all from school other than socialization. I'm not aware of any after-school clubs for him. He's the type of kid who is interested in astronomy, geography, chess, math, science, that sort of thing. I want to foster his natural curiosity and creativity and I'm concerned that currently what we are doing isn't cutting it. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

What part of PWC are you in, and what private school would you have your kid going to if you decided to enroll him in private? I live in the western end of PWC (my neighborhood is zoned for Patriot high school and Marsteller middle--I dont' want to get more specific than that.) For private schools you can go out to Faquier ccounty (Highland and Wakefeild) or the very small selection of Catholic schools (Linton Hall and All Saints--our local parish, Holy Trinity, doesn't even have a school) and beyond that there are really no options.

Have you looked at the "Traditional Schools?" Pennington is for students in western PWC and Porter is for students in eastern PWC. https://www.pwcs.edu/academics___programs/advanced_academics___specialty_programs/specialty_programs/traditional_schools

[Anonymous]

^just want to clarify--the private schools I listed and then said "beyond that there really are no options"--I was specifically talking about the western end. I'm not aware of all the options towards the eastern end.