Silver Springs schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can some on speak to northwood?

I have a friend who is a teacher at Northwood. Earlier this year he was out for two days after he was punched in the face by a student.

[Anonymous]

Did he deserve it?

[Anonymous]

Re Einstein - it is either already an IB school or becoming an IB school. So trending upward.

To add to the list of good schools in Silver Spring - Rosemary Hills in 20910. It's in the BCC Cluster (Rosemary Hills - North Chevy Chase - Westland/New MS - BCC). Rosemary Hills the neighborhood is wonderful, friendly, diverse, down-to-earth, and very convenient commute-wise. Tremendous diversity - racial, ethnic/county of origin/economic in the BCC cluster. Probably few school districts in the country with the tremendouse socio-economic spread that you find in BCC cluster.

Only problem with Rosemary Hills neighborhood is that it is small, older/non-renovated houses are small too, and the secret is out - you really have to jump when a decent house comes on the market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think PPs statement is true for most DTSS middle schools. Stronger elementaries feeding in, involved professional families, just a shift in both demographics and potential- the MS are going to get stronger. Some like SSMIS already have a great reputation, others have good new leadership and active families.

Exactly...BUT

The problem is when you are in the DCC or NEC you LOSE that community when you get to HS. I taught in an NEC school and the consortium killed it. You had a brother at one school, a sister at another. You had kids (and parents) who were bitter because they didn't their first choice and then spend all their energy trying to get transferred the next school year, never becoming involved with the school as a result. You have kids from school A going to all the school events at school B becuase that is where most of their friends are. So, it is just a big mess.

I am at another MCPS school with a very strong community. These kids have all been going to school together for 10-13 years. It does make a difference. That is my major issue with the schools in the NEC/DCC.

But another PP on here said one kid is at School A and the other at School B (they liked school B better) so I guess s/he could speak more about it, but that is my personal experience with the SS high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sherwood may be marginally better than Blair, but for twice the commute it isn't worth it to us. If we had horses or worked from home maybe.

People here are very happy with elem options and Blair. I can't speak to the other DCC schools.

marginally better?

lol!

The only plus to Blair is magnet/CAP. That's what gives Blair its reputation. It's a school w/in a school, and b/c of the magnet - and now with the DCC (aka - school "choice") - there's no community. That's what happened to PB and Springbrook. The consortium destroyed the neighborhoods, especially with the addition of Blake, which has NO true home base.

Sherwood opted out of the consortium b/c they knew it would create fragmentation. It's bad enough that Rosa Parks has split articulation - as does Farquhar to some extent. But it has a better community than the NEC and DCC, which is what helps schools function.

So you can compare all you want about test scores and this and that. I prefer that my children feel as though they're part of a community. And having lived in the NEC and worked in an NEC "cluster," we realized that community just wasn't there.

So families living in Silver Spring aren't part of a "community?" I guess you haven't been back to Silver Spring in the last 25 years.

Yes, Sherwood opted out of a consortium, as did BCC. You can try to justify the reasons as anything other than race, but you'll lose. I have nothing against the greater Olney area, and Sherwood is a fine school, but when you need to attack something else to pull yourself up, you've already lost the argument. And don't kid yourself, Blair and Einstein are every bit as well regarded as Sherwood academically.

Blair has the magnets. Schools w/in a school - I know firsthand how that worked. There was NO integration.

Einstein? Compare its test scores to Sherwood's. There is no comparison academically.

I grew up in SS. My mother lives in SS. Two good friends live in SS. I know the area, honey bun. Community and school choice do not go hand in hand. Neighborhoods should be able to support their cluster - their elementary schools, their middle schools and their high school.

You do realize where these "choices" are, right? in the low SES areas

Do you see school choice with Whitman and Churchill? lol! no . . .

The county hopes that by allowing choice, it will create competition among the schools in an effort to beef up rigor. So you have lots of academies and magnets. lots of bells and whistles

nice, right? "I hope MY school beats out YOUR school b/c YOUR school sucks!" That's the game. And in a competition, someone's ALWAYS a loser! Who gets third choice in the NEC? I know that answer. And guess what? So do the parents and kids connected to that high school. not a good feeling, right?

all in the name of equity?

So before you slam me, do your homework. UNDERSTAND WHY the system created choice and how it has destroyed the reputations of schools.

I'm eager to read your response. I'll be waiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can some on speak to northwood?

I have a friend who is a teacher at Northwood. Earlier this year he was out for two days after he was punched in the face by a student.

Northwood was our home school. We were warned not to go there by a friend who taught there for two years. She left as soon as she could. But, the elementary school, Forest Knolls, was nice. They had a wonderful media program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can some on speak to northwood?

I have a friend who is a teacher at Northwood. Earlier this year he was out for two days after he was punched in the face by a student.

Northwood was our home school. We were warned not to go there by a friend who taught there for two years. She left as soon as she could. But, the elementary school, Forest Knolls, was nice. They had a wonderful media program.

When was this? Last year, five years ago, fifteen years ago?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sherwood may be marginally better than Blair, but for twice the commute it isn't worth it to us. If we had horses or worked from home maybe.

People here are very happy with elem options and Blair. I can't speak to the other DCC schools.

marginally better?

lol!

The only plus to Blair is magnet/CAP. That's what gives Blair its reputation. It's a school w/in a school, and b/c of the magnet - and now with the DCC (aka - school "choice") - there's no community. That's what happened to PB and Springbrook. The consortium destroyed the neighborhoods, especially with the addition of Blake, which has NO true home base.

Sherwood opted out of the consortium b/c they knew it would create fragmentation. It's bad enough that Rosa Parks has split articulation - as does Farquhar to some extent. But it has a better community than the NEC and DCC, which is what helps schools function.

So you can compare all you want about test scores and this and that. I prefer that my children feel as though they're part of a community. And having lived in the NEC and worked in an NEC "cluster," we realized that community just wasn't there.

So families living in Silver Spring aren't part of a "community?" I guess you haven't been back to Silver Spring in the last 25 years.

Yes, Sherwood opted out of a consortium, as did BCC. You can try to justify the reasons as anything other than race, but you'll lose. I have nothing against the greater Olney area, and Sherwood is a fine school, but when you need to attack something else to pull yourself up, you've already lost the argument. And don't kid yourself, Blair and Einstein are every bit as well regarded as Sherwood academically.

Blair has the magnets. Schools w/in a school - I know firsthand how that worked. There was NO integration.

Einstein? Compare its test scores to Sherwood's. There is no comparison academically.

I grew up in SS. My mother lives in SS. Two good friends live in SS. I know the area, honey bun. Community and school choice do not go hand in hand. Neighborhoods should be able to support their cluster - their elementary schools, their middle schools and their high school.

You do realize where these "choices" are, right? in the low SES areas

Do you see school choice with Whitman and Churchill? lol! no . . .

The county hopes that by allowing choice, it will create competition among the schools in an effort to beef up rigor. So you have lots of academies and magnets. lots of bells and whistles

nice, right? "I hope MY school beats out YOUR school b/c YOUR school sucks!" That's the game. And in a competition, someone's ALWAYS a loser! Who gets third choice in the NEC? I know that answer. And guess what? So do the parents and kids connected to that high school. not a good feeling, right?

all in the name of equity?

So before you slam me, do your homework. UNDERSTAND WHY the system created choice and how it has destroyed the reputations of schools.

I'm eager to read your response. I'll be waiting.

NP --
So you grew up in Silver Spring -- when did you last live here? When did you last go to school here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think PPs statement is true for most DTSS middle schools. Stronger elementaries feeding in, involved professional families, just a shift in both demographics and potential- the MS are going to get stronger. Some like SSMIS already have a great reputation, others have good new leadership and active families.

Exactly...BUT

The problem is when you are in the DCC or NEC you LOSE that community when you get to HS. I taught in an NEC school and the consortium killed it. You had a brother at one school, a sister at another. You had kids (and parents) who were bitter because they didn't their first choice and then spend all their energy trying to get transferred the next school year, never becoming involved with the school as a result. You have kids from school A going to all the school events at school B becuase that is where most of their friends are. So, it is just a big mess.

I am at another MCPS school with a very strong community. These kids have all been going to school together for 10-13 years. It does make a difference. That is my major issue with the schools in the NEC/DCC.

But another PP on here said one kid is at School A and the other at School B (they liked school B better) so I guess s/he could speak more about it, but that is my personal experience with the SS high schools.

Which high school did you teach in? Please let us know.

I live near Blair and it seems like a really dynamic school. People in the neighborhood are always going to see the plays there, or to watch games. We have Blair teachers who live nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can some on speak to northwood?

I have a friend who is a teacher at Northwood. Earlier this year he was out for two days after he was punched in the face by a student.

Northwood was our home school. We were warned not to go there by a friend who taught there for two years. She left as soon as she could. But, the elementary school, Forest Knolls, was nice. They had a wonderful media program.

When was this? Last year, five years ago, fifteen years ago?

Northwood has only been back open for 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think PPs statement is true for most DTSS middle schools. Stronger elementaries feeding in, involved professional families, just a shift in both demographics and potential- the MS are going to get stronger. Some like SSMIS already have a great reputation, others have good new leadership and active families.

Exactly...BUT

The problem is when you are in the DCC or NEC you LOSE that community when you get to HS. I taught in an NEC school and the consortium killed it. You had a brother at one school, a sister at another. You had kids (and parents) who were bitter because they didn't their first choice and then spend all their energy trying to get transferred the next school year, never becoming involved with the school as a result. You have kids from school A going to all the school events at school B becuase that is where most of their friends are. So, it is just a big mess.

I am at another MCPS school with a very strong community. These kids have all been going to school together for 10-13 years. It does make a difference. That is my major issue with the schools in the NEC/DCC.

But another PP on here said one kid is at School A and the other at School B (they liked school B better) so I guess s/he could speak more about it, but that is my personal experience with the SS high schools.

Which high school did you teach in? Please let us know.

I live near Blair and it seems like a really dynamic school. People in the neighborhood are always going to see the plays there, or to watch games. We have Blair teachers who live nearby.

I think Blair is a little diffrent in that most of the people in that area stick with/choose Blair and usually (but not always) when you pick your home school, you will get it.

The same can be said for Paint Branch (well, before they rebuilt the school). Usually the Burtonsville kids stayed in Burtonsville and you had very few that came to Springbrook or Blake. So Paint Branch was more of a "community". However, once they built the new HS, you had a lot of students picking PB so that they could get into the new building (better facilities, turf).

The consortium has divided the community more than done anything else for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can some on speak to northwood?

I have a friend who is a teacher at Northwood. Earlier this year he was out for two days after he was punched in the face by a student.

Northwood was our home school. We were warned not to go there by a friend who taught there for two years. She left as soon as she could. But, the elementary school, Forest Knolls, was nice. They had a wonderful media program.

When was this? Last year, five years ago, fifteen years ago?

Northwood has only been back open for 10 years.

OK, so the friend could have taught there for two years ten years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can some on speak to northwood?

I have a friend who is a teacher at Northwood. Earlier this year he was out for two days after he was punched in the face by a student.

Northwood was our home school. We were warned not to go there by a friend who taught there for two years. She left as soon as she could. But, the elementary school, Forest Knolls, was nice. They had a wonderful media program.

My niece and nephew graduated from Northwood in 2011 and 2012. They did well and never had any problems with safety or bullying. They stayed in their honors/AP bubble and played some sports (soccer and tennis), and are both away at four-year universities (ignoring their aunt, who misses them so much!)

I also have at least two teacher friends there, and they have never complained about safety either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think PPs statement is true for most DTSS middle schools. Stronger elementaries feeding in, involved professional families, just a shift in both demographics and potential- the MS are going to get stronger. Some like SSMIS already have a great reputation, others have good new leadership and active families.

Exactly...BUT

The problem is when you are in the DCC or NEC you LOSE that community when you get to HS. I taught in an NEC school and the consortium killed it. You had a brother at one school, a sister at another. You had kids (and parents) who were bitter because they didn't their first choice and then spend all their energy trying to get transferred the next school year, never becoming involved with the school as a result. You have kids from school A going to all the school events at school B becuase that is where most of their friends are. So, it is just a big mess.

I am at another MCPS school with a very strong community. These kids have all been going to school together for 10-13 years. It does make a difference. That is my major issue with the schools in the NEC/DCC.

But another PP on here said one kid is at School A and the other at School B (they liked school B better) so I guess s/he could speak more about it, but that is my personal experience with the SS high schools.

Which high school did you teach in? Please let us know.

I live near Blair and it seems like a really dynamic school. People in the neighborhood are always going to see the plays there, or to watch games. We have Blair teachers who live nearby.

I think Blair is a little diffrent in that most of the people in that area stick with/choose Blair and usually (but not always) when you pick your home school, you will get it.

The same can be said for Paint Branch (well, before they rebuilt the school). Usually the Burtonsville kids stayed in Burtonsville and you had very few that came to Springbrook or Blake. So Paint Branch was more of a "community". However, once they built the new HS, you had a lot of students picking PB so that they could get into the new building (better facilities, turf).

The consortium has divided the community more than done anything else for it.

Actually, the way the DCC works is that when you put your home school as choice #1, you WILL get it. 100% of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last 4 PPs - I'm reporting you for being WAY too reasonable to be posting on DCUM.

Also, to OP: these four posters are symbolic of the attitude of people living in Silver Spring and sending their kids to the local schools - laid back, able to communicate well, reasonable, likable. If these characteristics are what you're looking for in a community, you'll find them in ample supply here.

Dunno. I think the argument that people only avoid certain schools because they want to justify their purchase of more expensive homes is about as lacking in originality as you can get on DCUM.

It is just a theory.

Why do you think people on DCUM are so invested in making everyone understand that Silver Spring and Wheaton schools are bad and to be avoided?

I think it's great that so many love their Silver Spring schools but don't deny that there are some people who live in Silver Spring who are not. I know someone who swore up and down that she would never send her kids to her SS elementary school. She was able to figure out a "hardship" to get out of it and now her kids go to a school in Kensington.