Any Arcola Elementary parents out there

[Anonymous]

As was said previously, Arcola ES is implementing a year-round calendar this year. They have already started the 2019-2020 school year.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/calendar/0529.19ct_2019-20_InnovativeSchoolYearCalendarADOPTED.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/arcolaes/aboutus/innovative.aspx

This at least means that you could go visit the school and see it in session (explain that you may be moving into the area.) Your child would begin after the school year started, but this isn't necessarily bad. Kids move in and out of schools mid-year all the time.

[Anonymous]

Visiting Arcola now is great advice! Childcare is very expensive in this area, and having that covered, via school, more consistently throughout the year could be a huge benefit. Middle school starts in 6th grade, so even if your daughter attends Arcola, she won't be in school "all year" for much longer (only for 3rd, 4th & 5th).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Visiting Arcola now is great advice! Childcare is very expensive in this area, and having that covered, via school, more consistently throughout the year could be a huge benefit. Middle school starts in 6th grade, so even if your daughter attends Arcola, she won't be in school "all year" for much longer (only for 3rd, 4th & 5th).

To treat school as a daycare is neglect. To view year round school as a place to dump your child because you cannot afford camps and enriching activities is both appalling and child abuse. Be a better parent PP. School is NOT a babysitting facility or a nanny service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visiting Arcola now is great advice! Childcare is very expensive in this area, and having that covered, via school, more consistently throughout the year could be a huge benefit. Middle school starts in 6th grade, so even if your daughter attends Arcola, she won't be in school "all year" for much longer (only for 3rd, 4th & 5th).

To treat school as a daycare is neglect. To view year round school as a place to dump your child because you cannot afford camps and enriching activities is both appalling and child abuse. Be a better parent PP. School is NOT a babysitting facility or a nanny service.

You have really loose definitions of the terms neglect and child abuse!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not an Arcola parent but a MCPS teacher. Arcola has a high FARMS (free and reduced meals services) student population, which means many of the students are low income and highly impoverished. Arcola also has a high student population where English is not the first language of many of the students. This, in addition to other factors such as its low test scores have made Arcola a year round school program in MCPS. Arcola is one of two schools where the students attend all year round.

I personally, would not move into that cluster, perhaps try other clusters to see where your budget could work. Downtown Silver Spring has better schools such as Woodlin, Flora Singer, Oakview, Pinecrest ES, Rock Creek Forrest or try the Takoma Park area---- Sligo Creek ES or Takoma Park ES.

I really REALLY hope you are not a teacher at Arcola.

[Anonymous]

We know someone with a child going into 3rd grade at Arcola. They are very happy with the school. It is also year-round, which I see as a plus. If you have any younger children, the building also houses a very nice MCCA preschool.

[Anonymous]

Arcola used to be a very nice middle class Jewish area. It has declined into a very low SES area with a lot of families that also do not speak English. So sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arcola used to be a very nice middle class Jewish area. It has declined into a very low SES area with a lot of families that also do not speak English. So sad.

Hey, just like the area my great-grandparents lived in, when they immigrated from Odessa! (Probably your great-grandparents too.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arcola used to be a very nice middle class Jewish area. It has declined into a very low SES area with a lot of families that also do not speak English. So sad.

Good think Jews were never immigrants who spoke another language. Also, it's still a pretty nice area, and has a strong Jewish presence.

[Anonymous]

Not talking about Jews 1890-1920. Talking post-WW2 nice middle class neighborhood that is no more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not talking about Jews 1890-1920. Talking post-WW2 nice middle class neighborhood that is no more.

There are still plenty of streets within the Arcola school zone that I'd describe as nice middle-class neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not talking about Jews 1890-1920. Talking post-WW2 nice middle class neighborhood that is no more.

Not talking about those non-English-speaking poor immigrants! Talking about these non-English-speaking poor immigrants! Totally different!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not talking about Jews 1890-1920. Talking post-WW2 nice middle class neighborhood that is no more.

Post-WWII that neighborhood had an influx of non-English speaking Jews who had experienced trauma in their countries of origin. I bet they still had to contend with bigots like “Arcola teacher”.

[Anonymous]

Glen Haven ES is another great option in the area, and you'd probably have a slightly better commute because you wouldn't have to cross University Blvd to get to DC. However, if you're not a huge fan of a year-round school option, you can likely request a Change of School Assignment ("COSA") to move your child from Arcola ES to Glen Haven ES. Glen Haven's administration will approve almost any COSA, and I believe they're basically the designated school to take students who COSA out of Kemp Mill ES (because the families want an English-only school instead of the dual-language-only option at KMES) and now Arcola ES because of its new year-round program. You can email the principals of the schools to arrange tours.

[Anonymous]

^^ Families cannot COSA out of the dual language program at Kemp Mill. English speaking students get instruction in English. Similarly, the extended school year at Arcola is not required. Families can opt out by not sending their children to school during the extra summer term, with no consequences. This, no hardship and no need for a COSA.

That said, Glen Haven is also a great school.