Skinny on Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is up with the abysmal test scores? I generally try to look beyond or inside of test scores to figure out what is really going on so I appreciate any insight from people with kids there. Is it simply that because of the Montessori approach the students don't know how to approach a paper and pencil test? Or are there real gaps in reading and math skills in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th ( ? ) grade levels?

Should we expect the same less than stellar testing from SWS because of their non-traditional educational approach

I'm a former parent and I think it's a little of both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that a kid's experience at the school is based on the teacher they get.

Isn't that the case with most schools?

That is the case with most schools, but in the case of Montessori, you're (often) stuck with the same teacher for multiple years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is up with the abysmal test scores? I generally try to look beyond or inside of test scores to figure out what is really going on so I appreciate any insight from people with kids there. Is it simply that because of the Montessori approach the students don't know how to approach a paper and pencil test? Or are there real gaps in reading and math skills in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th ( ? ) grade levels?

Should we expect the same less than stellar testing from SWS because of their non-traditional educational approach

I don't think anyone truly knows the complete answer. 12/13 was a rough year personnel-wise so I suspect that played a role. They are also starting to lose some 5th graders to BASIS and random privates.

They have a lot riding on this year's scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Logan the school that had that awful incident where a three-year-old was punished by making them sit alone in the cafeteria?

That is why it wasn't on my list for this year. I will never forget that thread on DCUM. I have heard that the principal is not good. He seems really focused on the expansion, but not necessarily on meeting the needs of the kids who are there. I have heard that a kid's experience at the school is based on the teacher they get.

This is news to me. Can you link me to that thread? I can't find it.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/338447.page

FTR, I don't think the OP ever confirmed that it was Logan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Logan the school that had that awful incident where a three-year-old was punished by making them sit alone in the cafeteria?

The person who started that thread did not name the school. I read the thread and saw no good reason to assume it was Logan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Logan the school that had that awful incident where a three-year-old was punished by making them sit alone in the cafeteria?

The person who started that thread did not name the school. I read the thread and saw no good reason to assume it was Logan.

Except for that it's DCPS and Montessori. I guess it could be Langdon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Logan the school that had that awful incident where a three-year-old was punished by making them sit alone in the cafeteria?

The person who started that thread did not name the school. I read the thread and saw no good reason to assume it was Logan.

Except for that it's DCPS and Montessori. I guess it could be Langdon.

Read the thread carefully. The poster said that the child's PRIOR school was Montessori -- not the school where the incident took place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Logan the school that had that awful incident where a three-year-old was punished by making them sit alone in the cafeteria?

The person who started that thread did not name the school. I read the thread and saw no good reason to assume it was Logan.

Except for that it's DCPS and Montessori. I guess it could be Langdon.

Read the thread carefully. The poster said that the child's PRIOR school was Montessori -- not the school where the incident took place.

You should read more carefully:

"We worked and talked and prepped our son extensively at home for the transition, and I was hoping that it would be easy, precisely because he was coming from a montessori-method environment already. "

[Anonymous]

It would be great if some current Logan parents could weigh in, instead of speculation about an olde thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Logan the school that had that awful incident where a three-year-old was punished by making them sit alone in the cafeteria?

The person who started that thread did not name the school. I read the thread and saw no good reason to assume it was Logan.

I agree with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that a kid's experience at the school is based on the teacher they get.

Isn't that the case with most schools?

I don't know about most schools, but a good principal will ensure that a student's experience is good no matter if they get put in classroom A or classroom B. And if there is an issue that comes up, the principal will deal with it rather than ignore it.

[Anonymous]

I can't remember the thread exactly, but it sounded like the OP gave enough details to identify the school as Logan. I am looking for the thread but can't identify enough keywords to find it--will post if I can find it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Logan the school that had that awful incident where a three-year-old was punished by making them sit alone in the cafeteria?

The person who started that thread did not name the school. I read the thread and saw no good reason to assume it was Logan.

Great. So a parent in this thread didn't explore Logan as an opportunity for their child because they misinterpreted anonymous information in another thread.

Isn't technology great?

[Anonymous]

To be clear, I did explore Logan further, since thought Montessori would be good for my kid, but from what I saw at the absolutely chaotic open house, it seemed completely possible that that would happen there. And a bunch of people on that thread who went there said that they could easily see it happening at Logan because of problems with the principal. And I met someone at Logan who was really unhappy with the school, who talked about some really sub-par teachers there. The sense I got was that the school is growing too quickly and the principal is not engaged with what is happening with the school. But that DCUM thread made a big difference--and from what was identified by OP, I think it was Logan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually didn't go to the open house and took a chance in the ranking… We are lucky to have been matched as they indicated that there were 1,000 people on the wait list. When the principal asked the parents in the crowd who had siblings already attending the school to stand, it felt like more than half. Honestly, I think you will be lucky to get in.

In terms of quality, the principal had a very warm demeanor. The teachers were engaging and were open to any questions after the orientation. It is structured using the montessori method (one-on-one teaching), but still with exams. I really respected how they strategically bring in the PK3 kids. On August 25th, all former students attend and then in September, they slowly bring in each PK3 student at different times so they don't feel overwhelmed.

In addition, the location right next to Union Station is great, it doesn't feel like it's on a major road or placed in a strange neighborhood surrounded by sketchy streets. It also looks like they built a brand new playground.

Looking forward to sending my son there!

According to the results, there are 348 PK3 on the waitlist. Of the 60 kids accepted - 40 had no preference, 18 had a sibling enrolled and 2 a sibling accepted.
all DCPS bring in the PK3 and PK4 kids slowly, which frankly while it seems nice is a pain in the ass for parents who have to work outside of the home.
We've had a mixed experience with this school.