What should kids be learning in K and 1st Grade in MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Thank you to the poster who shared about Norwood vs Bradley Hills!

We’re a family in the BCC area trying to evaluate public v private. Not zoned for BH but looking at all the non-parochial privates within 20 minutes of our home, including Norwood. Your comment is helpful.

Are there any other families here who put their kids in private for elementary and then moved back to public school for reasons of academics or social life?

Glad to be of help.

I don't know the feeder middle schools into BCC other than but my kids while at Whitman had MCPS tutoring from teachers at both BCC and Walter Johnson. They were all good - Math teachers mostly, and some FL.

But I knew people with children at Rosemary Hills / Chevy Chase and Bethesda ES - all really very highly considered schools.

[Anonymous]

^^ sorry a garbled sentence due to speedy editing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your kids go to private they will miss out on being part of the neighborhood community, building neighborhood friends, and feeling connected to the community the way they would if they were in public. They may get a better education, but your failure to invest in your local school weakens public education for everyone. Engaged parents who are actively involved in public schools and invest in them with advocacy, time, resources, and volunteerism make them better for all children. Also, your 30 grand each year is a sunk cost. I promise your kids will want that money later for a down payment for a house, grad school, or to pay for their wedding.

I don’t love MCPS and as a former teacher at a local independent school I can tell you Norwood is a great school, but I will keep my kids in public schools because I believe in public education. If you are someone who says they want strong public education, you have to send your kids there and invest in the local schools.

Not trying to be difficult, but as an engaged parent of a preschooler, what opportunities exist to engage at public school? The PTA at our local school only meets in person twice a year and I’m hearing a lot of decisions happen at the district level. There actually doesn’t seem to be a ton of opportunity to contribute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kids go to private they will miss out on being part of the neighborhood community, building neighborhood friends, and feeling connected to the community the way they would if they were in public. They may get a better education, but your failure to invest in your local school weakens public education for everyone. Engaged parents who are actively involved in public schools and invest in them with advocacy, time, resources, and volunteerism make them better for all children. Also, your 30 grand each year is a sunk cost. I promise your kids will want that money later for a down payment for a house, grad school, or to pay for their wedding.

I don’t love MCPS and as a former teacher at a local independent school I can tell you Norwood is a great school, but I will keep my kids in public schools because I believe in public education. If you are someone who says they want strong public education, you have to send your kids there and invest in the local schools.

Not trying to be difficult, but as an engaged parent of a preschooler, what opportunities exist to engage at public school? The PTA at our local school only meets in person twice a year and I’m hearing a lot of decisions happen at the district level. There actually doesn’t seem to be a ton of opportunity to contribute.

Our PTA meets monthly. I’m on a PTA subcommittee and we meet regularly and work on various issues. You can also get involved with the larger MCCPTA. I volunteer at recess and lunch, at classroom parties, the book fair, school grounds clean up, winter art show, coat drive, Girl Scouts, and other family events specific to our school. Our school has many events around the year for families and parents run all sorts of programs from gardening activities to food drives. We have an international night, annual school picnic, skate night, etc. My kids have many neighborhood friends. We know our neighbors. My older child is starting to roam the neighborhood and many parents know her and she has many houses she could stop at if she has any type of issue. There is a real community feeling at our school and in the parent community, and my DH who went to private loves it because he missed out on that growing up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kids go to private they will miss out on being part of the neighborhood community, building neighborhood friends, and feeling connected to the community the way they would if they were in public. They may get a better education, but your failure to invest in your local school weakens public education for everyone. Engaged parents who are actively involved in public schools and invest in them with advocacy, time, resources, and volunteerism make them better for all children. Also, your 30 grand each year is a sunk cost. I promise your kids will want that money later for a down payment for a house, grad school, or to pay for their wedding.

I don’t love MCPS and as a former teacher at a local independent school I can tell you Norwood is a great school, but I will keep my kids in public schools because I believe in public education. If you are someone who says they want strong public education, you have to send your kids there and invest in the local schools.

Not trying to be difficult, but as an engaged parent of a preschooler, what opportunities exist to engage at public school? The PTA at our local school only meets in person twice a year and I’m hearing a lot of decisions happen at the district level. There actually doesn’t seem to be a ton of opportunity to contribute.

Sounds like that right there is a way to engage. Join the PTA and work to recruit others to join. Encourage them to meet more than once a year.

[Anonymous]

Op which elementary are you at? If you’re in the cluster you say, I have a hard time believing the PTA only meets 2x a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op which elementary are you at? If you’re in the cluster you say, I have a hard time believing the PTA only meets 2x a year.

Sorry for confusion, that was me, not OP. I’m in MCPS but not in Bethesda/Chevy Chase area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kids go to private they will miss out on being part of the neighborhood community, building neighborhood friends, and feeling connected to the community the way they would if they were in public. They may get a better education, but your failure to invest in your local school weakens public education for everyone. Engaged parents who are actively involved in public schools and invest in them with advocacy, time, resources, and volunteerism make them better for all children. Also, your 30 grand each year is a sunk cost. I promise your kids will want that money later for a down payment for a house, grad school, or to pay for their wedding.

I don’t love MCPS and as a former teacher at a local independent school I can tell you Norwood is a great school, but I will keep my kids in public schools because I believe in public education. If you are someone who says they want strong public education, you have to send your kids there and invest in the local schools.

Not trying to be difficult, but as an engaged parent of a preschooler, what opportunities exist to engage at public school? The PTA at our local school only meets in person twice a year and I’m hearing a lot of decisions happen at the district level. There actually doesn’t seem to be a ton of opportunity to contribute.

DP. You can join the PTA Board, which generally meets monthly and includes the principal. You can also volunteer at events and at lunch/recess. There are also opportunities to volunteer with MCCPTA and get involved in curriculum and other issues.

[Anonymous]

OP, which ES/MS in the B-CC cluster are you zoned for? We can provide you with some specific feedback on schools if you want. My kids are t RHES, CCES, and SCMS, and happy to provide you with balanced feedback if those are the schools you are looking at.

[Anonymous]

OP, I would recommend starting your child in public school. Middle school is where private really is worth the money for most families. The behavior issues, lack of writing and critical thinking instruction, lack of rigor, the crowds, etc. in public school at that level all make private a much better choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kids go to private they will miss out on being part of the neighborhood community, building neighborhood friends, and feeling connected to the community the way they would if they were in public. They may get a better education, but your failure to invest in your local school weakens public education for everyone. Engaged parents who are actively involved in public schools and invest in them with advocacy, time, resources, and volunteerism make them better for all children. Also, your 30 grand each year is a sunk cost. I promise your kids will want that money later for a down payment for a house, grad school, or to pay for their wedding.

I don’t love MCPS and as a former teacher at a local independent school I can tell you Norwood is a great school, but I will keep my kids in public schools because I believe in public education. If you are someone who says they want strong public education, you have to send your kids there and invest in the local schools.

Not trying to be difficult, but as an engaged parent of a preschooler, what opportunities exist to engage at public school? The PTA at our local school only meets in person twice a year and I’m hearing a lot of decisions happen at the district level. There actually doesn’t seem to be a ton of opportunity to contribute.

Our PTA meets monthly. I’m on a PTA subcommittee and we meet regularly and work on various issues. You can also get involved with the larger MCCPTA. I volunteer at recess and lunch, at classroom parties, the book fair, school grounds clean up, winter art show, coat drive, Girl Scouts, and other family events specific to our school. Our school has many events around the year for families and parents run all sorts of programs from gardening activities to food drives. We have an international night, annual school picnic, skate night, etc. My kids have many neighborhood friends. We know our neighbors. My older child is starting to roam the neighborhood and many parents know her and she has many houses she could stop at if she has any type of issue. There is a real community feeling at our school and in the parent community, and my DH who went to private loves it because he missed out on that growing up.

Your school and neighborhood sound ideal. Which school are you at, may I ask?

[Anonymous]

OP here. We are zoned for RHPS and CCES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are zoned for RHPS and CCES.

We have kids at both schools. What questions for you have?

[Anonymous]

OP here

1: What would my kids learn in K and 1st grade in MCPS in math, science, English, soxial studies?
2: What specials are there and how often do they go?
3: What do they do in music (chorus? recorder?)
4. Is there the option to take a foreign language after school?
5: How often do they go on movement breaks??
6: Are any sports taught during PE?

[Anonymous]

OP- teacher here at a top Bethesda school. Go on any school website and view daily schedules and the curriculum is available online. Movement breaks are entirely dependent on the teacher, grade and makeup of a class, so don’t expect someone to answer this question for you. Many schools offer after school clubs, but only immersion schools offer foreign language as part of the curriculum. Maybe spend sometime doing research instead of getting spoon fed here?