Help me pick a cluster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 22 classroom addition and modernization to JW will be completed this fall. It will no longer be over crowded.

But they have ZERO land for a middle school. It is terrible. Compared to Hoover inside and out, it pales. The front area of JW looks like it has been abandoned. Weeds overgrowing where mulch used to be. A broken front sign that the PTA just seems to not care about. The one field that have in the back is awful and it backs up to 270. No tennis, no basketball, no tables to eat outside. Gym and cafeteria are dark and dreary.

Hoover was just rebuilt so of course it is a nicer building...but I don't think you know much about JW. JW temporary lost the tennis and basket ball courts due to construction. They are coming back when construction is complete. The PTA is currently raising money for a new sign. They are getting a new gym as part of the renovation and the cafeteria was already enlarged. Weeds? Well..I have not noticed but if that is important to you.

I will add the my child played basket ball at Hoover this winter. I was not happy to have her walk behind a dumpster at the back of the school, down a staircase to lower level door way to access the gym. I am sure it is fine for the kids during the day but awful at night. Surprising for a new school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Torn between 2 houses. If your kids have attended any of these schools, could you please share your experiences. It would be helpful if you would state the school you are commenting on, the grades your child attended the school, and even better if you have older children who have attended multiple schools in the cluster.

Option 1: Ritchie Park/JW/RM
Option 2: Beverly Farms/Hoover/Churchill

I have kids at RPES and JW. My kids have had a good experience at both places. The RPES principal is generally viewed as very rigid, but we have not experienced a bad situation with her. The teachers at RPES and JW seem to have a sincere connection with students (despite class sizes) and there is not a lot of turnover. My kids are very bright and have always been accelerated and enriched appropriately. I think that all of the schools in this area are relatively good but for us, diversity (racial, socio-economic, religious) is very important. There is no cluster more diverse than the RM cluster. I don't want my kids growing up without knowing diversity.

I think you can find good, happy, kids at all schools but there is something special about the RM cluster.

How big are the class sizes typically in each cluster?

[Anonymous]

My son played baseball at Cabin John. There were weeds there too, just fancier. And the basketball courts outside had nets made of the finest silks, unlike the cheap nylon at JW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Torn between 2 houses. If your kids have attended any of these schools, could you please share your experiences. It would be helpful if you would state the school you are commenting on, the grades your child attended the school, and even better if you have older children who have attended multiple schools in the cluster.

Option 1: Ritchie Park/JW/RM
Option 2: Beverly Farms/Hoover/Churchill

I have kids at RPES and JW. My kids have had a good experience at both places. The RPES principal is generally viewed as very rigid, but we have not experienced a bad situation with her. The teachers at RPES and JW seem to have a sincere connection with students (despite class sizes) and there is not a lot of turnover. My kids are very bright and have always been accelerated and enriched appropriately. I think that all of the schools in this area are relatively good but for us, diversity (racial, socio-economic, religious) is very important. There is no cluster more diverse than the RM cluster. I don't want my kids growing up without knowing diversity.

I think you can find good, happy, kids at all schools but there is something special about the RM cluster.

How big are the class sizes typically in each cluster?

The same. It all depends on the grade. Some grades can have only 19 in a class and others 26. the cut offs are the same county wide unless it is a focus school - none of those are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son played baseball at Cabin John. There were weeds there too, just fancier. And the basketball courts outside had nets made of the finest silks, unlike the cheap nylon at JW.

Fancier weeds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 22 classroom addition and modernization to JW will be completed this fall. It will no longer be over crowded.

But they have ZERO land for a middle school. It is terrible. Compared to Hoover inside and out, it pales. The front area of JW looks like it has been abandoned. Weeds overgrowing where mulch used to be. A broken front sign that the PTA just seems to not care about. The one field that have in the back is awful and it backs up to 270. No tennis, no basketball, no tables to eat outside. Gym and cafeteria are dark and dreary.

Hoover was just rebuilt so of course it is a nicer building...but I don't think you know much about JW. JW temporary lost the tennis and basket ball courts due to construction. They are coming back when construction is complete. The PTA is currently raising money for a new sign. They are getting a new gym as part of the renovation and the cafeteria was already enlarged. Weeds? Well..I have not noticed but if that is important to you.

I will add the my child played basket ball at Hoover this winter. I was not happy to have her walk behind a dumpster at the back of the school, down a staircase to lower level door way to access the gym. I am sure it is fine for the kids during the day but awful at night. Surprising for a new school.

That sign has been broke for 5 years. The PTA involvement is pitiful. The new addition is taking up what little land the school had. Most middle schools have land for baseball, softball, basketball, track, soccer etc... We are out of the school now. What are they doing with the old gym if there is a new one being built?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Torn between 2 houses. If your kids have attended any of these schools, could you please share your experiences. It would be helpful if you would state the school you are commenting on, the grades your child attended the school, and even better if you have older children who have attended multiple schools in the cluster.

Option 1: Ritchie Park/JW/RM
Option 2: Beverly Farms/Hoover/Churchill

My guess is since you are looking between these two locations, you will get more house for your $$ in RM district and will probably be around more people like your family. Churchill seems to have two families. Very rich or Asian. A small minority of others paying just to be in Churchill.

This is so stupid. Do you know ANY families that live in say, Fox Hills? Or the area right by Cabin John Middle School near Gainsborough?

None of which go to Hoover

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 22 classroom addition and modernization to JW will be completed this fall. It will no longer be over crowded.

But they have ZERO land for a middle school. It is terrible. Compared to Hoover inside and out, it pales. The front area of JW looks like it has been abandoned. Weeds overgrowing where mulch used to be. A broken front sign that the PTA just seems to not care about. The one field that have in the back is awful and it backs up to 270. No tennis, no basketball, no tables to eat outside. Gym and cafeteria are dark and dreary.

Hoover was just rebuilt so of course it is a nicer building...but I don't think you know much about JW. JW temporary lost the tennis and basket ball courts due to construction. They are coming back when construction is complete. The PTA is currently raising money for a new sign. They are getting a new gym as part of the renovation and the cafeteria was already enlarged. Weeds? Well..I have not noticed but if that is important to you.

I will add the my child played basket ball at Hoover this winter. I was not happy to have her walk behind a dumpster at the back of the school, down a staircase to lower level door way to access the gym. I am sure it is fine for the kids during the day but awful at night. Surprising for a new school.

That sign has been broke for 5 years. The PTA involvement is pitiful. The new addition is taking up what little land the school had. Most middle schools have land for baseball, softball, basketball, track, soccer etc... We are out of the school now. What are they doing with the old gym if there is a new one being built?

Based on At a Glance, Hoover has 19.1 acres with a capacity of 1139 kids, JW has 21.3 acres with 1054 kid capacity. And since you are not currently at the school, how do you know that the PTA is pitiful? Maybe you would like to stop by International Night on Friday?

[Anonymous]

Well, Hoover's 19 acres are lush and amazing. JW has weeds, so we picked the Churchill cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, Hoover's 19 acres are lush and amazing. JW has weeds, so we picked the Churchill cluster.

I always pick a school cluster based on how many weeds I can count on the property. It really does say so much about the school and the people there.

[Anonymous]

The weed problem is the result of children coming from homes with un-manicured lawns. The seed is carried by the children to the school and the result is the terrible situation at JW. Stay away

[Anonymous]

Not sure if the weed statements are jokes, but most of the families at Beverly Farms that we are friends with have gardeners or a lawn staff so their lawns are really nice. My DH mows ours, and it just looks ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if the weed statements are jokes, but most of the families at Beverly Farms that we are friends with have gardeners or a lawn staff so their lawns are really nice. My DH mows ours, and it just looks ok.

The grounds at Beverly Farms don't hold a candle to the grounds at Somerset.

(I'm in Bumfuckistan, where the school grounds are in Round-up Ready soybeans, so no weeds.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The weed problem is the result of children coming from homes with un-manicured lawns. The seed is carried by the children to the school and the result is the terrible situation at JW. Stay away

And I know good families whose unsuspecting JW students have brought home weeds from school and caused terrible damage to their home lawns. Many switched to private after that. Good to know the Churchill cluster is an option too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed when i saw someone choses a scholl cluster based its racial and social economic diversity. Have you been a cafeteria in any middle school or high school? When my DC was in middle and high school, i was told there were tables for the white kids, tables for asian kids, tables for black kids, and table for hispanic kids. Of course there were a few tables for the outliners who had friends with different culcure background.
The best thing about diversity in school is the international night.

I wish you could see my kids' groups of friends. Not sure which schools you have visited but my visits look like a UN meeting.

Yes! I always say the exact same thing! (RM cluster, FWIW)