Hyattsville Elementary + the Arts District Neighborhood
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Anonymous
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I just have a few questions for all the current (and future) families at Hyattsville Elementary ... we are residents of the Arts District Hyattsville community and when our child is old enough we would like to send him to Hyattsville Elementary. I have always loved the idea of sending our child to a school we can walk to, and really be a part of the community ("it takes a village"...). It seems that there are other families both in our neighborhood and surrounding neighborhood that do the same. Just curious about the PTA - is there a good deal of parent involvement? Would they be open to having "future parents" become apart of it now and help out? What do most families do about care after school? Are there any programs most families join? I know about Joe's, do any kids go there after school?
Thanks! |
Anonymous
| I hope someone is able to help you. I live in the Brookland neighborhood of DC and I don't think many Brooklanders are on this forum. I'm guessing that there are even fewer people from PG County on here. For what it's worth, I understand that the schools on the side of Hyattsville that you live in are very good, but you will have a roblem when it comes to high school. There is not one public high school in PG county that you can send your kids to. Joe's is a great place with a really welcoming atmosphere and a lot of kids go there after school. |
Anonymous
| OP here- Thanks. I'm hoping that between our community + all of the new families coming in (the first phase as done, and the second phase is under construction) and Hyattsville Hills that the schools should get better. The residents in the area seem to be well educated and grounded and hopefuly this reflects in their families and community involvement as well. Or at least that's the kind of role model I hope to be... |
Anonymous
| PP here - Good Luck! I've always loved that neighborhood and I'm happy to see that it getting some development. My daughter takes piano over there and I've always been impressed by the diversity and the kindness of the people. |
Anonymous
| OP -- we aren't at Hyattsville Elementary but at my children's school we'd be thrilled to have "future parents" join the PTA dn help out. Just call or email the PTA and ask! |
Anonymous
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While I have heard many parents are planning to send their children to Hyattsville elem ( we live in Hyattsville, bur not that side) and are planning to get involved. I know one family was very excited to send their child there a couple of years ago and was happy in the beginning, but soon saw parent involvement drop (they got worn out) and then they experience a drop in the quality of teachers ( after 2nd grade)
Good luck in your decision, it's tough! |
Anonymous
| Agree with PP. They are trying (though standardized test scores continue to be low), but it's gonna take a lot of effort. PTA is the best place to start. |
Anonymous
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OP here, I'm not here to make a decision to send my child to Hyattsville Elementary... my question was about joining the PTA early, after care options, etc.
I'm well aware of the stigma with PG County schools... but when all else is considered- budget cuts, declining parental involvement in other counties, as well... parents are figuring out quickly that just because you buy a home in an expensive school district doesn't guarantee you a great public school. It's not unreasonable to think that this school in particular will see an increase in enrollment and parental involvement very soon. There are 300 new townhomes and live-work condos going into ADH. One half is complete and the other is in construction. On the half that is complete there are SO many families with small children that aren't yet school aged (between 6 months and 3 yrs). Most of us have decided to send our kids to private preschools but will venture to Hyattsville Elementary for kindgarten and up. |
Anonymous
| There is a parent group/listserve in Hyattsville called Hyattsville Moms http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HNMoms/. This group is very involved and I think dads are welcome, too. I suspect the group has current/future HES parents. You are correct that other counties are confronting budget issues etc, although I'm not aware of declining parental involvement in my "expensive school district". A good parent is a good parent no matter the status of the neighborhood. I think you are clearly on the right track. Best of luck to you and your family! |
Anonymous
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Hi, I realize it was a little while ago that this thread was started, but I am the secretary of the Hyattsville Elementary PTA and definitely we are open to parents of incoming students, outgoing students, and interested community members being part of the PTA. Our next meeting is June 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the school library.
While there is a core group that is most active within the PTA, a wide range of people are members and contribute to PTA-sponsored events. I obviously have an interest here, but in all sincerity, I think HES is a overlooked gem. The administration and teachers do a good job of finding ways to work with and engage students -- both working to get those kids who need extra help up to grade level and helping ensure that kids who are already at or above grade level are challenged. The school has made Adequate Yearly Progress each of the past six years. There are challenges at the school, many of them made worse by three years of budget cuts at PGCPS, but the administration and teachers are looking at creative solutions to deal with those cuts, and the PTA is trying to help where it can, too. Aftercare is varied; my daughter is at home in the afternoon, but I know several families have their kids in an aftercare program at Crossroads Church, which is right around the corner from the school. Some other options are listed in the school handbook -- http://www1.pgcps.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=144898 (link is directly to the PDF of the handbook). At this point, there isn't aftercare at the school itself, but it is something that has been discussed. |
Anonymous
Northwestern High was ranked by US News & World Report as a Silver Medal school, and among the best in the nation. The magazine's ranking has since been discontinued, but I found it odd that Northwestern was ranked higher that Whitman in Bethesda, and B-CC was not ranked at all. If Northwestern has indeed improved, then that might be a respectable option for Hyattsville families. |
Anonymous
PP -- if the district won't open a county aftercare in your school, have your principal contact Springboard AfterCare to see if maybe they could help. They've already opened several school-based aftercare programs in county public schools: http://www.springboardafterschool.com/springboard-schools/maryland |
ktroust
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I know this is an older thread, but for new families that have moved into the arts district...how do you like it so far and have you found a good support and social group there? Do you feel safe in the neighborhood?
We love that area and are in the market. We have an 11 month old |
Anonymous
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We're very happy in Hyattsville. We live in a SFH near the elementary school. The Hyattsville Nurturing Moms group makes connecting with other families easy. We have a real sense of community. We also enjoy the parks and rec programs and boys&girls club soccer teams at MacGruger park, the local library, the pg pool, the bike paths, the new shops and restaurants. And we do some things with the kids in College Park (swim lessons at UMD, College Park youth choir) and Mt Rainier (art and dance classes).
We haven't experienced any crime, though I've read on the Hope listserve that people have had lawn mowers and bikes stolen. We have a house alarm and we use it. We lock our cars. So far so good. |
Anonymous
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We love the neighborhood. We are in the Arts District and purchased our townhome about a year ago. We have made good friends here, everyone is so nice and laid back, there's so many parks and activities. There's the parks the pp mentioned but also Bladensburg Waterfront Park just underwent a restoration and we were there this morning and it's beautiful, peaceful, and clean. We have found that the stigma attached to Hyattsville and PG is unwarranted. It's a nice community, we enjoy walking to Busboys and Poets for brunch on Sundays, and we love our home. Really great things to be said all around.
Good luck! |