Moving to MoCo from out of state — W schools are not an option

[Anonymous]

If you can avoid a commute several days a week, and like the outdoors, then Poolesville for sure.

[Anonymous]

OP,

We moved to Bethesda years ago specifically for two things:
1. Short commute.
2. The school had a great reputation for taking care of its special needs population.

The two above criteria are the most important! Wealthy neighborhoods don't always have the best IEP teams. You have to create a thread specifically for that. It depends on the Principal of each school. As a rule of thumb, if the school houses a special program, then you can have some reassurance that they take special needs seriously, even if your child is not necessarily in that program. Walter Johnson is a north Bethesda cluster that houses the GT/LD and Asperger's programs. You need to look at each website, see what programs they have in each school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I want a house with a yard, which I can’t afford on the west side of the county where the W schools are. I like the feel of Rockville a lot but I don’t think the large elementary schools would be ideal for my elementary school child. I work from home, so commute isn’t a factor right now but could be in a future job. If there really are gangs at all of the high schools, that is very different from when I was in school.

Look at Olney - Sherwood HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP,

We moved to Bethesda years ago specifically for two things:
1. Short commute.
2. The school had a great reputation for taking care of its special needs population.

The two above criteria are the most important! Wealthy neighborhoods don't always have the best IEP teams. You have to create a thread specifically for that. It depends on the Principal of each school. As a rule of thumb, if the school houses a special program, then you can have some reassurance that they take special needs seriously, even if your child is not necessarily in that program. Walter Johnson is a north Bethesda cluster that houses the GT/LD and Asperger's programs. You need to look at each website, see what programs they have in each school.

It doesn't sound like OP can afford Bethesda

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I want a house with a yard, which I can’t afford on the west side of the county where the W schools are. I like the feel of Rockville a lot but I don’t think the large elementary schools would be ideal for my elementary school child. I work from home, so commute isn’t a factor right now but could be in a future job. If there really are gangs at all of the high schools, that is very different from when I was in school.

If you're looking for a Rockville school that is on the smaller side, consider these:

Meadow Hall
Rock Creek Valley
Ritchie Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP,

We moved to Bethesda years ago specifically for two things:
1. Short commute.
2. The school had a great reputation for taking care of its special needs population.

The two above criteria are the most important! Wealthy neighborhoods don't always have the best IEP teams. You have to create a thread specifically for that. It depends on the Principal of each school. As a rule of thumb, if the school houses a special program, then you can have some reassurance that they take special needs seriously, even if your child is not necessarily in that program. Walter Johnson is a north Bethesda cluster that houses the GT/LD and Asperger's programs. You need to look at each website, see what programs they have in each school.

It doesn't sound like OP can afford Bethesda

PP you replied to. Right. I just meant it as an example of how we went about looking for a house and school. OP doesn't need to worry about commute right now, and she has price restrictions, but it doesn't change the fact that IEP services will vary wildly depending on the Principal of each school, and W schools aren't necessarily better. The previous principal of Somerset ES (wealthy Chevy Chase) was notorious for not being helpful at all... So it's going to be grunt work. And as I said, start with the schools that house special programs already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Avoid MCPS if you can…seriously suboptimal. I would pick the cheapest house and go private.

Bad advice. We left mcps to go one of the top privates in DC and has been a waste of money.

Why do parents like you keep lurking and posting in MCPS forum, yet when a public school parent posts negative things about private schools in the private school forum you all get so bent out of shape?

To OP, if your kid has an IEP I would focus your search on schools with the best IEP. I don't know what that is. Maybe try the SN parent forum, too?

MCPS is a very large school district, and there are several good school clusters to choose from other than W cluster. Poolesville is excellent, though I don't know what their IEP program is like.

Generally, the west side of 270 and north of ICC are less dense in terms of housing.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/glance/index.aspx

The at a glance won't tell you *that* much about a school other than its demographics and programs in the school (though it doesn't tell you how good those programs are), but it's a good place to start.

GL

Can you comprehend? The post is saying that the private is not better. You agree with the post but got mad.

Sorry, I was responding to " I would pick the cheapest house and go private." poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I want a house with a yard, which I can’t afford on the west side of the county where the W schools are. I like the feel of Rockville a lot but I don’t think the large elementary schools would be ideal for my elementary school child. I work from home, so commute isn’t a factor right now but could be in a future job. If there really are gangs at all of the high schools, that is very different from when I was in school.

If you're looking for a Rockville school that is on the smaller side, consider these:

Meadow Hall
Rock Creek Valley
Ritchie Park

RP is definitely smaller now that Rustin opened, but JWMS and RMHS are very big. Not sure if that's a factor.

Wood MS and Rockville HS are tiny, though, and I think Wood has some kind of SN program.

[Anonymous]

We go to Rock View ES which has within it a Learning Center, if you need that kind of education. We've been very happy with the ES, which then goes to Newport Mill MS and Einstein HS. We are white and Jewish and feel safe and well supported in this neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Skip MoCo all together! Howard or Frederick Counties…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I want a house with a yard, which I can’t afford on the west side of the county where the W schools are. I like the feel of Rockville a lot but I don’t think the large elementary schools would be ideal for my elementary school child. I work from home, so commute isn’t a factor right now but could be in a future job. If there really are gangs at all of the high schools, that is very different from when I was in school.

Look at Olney - Sherwood HS

I would avoid. There were a few racial incidents involving that HS. Does not seem like a good environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which of the other high schools are the best? I recently heard about gang problems at some of them, which is alarming. We obviously want to avoid those. Which ones are experiencing gang violence? Are any of the ones that are not W schools and not filled with gangs better or worse for kids on an IEP?

Where did you hear this? I have a HS child in a non-W and this has not been an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which of the other high schools are the best? I recently heard about gang problems at some of them, which is alarming. We obviously want to avoid those. Which ones are experiencing gang violence? Are any of the ones that are not W schools and not filled with gangs better or worse for kids on an IEP?

Where did you hear this? I have a HS child in a non-W and this has not been an issue.

OP probably heard it from W parents who insist that anything outside of W cluster is considered "ganglandia", ie, too many colored people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. I want a house with a yard, which I can’t afford on the west side of the county where the W schools are. I like the feel of Rockville a lot but I don’t think the large elementary schools would be ideal for my elementary school child. I work from home, so commute isn’t a factor right now but could be in a future job. If there really are gangs at all of the high schools, that is very different from when I was in school.

Just north of the Beltway near Forest Glen is an affordable area with single-family homes with yards and lots of green space/nature access/bike trails. Depending on where you live exactly, the elementaries are Flora Singer and Oakland Terrace, both which are well-liked. Singer has a Learning Center for students with special needs that's very well-regarded. These go to Sligo Middle and Einstein High School and are in the Downcounty Consortium (so students have some options for high school programs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoid MCPS if you can…seriously suboptimal. I would pick the cheapest house and go private.

More backdoor recruiting from the privates?