Would you do the Rosemary Hills split? (Alternatively, is it going away anytime soon?)

[Anonymous]

because CCES and NCCES only start at 3rd grade, the kids know most everyone when they move there in 3rd grade. In that sense, it's not like "going to a new school." It's just a new building. And, of course, half the RHPS kids go to NCCES and half to CCES, so they might not move with some of their friends. (But they will meet up again in the same midlde school three years later!)

I have been told that while these two elementary schools currently go through 6th grade, once the new middle school is open in a few years, they will only go through 5th grade like the rest of the elem. schools in the cluster.

And as the PP said, BE was a different beast. Only about 20-25 kids each year moved from RHPS, so they really DID feel like they were going to a new school where they didn't know the other kids, and most of the other kids in 3rd grade had been there since kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're looking at new neighborhoods. A couple of places we're considering feed into an elementary school that sends kids to Rosemary Hills for K-2 (so, either North Chevy Chase or Chevy Chase ES). Has anyone done the split and have thoughts?

On one hand, I kind of like the idea of separating the little kids from the big kids. On the other hand, it would mean having the kids at 2 separate schools for years. Just when our younger one gets to K, the older one will be starting 3rd grade and would be leaving RHES. They wouldn't be at the same elementary school until the older one is in 6th grade (since I think NCCES and CCES go to grade 6) and the younger is in 3rd. That just seems like a logistical nightmare.

I know Bethesda ES used to split also. Since they were able to reconstitute their school, any hope that the split in general will end in the next few years?

While it's true that the kids move as a cohort to each upper school and in that sense, the split school isn't "new" in terms of friendship, it is new in other ways -- new building, new expectations, new routines and new administration. For some kids that might be inconsequential, for others a big impact. For special ed students this can mean new speech therapist, new counselors, etc., -- not an easy transition.

[Anonymous]

I know a family who moved out of the Rosemary Hills neighborhood because they were going crazy with 3 kids at 3 different schools - not sure if their kids were bussed or not, if start times were different, etc.

Another family thought RH was too big of a school, with too many students, but stayed anyway.

I bought in the Bethesda ES neighborhood because they have a stellar rep concerning learning disabilities and special needs in general and I knew DS would benefit from that.
Also, I wanted a neighborhood with sidewalks, and a lot of East Bethesda and North Chevy Chase does not have sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

I have one child at NCC (former RHPSer) and another who will start K at RHPS in the fall. I was worried about Rosemary Hills because of the size, and truthfully the first week was hard on my child. But it was a wonderful experience - I know the other PPs have said the same, but there is something very nice about the fact that it was all little kids and everyone at the school was focused on little kid issues. It was an incredibly engaged parent community and the staff all made you feel like they knew you and your child individually (I've heard other parents say this as well, and yet I imagine they couldn't really know us all!)

Now that we've had a few years at NCC, I can see the appeal of a truly neighborhood environment as well - but I wouldn't want to give up the benefits of the focus on very early learning, and this way I feel like we have the best of both worlds.

[Anonymous]

PS my child unlike every other child in Bethesda is NOT gifted, and entered RHPS unable to read - and yet became a highly advanced reader while at the school. I can only credit the teachers, who do a wonderful job with the large (standard for MCPS) classes.

[Anonymous]

OP Here -- Thanks all. This is very helpful. We have a year and half until our oldest starts K (due to a fall birthday), and we're scouting new neighborhoods (moving to get a yard, targeting schools since we're moving anyway). You all gave me a lot to think about.

Other than neighborhoods that feed into RH, we are looking at Bethesda ES and possibly Westbrook ES. But thanks to those who also mentioned Somerset. We have a few friends there who love it.

[Anonymous]

I'm one of the PPs with a kid at NCCES, and I grew up going to Somerset. It is wonderful, but we were priced out as well like another PP said.

[Anonymous]

OP again -- re: Somerset -- We used to live in an apartment that borders the neighborhood. My sense was that there were not a lot of young families in the neighborhood, but it was more of a mix and included a lot of older residents. Am I right?

We're looking for a neighborhood where there will be lots of kids the same age as ours. (Meaning on our street, not just at the neighborhood park.) So that has kept me out of Somerset a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PS my child unlike every other child in Bethesda is NOT gifted, and entered RHPS unable to read - and yet became a highly advanced reader while at the school. I can only credit the teachers, who do a wonderful job with the large (standard for MCPS) classes.

You are very lucky. Our child had quite the opposite experience at RHPS. I became concerned and spent once a week in classroom volunteering. I could see that although teacher had "reading groups" in 1st grade, she gave almost no reading instruction in terms of decoding. Classroom was also pretty out of control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PS my child unlike every other child in Bethesda is NOT gifted, and entered RHPS unable to read - and yet became a highly advanced reader while at the school. I can only credit the teachers, who do a wonderful job with the large (standard for MCPS) classes.

You are very lucky. Our child had quite the opposite experience at RHPS. I became concerned and spent once a week in classroom volunteering. I could see that although teacher had "reading groups" in 1st grade, she gave almost no reading instruction in terms of decoding. Classroom was also pretty out of control.

FWIW my kid also entered not reading, but left a very good reader. I was also impressed by his K teacher, who kept the kids fairly active (moving around the room etc.). We did have one teacher we did not really like but I think that teacher is no longer there.

[Anonymous]

I sent one child to RHPS & NCC, whereas the other started at BE. Of the two choices, I'd pick RHPS & NCC because of the age segregation. Being a "big" 2nd grader really gave my child a lot of confidence, and I felt like the kids enjoyed more of their childhood without a rush to mimic the Tweens. Love NCC for the same reason. That said, BE has an excellent principal - stronger and more engaged than either the RHPS or NCC principals. And lunchtime at RHPS can be overwhelming, but parent volunteers help. Really, we are so lucky. There are lots of great schools in Bethesda and there are trade-offs to each.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sent one child to RHPS & NCC, whereas the other started at BE. Of the two choices, I'd pick RHPS & NCC because of the age segregation. Being a "big" 2nd grader really gave my child a lot of confidence, and I felt like the kids enjoyed more of their childhood without a rush to mimic the Tweens. Love NCC for the same reason. That said, BE has an excellent principal - stronger and more engaged than either the RHPS or NCC principals. And lunchtime at RHPS can be overwhelming, but parent volunteers help. Really, we are so lucky. There are lots of great schools in Bethesda and there are trade-offs to each.

FWIW, BE is much more well-known for it's better compliance on special ed. My DC attended RHPS and CCES it was a disaster from the special ed perspective, and my child's special ed needs were not even really that great. My comments do not pertain to the autism program as special ed -- we were not a part of that, rather the regular school.

[Anonymous]

THANK YOU for starting this thread - I too am between a couple of school districts for my rising K. She has been in a very nurturing Montessori school for 3 years and I am anxious about the RH class size and environment. This thread has given me some comfort.

[Anonymous]

No worries on RHPS! They are great at the K-2 years. The principal is professional, personable, and goes the extra mile! The class sizes are actually a little better that many other schools. It was hard to wrap you head around 8 or 9 classes of the same grade, but the kids figure it out and it is not a problem! Really nice down to earth community that you will not get at BE, Somerset, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No worries on RHPS! They are great at the K-2 years. The principal is professional, personable, and goes the extra mile! The class sizes are actually a little better that many other schools. It was hard to wrap you head around 8 or 9 classes of the same grade, but the kids figure it out and it is not a problem! Really nice down to earth community that you will not get at BE, Somerset, etc.

What are the current class sizes? When my child was there a couple of years ago, it was consistently around 24-25. My understanding is that the class size at RHPS isn't any better than other BCC cluster schools. Some Title I schools have extra funds for much smaller class sizes (around 15) but RHPS is not one of these. I thought the 24-25/classroom figure was close to the standard budgetary cap of 27 per classroom.