Parkland MS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh. It won’t necessarily prepare your kid more. It’s not really a magnet. All kids can take pretty much any class. They take the same classes but have two science classes instead of one. They name them differently but they aren’t too different than other middle schools. They do offer geometry and high school astronomy which can be a plus for some 8th graders as well as a 3D printing class I believe. Lots of behavioral issues and large classes. I wouldn’t drive my child there if it was far but I think they offer more busing now.

It's a magnet. It's not a competitive magnet, rather via a lottery. But it's still a magnet.

(DCUM trope #537)

No it’s not.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parklandms/magnet/

Magnet Program
Do you like...

learning about astronomy, robots, space exploration, satellites, and flight technology?
experimenting with the latest technology and equipment?
sharing the experience of competition with other students?
inventing and explaining new ideas and technologies?
solving engineering problems using scientific knowledge and equipment?
collaborating with scientists and engineers to make authentic connections?

If so, Parkland Middle School may be for you!

It’s still not. They offer all these classes at many middle schools in MCPS. There is nothing different about Parkland than another other middle school except the schedule maybe. The classes are exactly the same. Just named differently. They take one extra science class and anyone can take any of the classes.

This is mostly incorrect. I have taught at Parkland and other middle schools.

They go into much greater detail than the regular MS curriculums as well as offering far more STEM electives. They are far more prepared for science in high school than other middle school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh. It won’t necessarily prepare your kid more. It’s not really a magnet. All kids can take pretty much any class. They take the same classes but have two science classes instead of one. They name them differently but they aren’t too different than other middle schools. They do offer geometry and high school astronomy which can be a plus for some 8th graders as well as a 3D printing class I believe. Lots of behavioral issues and large classes. I wouldn’t drive my child there if it was far but I think they offer more busing now.

It's a magnet. It's not a competitive magnet, rather via a lottery. But it's still a magnet.

(DCUM trope #537)

No it’s not.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parklandms/magnet/

Magnet Program
Do you like...

learning about astronomy, robots, space exploration, satellites, and flight technology?
experimenting with the latest technology and equipment?
sharing the experience of competition with other students?
inventing and explaining new ideas and technologies?
solving engineering problems using scientific knowledge and equipment?
collaborating with scientists and engineers to make authentic connections?

If so, Parkland Middle School may be for you!

It’s still not. They offer all these classes at many middle schools in MCPS. There is nothing different about Parkland than another other middle school except the schedule maybe. The classes are exactly the same. Just named differently. They take one extra science class and anyone can take any of the classes.

A magnet school is a school that can attract students from outside its school zone. Parkland, Argyle, and Loiederman are magnet schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just got a letter saying our child is assigned to Parkland MS. Our home MS is Cabin John. We visited Parkland in the fall and really liked it - at the same time, our older child went to Cabin John and liked it too.

Would love to hear any feedback from Parkland parents, especially if you had to compare vs your home school MS and what made you choose one way or another.

W middle schools are strongly competitive with Parkland, making Parkland not rnecessarily worth the commute.

[Anonymous]

If your kid likes science, engineering, space exploration, robotics etc. and can ignore the occasional drama from kids coming from poverty they will be fine. The reality is that the troublemakers almost completely ignore the smart kids. Completely different social circles unless doing an assigned group project together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh. It won’t necessarily prepare your kid more. It’s not really a magnet. All kids can take pretty much any class. They take the same classes but have two science classes instead of one. They name them differently but they aren’t too different than other middle schools. They do offer geometry and high school astronomy which can be a plus for some 8th graders as well as a 3D printing class I believe. Lots of behavioral issues and large classes. I wouldn’t drive my child there if it was far but I think they offer more busing now.

It's a magnet. It's not a competitive magnet, rather via a lottery. But it's still a magnet.

(DCUM trope #537)

No it’s not.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parklandms/magnet/

Magnet Program
Do you like...

learning about astronomy, robots, space exploration, satellites, and flight technology?
experimenting with the latest technology and equipment?
sharing the experience of competition with other students?
inventing and explaining new ideas and technologies?
solving engineering problems using scientific knowledge and equipment?
collaborating with scientists and engineers to make authentic connections?

If so, Parkland Middle School may be for you!

It’s still not. They offer all these classes at many middle schools in MCPS. There is nothing different about Parkland than another other middle school except the schedule maybe. The classes are exactly the same. Just named differently. They take one extra science class and anyone can take any of the classes.

A magnet school is a school that can attract students from outside its school zone. Parkland, Argyle, and Loiederman are magnet schools.

But that threatens my view of Larla and her application magnet! (Never mind she got in via a different lottery.)

[Anonymous]

Earlier post about Parkland having the same basic science curriculum as other MSs doesn't make sense considering Parkland students take two science classes at a time, each with a different focus. The teacher who taught there and at other MS makes a more convincing case that Parkland offers more for STEM-oriented kids.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We decided to go for Parkland and are really happy with that choice. We are not the type to obsess over whether it is a "real" magnet or not. Those people might not be happy there (or anywhere...lol). We were looking for a great fit for our son and his strengths and interests, and it is exactly that.
-The school is well run and organized with pretty decent communication. Admin seems strong.
-The electives are interesting and add a lot to my son's experience. They definitely help keep him motivated.
-The block schedule works really well for him.
-We don't know his teachers well, but my kid seems to like them and I was impressed with what they had to say at back to school night. They seem happy and committed.
-A super diverse group of friends with similar interests.
-After a rocky start, the bus situation has been great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We decided to go for Parkland and are really happy with that choice. We are not the type to obsess over whether it is a "real" magnet or not. Those people might not be happy there (or anywhere...lol). We were looking for a great fit for our son and his strengths and interests, and it is exactly that.
-The school is well run and organized with pretty decent communication. Admin seems strong.
-The electives are interesting and add a lot to my son's experience. They definitely help keep him motivated.
-The block schedule works really well for him.
-We don't know his teachers well, but my kid seems to like them and I was impressed with what they had to say at back to school night. They seem happy and committed.
-A super diverse group of friends with similar interests.
-After a rocky start, the bus situation has been great.

Hi OP, thanks for the update! Have you heard about any experiences at the other consortium middle schools? DD just got accepted to Argyle, so here I am on DCUM searching for more info.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone who gave fact- or experience-based comments and especially OP for coming back and sharing your update.

We are leaning to accept Parkland - and our son is REALLY excited about it, having visited the presentation in the fall - and if it doesn't work out, going back to Cabin John.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We decided to go for Parkland and are really happy with that choice. We are not the type to obsess over whether it is a "real" magnet or not. Those people might not be happy there (or anywhere...lol). We were looking for a great fit for our son and his strengths and interests, and it is exactly that.
-The school is well run and organized with pretty decent communication. Admin seems strong.
-The electives are interesting and add a lot to my son's experience. They definitely help keep him motivated.
-The block schedule works really well for him.
-We don't know his teachers well, but my kid seems to like them and I was impressed with what they had to say at back to school night. They seem happy and committed.
-A super diverse group of friends with similar interests.
-After a rocky start, the bus situation has been great.

Are you in consortium OP? You mention a bus schedule? Thank you for the update. My kid got in on Round 2 of lottery and we were debating whether the commute is worth it.

What electives are interesting for a Math loving kid versus an Art loving kid?

[Anonymous]

For carpool, do you reach out to home school to see if anyone is going or to the magnet school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Are you in consortium OP? You mention a bus schedule? Thank you for the update. My kid got in on Round 2 of lottery and we were debating whether the commute is worth it.

What electives are interesting for a Math loving kid versus an Art loving kid?

OP here again. We're not in consortium, but they started buses this year for out of consortium!
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/transportation/busroutes/03812mbus.pdf

My kid has really enjoyed his electives this year! He takes the regular two science courses that everyone takes, plus two science electives, one semester each. There are art and music electives, but I'm not sure how they compare to other schools. Here's a video about courses for sixth graders: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parklandms/news-index-new/rising-6th-grade-course-information-night-video/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Are you in consortium OP? You mention a bus schedule? Thank you for the update. My kid got in on Round 2 of lottery and we were debating whether the commute is worth it.

What electives are interesting for a Math loving kid versus an Art loving kid?

OP here again. We're not in consortium, but they started buses this year for out of consortium!
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/transportation/busroutes/03812mbus.pdf

My kid has really enjoyed his electives this year! He takes the regular two science courses that everyone takes, plus two science electives, one semester each. There are art and music electives, but I'm not sure how they compare to other schools. Here's a video about courses for sixth graders: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parklandms/news-index-new/rising-6th-grade-course-information-night-video/

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

One add for the comments that argue about a "magnet" school and comparing Parkland vs. Argyle vs. home school - go visit and see for yourself. What we saw were a lot of shining eyes in Parkland - both from teachers and from kids - and to us it really mattered to have passionate teachers. It was a notable difference with our home school (which is also a great school academically etc., and our older kid loved it). We didn't see it as much at Argyle, but that may be just our experience.

Long story short, the magnet schools are not all made equal or even similar, and what matters to you and your kid is most important. So far, our kid enjoys his 6th grade, the teachers, and the block schedule, and is appropriately academically challenged.

[Anonymous]

Had to drive every day for three years. That was tough. But Parkland was very, very good for our kid.