Seeking recent feedback on College Gardens ES - non-immersion

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any first-hand experience with the regular program at College Gardens ES? We are considering buying a home in that school district and while we would like our DD to attend one of the immersion programs (Chinese or French in Rockville), we know that it's tough to get a lottery placement.

[Anonymous]

College Gardens is a wonderful school. Great teachers and IB program. As a parent, I would say that I do not recommend the Chinese Immersion program, I know I'd never subject my child to it. The program does not help students become fluent - it's only half day Chinese, in Math. But, what's most disturbing is the behavior of the children in the program, and worse, their parents. The children in the program are poorly behaved, don't listen to directives from staff - and they are stuck with the same group of kids and behaviors throughout their entire elementary career (so you can never get away from the kids in immersion that are trouble). I've even heard hearsay stories of parents in the program bullying teachers.

Do your child a favor, think about not only their academic but social well-being. DON'T DO IT!!!

[Anonymous]

Love College Gardens.

[Anonymous]

Happy College Gardens family here...even happier that the wonderful long time assistant principal is now the principal. It is a very large elementary school and no one claims the classes are small but the kids take it all in stride. Lots of involved families and activities. Generally happy with the staff. No comment on the immersion program..if you are not in it, it is just another class in the school. All kids do get the PYP curriculum..I have never really cared too much about it one way or the other. I am sure there are some benefits..but I don;t know anything else.

[Anonymous]

Another happy College Gardens Family here - highly recommend the school!

[Anonymous]

OP here -- thank you for your responses!

[Anonymous]

Another happy CGES parent here, but I don't think the school is perfect. It is huge as far as an elemtnary school goes with 850 stduents. I know there are larger elementary schools in MCPS, but 850 kids ages K-5 is mind-boggling. From my understanding, there has been some drama with the lunch periods this year and it seems to span grades. The school has 6 lunch periods, beginning around 11:00 AM and the last one begins around 1:30 PM). My kids haven't commented on it much, but do say that there are mandatory quiet times and "that" isn't fun. I hear other parents talking and ask my kids for their take on it.

I do like the principal very much. She is (quoting my kids) "totally awesome."

I know several families in the immersion program. My take on immersion in ANY language is that you need to be able to support it at home. If you can't and your child is struggling in that area, is it due to an issue through which she is learning the subject (in this case, Chinese) or is it due to the subject itself (i.e., not understanding the math concept)? Contrary to 17:43, the kids I know in CI are all good kids with great parents.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks again. I was lucky enough to do French immersion as a kid myself so have first-hand experience with how the programs generally work.

[Anonymous]

NP here with a logistics question -- do the kids who eat lunch at 1:30 get a morning snack? I would not be able to focus if I didn't eat something between 8:00 a.m. and 1:30.

[Anonymous]

My child had 1:30 lunch in 3rd grade. Yes they did have a snack time. My child actually liked the late lunch. She said it made the afternoon go really fast...I have not heard about mandatory quiet times.

[Anonymous]

Kids who eat early also typically have an afternoon snack. It varies from classroom to classroom; when my child had lunch at 11:20, they had "chat and chew" around 2:00. Parents had to send in snacks.

PP, if your child is at CGES now, ask if the lunch monitors/aides have made mandatory quiet times on some of the lunch days. It seems to be based on when the cafeteria just gets too noisy. My child never commented on the mandatory quiet times until this year.

[Anonymous]

It is beyond overcrowded and many will get relocated in a few years to the 5th school. The principal is good, the immersion program is a waste of funds when half of MCPS is failing most math classes in high school. The new school is nice but many many rude disruptive kids. he apartments across the street are dangerous to walkers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is beyond overcrowded and many will get relocated in a few years to the 5th school. The principal is good, the immersion program is a waste of funds when half of MCPS is failing most math classes in high school. The new school is nice but many many rude disruptive kids. he apartments across the street are dangerous to walkers.

Having a Chinese-language program in an elementary school is a waste of money because high school students are failing their county-wide math exams?

[Anonymous]

The last plan I heard was that when (and if) the 5th school opens, the immersion program will move there and the neighborhood boundaries will remain as is.