Roundabout Theater won't come to Bethesda Elementary school this year

[Anonymous]

Exactly what admin problems at BE?
I'm a long-time parent, involved in its PTA and with a certain knowledge of its administration.

Please elaborate, or this will just be another attack on a supposedly "rich kids' school".

The parent community has had issues with a few of the previous PTA's unilateral decisions, and the lady at the front desk thaws to only a chosen few, but those are not the types of issues that would affect Roundhouse Theater.

In my experience and those of my friends at other elementary schools, outside vendors come and go. Bethesda's Imagination Stage used to teach extra-curricular classes at BE, but stopped due to low enrollment. Roundhouse probably does really want to refocus on Title 1.

It's not the end of the world, OP.

[Anonymous]

No theatre for BE this year?? What about opera and baseball instruction from Bryce Harper? Will that still be offered?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Round House Theater is a great theater and has wonderful children's programs. My son went to their camp this summer and loved it! I'm sorry they won't be coming to your school, but they do have classes year round for kids that you can sign them up for, since it sounds like you have the money to do that. Their education programs are actually located in downtown Silver Spring, not Bethesda, by the way, so even though the theater is nearby, their teaching artists and Education Center are closer to Silver Spring schools. What about Imagination Stage - they are in Bethesda,too, and have great children's programming.

I have a child at BE, I live in Bethesda and while we're not FARMs, we don't have money for extras like these classes. I am sick of everyone making assumptions about people just because of their zipcode.

I am the PP and was responding to the OP who said she "joined" the theater - I assume she means subscribed, and attended shows there - if you can afford to see shows and be a subscriber at Round House you can afford to sign your kids up for classes there. I wasn't making generalizations about all families at Bethesda ES.

If you have financial need, most programs like Round House have scholarship funds for classes, just contact them.

Thanks, PP, but honestly, there is a line between NOT needing scholarships and being able to afford all kinds of extras. It used to be called the middle class. That's us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Round House Theater is a great theater and has wonderful children's programs. My son went to their camp this summer and loved it! I'm sorry they won't be coming to your school, but they do have classes year round for kids that you can sign them up for, since it sounds like you have the money to do that. Their education programs are actually located in downtown Silver Spring, not Bethesda, by the way, so even though the theater is nearby, their teaching artists and Education Center are closer to Silver Spring schools. What about Imagination Stage - they are in Bethesda,too, and have great children's programming.

I have a child at BE, I live in Bethesda and while we're not FARMs, we don't have money for extras like these classes. I am sick of everyone making assumptions about people just because of their zipcode.

I am the PP and was responding to the OP who said she "joined" the theater - I assume she means subscribed, and attended shows there - if you can afford to see shows and be a subscriber at Round House you can afford to sign your kids up for classes there. I wasn't making generalizations about all families at Bethesda ES.

If you have financial need, most programs like Round House have scholarship funds for classes, just contact them.

Thanks, PP, but honestly, there is a line between NOT needing scholarships and being able to afford all kinds of extras. It used to be called the middle class. That's us.

I'm middle class, too - single parent, make under $40k. I know how hard it is, and also know that it is possible to afford things that are priorities to me and my child or to find ways to make it affordable/accessible. I know a parent who did a work exchange at her child's dance studio so her child could attend classes there - there are ways to make things accessible even on a limited income. Round House does (or at least did) offer free theater classes on the first Fridays of each month in Silver Spring - not based on financial need. Maybe check those out?

[Anonymous]

More than likely the organization can score some easy grant money by focusing on Title 1 schools. There are incentives in place, public and private funding.

[Anonymous]

Maybe they won't come because you don't know their name is "Roundhouse" not "Roundabout".

[Anonymous]

Call Adventure Theater

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talk about first world problems.

My school banned all birthday parties, cupcakes, and any sort of treats.

Who else wants to vent?

DD has to choose between drama and cooking class after school because they're on the SAME day of the week. I started a petition to have one of them moved so Snowflake can attend both.

[Anonymous]

Why are people so mean and nasty?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are people so mean and nasty?

O

m

i

Look who's talking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No theatre for BE this year?? What about opera and baseball instruction from Bryce Harper? Will that still be offered?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they won't come because you don't know their name is "Roundhouse" not "Roundabout".

+1
I couldn't figure out where this new Roundabout place could be.

[Anonymous]

Also, at our school it's usually the PTA that teams up with outside providers and underwrites afterschool classes/assemblies/workshops. Maybe your PTA decided it had different priorities this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, at our school it's usually the PTA that teams up with outside providers and underwrites afterschool classes/assemblies/workshops. Maybe your PTA decided it had different priorities this year.

Yes, this is the case at our school as well. They also need a parent volunteer to be the coordinator for the program. It may be that no one volunteered or the PTA or principal wanted to focus on other activities.