Daniels Run ES or private school?

[Anonymous]

We know several families at DRES, very happy- and trying to convince us to move to their district, as we have a terrible home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which would you recommend? And if private, which one?

Unless you have a particular concern, I’d give DRES a whirl and supplement. Your kid could qualify for AAP ( or not ) and then you would have some decisions to make. Maybe save that tuition money for high school/college/grad school if you can.

[Anonymous]

We have a 1st grader at DRES and we absolutely love it. The former principal was great and just got promoted to the middle school. The new principal seems good so far.

We've been really happy with the academics. They differentiate in the classroom early (like my DD was in a more advanced reading group, while others were able to focus more on fundamentals). They get Spanish classes as a special starting in Kindergarten. Communication with the school and teachers is easy.

It's a very close-knit community. We know people with older kids who tested into AAP IV and opted to stay at DRES because they love the school and being in the neighborhood, rather than going to the center at Mosaic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a 1st grader at DRES and we absolutely love it. The former principal was great and just got promoted to the middle school. The new principal seems good so far.

We've been really happy with the academics. They differentiate in the classroom early (like my DD was in a more advanced reading group, while others were able to focus more on fundamentals). They get Spanish classes as a special starting in Kindergarten. Communication with the school and teachers is easy.

It's a very close-knit community. We know people with older kids who tested into AAP IV and opted to stay at DRES because they love the school and being in the neighborhood, rather than going to the center at Mosaic.

I should add that we're personal friends with multiple teachers at the school who all say it's a great place to work where the administration really supports them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who subbed often at DRES.

I see that there is a new principal. Good. Chief concern was DRES very much did their own thing during Covid; that is, refused to comply with safety guidelines. Also, the only school I can recall that allowed students of any age to wander the halls solo.

Front office staff was brusque, rude and unwelcoming.

Front office staff is rude and unwelcoming at many schools. A lot seem miserable in their jobs and I've seen it taken out on parents and staff.

Signed a different sub

PP quoted and I quit subbing last year. Absolutely soul-crushing - the lack of respect and rudeness from staff and students alike. Epidemic levels.

Soul crushing sums it up.

This is actually super helpful because I have been wondering why our substitute teachers seem so… disconnected from the students and the curriculum.

The thing to understand is that the diversity at the school is primarily Hispanic, not black. So these kids sometimes do not speak English, especially in early grades. They do not come from a culture of educational attainment, or at least many do not. It is a warm and welcoming culture, but kids do tend to be less disciplined. They dream to be like their parents, just like all kids do. Their parents tend to have 🏠 maintenance jobs, which are extremely important in our society, but in all honesty do not require multivariable calculus as a prerequisite.

Most of the front office is therefore bilingual in Spanish and share a similar cultural background. It probably helps that I also speak Spanish and can communicate to the front office in that language if needed. It completely changes our communication pathway. They are very sweet and caring. I love our front office.

The AAP classroom is significantly less diverse due to these factors.

The new principal is a Caucasian lady from Laudoun. Hopefully she can set up a better environment for the substitute teachers.

The school's racial and economic diversity was a huge plus for us when we were moving to the area.

Also, the previous principal was a white guy. Not sure what your point is about the new one being a white woman?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who subbed often at DRES.

I see that there is a new principal. Good. Chief concern was DRES very much did their own thing during Covid; that is, refused to comply with safety guidelines. Also, the only school I can recall that allowed students of any age to wander the halls solo.

Front office staff was brusque, rude and unwelcoming.

Front office staff is rude and unwelcoming at many schools. A lot seem miserable in their jobs and I've seen it taken out on parents and staff.

Signed a different sub

PP quoted and I quit subbing last year. Absolutely soul-crushing - the lack of respect and rudeness from staff and students alike. Epidemic levels.

Soul crushing sums it up.

This is actually super helpful because I have been wondering why our substitute teachers seem so… disconnected from the students and the curriculum.

The thing to understand is that the diversity at the school is primarily Hispanic, not black. So these kids sometimes do not speak English, especially in early grades. They do not come from a culture of educational attainment, or at least many do not. It is a warm and welcoming culture, but kids do tend to be less disciplined. They dream to be like their parents, just like all kids do. Their parents tend to have 🏠 maintenance jobs, which are extremely important in our society, but in all honesty do not require multivariable calculus as a prerequisite.

Most of the front office is therefore bilingual in Spanish and share a similar cultural background. It probably helps that I also speak Spanish and can communicate to the front office in that language if needed. It completely changes our communication pathway. They are very sweet and caring. I love our front office.

The AAP classroom is significantly less diverse due to these factors.

The new principal is a Caucasian lady from Laudoun. Hopefully she can set up a better environment for the substitute teachers.

The school's racial and economic diversity was a huge plus for us when we were moving to the area.

Also, the previous principal was a white guy. Not sure what your point is about the new one being a white woman?

Diversity was a huge plus for us also.

Well, sometimes guys are not... completely in touch with social clues of substitute teachers They focus on the basics. I don't know, I was just surprised to see the substitute teachers who were kind enough to chime in on this board be so despondent, when DRES barely has any staff turnover for years. Clearly the subs are encountering a different school aspect than the permanent staff.