B-CC MS number 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who are saying the RCF community doesn't understand that this will be a drain in PTA resources - with the immersion folks our school is at around 25% FARMS. The new MS would have a lower FARMS rate than RCF (or course, our neighborhood-only FARMS rate is way higher). So I'm pretty confident that just as our PTA currently finds enough volunteers and donations, the new MS PTA will be able to do the same with a lower FARMS rate than we currently have.

Someone just dropped the mic.

The unofficial FARMS rate at CCES has gone up significantly in the past two years (approx 3%). According to an insider, the current numbers are not correct and the school has has outpaced MCPS's projected growth by 3% in ONE YEAR ALONE. Add up that growth over 5-10 years. Neither the FARMS nor the increased projected enrollment at CCES alone shows no signs of slowing down. The FARMS rate at the new Middle will be much higher than what you state and MORE IMPORTANTLY the ENROLLMENT will be much much higher. Everyone knows the capacity numbers are bogus and under reported by MCPS and do not take into account the development happening in the next year or two. My main concern is capacity and overcrowding.

CCES houses a lot of diversity, just slightly less than RCF, even though everyone accuses the school of being rich because of it's name. It is a few affluent kids mixed in with a fair amount of disadvantaged kids. NCC actually has less diversity than CCES, very little in fact, it is more equivalent to Somerset or BE. I can attest that RHPS and CCES are bursting at the seams.

RFC, being a title one school has caps on classroom size, keeping them them small, sweet and condusive to learning. RCF has fortunately never had to deal with classrooms of 27 kids and multiple lunches for one grade because there are too many kids. Honestly, I think part of the problem is that from lack of experience, RCF has no idea how horrible being in an overcrowded school is. No. Idea. They have never had to deal with it. Meanwhile, CCES and RHPS familes have been crammed into classrooms like sardines for years and want some relief. They understand intimately exactly what overcrowded and overcapacity means because they live it and are tired of it. Hence the anger at the capacity numbers.

RCF is not a title 1 school. It has 26% FARMs, nowhere near the 40% minimum needed to qualify for title 1 funds.

The Triad sure is clueless...

Just to be clear, I posted that and am a RHPS/CCES family. I also think the PPni responded to is nuts and doesn't represent how most people feel.

[Anonymous]

I think there are lots of RHPS/NCC/CCES families that aren't represented by the crazy person (people?) on this thread (but it doesn't help if you post about what "the Triad" is or isn't).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there are lots of RHPS/NCC/CCES families that aren't represented by the crazy person (people?) on this thread (but it doesn't help if you post about what "the Triad" is or isn't).

This is fair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well consider yourself lucky RCF that you never had to deal with overcrowding through elemenatry! How do you jusitify making other disadvataged kids who have to had to deal with overcrowding for years to even more of it? We have a lot of disadvantaged kids, almost as many as you, who did not have the luxury of small classes. It's not our faults we are overcrowded either.

The schools should start off as true equals in every way but since that won' t or can't happen, let's start with making the starting capacities equal!!!!

Your assumptions are wrong, and you’re spreading a lot of misinformation. Please read this and try to understand where your neighbors are coming from.

1) RCF is not a Title 1 school, and does not get Title 1 services or benefits.

2) MCPS reports RCF’s demographics in aggregate for the whole school, neighborhood plus spanish Immersion. This is very misleading because those children do not learn in the same academic classrooms and have very different experiences in the classroom. So our reported (aggregate) FARMS rate is 26%. However, RCF neighborhood school FARMS rate is actually 43%, which is by far the highest FARMS rate in the Cluster. This is 145% higher than CCES, and 246% higher than NCC. RCF neighborhood school ESOL rate is 420% higher than CCES and 247% higher than NCC. Our neighborhood school is made up of 70% kids who are non-white.

3) We are a Focus school, which means in grades K-2 our neighborhood classes are small, and that is a benefit we definitely enjoy. But at 3rd grade and up, our neighborhood class sizes are the same as yours, which means jam-packed. In my child’s 3rd grade classroom there are 30 kids and in my older child’s 5th grade class there are 32 kids.

4) We do have a great new school, which is in its 2nd year, and is now at capacity. Everyone in 2nd grade and up spent time in our old school building that crammed more than 600 kids into a building designed for 250, had rodents and roaches, and was last updated in 1970 prior to being torn down in 2013. RCF was passed up for modernization for a decade while our wealthier neighboring schools got additions and upgrades.

So, with all due respect, you don’t have “nearly as many disadvantaged children as RCF” (not even close), we do have plenty of experience with overcrowding (just like every school in the county), and we are not starting out on equal footing.

Silver Spring parent expecting a Bethesda life style. Why are you complaining about the diversity and density you moved into?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just had to respond to this:
'The new school will start off with an inexperienced staff".

I am an MCPS teacher who is interested in maybe teaching at B-CC MS #2 (Can't wait until it actually gets a name, btw) and have 11 years of teaching experience. I live in Chevy Chase DC and am intrigued by the idea of:
a) the excitement of helping to start a school from the beginning and
b) a shorter commute to work from my home

I actually think many experienced educators will apply to teach at the new middle school, especially if they choose a good principal!

I'm staying out of the boundary argument, but just wanted to chime in that I do not think the staff itself will be 'inexperienced' as compared to Westland.

+1. Westland will have far fewer students than it currently does. It will no longer have the student numbers to support its current teacher numbers. Some Westland teachers will have to leave Westland. It makes sense that they would be given priority to teach at the new school. Same for teachers ar CCES and NCC, who will no longer be anle tk teach 6th grade there because there will no longer be a 6th grade.

Not only should the new school open with at least some experienced teachers, there should be some teachers who already teach MS classes in the cluster and know the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well consider yourself lucky RCF that you never had to deal with overcrowding through elemenatry! How do you jusitify making other disadvataged kids who have to had to deal with overcrowding for years to even more of it? We have a lot of disadvantaged kids, almost as many as you, who did not have the luxury of small classes. It's not our faults we are overcrowded either.

The schools should start off as true equals in every way but since that won' t or can't happen, let's start with making the starting capacities equal!!!!

Your assumptions are wrong, and you’re spreading a lot of misinformation. Please read this and try to understand where your neighbors are coming from.

1) RCF is not a Title 1 school, and does not get Title 1 services or benefits.

2) MCPS reports RCF’s demographics in aggregate for the whole school, neighborhood plus spanish Immersion. This is very misleading because those children do not learn in the same academic classrooms and have very different experiences in the classroom. So our reported (aggregate) FARMS rate is 26%. However, RCF neighborhood school FARMS rate is actually 43%, which is by far the highest FARMS rate in the Cluster. This is 145% higher than CCES, and 246% higher than NCC. RCF neighborhood school ESOL rate is 420% higher than CCES and 247% higher than NCC. Our neighborhood school is made up of 70% kids who are non-white.

3) We are a Focus school, which means in grades K-2 our neighborhood classes are small, and that is a benefit we definitely enjoy. But at 3rd grade and up, our neighborhood class sizes are the same as yours, which means jam-packed. In my child’s 3rd grade classroom there are 30 kids and in my older child’s 5th grade class there are 32 kids.

4) We do have a great new school, which is in its 2nd year, and is now at capacity. Everyone in 2nd grade and up spent time in our old school building that crammed more than 600 kids into a building designed for 250, had rodents and roaches, and was last updated in 1970 prior to being torn down in 2013. RCF was passed up for modernization for a decade while our wealthier neighboring schools got additions and upgrades.

So, with all due respect, you don’t have “nearly as many disadvantaged children as RCF” (not even close), we do have plenty of experience with overcrowding (just like every school in the county), and we are not starting out on equal footing.

Silver Spring parent expecting a Bethesda life style. Why are you complaining about the diversity and density you moved into?

PP here. Not complaining at all - I love our school. My kids have had a great experience, and have come away with a great understanding of people from many different cultures and backgrounds. I chose to live here, and I'm glad I did. I'm just clearing up the misinformation the person quoted above was spreading. I don't minimize the issues and experiences the families at CCES, RHPS, and NCC have, and I hope people who are reading this get a better understanding of what we experience at RCF. I am proud to be a "Silver Spring parent," and your charge that I'm "expecting a Bethesda lifestyle" would hold more water if we were advocating to go to Westland, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just had to respond to this:
'The new school will start off with an inexperienced staff".

I am an MCPS teacher who is interested in maybe teaching at B-CC MS #2 (Can't wait until it actually gets a name, btw) and have 11 years of teaching experience. I live in Chevy Chase DC and am intrigued by the idea of:
a) the excitement of helping to start a school from the beginning and
b) a shorter commute to work from my home

I actually think many experienced educators will apply to teach at the new middle school, especially if they choose a good principal!

I'm staying out of the boundary argument, but just wanted to chime in that I do not think the staff itself will be 'inexperienced' as compared to Westland.

+1. Westland will have far fewer students than it currently does. It will no longer have the student numbers to support its current teacher numbers. Some Westland teachers will have to leave Westland. It makes sense that they would be given priority to teach at the new school. Same for teachers ar CCES and NCC, who will no longer be anle tk teach 6th grade there because there will no longer be a 6th grade.

Not only should the new school open with at least some experienced teachers, there should be some teachers who already teach MS classes in the cluster and know the community.

Member of the boundary committee here, we were told new schools get first pick of teachers from the entire county, so the school will have fabulous teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just had to respond to this:
'The new school will start off with an inexperienced staff".

I am an MCPS teacher who is interested in maybe teaching at B-CC MS #2 (Can't wait until it actually gets a name, btw) and have 11 years of teaching experience. I live in Chevy Chase DC and am intrigued by the idea of:
a) the excitement of helping to start a school from the beginning and
b) a shorter commute to work from my home

I actually think many experienced educators will apply to teach at the new middle school, especially if they choose a good principal!

I'm staying out of the boundary argument, but just wanted to chime in that I do not think the staff itself will be 'inexperienced' as compared to Westland.

+1. Westland will have far fewer students than it currently does. It will no longer have the student numbers to support its current teacher numbers. Some Westland teachers will have to leave Westland. It makes sense that they would be given priority to teach at the new school. Same for teachers ar CCES and NCC, who will no longer be anle tk teach 6th grade there because there will no longer be a 6th grade.



Not only should the new school open with at least some experienced teachers, there should be some teachers who already teach MS classes in the cluster and know the community.

Member of the boundary committee here, we were told new schools get first pick of teachers from the entire county, so the school will have fabulous teachers.

First pick of the ones in the pool, FYI the pool is not filled with the best teachers.

[Anonymous]

First pick of the ones in the pool, FYI the pool is not filled with the best teachers.


But teachers can enter the pool just for the purpose of going to the new school, so not just new teachers or disgruntle ones. Administrators from the Chases and Westland will certainly be a part of the new staff.

[Anonymous]

CCES and NCC do a lot to support their schools' FARMS population and they are happy to do so. I'm sure those families will continue a similar level of support in middle school. But here are two things to consider:

RCF has done an nice job funding their PTAs and supplying volunteers to get things accomplished. But they've been very clear that their neighborhood school community is much higher-need than the immersion community. If they immersion community has been supporting the PTA with donations over the years, that money sources is now going to Westland; the needier population goes to BCC 2. I don't know that the not-FARMS RCF neighborhood families are able or prepared to donate in a way that will compensate for what the immersion families did at RCF.

Also, putting the 6th grade into middle school and not at the chases is a change for families. I can think of four familiies with current 5th graders who will also have students at RHPS and one of the chases. No longer will they have the ability to make a $100+ family contribution to the PTA and cover two children; they will be expected to make that same contribution at each individual school. And all of these asks come at the time of year when you're buying new sneakers and calculators and enough glue sticks to stick an elephant the gym ceiling. Not a problem for some people, but it might be for others.

On the issue of experienced teachers, which of the good teachers will fight for a job at BCC2 if the enrollment projections indicate that it will be at capacity in just a few years? Sometimes the devil you know is less risky than the devil you don't!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well consider yourself lucky RCF that you never had to deal with overcrowding through elemenatry! How do you jusitify making other disadvataged kids who have to had to deal with overcrowding for years to even more of it? We have a lot of disadvantaged kids, almost as many as you, who did not have the luxury of small classes. It's not our faults we are overcrowded either.

The schools should start off as true equals in every way but since that won' t or can't happen, let's start with making the starting capacities equal!!!!

Your assumptions are wrong, and you’re spreading a lot of misinformation. Please read this and try to understand where your neighbors are coming from.

1) RCF is not a Title 1 school, and does not get Title 1 services or benefits.

2) MCPS reports RCF’s demographics in aggregate for the whole school, neighborhood plus spanish Immersion. This is very misleading because those children do not learn in the same academic classrooms and have very different experiences in the classroom. So our reported (aggregate) FARMS rate is 26%. However, RCF neighborhood school FARMS rate is actually 43%, which is by far the highest FARMS rate in the Cluster. This is 145% higher than CCES, and 246% higher than NCC. RCF neighborhood school ESOL rate is 420% higher than CCES and 247% higher than NCC. Our neighborhood school is made up of 70% kids who are non-white.

3) We are a Focus school, which means in grades K-2 our neighborhood classes are small, and that is a benefit we definitely enjoy. But at 3rd grade and up, our neighborhood class sizes are the same as yours, which means jam-packed. In my child’s 3rd grade classroom there are 30 kids and in my older child’s 5th grade class there are 32 kids.

4) We do have a great new school, which is in its 2nd year, and is now at capacity. Everyone in 2nd grade and up spent time in our old school building that crammed more than 600 kids into a building designed for 250, had rodents and roaches, and was last updated in 1970 prior to being torn down in 2013. RCF was passed up for modernization for a decade while our wealthier neighboring schools got additions and upgrades.

So, with all due respect, you don’t have “nearly as many disadvantaged children as RCF” (not even close), we do have plenty of experience with overcrowding (just like every school in the county), and we are not starting out on equal footing.

Silver Spring parent expecting a Bethesda life style. Why are you complaining about the diversity and density you moved into?

This is one of the most obnoxious things I think I have ever read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CCES and NCC do a lot to support their schools' FARMS population and they are happy to do so. I'm sure those families will continue a similar level of support in middle school. But here are two things to consider:

RCF has done an nice job funding their PTAs and supplying volunteers to get things accomplished. But they've been very clear that their neighborhood school community is much higher-need than the immersion community. If they immersion community has been supporting the PTA with donations over the years, that money sources is now going to Westland; the needier population goes to BCC 2. I don't know that the not-FARMS RCF neighborhood families are able or prepared to donate in a way that will compensate for what the immersion families did at RCF.

Also, putting the 6th grade into middle school and not at the chases is a change for families. I can think of four familiies with current 5th graders who will also have students at RHPS and one of the chases. No longer will they have the ability to make a $100+ family contribution to the PTA and cover two children; they will be expected to make that same contribution at each individual school. And all of these asks come at the time of year when you're buying new sneakers and calculators and enough glue sticks to stick an elephant the gym ceiling. Not a problem for some people, but it might be for others.

On the issue of experienced teachers, which of the good teachers will fight for a job at BCC2 if the enrollment projections indicate that it will be at capacity in just a few years? Sometimes the devil you know is less risky than the devil you don't!

How much do RHPS, NCCES, CCES, and Westland request each family to donate? Is it per family or child?

[Anonymous]

CCES asks for $120 per family, not per child. This covers PTA membership, class parties and everything the PTA pays for.

RHPS is a bit different. It is $10 to join the PTA there and then the room parent asks for a voluntary $20-$25 contribution to cover class parties and other activities. That is per child per class, but they'll take whatever you want to contribute. You're free to do $10 per class if you have three kids there. Most people don't join the PTA, but participation at the class level is very good.

None of these include field trip fees. Maybe someone else can chime in about the other two schools

[Anonymous]

Oh, meant to add that RHPS does come back later in the year and ask for contributions to its annual fundraising drive. That's done on a per family level and suggested donations are all over the place. I don't have my form in front of me and can't remember, but we usually put in $75per kid that we have at the school.

[Anonymous]

Wow, we are moving to the area from DC, and it's amazing how much lower the PTA requests for these schools ours. The upper NW DCPS request anywhere from $650 to $1500 per child (not per family).