Interesting approach to increasing a child's chance at Takoma Park Middle School Magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I literally just (like 10mins ago) drove by the school on the way to an open house and there is a homeless man sleeping on a bench in front of the school. We drove a block further down the road to piney branch and flower to get gas and the number of homeless there was eye opening. I read all the love for the area as an out of towner but sort of question it after visiting as simple propaganda. Readers beware the overall area is quite run down, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my kids running around unsupervised. I am not sure I would go out there at night without a group.

Which bench in front of the school was the man sleeping on? The one at the bus stop, with the dividers that make it impossible to lie down on?

And then you drove one block from Takoma Park Middle School to the intersection of Piney Branch Rd and Flower Avenue?

How about that.

Yeah, I missed that one. For people unfamiliar with the area, Flower is about 12 blocks from the school. I drive by there all the time when I pick up my oldest from Blair and when I deliver Meals on Wheels. I see a lot of people from various ethnicities shopping. I have never dtiven padt and noted "homeless people. " I think what the earlier poster wrote says much more about her than TP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It makes me chuckle to imagine that parents selecting Takoma Park over a W feeder, and although, there is some truth to it, people who think like this, to begin with, are misguided. Your kid will do more or less the same no matter which MCPS school they attend. It's not about the school but about you.

TPMS is one of the best MS in the county whether you attend the magnet or not, but I see your point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I literally just (like 10mins ago) drove by the school on the way to an open house and there is a homeless man sleeping on a bench in front of the school. We drove a block further down the road to piney branch and flower to get gas and the number of homeless there was eye opening. I read all the love for the area as an out of towner but sort of question it after visiting as simple propaganda. Readers beware the overall area is quite run down, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my kids running around unsupervised. I am not sure I would go out there at night without a group.

Which bench in front of the school was the man sleeping on? The one at the bus stop, with the dividers that make it impossible to lie down on?

And then you drove one block from Takoma Park Middle School to the intersection of Piney Branch Rd and Flower Avenue?

How about that.

Yeah, I missed that one. For people unfamiliar with the area, Flower is about 12 blocks from the school. I drive by there all the time when I pick up my oldest from Blair and when I deliver Meals on Wheels. I see a lot of people from various ethnicities shopping. I have never dtiven padt and noted "homeless people. " I think what the earlier poster wrote says much more about her than TP.

That's strange. Although homelessness is pervasive throughout the metro area, I've lived near the school for years and have only come across this once or twice in a decade. It seems far more common in downtown Bethesda where I work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It makes me chuckle to imagine that parents selecting Takoma Park over a W feeder, and although, there is some truth to it, people who think like this, to begin with, are misguided. Your kid will do more or less the same no matter which MCPS school they attend. It's not about the school but about you.

There are no academically average and below average kids in W feeder?

[Anonymous]

Everyone we know from work downtown who lives in Takoma Park send their kids to private school for grades 9-12. And some pretty impressive ones at that:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone we know from work downtown who lives in Takoma Park send their kids to private school for grades 9-12. And some pretty impressive ones at that:

Maybe they live in Takoma DC. Few families on the MD send kids to privates. Some home school, though. I live & teach here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone we know from work downtown who lives in Takoma Park send their kids to private school for grades 9-12. And some pretty impressive ones at that:

Maybe they live in Takoma DC. Few families on the MD send kids to privates. Some home school, though. I live & teach here.

+1 It does happen but it is pretty uncommon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It makes me chuckle to imagine that parents selecting Takoma Park over a W feeder, and although, there is some truth to it, people who think like this, to begin with, are misguided. Your kid will do more or less the same no matter which MCPS school they attend. It's not about the school but about you.

TPMS is one of the best MS in the county whether you attend the magnet or not, but I see your point.

Isn't TPMS diverse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone we know from work downtown who lives in Takoma Park send their kids to private school for grades 9-12. And some pretty impressive ones at that:

Maybe they live in Takoma DC. Few families on the MD send kids to privates. Some home school, though. I live & teach here.

+1 It does happen but it is pretty uncommon

+2 I live here too. Very few go to private school. In fact very nice to have all the kids in the neighborhood go to the same school, magnet or not. I also don’t know anyone unhappy with the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone we know from work downtown who lives in Takoma Park send their kids to private school for grades 9-12. And some pretty impressive ones at that:

Maybe they live in Takoma DC. Few families on the MD send kids to privates. Some home school, though. I live & teach here.

+1 It does happen but it is pretty uncommon

+2 I live here too. Very few go to private school. In fact very nice to have all the kids in the neighborhood go to the same school, magnet or not. I also don’t know anyone unhappy with the schools.

+3 I have a pretty good sense of the kids in my neighborhood, either as peers of my children, babysitters, or kids of friends. I know two families at prestigious private schools, but both of them have parents who teach at their respective schools. I also know a few homeschooling families, but get the strong impression they would homeschool no matter where they were. That is, they live in TP because they homeschool; they don't homeschool because they live in TP. The rest of the kids are all in local public schools, some in language immersion because there are three immersion programs in close proximity, but most at the normal local public schools.

[Anonymous]

My kids grew up in TKPK. Both were in the TPMS magnet and later CES, TPMS magnet and Blair STEM magnet. From our experience, this is among the best possible "pyramids" the county has to offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids grew up in TKPK. Both were in the TPMS magnet and later CES, TPMS magnet and Blair STEM magnet. From our experience, this is among the best possible "pyramids" the county has to offer.

Yes, simply publishing a quote of a person expressing an opinion doesn't make it true, but what I find ugly is the implication that some unworthy minority got their kid's spot which of course they haven't remotely proven. It's just convenient scapegoating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is something that might be of interest to those who are thinking about trying for Takoma Park Middle Magnet Program.
Not everyone is aware of the fact that kids living within the boundaries have greater chance to get to the program and many
plan ahead.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/779576.page

We didn't know this when we moved to Takoma, but the academic opportunities seem unique and are another reason we love it here.