Families who moved from DCPS to MCPS for MS & HS

[Anonymous]

I don’t think moving for middle school is a big deal, and this is a mobile area in general, but …

We moved here when the kids were in late elementary /starting middle school, and now, as they wrap up high school, I’m still kind of jealous of their classmates who have friends that they’ve had since preschool or kindergarten. There’s just something really sweet about that, and my kids missed out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Also, please don’t move here thinking everyone plays together in the neighborhood after school and you’re going on mom walks and going next door to borrow sugar. It is not like that. In fact, I would say you see more of that in D.C. neighborhoods than out here. Like I said life and the people out here can be very homogenous, afraid to speak up regarding local and national/political issues - they can be very insular and not at all cosmopolitan in their views or lifestyle so it can be stifling.

In my experience kids in lower ES don’t play together in the neighborhood after school because they’re in structured aftercare and parents aren’t home to supervise afterschool play. But as they get to upper ES and MS that changes. There are lots of roving groups of middle schoolers in our neighborhood and my kid did lots of after school play/hanging out in middle school. Because the kids are home and in the neighborhood after school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't plan your whole life around your current neighbors.

I agree with this person. Also, be careful making this move. I did the same move - you don’t necessarily get “better schools” - you just get kids with parents who are educated and push them. So, the teachers and curriculum in Montgomery County aren’t better than in D.C. And also, you can get this exact same experience in D.C. and be closer to all of the other cultural opportunities D.C. has to offer - the only thing to do out in the ‘burbs is go to the mall. There are certain parts of MoCo where the experience is really sterile, dull and homogenous - think Wootton, Churchill high school clusters and all of their feeder middle schools and elementary schools.

Also, please don’t move here thinking everyone plays together in the neighborhood after school and you’re going on mom walks and going next door to borrow sugar. It is not like that. In fact, I would say you see more of that in D.C. neighborhoods than out here. Like I said life and the people out here can be very homogenous, afraid to speak up regarding local and national/political issues - they can be very insular and not at all cosmopolitan in their views or lifestyle so it can be stifling.

Just think hard. Read all of the posts here - these will be your neighbors. Now, go read the posts on the DC forum - different vibe and tone. That is the difference you will see in person as well.

OP here - Thank you for this. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To help give more tailored advice, our question is:

1. Move to the Eaton or Mann districts now, then move to Bethesda (Pyle or Westland) for 6th grade

2. Move to the Wood Acres or Bradley Hills neighborhoods now, and then feed into Pyle-Whitman

WWYD? Are we silly to even consider moving twice, so that our kids get the best public school experiences at each level?

I would do Mann through 5th, then move to Pyle for 6th. Mann is a fantastic school with an extra teacher in each class. You will not get that anywhere in MCPS. But the good schools in DC, like Deal, are not as good as Pyle.

GL!

That not entirely true. At our close in Bethesda school and Im sure many others, there are breakout teachers. Yes the homeroom is one teacher but for things like reading, the class gets split into ability groups where the kids with needs go off as do the advanced kids and the core group remains all with different teachers who then rotate to the next class. It the end the kids get the attention they need in much smaller groups not to mention lots of specialists like feelings counselors, speech therapists and so on. All without having to pay stupid high PTA dues

Not the same thing as having 2 dedicated full-time teachers in each class. Not even close.

Wait, DC schools have two teachers per class in elementary school? Really? What are the class sizes there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To help give more tailored advice, our question is:

1. Move to the Eaton or Mann districts now, then move to Bethesda (Pyle or Westland) for 6th grade

2. Move to the Wood Acres or Bradley Hills neighborhoods now, and then feed into Pyle-Whitman

WWYD? Are we silly to even consider moving twice, so that our kids get the best public school experiences at each level?

I would do Mann through 5th, then move to Pyle for 6th. Mann is a fantastic school with an extra teacher in each class. You will not get that anywhere in MCPS. But the good schools in DC, like Deal, are not as good as Pyle.

GL!

That not entirely true. At our close in Bethesda school and Im sure many others, there are breakout teachers. Yes the homeroom is one teacher but for things like reading, the class gets split into ability groups where the kids with needs go off as do the advanced kids and the core group remains all with different teachers who then rotate to the next class. It the end the kids get the attention they need in much smaller groups not to mention lots of specialists like feelings counselors, speech therapists and so on. All without having to pay stupid high PTA dues

Not the same thing as having 2 dedicated full-time teachers in each class. Not even close.

Wait, DC schools have two teachers per class in elementary school? Really? What are the class sizes there?

DC PTAs are allowed to fundraise and pay the salaries of additional teachers. These are extra teachers paid for by the parent community of the school and are only present at the schools that have PTAs that can support those expenditures.

MCPS PTAs are not allowed to pay for staff, ever. So in MCPS, the staff allocations are what the county gives the school and cannot be expanded on by the PTA/parent community/school foundation, etc

[Anonymous]

In your original post you said it’s important that you build lifelong family friendships. We became friends with the families we met in preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade. After that, there’s a lot more dropping off, carpooling, etc. My kids are in high school now and I “know” everyone and chat at school events, but few adults are open to/looking for more friends when you show up in 6th grade. The kids all adjust fine but the adults are busy and have their people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To help give more tailored advice, our question is:

1. Move to the Eaton or Mann districts now, then move to Bethesda (Pyle or Westland) for 6th grade

2. Move to the Wood Acres or Bradley Hills neighborhoods now, and then feed into Pyle-Whitman

WWYD? Are we silly to even consider moving twice, so that our kids get the best public school experiences at each level?

I would do Mann through 5th, then move to Pyle for 6th. Mann is a fantastic school with an extra teacher in each class. You will not get that anywhere in MCPS. But the good schools in DC, like Deal, are not as good as Pyle.

GL!

That not entirely true. At our close in Bethesda school and Im sure many others, there are breakout teachers. Yes the homeroom is one teacher but for things like reading, the class gets split into ability groups where the kids with needs go off as do the advanced kids and the core group remains all with different teachers who then rotate to the next class. It the end the kids get the attention they need in much smaller groups not to mention lots of specialists like feelings counselors, speech therapists and so on. All without having to pay stupid high PTA dues

Not the same thing as having 2 dedicated full-time teachers in each class. Not even close.

Wait, DC schools have two teachers per class in elementary school? Really? What are the class sizes there?

DC PTAs are allowed to fundraise and pay the salaries of additional teachers. These are extra teachers paid for by the parent community of the school and are only present at the schools that have PTAs that can support those expenditures.

MCPS PTAs are not allowed to pay for staff, ever. So in MCPS, the staff allocations are what the county gives the school and cannot be expanded on by the PTA/parent community/school foundation, etc

Wait, are you serious? In DC they let rich parents pay for extra teachers for their kids, and kids at those schools get better staffing than poorer kids whose parents can't afford to do that? That's one of the most obscenely unfair hings I have ever heard of in a public school system. I honestly thought it was a bad joke but I looked it up and it seems true.

[Anonymous]

The DC schools you mentioned are both excellent. But if building a community with neighbors and teams etc. is one of your concerns, better to start now. It’s helpful to feel somewhat settled in the process. World bank people (who come and go) will be in both dc schools and Bethesda schools so wouldn’t use that as a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't plan your whole life around your current neighbors.

I agree with this person. Also, be careful making this move. I did the same move - you don’t necessarily get “better schools” - you just get kids with parents who are educated and push them. So, the teachers and curriculum in Montgomery County aren’t better than in D.C. And also, you can get this exact same experience in D.C. and be closer to all of the other cultural opportunities D.C. has to offer - the only thing to do out in the ‘burbs is go to the mall. There are certain parts of MoCo where the experience is really sterile, dull and homogenous - think Wootton, Churchill high school clusters and all of their feeder middle schools and elementary schools.

Also, please don’t move here thinking everyone plays together in the neighborhood after school and you’re going on mom walks and going next door to borrow sugar. It is not like that. In fact, I would say you see more of that in D.C. neighborhoods than out here. Like I said life and the people out here can be very homogenous, afraid to speak up regarding local and national/political issues - they can be very insular and not at all cosmopolitan in their views or lifestyle so it can be stifling.

Just think hard. Read all of the posts here - these will be your neighbors. Now, go read the posts on the DC forum - different vibe and tone. That is the difference you will see in person as well.

OP here - Thank you for this. Seriously.

PP is right - a lot of tiger parenting out here - and I mean, A LOT! - but not necessarily better teaching or academics. You’re almost better staying in DC and having more well rounded, less intense parents, which allows your kids to have a more even experience. Out here it is big box stores, strip malls and limited things to do. In DC, culture and a wide array of experiences are at your fingertips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't plan your whole life around your current neighbors.

I agree with this person. Also, be careful making this move. I did the same move - you don’t necessarily get “better schools” - you just get kids with parents who are educated and push them. So, the teachers and curriculum in Montgomery County aren’t better than in D.C. And also, you can get this exact same experience in D.C. and be closer to all of the other cultural opportunities D.C. has to offer - the only thing to do out in the ‘burbs is go to the mall. There are certain parts of MoCo where the experience is really sterile, dull and homogenous - think Wootton, Churchill high school clusters and all of their feeder middle schools and elementary schools.

Also, please don’t move here thinking everyone plays together in the neighborhood after school and you’re going on mom walks and going next door to borrow sugar. It is not like that. In fact, I would say you see more of that in D.C. neighborhoods than out here. Like I said life and the people out here can be very homogenous, afraid to speak up regarding local and national/political issues - they can be very insular and not at all cosmopolitan in their views or lifestyle so it can be stifling.

Just think hard. Read all of the posts here - these will be your neighbors. Now, go read the posts on the DC forum - different vibe and tone. That is the difference you will see in person as well.

OP here - Thank you for this. Seriously.

PP is right - a lot of tiger parenting out here - and I mean, A LOT! - but not necessarily better teaching or academics. You’re almost better staying in DC and having more well rounded, less intense parents, which allows your kids to have a more even experience. Out here it is big box stores, strip malls and limited things to do. In DC, culture and a wide array of experiences are at your fingertips.

OP here- I appreciate this. I do wonder we’d find a more diverse group of friends in DC across all spectra in DC, which I’d prefer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't plan your whole life around your current neighbors.

I agree with this person. Also, be careful making this move. I did the same move - you don’t necessarily get “better schools” - you just get kids with parents who are educated and push them. So, the teachers and curriculum in Montgomery County aren’t better than in D.C. And also, you can get this exact same experience in D.C. and be closer to all of the other cultural opportunities D.C. has to offer - the only thing to do out in the ‘burbs is go to the mall. There are certain parts of MoCo where the experience is really sterile, dull and homogenous - think Wootton, Churchill high school clusters and all of their feeder middle schools and elementary schools.

Also, please don’t move here thinking everyone plays together in the neighborhood after school and you’re going on mom walks and going next door to borrow sugar. It is not like that. In fact, I would say you see more of that in D.C. neighborhoods than out here. Like I said life and the people out here can be very homogenous, afraid to speak up regarding local and national/political issues - they can be very insular and not at all cosmopolitan in their views or lifestyle so it can be stifling.

Just think hard. Read all of the posts here - these will be your neighbors. Now, go read the posts on the DC forum - different vibe and tone. That is the difference you will see in person as well.

OP here - Thank you for this. Seriously.

PP is right - a lot of tiger parenting out here - and I mean, A LOT! - but not necessarily better teaching or academics. You’re almost better staying in DC and having more well rounded, less intense parents, which allows your kids to have a more even experience. Out here it is big box stores, strip malls and limited things to do. In DC, culture and a wide array of experiences are at your fingertips.

I don’t think the experiences at your fingertips are much different in upper NW and in Bethesda. We go to theater in DC. We go to museums in DC. We go to restaurants in DC. We do some of those things in MoCo too. Much of DC is more walkable, but parts of NW really aren’t any more walkable than lots of Bethesda. It depends more specifically where you’re comparing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To help give more tailored advice, our question is:

1. Move to the Eaton or Mann districts now, then move to Bethesda (Pyle or Westland) for 6th grade

2. Move to the Wood Acres or Bradley Hills neighborhoods now, and then feed into Pyle-Whitman

WWYD? Are we silly to even consider moving twice, so that our kids get the best public school experiences at each level?

We left Dupont for Woodacres when our kids were 6 & 3, never regrated it for one second. I think you may be surprised by the bells and whistles of the Bethesda Schools, heck Woodacres has a planetarium . Also open your search to Brookmont neighborhood. It goes to bannockburn (small and sweet) and it is a gem of an area.

What other bells & whistles does Wood Acres have, aside from the planetarium?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To help give more tailored advice, our question is:

1. Move to the Eaton or Mann districts now, then move to Bethesda (Pyle or Westland) for 6th grade

2. Move to the Wood Acres or Bradley Hills neighborhoods now, and then feed into Pyle-Whitman

WWYD? Are we silly to even consider moving twice, so that our kids get the best public school experiences at each level?

I would do Mann through 5th, then move to Pyle for 6th. Mann is a fantastic school with an extra teacher in each class. You will not get that anywhere in MCPS. But the good schools in DC, like Deal, are not as good as Pyle.

GL!

That not entirely true. At our close in Bethesda school and Im sure many others, there are breakout teachers. Yes the homeroom is one teacher but for things like reading, the class gets split into ability groups where the kids with needs go off as do the advanced kids and the core group remains all with different teachers who then rotate to the next class. It the end the kids get the attention they need in much smaller groups not to mention lots of specialists like feelings counselors, speech therapists and so on. All without having to pay stupid high PTA dues

Not the same thing as having 2 dedicated full-time teachers in each class. Not even close.

Wait, DC schools have two teachers per class in elementary school? Really? What are the class sizes there?

DC PTAs are allowed to fundraise and pay the salaries of additional teachers. These are extra teachers paid for by the parent community of the school and are only present at the schools that have PTAs that can support those expenditures.

MCPS PTAs are not allowed to pay for staff, ever. So in MCPS, the staff allocations are what the county gives the school and cannot be expanded on by the PTA/parent community/school foundation, etc

Wait, are you serious? In DC they let rich parents pay for extra teachers for their kids, and kids at those schools get better staffing than poorer kids whose parents can't afford to do that? That's one of the most obscenely unfair hings I have ever heard of in a public school system. I honestly thought it was a bad joke but I looked it up and it seems true.

Yes, they do. That's why the upper NW ES, particularly Mann, are so much better than the MCPS ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To help give more tailored advice, our question is:

1. Move to the Eaton or Mann districts now, then move to Bethesda (Pyle or Westland) for 6th grade

2. Move to the Wood Acres or Bradley Hills neighborhoods now, and then feed into Pyle-Whitman

WWYD? Are we silly to even consider moving twice, so that our kids get the best public school experiences at each level?

I would do Mann through 5th, then move to Pyle for 6th. Mann is a fantastic school with an extra teacher in each class. You will not get that anywhere in MCPS. But the good schools in DC, like Deal, are not as good as Pyle.

GL!

That not entirely true. At our close in Bethesda school and Im sure many others, there are breakout teachers. Yes the homeroom is one teacher but for things like reading, the class gets split into ability groups where the kids with needs go off as do the advanced kids and the core group remains all with different teachers who then rotate to the next class. It the end the kids get the attention they need in much smaller groups not to mention lots of specialists like feelings counselors, speech therapists and so on. All without having to pay stupid high PTA dues

Not the same thing as having 2 dedicated full-time teachers in each class. Not even close.

Wait, DC schools have two teachers per class in elementary school? Really? What are the class sizes there?

DC PTAs are allowed to fundraise and pay the salaries of additional teachers. These are extra teachers paid for by the parent community of the school and are only present at the schools that have PTAs that can support those expenditures.

MCPS PTAs are not allowed to pay for staff, ever. So in MCPS, the staff allocations are what the county gives the school and cannot be expanded on by the PTA/parent community/school foundation, etc

Wait, are you serious? In DC they let rich parents pay for extra teachers for their kids, and kids at those schools get better staffing than poorer kids whose parents can't afford to do that? That's one of the most obscenely unfair hings I have ever heard of in a public school system. I honestly thought it was a bad joke but I looked it up and it seems true.

Yes, they do. That's why the upper NW ES, particularly Mann, are so much better than the MCPS ES.

That's really gross. I can't even imagine what it must be like to be in a culture like that. Do the parents have any shame when they tell their kids that they get a better education than the kids at the school down the road because their parents are richer and will buy them extra teachers if they want them? Or is there no shame because both the kids and the parents believe that the rich kids deserve better than the poor kids and it's somehow normal and acceptable?

OP, if you are considering sending your kids to a school that participates in something this awful, please consider the messages it sends them...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

To help give more tailored advice, our question is:

1. Move to the Eaton or Mann districts now, then move to Bethesda (Pyle or Westland) for 6th grade

2. Move to the Wood Acres or Bradley Hills neighborhoods now, and then feed into Pyle-Whitman

WWYD? Are we silly to even consider moving twice, so that our kids get the best public school experiences at each level?

I would do Mann through 5th, then move to Pyle for 6th. Mann is a fantastic school with an extra teacher in each class. You will not get that anywhere in MCPS. But the good schools in DC, like Deal, are not as good as Pyle.

GL!

That not entirely true. At our close in Bethesda school and Im sure many others, there are breakout teachers. Yes the homeroom is one teacher but for things like reading, the class gets split into ability groups where the kids with needs go off as do the advanced kids and the core group remains all with different teachers who then rotate to the next class. It the end the kids get the attention they need in much smaller groups not to mention lots of specialists like feelings counselors, speech therapists and so on. All without having to pay stupid high PTA dues

Not the same thing as having 2 dedicated full-time teachers in each class. Not even close.

Wait, DC schools have two teachers per class in elementary school? Really? What are the class sizes there?

DC PTAs are allowed to fundraise and pay the salaries of additional teachers. These are extra teachers paid for by the parent community of the school and are only present at the schools that have PTAs that can support those expenditures.

MCPS PTAs are not allowed to pay for staff, ever. So in MCPS, the staff allocations are what the county gives the school and cannot be expanded on by the PTA/parent community/school foundation, etc

Wait, are you serious? In DC they let rich parents pay for extra teachers for their kids, and kids at those schools get better staffing than poorer kids whose parents can't afford to do that? That's one of the most obscenely unfair hings I have ever heard of in a public school system. I honestly thought it was a bad joke but I looked it up and it seems true.

Yes, they do. That's why the upper NW ES, particularly Mann, are so much better than the MCPS ES.

That's really gross. I can't even imagine what it must be like to be in a culture like that. Do the parents have any shame when they tell their kids that they get a better education than the kids at the school down the road because their parents are richer and will buy them extra teachers if they want them? Or is there no shame because both the kids and the parents believe that the rich kids deserve better than the poor kids and it's somehow normal and acceptable?

OP, if you are considering sending your kids to a school that participates in something this awful, please consider the messages it sends them...

OMG, you guys are such hypocrites. Do you even hear yourselves??!