Somerset "doesn't do" tours

[Anonymous]

I was able to tour our local public school in Bethesda. I don't think anyone is talking about a tour every day. The school could have three times a year. While not quite the exact same thing to the parents outraged about a tour at school, did you take a your of the hospital where you would deliver your first child, and if so why?

A public elementary school is not a business hoping to attract new patients to increase revenue. Yes, of course Somerset could more parent-friendly and accommodating, and I don't fault the OP for WANTING a tour, but the notion that every prospective parent has the right to a personal tour is absurd. There are MANY resources available to prospective parents to evaluate the school that don't involve setting foot inside.

Also, schools are not making money off each student whose parents choose to send them to public instead of private. The budget is based on enrollment, sure, but an additional handful of students would rarely make a difference. The vast majority of parents do not do tours. For example, if a school is just one student shy of the total needed to warrant an additional teacher in 3rd grade, how likely is it that a parent of a prospective third grader will ask for a school tour and choose to enroll in public based solely on the tour, thus granting the additional teacher?

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure Columbus Day observation is really intended to be limited to current parents - it wouldn't really work for someone with no exposure to the school since at least at the 2 MCPS schools my kids have attended, there isn't a tour, you just go spend a limited amt of time watching your kids' classes as they go about their business.

OP, if you're genuinely interested, I'd bet that you could arrange to sit in on an info session for prospective new K parents - our MCPS elementary had a couple each year in Feb/March. I went a year before my first would be ready, to see if I might want to try to apply him elsewhere for preK. You can also ask for PTA info and email current parents that way.

As other PPs have suggested, it's not realistic to assume that elementaries can arrange tours to suit anyone who inquiries. Not only do I not want random strange adults trooping in and out of my kids' classrooms, I don't want the administrative staff taking a couple of hours out of every other week to tour and do Q&A with people shopping schools. The curriculum is the same county wide, and while school cultures/environments definitely differ, you probably won't get a good feel for that in a short tour anyway!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not only do I not want random strange adults trooping in and out of my kids' classrooms, I don't want the administrative staff taking a couple of hours out of every other week to tour and do Q&A with people shopping schools. The curriculum is the same county wide, and while school cultures/environments definitely differ, you probably won't get a good feel for that in a short tour anyway!

The curriculum may be the same countywide but the leadership at the school, the school culture, the facilities are not all the same county-wide. Also, reading postings about breaking out students by level and how advanced work was handled under 2.0,the answers seemed to vary by school.

I laughed at the random strange adults trooping in and out of classrooms because most schools don't want the parents of currently enrolled students inside classrooms. You have few opportunities to see what goes on, if you toured ahead of time and Open House in your child's classroom. You are supposed to have trust in the curriculum and the MCPS brand.

To the OP, my best advice would be go for the neighborhood you like the best and make sure should you need to do something other than public school, you haven't cut it so close that you couldn't afford to do so. There is a part of me that wished I had picked a different public school when we were looking. However, it is hard to know what your yet unborn child will need and you can have two kids that thrive in different environments. I really like the neighborhood and our location. In some ways as stressful as our years were in public school, I feel I met wonderful parents and our kids met good friends. The story hasn't been closed yet on how we may impact each other's lives. Who knows how that would have been different if I had chosen a different school. Also, as frustrated as I was with our local school, I still have to acknowledge my child still learned and was prepared for her next school and for a different child it was a great experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty sure Columbus Day observation is really intended to be limited to current parents - it wouldn't really work for someone with no exposure to the school since at least at the 2 MCPS schools my kids have attended, there isn't a tour, you just go spend a limited amt of time watching your kids' classes as they go about their business.

OP, if you're genuinely interested, I'd bet that you could arrange to sit in on an info session for prospective new K parents - our MCPS elementary had a couple each year in Feb/March. I went a year before my first would be ready, to see if I might want to try to apply him elsewhere for preK. You can also ask for PTA info and email current parents that way.

As other PPs have suggested, it's not realistic to assume that elementaries can arrange tours to suit anyone who inquiries. Not only do I not want random strange adults trooping in and out of my kids' classrooms, I don't want the administrative staff taking a couple of hours out of every other week to tour and do Q&A with people shopping schools. The curriculum is the same county wide, and while school cultures/environments definitely differ, you probably won't get a good feel for that in a short tour anyway!

OP here -- Thanks, this is a great suggestion. My motivation is the same as other PPs have said -- we're targeting a few neighborhoods we like and would be comfortable living in, but we want to make sure the schools are a good fit since that will be such a big part of our lives for the next 18 years or so (2 kids from K-12). I agree with PP that the administration, culture, etc. can vary greatly by school, so that's really what I'm hoping to get a sense for on a tour. And I've been able to get a really good sense of it on the one tour I've been on so far. So I'm inclined to take it as a sign of how Somerset approaches parent interaction. Thanks all for the great discussion.

[Anonymous]

OP, Somerset doesn't do anything for prospective parents aside from the PTA-led tour. You can sign your child up for K orientation after deposits are due for privates, in May or so.

[Anonymous]

I took the PTA led tour at Somerset and it was very nice. The parents were very well informed and had genuine enthusiasm for what they were doing. We saw all of the school facilities and, although we did not go inside the classroom, we stood in the hallway looking into several classrooms, which was plenty fine for getting a feel of the place (without disrupting). At the end of the tour, we met the Principal and had a chance to ask questions. There didn't seem to be any difference between this tour and a school led tour... they just happen to have interested parents who are willing to volunteer. In the interest of full disclosure, we did not end up attending Somerset (because my son's particular needs made a better match elsewhere), but I felt like I got a good sense of Somerset from the tour, and the administration was happy to answer questions in that forum.

[Anonymous]

We have a fourth grader slated to go to Eastern MS (likely not in the magnet program) in two years but are contemplating a move to private for middle school instead. I just called Eastern to ask if I can visit the campus-- I am curious to compare the vibe in the classrooms with what I saw when touring the private school. I was told in no uncertain terms by the principal's secretary that "we don't do that," that there is no way they would let me come and see the school until the meetings in the spring before my child would begin (which I believe do not take place during school hours). What a turnoff-- it makes me even more certain that switching to a (welcoming, friendly) private might be a good move.

[Anonymous]

You asked Eastern MS to give you a tour of the school, during school hours, because you are the parent of a student who would go to Eastern MS two years from now, and you think it's unreasonable (unwelcoming/unfriendly) of them to say no?

Perhaps the (welcoming, friendly) private school is (welcoming and friendly) because they know that they have to do a lot of hand-holding if they want to get your tuition money?

[Anonymous]

I would prefer a PTA parent led tour over an administrator lead tour any day of the week.

You'll probably get a much more realistic view of the school than you would from staff and a more realistic view.

[Anonymous]

Prospective Eastern parent, just attend a school event and chat up the parents. Wander on your way to the restroom, etc.

[Anonymous]

It's Somerset. Enough said.

[Anonymous]

What did the last person meant by "It's Somerset. Enough said." Can't read sarcasm or praise…

[Anonymous]

I have kids at Somerset and live in the neighborhood. The neighborhood is amazing. Totally, totally amazing walkability, nice people, awesome gathering point with the pool, I could go on and on. The school is very good. I have problems with the school, but they are really with Curriculum 2.0 and the way public schools are pushing our kids in general. Somerset's the kind of place where your kid can be above grade level at reading but in the lowest reading group. There's just a ton of high achieving peoples with high achieving kids here. I think the administration listens to parents more than, say, Woodacres, where there is wide-spread parent disillusionment with the administration. It's just that there isn't enough PTA volunteers to do tours all the time. I think they tend to set them a few times a year and only when they can get enough volunteers. I will say that the after-school activities are very good and the Foundation pays for reading and math clubs so that kids can get extra academic enrichment.

[Anonymous]

PS You might have also gotten the "mean" secretary on the phone. There's a good cop one and a bad cop one in the front office.