Best options for high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are a person of color I would think twice about Sherwood. There have been racial incidents with kids at the school belittling those of other races. I think that could happen at any school but what was scary was how the teachers and administration handled it by not doing anything. Avoid.

So it's like a W?

The crazy thing is that whenever this stuff gets mentioned like even when it first came up the Sherwood parents were really defensive instead of being apologetic. The tone was really striking to me in terms of how different it was when there was discussion about incidents at other schools where the parents came on this board and felt really upset, confused, or angry about what happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm getting increasingly nervous about the high school situation in MCPS both academically and safety wise. I have a smart kid in advanced classes in middle school (map scores in the 90th-99th percentile-with math being the biggest strength). What would be the best options- child is slated to go to sherwood.
- take whatever advanced classes are available in 9th and 10th at sherwood and then do the dual enrollment MC program for 11 and 12th grade? Which classes would be best?
-project lead the way at sherwood?
-apply to blair/wheaton magnets? Is it lottery based? (If not...then the map scores will not be high enough)
-apply to good counsel instead?
I

Don’t do the MC route. The content might be advanced but the instruction isn’t a sure thing. Also, socially that’s a bad option.

If your kid is advanced in stem, private school isn’t the place for them. MCPS has way more advanced options for him.

He will be so bored and unhappy in 9th and 10th at Sherwood. Def have him apply to the criteria based magnets.

Good luck.

Agree. MC is a mixed bag

[Anonymous]

I would try to get my kid into the magnets if possible. My child is at Poolesville in the magnet program and loves it. I have a younger one who I want to go there too, as we are very happy with the high school. Every school has its pros and cons. Weigh them, map out a plan of how your chid and you will get involved and make the most out of their high school experience and be done with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm getting increasingly nervous about the high school situation in MCPS both academically and safety wise. I have a smart kid in advanced classes in middle school (map scores in the 90th-99th percentile-with math being the biggest strength). What would be the best options- child is slated to go to sherwood.
- take whatever advanced classes are available in 9th and 10th at sherwood and then do the dual enrollment MC program for 11 and 12th grade? Which classes would be best?
-project lead the way at sherwood?
-apply to blair/wheaton magnets? Is it lottery based? (If not...then the map scores will not be high enough)
-apply to good counsel instead?
I

Don’t do the MC route. The content might be advanced but the instruction isn’t a sure thing. Also, socially that’s a bad option.

If your kid is advanced in stem, private school isn’t the place for them. MCPS has way more advanced options for him.

He will be so bored and unhappy in 9th and 10th at Sherwood. Def have him apply to the criteria based magnets.

Good luck.

I agree with PPs that you don't need to be nervous about HS in MCPS. And you're right that 90% MAP scores are not at all a sure thing to be admitted to the Criteria based magnets. (RMIB, Blair SMCS, Poolsville Global Ecology). There are more options: A new social justice leadership academy at Whitman, the Regional IB programs. Sherwood has a special ag science program (CASE) too. Here is the whole list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iOZqNQ1ug40Z4HAaaoCIxxL4vx-22PukRl44-XBo5qw/preview

That's actually kinda funny they are putting a social justice academy at Whitman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm getting increasingly nervous about the high school situation in MCPS both academically and safety wise. I have a smart kid in advanced classes in middle school (map scores in the 90th-99th percentile-with math being the biggest strength). What would be the best options- child is slated to go to sherwood.
- take whatever advanced classes are available in 9th and 10th at sherwood and then do the dual enrollment MC program for 11 and 12th grade? Which classes would be best?
-project lead the way at sherwood?
-apply to blair/wheaton magnets? Is it lottery based? (If not...then the map scores will not be high enough)
-apply to good counsel instead?
I

OP, I really hope you're not basing this on what you read on DCUM. DCUM is, AT BEST, a fun-house mirror. Everything looks distorted, for the worse, on DCUM.

I'm guessing your child is in 7th grade? If your child is in 8th grade, the application deadline for the high school special programs is THIS WEDNESDAY (November 8).

My advice: look at the options, sit down with your child and ask what they're interested in, revisit the topic next August.

Also, talk to some real people you know, in real life, who currently have kids at Sherwood.

[Anonymous]

My kid is in PLTW Engineering at Wheaton. He was waitlisted for magnet and is in the academy. He likes it.

We have another at a different DCC high school. His STEM has not been as good.

I went to a rigorous private and I think the biggest delta is in writing instruction and small class discussion skills. I think if it were up to me, and my kid was a STEM kid and paying for four years of private was not an option, I’d send kid to Wheaton or another STEM oriented program and then to summer programs to learn to write. Exeter etc have summer programs.

The poor writing instruction at most public schools including MCPS drives me crazy. But I think there are options for learning STEM well if kid gets into the right program.

I don’t know anything about Sherwood. But I don’t think there are any great privates out near there, are there? Commuting a ton when you are at a rigorous private school sucks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is in PLTW Engineering at Wheaton. He was waitlisted for magnet and is in the academy. He likes it.

We have another at a different DCC high school. His STEM has not been as good.

I went to a rigorous private and I think the biggest delta is in writing instruction and small class discussion skills. I think if it were up to me, and my kid was a STEM kid and paying for four years of private was not an option, I’d send kid to Wheaton or another STEM oriented program and then to summer programs to learn to write. Exeter etc have summer programs.

The poor writing instruction at most public schools including MCPS drives me crazy. But I think there are options for learning STEM well if kid gets into the right program.

I don’t know anything about Sherwood. But I don’t think there are any great privates out near there, are there? Commuting a ton when you are at a rigorous private school sucks

Oh kids are actually my step kids. That’s why it’s not my decision where they go to school or whether they do enrichment programs in the summer. If it were my call I’d send them to a couple private school summer programs to supplement. That’s the middle ground cost wise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm getting increasingly nervous about the high school situation in MCPS both academically and safety wise. I have a smart kid in advanced classes in middle school (map scores in the 90th-99th percentile-with math being the biggest strength). What would be the best options- child is slated to go to sherwood.
- take whatever advanced classes are available in 9th and 10th at sherwood and then do the dual enrollment MC program for 11 and 12th grade? Which classes would be best?
-project lead the way at sherwood?
-apply to blair/wheaton magnets? Is it lottery based? (If not...then the map scores will not be high enough)
-apply to good counsel instead?
I

Don’t do the MC route. The content might be advanced but the instruction isn’t a sure thing. Also, socially that’s a bad option.

If your kid is advanced in stem, private school isn’t the place for them. MCPS has way more advanced options for him.

He will be so bored and unhappy in 9th and 10th at Sherwood. Def have him apply to the criteria based magnets.

Good luck.

I agree with PPs that you don't need to be nervous about HS in MCPS. And you're right that 90% MAP scores are not at all a sure thing to be admitted to the Criteria based magnets. (RMIB, Blair SMCS, Poolsville Global Ecology). There are more options: A new social justice leadership academy at Whitman, the Regional IB programs. Sherwood has a special ag science program (CASE) too. Here is the whole list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iOZqNQ1ug40Z4HAaaoCIxxL4vx-22PukRl44-XBo5qw/preview

That's actually kinda funny they are putting a social justice academy at Whitman.

They developed it; it's been there for years. It's so good, MCPS is opening it up to other schools.

[Anonymous]

We moved to the RM cluster so our 98%+ile MAP student could join RMIB magnet program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear Massachusetts has nice schools.

+1

They’ve been #1 for twenty five years.

[Anonymous]

I have students at Sherwood, my Senior is completing the PLTW Engineering Program and has been accepted to several colleges. My other child has applied to Early College at MC. DC who is applying to go EC is bored and feels why do AP when you can get full credit for your effort at MC and can still participate in all High School activities 😀.

Apply to the magnets if there is a passion or calling your child wants to follow, if not Sherwood is just like any other MCPS school, you get out of it what you put into it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have students at Sherwood, my Senior is completing the PLTW Engineering Program and has been accepted to several colleges. My other child has applied to Early College at MC. DC who is applying to go EC is bored and feels why do AP when you can get full credit for your effort at MC and can still participate in all High School activities 😀.

Apply to the magnets if there is a passion or calling your child wants to follow, if not Sherwood is just like any other MCPS school, you get out of it what you put into it.

Great--thanks so much for your input!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear Massachusetts has nice schools.

+1

They’ve been #1 for twenty five years.

Obvs this is the "Massachusetts Community Public Schools" board.