Wayside Elementary - 1st and 2nd Grade, Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

My husband's job is taking him to the DC area for a year, from July '12-July '13. We've decided it would be best to keep the family together so I will be coming along with the kids. His company has rented a house for us in Potomac which feeds to Wayside Elem.; employer claims it's the best school in the area. Our daughters will be in 1st and 2nd grade next year. While Wayside looks nice on paper, I need more information to help me decide if it's the best place for our girls.
I'd like to know specifically:
-Is this an international community where kids who are there for just a year would feel welcome and accepted?
-How does the rigor in 1st and 2nd grade at Wayside compare to other schools?
-What does 1st/2nd grade HW look like at Wayside?
-Were you (and your kids) happy with the teachers? Classroom structure? Level of acceleration?
-Does Wayside allow you to request teachers? Would prefer someone especially nurturing, flexible, fun.
-Do students have access to a personable student advisor who they can talk to about feelings, fitting in, etc?

Thank you for your feedback.

[Anonymous]

There are several threads on this school, it seems, such as:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/127428.page#1089799

[Anonymous]

Wayside is fantastic. There are great teachers and families. Its a very wealthy area so some folks are a wee bit out of touch but otherwise very nice. On down side, the building is old and the classes are big. Not as big as some other places but in KJ we had 23 to one (no TA either).

But, the teachers really hold it together well. The kids also love it at Wayside. Lots of parent volunteers who help out. Great principal.

Very international because lots of diplomatic staff and world bank/IMF employees live in Potomac

Lots of places to improve upon but all in all probably one of the best in the DC area

[Anonymous]

Wayside has a Principal who cares about appropriate education for children and understands the need for subject acceleration (e.g., math) in children whose needs are not being met. This is not the case for neighboring Cold Spring Elementary School.