Updates on status of Eastern Humanities magnet curriculum for *current* students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a 5th grader that got a spot in this Magnet program. We have 11 days to accept. We will attend next week’s welcome night, but want to hear from current families what we should look out for and what questions to ask.

Is it official that the magnet will switch to the CKLA English curriculum?

If so, how does this affect the interdisciplinary nature of the program? Will the other curriculums change to fit CKLA?

Am I understanding correctly that Eastern, TP and Blair Magnet kids ride the same bus?!?

How is the music program? Why only afterschool band for credit and not orchestra? Why don't all MS have the after school music for credit option?

Lunch at 10:17?!?!

CKLA will not be the humanities ELA curriculum. The interdisciplinary nature of the program is done by teacher planning and collaboration to bring together different curriculum and projects across the courses. There isn’t a curriculum out there that does that well and meets all the state standards.

AEI is writing a new curriculum for the humanities magnet. It will not be the same teacher-designed curriculum, but it will still be interdisciplinary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a 5th grader that got a spot in this Magnet program. We have 11 days to accept. We will attend next week’s welcome night, but want to hear from current families what we should look out for and what questions to ask.

Is it official that the magnet will switch to the CKLA English curriculum?

If so, how does this affect the interdisciplinary nature of the program? Will the other curriculums change to fit CKLA?

Am I understanding correctly that Eastern, TP and Blair Magnet kids ride the same bus?!?

How is the music program? Why only afterschool band for credit and not orchestra? Why don't all MS have the after school music for credit option?

Lunch at 10:17?!?!

1. Magnet changing curriculum, starting with incoming 6th graders (that's your kiddo). Actual curriculum TBD. Teachers prob not know themselves yet.

2. I imagine they will strive to still be interdisciplinary. That's a question for the school.

3. Yes. They all ride the same bus/route. Goes Blair to Eastern to TPMS. But that might change once the regional model bussing goes into effect in Fall 2027.

4. After school music, yes. Prob cuz most of the students who play are not local students, but that's just me speculating.

5. Yes, lunch can be that early.

Re the bus question, it depends on where you live. Our kid rides a direct bus to and from school that consists only of Eastern magnet kids, but it's only really an option for kids within the TPMS/SSIMS attendance zones, so I can't speak to other buses. But how would TPMS and Eastern magnet kids be riding with Blair students in the morning when HS starts like an hour earlier? I think there might be some overlap with the afternoon activity buses that involve a change at Blair.

Re: lunch, technically the first 15 minutes or so are advisory so the actual eating will be after 10:30 at least

Re: after-school band, I assume this exists because there is staff to support it but also the kids to support it (not necessarily because kids live farther away but because magnet students only get one elective and choose to use it on something other than band).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a 5th grader that got a spot in this Magnet program. We have 11 days to accept. We will attend next week’s welcome night, but want to hear from current families what we should look out for and what questions to ask.

Is it official that the magnet will switch to the CKLA English curriculum?

If so, how does this affect the interdisciplinary nature of the program? Will the other curriculums change to fit CKLA?

Am I understanding correctly that Eastern, TP and Blair Magnet kids ride the same bus?!?

How is the music program? Why only afterschool band for credit and not orchestra? Why don't all MS have the after school music for credit option?

Lunch at 10:17?!?!

1. Magnet changing curriculum, starting with incoming 6th graders (that's your kiddo). Actual curriculum TBD. Teachers prob not know themselves yet.

2. I imagine they will strive to still be interdisciplinary. That's a question for the school.

3. Yes. They all ride the same bus/route. Goes Blair to Eastern to TPMS. But that might change once the regional model bussing goes into effect in Fall 2027.

4. After school music, yes. Prob cuz most of the students who play are not local students, but that's just me speculating.

5. Yes, lunch can be that early.

Re the bus question, it depends on where you live. Our kid rides a direct bus to and from school that consists only of Eastern magnet kids, but it's only really an option for kids within the TPMS/SSIMS attendance zones, so I can't speak to other buses. But how would TPMS and Eastern magnet kids be riding with Blair students in the morning when HS starts like an hour earlier? I think there might be some overlap with the afternoon activity buses that involve a change at Blair.

Re: lunch, technically the first 15 minutes or so are advisory so the actual eating will be after 10:30 at least

Re: after-school band, I assume this exists because there is staff to support it but also the kids to support it (not necessarily because kids live farther away but because magnet students only get one elective and choose to use it on something other than band).

Don't the middle school magnet kids just catch the Blair school buses school super-early so they can get to Blair by the HS start time, then transfer at Blair to TPMS/Eastern?

But this will potentially be different starting in fall 2027 when they do the new regional busing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a 5th grader that got a spot in this Magnet program. We have 11 days to accept. We will attend next week’s welcome night, but want to hear from current families what we should look out for and what questions to ask.

Is it official that the magnet will switch to the CKLA English curriculum?

If so, how does this affect the interdisciplinary nature of the program? Will the other curriculums change to fit CKLA?

Am I understanding correctly that Eastern, TP and Blair Magnet kids ride the same bus?!?

How is the music program? Why only afterschool band for credit and not orchestra? Why don't all MS have the after school music for credit option?

Lunch at 10:17?!?!

1. Magnet changing curriculum, starting with incoming 6th graders (that's your kiddo). Actual curriculum TBD. Teachers prob not know themselves yet.

2. I imagine they will strive to still be interdisciplinary. That's a question for the school.

3. Yes. They all ride the same bus/route. Goes Blair to Eastern to TPMS. But that might change once the regional model bussing goes into effect in Fall 2027.

4. After school music, yes. Prob cuz most of the students who play are not local students, but that's just me speculating.

5. Yes, lunch can be that early.

Re the bus question, it depends on where you live. Our kid rides a direct bus to and from school that consists only of Eastern magnet kids, but it's only really an option for kids within the TPMS/SSIMS attendance zones, so I can't speak to other buses. But how would TPMS and Eastern magnet kids be riding with Blair students in the morning when HS starts like an hour earlier? I think there might be some overlap with the afternoon activity buses that involve a change at Blair.

Re: lunch, technically the first 15 minutes or so are advisory so the actual eating will be after 10:30 at least

Re: after-school band, I assume this exists because there is staff to support it but also the kids to support it (not necessarily because kids live farther away but because magnet students only get one elective and choose to use it on something other than band).

Don't the middle school magnet kids just catch the Blair school buses school super-early so they can get to Blair by the HS start time, then transfer at Blair to TPMS/Eastern?

But this will potentially be different starting in fall 2027 when they do the new regional busing.

PP here, yeah, in looking at the schedules you are right. The pickups are before 7am in many cases and drop off at Blair, then Eastern/TPMS. That said, I've never heard any complaints about riding buses with Blair magnet students; I would guess that the MS and HS kids probably keep to themselves. I guess we are lucky in that we live close enough to get one of the few direct buses. But activity buses are the same for everyone; there is a shuttle to Blair at 4:15/4:30 and then a second bus the kids take home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a 5th grader that got a spot in this Magnet program. We have 11 days to accept. We will attend next week’s welcome night, but want to hear from current families what we should look out for and what questions to ask.

Is it official that the magnet will switch to the CKLA English curriculum?

If so, how does this affect the interdisciplinary nature of the program? Will the other curriculums change to fit CKLA?

Am I understanding correctly that Eastern, TP and Blair Magnet kids ride the same bus?!?

How is the music program? Why only afterschool band for credit and not orchestra? Why don't all MS have the after school music for credit option?

Lunch at 10:17?!?!

CKLA will not be the humanities ELA curriculum. The interdisciplinary nature of the program is done by teacher planning and collaboration to bring together different curriculum and projects across the courses. There isn’t a curriculum out there that does that well and meets all the state standards.

ELA will be CommonLit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many students per grade are enrolled in the Eastern Humanities program currently?

Capacity is 150 per grade. Enrollment is a bit less than that. Enough for six groups per grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was looking on the Eastern website for info on open house timing (January FYI) and came across this video about the current English class:

Looks like a wonderful course that the kids really enjoy and get a lot out of-- such a shame MCPS is looking to kill it.

(My 4th grader, who loves to read and write, hates CKLA, even the enriched cohorted version. It's so depressing to think that she will have no possible alternative to 4.5 more years of it, when she's a kid who I think would absolutely love and excel at an actually engaging English class like the one at Eastern ..)

Literature and the Humanities hasn’t been a Humanities course for at least three years. Comprehensive students also take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We will also be at the meeting tonight. My DS is skeptical after watching the video that highlighted acting. I think he would love the history and english elements, but the acting totally turns him off. Is that really a huge part of the curriculum ?

Performances and presentation are a huge part. Sometimes it’s acting. Sometimes it’s other forms of communication.

People forget that it’s a Communications magnet as well as a Humanities one. Not a good fit for kids who dislike writing or public speaking.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this reply. I feel better after the open house. My kid is not at all interested in acting/theater, but public speaking, debate and other forms of communication are a strength.