DCC Choice - Wheaton or Northwood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. That's a bummer... and we work nowhere near Wheaton so it's also not easy to pick up from activities. It's really too bad b/c right now we're at a magnet middle school and the activity bus options are actually pretty good...

Re: Northwood, I'm actually trying to view the holding school situation as a potential plus. DS would be in a brand new school for 2 years, followed by another brand new school for the next 2 (though I hear the Woodward sports fields won't be ready next year). And for us, the bus ride to Woodward doesn't seem to be much worse (or perhaps better), than the ride alllll the way up Georgia Ave to Wheaton. It would be nice, though, if we could see the bus schedules for Northwood next year before having to submit our rankings.

Why these two schools and why not your home school? That way they can walk or get the bus. Don't make it more complicated then it needs to be. There are lots of activities in HS, and not all meet right after school so you need to take that into consideration, especially with sports and band. Even if Northwood is at Northwood for another year, the plan is to switch them to Woodward so they can tear it down.

This is OP - Our home school is Einstein and there are only a few CompSci classes and nothing tech/engineering, so it's just not a good fit for our kid compared to Blair/Wheaton/Northwood. And it's still not close to our house at all, though the activity bus does drop about a mile away.

They have plenty of Computer Science but for Engineering you go to Wheaton. You need to plan to pick up your kid if it's an issue. It's called parenting. Why are you so opposed to driving your kid if you don't want them at the home school? Remember they are only having a handful of electives so you don't need a ton of variety, just enough.

DP. Is this the same poster who asked why I didn’t pick my kid up I wonder? And the person who mis read my post and thought we lived 1.3 miles from school?

News flash - some people work. Some people cannot rearrange their schedules to chauffeur their teenage children around. How can you not understand this?

Are you just a dumb stay at home parent oblivious to the demands on working parents? Someone from MCPS who has failed at arranging good activity bus routes from Wheaton?

We very much understand it and yet, instead of complaining we make it work. Some flex, some do carpools, sometimes the older kids on the team/activity help out the younger ones, etc. Lots of options. How do you not understand that? Maybe how you treat people is why no one will help? You could ask a parent to drive your kid and you pick them up after work, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the activity bus from Wheaton does not go anywhere near our house. I do think it leads to our kid doing fewer activities. Theoretically he could take the public bus and then walk for about 1.3 miles, but since he's not inclined to do that, he just gets on the bus after school and comes home most days.

Or you can pick them up. 1.3 miles is not bad. How are you even getting a bus for 1.3 miles. We don't get a bus for HS to our home school as its under 2 miles.

First, why do you assume that I don’t work? I work and am a single parent. I can’t always chauffeur my kids around.

Second, you have reading comprehension issues. I said: “ Theoretically he could take the public bus and then walk for about 1.3 miles.” Taking the public bus would probably take within twenty five to forty five minutes including wait time. Then he would walk 1.3 miles. We do not live 1.3 miles from school. I think he should be willing to do this to participate in activities, but he is not, so he just doesn’t participate.

His middle school had a great activity bus and he did activities every day after school, in contrast.

That's pretty crummy to say don't participate vs. help him with transportation. If you cannot help drive, high school is very different and some of our activities start later so he either need to be walking distance or have a carpool if you cannot drive. We go back to the school a few times a week after our child comes home. Some teachers will let the kid stay all day/night and supervise them but not all do.

???? I work. I can’t leave work early regularly. My kid has the option of taking the public bus for free and walking 1.3 miles. He’s not disabled and could use the exercise. I’m not going to leave work early to pick up a kid from some eat rather curric practice when he has other options. I’m also not going to burden another parents or teen with driving him when he could take a bus and walk.

When he had an activity bus, he had less of a transport haul and was more likely to stay after school and do things. I am directly responding to the original poster’s comment about the activity busses not being great from Wheaton. She is correct and it is a downside of Wheaton.

[Anonymous]

Wheaton is now at 2750. It is the second-most requested school in the DCC, after Blair.

-- Wheaton teacher

[Anonymous]

There’s no official student parking lot, but all the kids park in the lot for the swimming pool and county park (behind the stadium and tennis courts).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s no official student parking lot, but all the kids park in the lot for the swimming pool and county park (behind the stadium and tennis courts).

Sorry meant to specify this for Wheaton.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, that's good to know. We asked at open house and they said there was no parking, but makes sense if it's just unofficial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the activity bus from Wheaton does not go anywhere near our house. I do think it leads to our kid doing fewer activities. Theoretically he could take the public bus and then walk for about 1.3 miles, but since he's not inclined to do that, he just gets on the bus after school and comes home most days.

Or you can pick them up. 1.3 miles is not bad. How are you even getting a bus for 1.3 miles. We don't get a bus for HS to our home school as its under 2 miles.

First, why do you assume that I don’t work? I work and am a single parent. I can’t always chauffeur my kids around.

Second, you have reading comprehension issues. I said: “ Theoretically he could take the public bus and then walk for about 1.3 miles.” Taking the public bus would probably take within twenty five to forty five minutes including wait time. Then he would walk 1.3 miles. We do not live 1.3 miles from school. I think he should be willing to do this to participate in activities, but he is not, so he just doesn’t participate.

His middle school had a great activity bus and he did activities every day after school, in contrast.

That's pretty crummy to say don't participate vs. help him with transportation. If you cannot help drive, high school is very different and some of our activities start later so he either need to be walking distance or have a carpool if you cannot drive. We go back to the school a few times a week after our child comes home. Some teachers will let the kid stay all day/night and supervise them but not all do.

???? I work. I can’t leave work early regularly. My kid has the option of taking the public bus for free and walking 1.3 miles. He’s not disabled and could use the exercise. I’m not going to leave work early to pick up a kid from some eat rather curric practice when he has other options. I’m also not going to burden another parents or teen with driving him when he could take a bus and walk.

When he had an activity bus, he had less of a transport haul and was more likely to stay after school and do things. I am directly responding to the original poster’s comment about the activity busses not being great from Wheaton. She is correct and it is a downside of Wheaton.

You sound exhausting and don't seem to understand HS is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wheaton is now at 2750. It is the second-most requested school in the DCC, after Blair.

-- Wheaton teacher

What do you think of the administration at Wheaton? I hear a lot of complaints from parents and teachers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, the activity bus from Wheaton does not go anywhere near our house. I do think it leads to our kid doing fewer activities. Theoretically he could take the public bus and then walk for about 1.3 miles, but since he's not inclined to do that, he just gets on the bus after school and comes home most days.

Or you can pick them up. 1.3 miles is not bad. How are you even getting a bus for 1.3 miles. We don't get a bus for HS to our home school as its under 2 miles.

First, why do you assume that I don’t work? I work and am a single parent. I can’t always chauffeur my kids around.

Second, you have reading comprehension issues. I said: “ Theoretically he could take the public bus and then walk for about 1.3 miles.” Taking the public bus would probably take within twenty five to forty five minutes including wait time. Then he would walk 1.3 miles. We do not live 1.3 miles from school. I think he should be willing to do this to participate in activities, but he is not, so he just doesn’t participate.

His middle school had a great activity bus and he did activities every day after school, in contrast.

That's pretty crummy to say don't participate vs. help him with transportation. If you cannot help drive, high school is very different and some of our activities start later so he either need to be walking distance or have a carpool if you cannot drive. We go back to the school a few times a week after our child comes home. Some teachers will let the kid stay all day/night and supervise them but not all do.

???? I work. I can’t leave work early regularly. My kid has the option of taking the public bus for free and walking 1.3 miles. He’s not disabled and could use the exercise. I’m not going to leave work early to pick up a kid from some eat rather curric practice when he has other options. I’m also not going to burden another parents or teen with driving him when he could take a bus and walk.

When he had an activity bus, he had less of a transport haul and was more likely to stay after school and do things. I am directly responding to the original poster’s comment about the activity busses not being great from Wheaton. She is correct and it is a downside of Wheaton.

You sound exhausting and don't seem to understand HS is different.

You sound like you are an MCPS employee who designed the crappy Wheaton school bus activity routes. And you still don’t understand that we live four miles from the school. I know about the two mile rule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. That's a bummer... and we work nowhere near Wheaton so it's also not easy to pick up from activities. It's really too bad b/c right now we're at a magnet middle school and the activity bus options are actually pretty good...

Re: Northwood, I'm actually trying to view the holding school situation as a potential plus. DS would be in a brand new school for 2 years, followed by another brand new school for the next 2 (though I hear the Woodward sports fields won't be ready next year). And for us, the bus ride to Woodward doesn't seem to be much worse (or perhaps better), than the ride alllll the way up Georgia Ave to Wheaton. It would be nice, though, if we could see the bus schedules for Northwood next year before having to submit our rankings.

Why these two schools and why not your home school? That way they can walk or get the bus. Don't make it more complicated then it needs to be. There are lots of activities in HS, and not all meet right after school so you need to take that into consideration, especially with sports and band. Even if Northwood is at Northwood for another year, the plan is to switch them to Woodward so they can tear it down.

This is OP - Our home school is Einstein and there are only a few CompSci classes and nothing tech/engineering, so it's just not a good fit for our kid compared to Blair/Wheaton/Northwood. And it's still not close to our house at all, though the activity bus does drop about a mile away.

They have plenty of Computer Science but for Engineering you go to Wheaton. You need to plan to pick up your kid if it's an issue. It's called parenting. Why are you so opposed to driving your kid if you don't want them at the home school? Remember they are only having a handful of electives so you don't need a ton of variety, just enough.

DP. Is this the same poster who asked why I didn’t pick my kid up I wonder? And the person who mis read my post and thought we lived 1.3 miles from school?

News flash - some people work. Some people cannot rearrange their schedules to chauffeur their teenage children around. How can you not understand this?

Are you just a dumb stay at home parent oblivious to the demands on working parents? Someone from MCPS who has failed at arranging good activity bus routes from Wheaton?

We very much understand it and yet, instead of complaining we make it work. Some flex, some do carpools, sometimes the older kids on the team/activity help out the younger ones, etc. Lots of options. How do you not understand that? Maybe how you treat people is why no one will help? You could ask a parent to drive your kid and you pick them up after work, for example.

Unless you are using the royal we, you are not a single parent. And you haven’t mentioned if you work, and if so if you work at a job outside the home with rigid hours. So stop giving mesh*t for not being my teen’s chauffeur or for not mooching off other parents to give my kid rides.

[Anonymous]

NP. This thread has gotten out of hand. It is impossible for some parents to get off work to drive their kid to and from activities. I don't know why that PP is arguing so hard about this.

The "we make it work" perspective comes from a lot of privilege, usually with two UMC/MC parents with salaried jobs that have some flexibility although they may be demanding. I don't doubt it may require sacrifices for them to be able to drive their kid but it is not the same as someone who has rigid hours or an hourly job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. This thread has gotten out of hand. It is impossible for some parents to get off work to drive their kid to and from activities. I don't know why that PP is arguing so hard about this.

The "we make it work" perspective comes from a lot of privilege, usually with two UMC/MC parents with salaried jobs that have some flexibility although they may be demanding. I don't doubt it may require sacrifices for them to be able to drive their kid but it is not the same as someone who has rigid hours or an hourly job.

+1 I can roll out of my office at 3pm and nobody cares, but I can recognize this is not true for many people.

[Anonymous]

Northwood is not a strong school. It’s the weakest in the DCC along with Kennedy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. That's a bummer... and we work nowhere near Wheaton so it's also not easy to pick up from activities. It's really too bad b/c right now we're at a magnet middle school and the activity bus options are actually pretty good...

Re: Northwood, I'm actually trying to view the holding school situation as a potential plus. DS would be in a brand new school for 2 years, followed by another brand new school for the next 2 (though I hear the Woodward sports fields won't be ready next year). And for us, the bus ride to Woodward doesn't seem to be much worse (or perhaps better), than the ride alllll the way up Georgia Ave to Wheaton. It would be nice, though, if we could see the bus schedules for Northwood next year before having to submit our rankings.

Why these two schools and why not your home school? That way they can walk or get the bus. Don't make it more complicated then it needs to be. There are lots of activities in HS, and not all meet right after school so you need to take that into consideration, especially with sports and band. Even if Northwood is at Northwood for another year, the plan is to switch them to Woodward so they can tear it down.

This is OP - Our home school is Einstein and there are only a few CompSci classes and nothing tech/engineering, so it's just not a good fit for our kid compared to Blair/Wheaton/Northwood. And it's still not close to our house at all, though the activity bus does drop about a mile away.

They have plenty of Computer Science but for Engineering you go to Wheaton. You need to plan to pick up your kid if it's an issue. It's called parenting. Why are you so opposed to driving your kid if you don't want them at the home school? Remember they are only having a handful of electives so you don't need a ton of variety, just enough.

DP. Is this the same poster who asked why I didn’t pick my kid up I wonder? And the person who mis read my post and thought we lived 1.3 miles from school?

News flash - some people work. Some people cannot rearrange their schedules to chauffeur their teenage children around. How can you not understand this?

Are you just a dumb stay at home parent oblivious to the demands on working parents? Someone from MCPS who has failed at arranging good activity bus routes from Wheaton?

We very much understand it and yet, instead of complaining we make it work. Some flex, some do carpools, sometimes the older kids on the team/activity help out the younger ones, etc. Lots of options. How do you not understand that? Maybe how you treat people is why no one will help? You could ask a parent to drive your kid and you pick them up after work, for example.

Unless you are using the royal we, you are not a single parent. And you haven’t mentioned if you work, and if so if you work at a job outside the home with rigid hours. So stop giving mesh*t for not being my teen’s chauffeur or for not mooching off other parents to give my kid rides.

You sound horrible. Your kid needs to go to his home school since he has a parent who will never drive. Most of our hs activities are after work hours so you could make work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. This thread has gotten out of hand. It is impossible for some parents to get off work to drive their kid to and from activities. I don't know why that PP is arguing so hard about this.

The "we make it work" perspective comes from a lot of privilege, usually with two UMC/MC parents with salaried jobs that have some flexibility although they may be demanding. I don't doubt it may require sacrifices for them to be able to drive their kid but it is not the same as someone who has rigid hours or an hourly job.

+1 I can roll out of my office at 3pm and nobody cares, but I can recognize this is not true for many people.

Then it’s not a discussion and kid goes to home school or mom gets flexible or carpools or kid gets friends with decent parents since op will never help out others. Or, kid can live with dad.