Two Rivers worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the expeditionary learning and performance arts at Two Rivers look pretty cool, but seems like shouldn't underestimate the convenience of Thomson. Being able to make it over more often for school events/volunteering if able may be more important than whatever marginal benefits may exist. Sounds like scores are pretty similar, though didn't understand what earlier post meant about Thomson's results being tied to gentrification.

Thomson's results aren't tied to gentrification. That is silly. It is a school that has been a steady good performer relative to general DCPS schools and relative to its own school demographics for years. It's also really diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the expeditionary learning and performance arts at Two Rivers look pretty cool, but seems like shouldn't underestimate the convenience of Thomson. Being able to make it over more often for school events/volunteering if able may be more important than whatever marginal benefits may exist. Sounds like scores are pretty similar, though didn't understand what earlier post meant about Thomson's results being tied to gentrification.

I think PP is saying that the test scores jumped because the SES makeup of the school increased (i.e., gentrification). But SES -> test scores is sort of just how public schools work, so I don't think it means much at all. In other news, water is wet and the sky is blue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the expeditionary learning and performance arts at Two Rivers look pretty cool, but seems like shouldn't underestimate the convenience of Thomson. Being able to make it over more often for school events/volunteering if able may be more important than whatever marginal benefits may exist. Sounds like scores are pretty similar, though didn't understand what earlier post meant about Thomson's results being tied to gentrification.

Performance arts??!! At TR? Are you serious?

--Signed a TR parent whose 5th grader has received very minimal low quality PA education since PK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the expeditionary learning and performance arts at Two Rivers look pretty cool, but seems like shouldn't underestimate the convenience of Thomson. Being able to make it over more often for school events/volunteering if able may be more important than whatever marginal benefits may exist. Sounds like scores are pretty similar, though didn't understand what earlier post meant about Thomson's results being tied to gentrification.

Performance arts??!! At TR? Are you serious?

--Signed a TR parent whose 5th grader has received very minimal low quality PA education since PK.

Yikes! Well that's good to know. I may have been taken in by marketing/projecting around the middle school musical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the expeditionary learning and performance arts at Two Rivers look pretty cool, but seems like shouldn't underestimate the convenience of Thomson. Being able to make it over more often for school events/volunteering if able may be more important than whatever marginal benefits may exist. Sounds like scores are pretty similar, though didn't understand what earlier post meant about Thomson's results being tied to gentrification.

Performance arts??!! At TR? Are you serious?

--Signed a TR parent whose 5th grader has received very minimal low quality PA education since PK.

I'm curious about how current families have found the Spanish instruction. The way 2R describes it on the website sounds really cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the expeditionary learning and performance arts at Two Rivers look pretty cool, but seems like shouldn't underestimate the convenience of Thomson. Being able to make it over more often for school events/volunteering if able may be more important than whatever marginal benefits may exist. Sounds like scores are pretty similar, though didn't understand what earlier post meant about Thomson's results being tied to gentrification.

Performance arts??!! At TR? Are you serious?

--Signed a TR parent whose 5th grader has received very minimal low quality PA education since PK.

I'm curious about how current families have found the Spanish instruction. The way 2R describes it on the website sounds really cool.

Oh Lordy. Can’t speak to the marketing. My 4th grader complained a lot about the Spanish and she isn’t one to complain. Finally sat in on an online lesson and it was everyone in grades 2-5 in a huge class all talking over each other. She couldn’t get a word in. Some of the older kids had change their screen names to curse words. The material catered to the younger kids - my 4th grader told me that they were covering the same colors they did two years ago. We gave up for all children and haven’t attended Spanish in over a year. Rumor has it the Spanish teachers (they are a married couple) are pulling their own children out this upcoming year due to the poor quality of education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the expeditionary learning and performance arts at Two Rivers look pretty cool, but seems like shouldn't underestimate the convenience of Thomson. Being able to make it over more often for school events/volunteering if able may be more important than whatever marginal benefits may exist. Sounds like scores are pretty similar, though didn't understand what earlier post meant about Thomson's results being tied to gentrification.

Performance arts??!! At TR? Are you serious?

--Signed a TR parent whose 5th grader has received very minimal low quality PA education since PK.

I'm curious about how current families have found the Spanish instruction. The way 2R describes it on the website sounds really cool.

Oh Lordy. Can’t speak to the marketing. My 4th grader complained a lot about the Spanish and she isn’t one to complain. Finally sat in on an online lesson and it was everyone in grades 2-5 in a huge class all talking over each other. She couldn’t get a word in. Some of the older kids had change their screen names to curse words. The material catered to the younger kids - my 4th grader told me that they were covering the same colors they did two years ago. We gave up for all children and haven’t attended Spanish in over a year. Rumor has it the Spanish teachers (they are a married couple) are pulling their own children out this upcoming year due to the poor quality of education.

This reflects our experience also. Soon after going virtual, I opted to let DS run around outside with friends rather than endure TR Spanish.

But overall--and I think this goes for all of these schools--everyone should be really skeptical of marketing/website copy, etc. Just manage your expectations, and not based on brochures/website/photos/social media content/etc...

[Anonymous]

TR Young family here. We have had some great teachers who seemed happy with the school. We have perceived perhaps a slip in morale over the last few years. We are going to open our minds and try to approach this year with a good attitude and see what happens. We were relatively happy with early grades

[Anonymous]

The Spanish teachers are awesome! It was impressive what they were able to accomplish with so many kids. Just too many students .

[Anonymous]

I am not the biggest fan of TR but kids do drama every year and put on plays related to their expeditions. And the MS musical is cool. So not sure what that other person was talking about. Spanish teachers are generally great but whoever came up with the idea of doing spanish en masse last year really dropped the ball. That was terrible. Shouldn't relate to spanish moving forward though.

Overall TR does have very strong arts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Spanish teachers are awesome! It was impressive what they were able to accomplish with so many kids. Just too many students .

But why would the school set up the class as covering 2-5 all at once? And why would the teachers agree to that? That’s nuts. We originally had grade-wide Spanish at our school and that led to sufficient pushback that they switched it to class by class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not the biggest fan of TR but kids do drama every year and put on plays related to their expeditions. And the MS musical is cool. So not sure what that other person was talking about. Spanish teachers are generally great but whoever came up with the idea of doing spanish en masse last year really dropped the ball. That was terrible. Shouldn't relate to spanish moving forward though.

Overall TR does have very strong arts.

An annual MS drama production does not make an overall strong performing arts program for a school. There’s no individualized musical instrument opportunities and several other ways that TR is severely lacking in arts instruction. Is it good for a DC school? Probably. But its not strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Spanish teachers are awesome! It was impressive what they were able to accomplish with so many kids. Just too many students .

But why would the school set up the class as covering 2-5 all at once? And why would the teachers agree to that? That’s nuts. We originally had grade-wide Spanish at our school and that led to sufficient pushback that they switched it to class by class.

+100

TR Spanish instruction was weak even pre-pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not the biggest fan of TR but kids do drama every year and put on plays related to their expeditions. And the MS musical is cool. So not sure what that other person was talking about. Spanish teachers are generally great but whoever came up with the idea of doing spanish en masse last year really dropped the ball. That was terrible. Shouldn't relate to spanish moving forward though.

Overall TR does have very strong arts.

An annual MS drama production does not make an overall strong performing arts program for a school. There’s no individualized musical instrument opportunities and several other ways that TR is severely lacking in arts instruction. Is it good for a DC school? Probably. But its not strong.

Yeah - need to go affluent burbs or private for all that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not the biggest fan of TR but kids do drama every year and put on plays related to their expeditions. And the MS musical is cool. So not sure what that other person was talking about. Spanish teachers are generally great but whoever came up with the idea of doing spanish en masse last year really dropped the ball. That was terrible. Shouldn't relate to spanish moving forward though.

Overall TR does have very strong arts.

An annual MS drama production does not make an overall strong performing arts program for a school. There’s no individualized musical instrument opportunities and several other ways that TR is severely lacking in arts instruction. Is it good for a DC school? Probably. But its not strong.

Yeah - need to go affluent burbs or private for all that.

Anyone have any idea what the arts are like at Thomson?

I went to well-regarded suburban publics (way) back in my youth, and it never occurred to me before reading this thread that not all elementary schools have kids play instruments.