JLMM Parents... Sense of Community?

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone! I am hoping to get firsthand accounts from parents with children at Mann, Murch, Lafayette and Janney about how strong the sense of community is at the school...

I am hoping to be able to find the feel of a "neighborhood school", where the school plays a central role in the community -- maybe where the kids in the area play in the playground even after school or on weekends.

I've heard people talk about Mann's farmer's market for instance, and have seen a nice full playground at Murch on the weekends.

Can anyone share how they feel their DC's school fares on this front?

[Anonymous]

We're new to Lafayette this year and love the community; though I have no comparison with the other schools. The PTA is very organized, and every class had a "parents dinner" in the fall at a parent's home, and the teachers came too. Due to the way school is laid out, it's impossible to just drive through and drop-off and pick-up (which is we did when I was younger). So, every morning there are parents, kids, dogs, etc. all walking on to campus, and through the adjacent park. It's very sociable, and everyone always says hi in the halls. As a result, my kids love it, and so do we.

[Anonymous]

pp, here...I think there is a farmer's market at school on weekends during the season. And, because it's an open campus, there's always kids there on the weekends and after school, even kids who don't attend

[Anonymous]

Thanks pp! We are currently house-hunting, and really want our kids to go to a school that is more than just where they learn during the day. We'd love for it to really have a sense of community; to be integral to the community. We'd love for it to be the type of place where the kids can meet up with friends after school or over the weekend on the playground.

I've gotten the impression in the past that Janney was like that... people don't generally seem to talk about Mann this way... for Murch I get mixed reports (from "great neighborhood school" to "the boundary is too spread out to have that feeling")...?

Can anyone else share their experiences with their children's schools?

Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

The Murch playground is a magnet and people do meet there on the weekends for birthday parties, playing, soccer etc. You can also meet non-Murch people from the neighborhood. Even with the spread, people come and drop by.

[Anonymous]

Having Lafayette park at Lafayette is a huge draw - all of my kids naturally stayed after school to play with their friends. It's hard to imagine that there are kids who take the bus home right after school! And, although the open classrooms are odd at first, it does give the school a very friendly feel that is not present in schools with actual classrooms.