Schools in Silver Spring

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds more like a North Bethesda/Rockville family to me than Silver Spring.

Is that code for something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds more like a North Bethesda/Rockville family to me than Silver Spring.

Is that code for something?

More white and Asian people, fewer new Hispanic immigrants.

On the other hand, if OPs kids have delays, in a Tittle 1 elementary school which receives lots of extra services due to the FARMs rate and ESOL may not be a bad thing. Would also be much less of a pressure cooker. I live in the Layhill / Glenmont area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to broaden your definition of “unsafe environment” to include exposure to and availability of drugs and alcohol, high academic/social pressure, racism, etc. If you’re stretching to pay for Bethesda schools and that leads to financial stress, that’s problematic for kids. We’re at OTES and know lots of kids who have gone through various DCC high schools (mostly Einstein and Blair) - they do fine. Parental education and involvement are far more predictive of outcome than specific high school.

OP here.
Maybe you misread my comment? You are describing exactly the "pressure cooker environment" we'd like to avoid. We can afford a house in Bethesda, but it would be an old house that would be smaller than we'd like. Budget is up to $1.1 million. We'd love to stay well under that.

FWIW, we are white but moved here from another country and the kids are bilingual. We'd like enough diversity where we won't be the token Eastern European family.

You mentioned "pressure cooker" - but that's a different concern than substance use or even financial stress, which are specific considerations for some lower FARMS schools than many in Silver Spring.

Anyway. There are tons of us educated professionals in SS who send our kids to public school and whose kids have positive experiences there. There are also many families who start out at Oakland Terrace or Flora Singer or Forest Knolls or wherever and move when their kids get close to middle school, out of (largely unfounded) concern about "safety." If you truly want "the best education possible" for your kids, you may despise MCPS altogether.

MCPS is the "best education possible" they can have in the DMV.

Oh, I think MCPS is excellent public education. But most of the people I know who use phrases like "best" to describe their preferred educational experience opt for private. My (Silver Spring) neighbors and I talk plenty about how our kids' educational experiences are going, and I don't think I've heard any of them say it's the "best" or that they even want that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have had experience at several Silver Spring schools mentioned here, including middle and high schools and have had no issues with an unsafe environment or fights in schools.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds more like a North Bethesda/Rockville family to me than Silver Spring.

Is that code for something?

You’re responding to me and no, what would it be code for? Based on OP’s description of what she’s looking for, that was the vibe that seemed to fit for me based on what she said her budget and priorities are.

[Anonymous]

Check out the Woodlin/Sligo/Einstein cluster. FYI, they are opening a new high school in North Bethesda in a few years and many of the schools could be redistricted, so keep that in mind.

[Anonymous]

Depending on your children’s needs as they grow, both Flora Singer and Rock View have learning center classrooms. It is a self contained class for students with disabilities, but mainstreaming options are available according to each child’s strengths and needs. For me, it would be a nice option to have within our home school, if I thought my child may need more support.

[Anonymous]

Avoid the SSIMS cluster if you can. The ES are pretty good but SSIMS is a disaster and the building has lead/ asbestos issues. You will find tons of posts on this here.

Silver spring schools in general have suffered from low investment as it kind of gets lost in the middle. Not the best and not the most needy. Buildings are generally older and not top of list for future renovations. Woodlin is new though- once they actually finish it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds more like a North Bethesda/Rockville family to me than Silver Spring.

Yup. I agree with this.

+1 I was about to post that many of the Eastern European and Russian families we know live in Rockville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds more like a North Bethesda/Rockville family to me than Silver Spring.

Yup. I agree with this.

+1 I was about to post that many of the Eastern European and Russian families we know live in Rockville.

I grew up in silver spring, if I couldn’t afford Bethesda I would move to North Bethesda/Rockville as the pp stated. Silver Spring is just not where I would raise a family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid the SSIMS cluster if you can. The ES are pretty good but SSIMS is a disaster and the building has lead/ asbestos issues. You will find tons of posts on this here.

Silver spring schools in general have suffered from low investment as it kind of gets lost in the middle. Not the best and not the most needy. Buildings are generally older and not top of list for future renovations. Woodlin is new though- once they actually finish it!

This is very true. Portables need to be taking over the parking lots before MCPS will even evaluate building a new school or addition.

While we have generally been happy at our SS schools, I would ask for real numbers on class sizes in recent years. Our Focus school is not always able to maintain the required small class sizes for K-2, which is very hard on the teachers to meet the needs of a diverse student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds more like a North Bethesda/Rockville family to me than Silver Spring.

I live in Silver Spring in the neighborhood listed here, but if I had a $1.1M budget I'd buy in North Bethesda/Potomac, like Old Farm or Fox Hills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rock View ES-Newport Mill-Einstein has been great for us.

OP here: I'd love more detail about your experience at Rock View! I have friends in this neighborhood and there are some cute houses around.

It’s just been easy, honestly. There isn’t much official enrichment before fourth grade, but the teachers have done what they can informally and the small class sizes have really helped make personal attention possible. The kids are generally nice; community is warm and caring. I feel like my kids are “seen” by their teachers.

It’s not the kind of place where people have tutors for ES kids for enrichment, which is what I wanted. One of my kids has an IEP for speech and now ADHD and the school has been great to work with. The teachers have been good to excellent. There is an interim principal this year after the old beloved one moved on, so I am hoping things stay strong!

Neighbors who use NMMS have good things to say as well but we aren’t there yet. We use babysitters from Einstein and they have been great, normal kids. I don’t think they are Harvard-bound, but they also aren’t going to flame out from burnout at the age of 17. They are all headed to great colleges I would be happy to send my kids to and seem to have enjoyed their school years, which is what I want for my family. I would absolutely choose the cluster again if I were looking now.

[Anonymous]

Also, Yes Rock View has a learning center but you don't need to live in Rock View to go to it if your kids qualify-- it draws from a larger area. The houses in our neighborhood aren't big and many of us are thinking of moving at least to have more space, if not for different schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rock View ES-Newport Mill-Einstein has been great for us.

OP here: I'd love more detail about your experience at Rock View! I have friends in this neighborhood and there are some cute houses around.

It’s just been easy, honestly. There isn’t much official enrichment before fourth grade, but the teachers have done what they can informally and the small class sizes have really helped make personal attention possible. The kids are generally nice; community is warm and caring. I feel like my kids are “seen” by their teachers.

It’s not the kind of place where people have tutors for ES kids for enrichment, which is what I wanted. One of my kids has an IEP for speech and now ADHD and the school has been great to work with. The teachers have been good to excellent. There is an interim principal this year after the old beloved one moved on, so I am hoping things stay strong!

Neighbors who use NMMS have good things to say as well but we aren’t there yet. We use babysitters from Einstein and they have been great, normal kids. I don’t think they are Harvard-bound, but they also aren’t going to flame out from burnout at the age of 17. They are all headed to great colleges I would be happy to send my kids to and seem to have enjoyed their school years, which is what I want for my family. I would absolutely choose the cluster again if I were looking now.

I'm also a Rock View parent and my kid's teachers have been excellent but none of them work at Rock View anymore, and I don't know what next year is going to look like because 1/3 of the teachers aren't returning.