Eastern magnet Humanities program vs Archdiocese of DC middle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

The question of whether you should accept it is easy: you should accept the spot while you sort it out. You can always decline later once you have more information and the spot will be offered to someone else in the lottery pool.

My child is in the Humanities program and I would recommend it without reservation for the reasons others have stated here. It's the only MCPS middle school to offer an enriched literacy curriculum (while not exactly the TPMS magnet, students at other middle schools do have the opportunity for advanced math, at least). All of my child's teachers have been excellent (don't know who this "one bad male" teacher is that PP mentioned - in any event, I don't think my child had them).

That said, it's an urban public school, and likely to be a very different environment than Catholic school. Suggest you look on the private school boards for information about the specific parochial school you are considering as you are unlikely to find much here.

Note the bolded isn’t correct as there is a Humanities magnet at MLK, just like them is a STEM magnet at Clemente.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

The question of whether you should accept it is easy: you should accept the spot while you sort it out. You can always decline later once you have more information and the spot will be offered to someone else in the lottery pool.

My child is in the Humanities program and I would recommend it without reservation for the reasons others have stated here. It's the only MCPS middle school to offer an enriched literacy curriculum (while not exactly the TPMS magnet, students at other middle schools do have the opportunity for advanced math, at least). All of my child's teachers have been excellent (don't know who this "one bad male" teacher is that PP mentioned - in any event, I don't think my child had them).

That said, it's an urban public school, and likely to be a very different environment than Catholic school. Suggest you look on the private school boards for information about the specific parochial school you are considering as you are unlikely to find much here.

It's hardly an urban public school. It's totally suburban. Where are you even from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please read old threads. Some kids really enjoy the school and program, but others hate it and when I say hate it I mean hate it.
I don't know about the curriculums but the instruction can be hit or miss at Eastern. One very good female teacher. One really poor teacher who happens to be male.

I think this poster is talking about math instruction. This lines up with what DD experienced in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

Catholic schools employ teachers who are not all accredited. They pay a lower salary. We did St Johns for a year. Great for community and behavior at school. Not as good academically as MCPS.

[Anonymous]

OP -- there's another orientation there next week. If you accept, you and your DC can go and attend the orientation and then decide to keep the spot or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

The question of whether you should accept it is easy: you should accept the spot while you sort it out. You can always decline later once you have more information and the spot will be offered to someone else in the lottery pool.

My child is in the Humanities program and I would recommend it without reservation for the reasons others have stated here. It's the only MCPS middle school to offer an enriched literacy curriculum (while not exactly the TPMS magnet, students at other middle schools do have the opportunity for advanced math, at least). All of my child's teachers have been excellent (don't know who this "one bad male" teacher is that PP mentioned - in any event, I don't think my child had them).

That said, it's an urban public school, and likely to be a very different environment than Catholic school. Suggest you look on the private school boards for information about the specific parochial school you are considering as you are unlikely to find much here.

Note the bolded isn’t correct as there is a Humanities magnet at MLK, just like them is a STEM magnet at Clemente.

PP here and yes I know that. It was inarticulately worded, but the point is that there is only a single enriched humanities program option, whereas any middle school will offer advanced math (again, not like the STEM magnet, but at least it's something). OP is obviously in the part the county that feeds into Eastern, so MLK is not an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

There is no question math at MCPS is better.

Who chooses Catholic school over a magnet? No one with a brain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to see if we should accept our child’s spot for the humanities magnet at Eastern MS. We were planning for our child to attend an Archdiocese of DC parochial school until this offer from Eastern came. Anyone in DCUM has experience with Eastern’s magnet program and an Archdiocese parochial school, and have thoughts on this?

Or in the alternative, anyone knows how MCPS’ Math 6+ or AIM curriculum at MCPS compares versus the Math curriculum at Archdiocese of DC parochial schools?

TIA!

The question of whether you should accept it is easy: you should accept the spot while you sort it out. You can always decline later once you have more information and the spot will be offered to someone else in the lottery pool.

My child is in the Humanities program and I would recommend it without reservation for the reasons others have stated here. It's the only MCPS middle school to offer an enriched literacy curriculum (while not exactly the TPMS magnet, students at other middle schools do have the opportunity for advanced math, at least). All of my child's teachers have been excellent (don't know who this "one bad male" teacher is that PP mentioned - in any event, I don't think my child had them).

That said, it's an urban public school, and likely to be a very different environment than Catholic school. Suggest you look on the private school boards for information about the specific parochial school you are considering as you are unlikely to find much here.

It's hardly an urban public school. It's totally suburban. Where are you even from?

LOL! I live near Eastern. Are you kidding? I mean, it's not Clarksburg! (no offense to Clarksburg...)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you value indoctrination then go catholic, but if things like critical thinking or academics matter then Eastern.

LOL

I’m not Catholic, but MCPS certainly does its own version of ‘indoctrination’. And to think that any MCPS middle school values critical thinking and academics is a bit…laughable. MCPS middle schools are not very strong at all.

You don’t know anything about the magnet program at Eastern do you?

My DD’s good friend attended the Eastern Magnet for a year and then came back to our home MS. Went on to a Magnet HS and had a good experience there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you value indoctrination then go catholic, but if things like critical thinking or academics matter then Eastern.

LOL

I’m not Catholic, but MCPS certainly does its own version of ‘indoctrination’. And to think that any MCPS middle school values critical thinking and academics is a bit…laughable. MCPS middle schools are not very strong at all.

You don’t know anything about the magnet program at Eastern do you?

My DD’s good friend attended the Eastern Magnet for a year and then came back to our home MS. Went on to a Magnet HS and had a good experience there.

Is it possible to know why they decided to return to their home MS? Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I sense from the way you labeled the archdiocese that you're not an active Catholic in the area (the name is different from what you used). If you are Catholic from another region you might find Catholicism in the DC area to be surprisingly conservative, depending on what parish or school you're plugged into.

You'll also want to think about resources, opportunities, and supports in Catholic vs public school. Not an issue at the high-end Catholic high schools, but potentially at a smaller grade school.

Thanks for this insight. Are there less resources/support for the smaller schools parochial schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is the student coming from, and what do you anticipate they’ll do for high school?

If your plan is an MCPS high school, especially if they may be interested in a magnet program, I’d say Eastern for sure. The humanities magnet will prepare them well for an IB Diploma program, and the accelerated math track would line up with the STEM magnet programs, making acceptance a bit easier. Private schools often segment and pace math differently, so the courses may not align with the MCPS tracks as well.

But culturally, it may depend on where you’re coming from and the kid’s personality. Mine was able to tune out negatives and go with the flow, but some kids are more sensitive to distractions or to competitive peers. If they’re currently in a small Catholic school, Eastern will be a huge shift. But assuming they’ll be starting as a 6th grader with everyone else, it’s likely they’ll adjust eventually.

Thanks so much for this as we are thinking MCPS HS in the future! When you talk about distractions/competitive peers, was that at Eastern? Or at a parochial school? And if your child went to Eastern, did he/she like it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I sense from the way you labeled the archdiocese that you're not an active Catholic in the area (the name is different from what you used). If you are Catholic from another region you might find Catholicism in the DC area to be surprisingly conservative, depending on what parish or school you're plugged into.

You'll also want to think about resources, opportunities, and supports in Catholic vs public school. Not an issue at the high-end Catholic high schools, but potentially at a smaller grade school.

Thanks for this insight. Are there less resources/support for the smaller schools parochial schools?

A student with learning differences - or a student who needs acceleration - might find less on-the-books support for that in a Catholic environment than in a public one, since it can be related to size and resources. The flip side is that special learning needs, whether because a student is ahead or behind, can require advocacy in a public environment, too.

The takeaway is that no matter what school system(s) you are considering, if your DC has ADHD, is massively ahead of the learning curve in one or more subjects, has a 504 or an IEP, etc., make sure that you ask how that is handled and that you are satisfied with the answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is the student coming from, and what do you anticipate they’ll do for high school?

If your plan is an MCPS high school, especially if they may be interested in a magnet program, I’d say Eastern for sure. The humanities magnet will prepare them well for an IB Diploma program, and the accelerated math track would line up with the STEM magnet programs, making acceptance a bit easier. Private schools often segment and pace math differently, so the courses may not align with the MCPS tracks as well.

But culturally, it may depend on where you’re coming from and the kid’s personality. Mine was able to tune out negatives and go with the flow, but some kids are more sensitive to distractions or to competitive peers. If they’re currently in a small Catholic school, Eastern will be a huge shift. But assuming they’ll be starting as a 6th grader with everyone else, it’s likely they’ll adjust eventually.

Thanks so much for this as we are thinking MCPS HS in the future! When you talk about distractions/competitive peers, was that at Eastern? Or at a parochial school? And if your child went to Eastern, did he/she like it?

I’m the PP—mine went to Eastern, liked it pretty well, and is now a junior in an MCPS IB program. But I will say that their experience was disrupted by the pandemic, so they did the last quarter of 7th and 3/4 of 8th through virtual. But they still managed to learn a lot even with the virtual classes, so that says something, I think. The loss of the New York trip in 8th grade was a huge disappointment, though, as you can imagine.

My kid still feels like Eastern was undoubtedly the right choice for them, especially now that they see how much better they were prepared for IB, but I wouldn’t say they loved *everything* about it. The media component really wasn’t their cup of tea, but that’s more an issue of my individual kid’s personality, not the program as a whole. And the history and literature more than made up for it.

I think most who go back to home school do so because they miss their neighborhood friends, or because the bus ride is too long. For mine, I think they were pretty pragmatic about things, figuring there would be downsides to the home school, too, but at least the classes at Eastern weren’t boring and they were actually learning interesting stuff.

The biggest downside was the crowding, especially in the halls and lunchroom, which sometimes erupted in tensions or actual fights, and the fact that the building is long overdue for a complete overhaul. So again, if that’s going to be something your kid is likely to be bothered by, or potentially pulled into, that might be something to consider. Mine just learned the hallways to avoid, and spent lunch in a classroom or the library.

You can probably search this board to find more recent views on Eastern, but at least from the vantage point of three years out, my kid feels it was the right choice. And they still hang out with kids they knew from Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you value indoctrination then go catholic, but if things like critical thinking or academics matter then Eastern.

LOL

I’m not Catholic, but MCPS certainly does its own version of ‘indoctrination’. And to think that any MCPS middle school values critical thinking and academics is a bit…laughable. MCPS middle schools are not very strong at all.

You don’t know anything about the magnet program at Eastern do you?

My DD’s good friend attended the Eastern Magnet for a year and then came back to our home MS. Went on to a Magnet HS and had a good experience there.

Is it possible to know why they decided to return to their home MS? Thanks again!

My child is a current 8th grader and students that have left have done so either because the bus ride was interfering with other activities, or because they moved further away and the bus ride was worse, or they moved out of MCPS entirely, or just because the enriched humanities and English wasn't enough to compensate for the logistical hassle. The last group is more likely to be kids who weren't "sold" on Eastern to begin with, and who would have attended TPMS instead if the lottery had worked out for them.

The Humanities magnets are incredible...for the right kid, but they are not the right fit for every kid. They are a much better fit for kids with "big theater kid energy" than for kids who don't want to work in groups, or speak in front of crowds, or write screenplays.