New to the area: Ritchie Park Elementary pros/cons?

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone, we’re new to the area/recently moved here. Ritchie Park Elementary on zadi stern off of Falls rd will be our elementary school. Just wondering if there are parents on this forum that have experience with the school and can share pros/cons and experiences are there other resources any one would suggest for researching more about the school? TIA

[Anonymous]

We love Ritchie Park! It's a great little school with amazing teachers and a phenomenal principal! Some great community events including Back to School Picnic, Cultural Heritage Night, Maryland Day, great vibe when you are in the building, everyone is so friendly. Nice mix of kids and a true sense of community! The principal has been leading some antiracist work over the last couple of years and really making sure all opinions and voices are valued too! Highly recommend!

[Anonymous]

My two kids have been very happy at Ritchie Park. It is a warm, welcoming school and community. Teachers are great, principal is easy to speak with. I honestly love being a part of the Ritchie Park family.

[Anonymous]

My kids went to RP and we also loved it. Great teachers and school community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love Ritchie Park! It's a great little school with amazing teachers and a phenomenal principal! Some great community events including Back to School Picnic, Cultural Heritage Night, Maryland Day, great vibe when you are in the building, everyone is so friendly. Nice mix of kids and a true sense of community! The principal has been leading some antiracist work over the last couple of years and really making sure all opinions and voices are valued too! Highly recommend!

Can you explain what exactly he’s been doing with regards to anti-racist training?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We love Ritchie Park! It's a great little school with amazing teachers and a phenomenal principal! Some great community events including Back to School Picnic, Cultural Heritage Night, Maryland Day, great vibe when you are in the building, everyone is so friendly. Nice mix of kids and a true sense of community! The principal has been leading some antiracist work over the last couple of years and really making sure all opinions and voices are valued too! Highly recommend!

Can you explain what exactly he’s been doing with regards to anti-racist training?

The entire system has been having an equity conversation/reflection since I changed careers to teaching 18 years ago. While the name of it shifts to current buzzwords, the underlying work is the same. I'm not at RP, but I'm sure it is similar at all of the schools - a combination of
1. examining school data, practices, & procedures to determine who is left out and what to do about it
2. reflecting on our (staff) own backgrounds and personal biases and how they affect our interactions with and perceptions of others
3. learning more about the affects of different types of trauma on adolescents and different strategies to approach different situations

Two related MCPS information pages:
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/clusteradmin/equity/
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/antiracist/