Tell me about Kensington.
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Anonymous
DP: Are you the OTES hater who pops up here? I'm really sorry you've had a poor experience at the school. Truly. And that being said, there are people who have poor experiences at literally every school, everywhere. It's not a utopia, but it's also got a lot going for it. |
Anonymous
| If the town of Kensington is split among three public schools plus the holy redeemer crew, does it all split the community. Schools are often a driving force and for that reason I would worry about cohesion in Kensington. |
Anonymous
The Town of Kensington all is zoned for WJ. Holy Redeemer is almost a mile away from TOK. These Kensington threads really need to be winnowed down to talk about TOK because talking about the Kensington mailing address is pointless because that encompasses everything from Garret Park estates to Homewood, which are very different neighborhoods and almost 3 miles apart. |
Anonymous
But also, there really aren't many places around here that don't have that kind of split. Maybe FCC, but it can be a bit much from the families I know there. Kensington isn't a tiny town, and I think within each of the elementary zones there's a strong sense of community (albeit each with a slightly different feel) |
Anonymous
| We live in the Kensington Estates which goes to Kensington Parkwood. I love the neighborhood and small town feel. The school is great. Lots of smart dual income liberal professionals. Love our community pool. Can walk to the marc train to get to union station. Commute time is decent |
Anonymous
Again, there is not a split. In the Town of Kensington (you are in the town if you pay town taxes) everyone is zoned for Kensington-Parkwood ES, North Bethesda MS and Walter Johnson HS. Homeland, Chevy Chase View, Rock Creek View and Byeforde are all not in the town’s boundaries. This TOK vs. Kensington address thing is messing people up. |
Anonymous
Homeland - its Homewood |
Anonymous
No, first time I posted but I know several families unhappy. You can have poor experiences everywhere but if you look at the curriculum compared to other schools, limited specials and field trips and much more, OTES is not comparable to some of the other local schools. Its easy to ignore those things given they don't really want parental involvement. |
Anonymous
Kensington is a great area to live in. Where we are there are tons of families and kids/adults walking, yard work, hanging out and its a very warm and inviting neighborhood. Kids go to many other privates beyond Holy Redeemer. I don't know any kids who go there but know kids who go to multiple other privates. The only major thing its lacking is child care options. |
Anonymous
This is my experience as well in North Kensington/ Rock creek palisades and zoned for Rock view. Our child isn’t school age yet but there are a lot of young families in our neighborhood, and there’s a new civic association that is starting to have block parties, play dates for our kids, and I joined a neighborhood Running group! We hd a $500k budget and considered silver spring and Rockville. Been here almost 2 years and I know we made the right choice. Yeah |
Anonymous
The curriculum is the same as at all the other MCPS elementary schools. I don't need my kid to have unlimited specials; she likes the one she does have. Same with field trips. If you're so unhappy, do something to change it. Although I will say that if your hostility towards the school is as apparent in person as it is on this forum, that may be a big part of the issue. In reference to a different PP, the Town of Kensington thing is an issue. I've encountered less than friendly folks obsessed with "K-Town" and it's a real shame, because there's a lot the community as a whole has to offer in terms of location, amenities, etc. But, there are plenty of other lovely areas that don't have that feel, e.g., Homewood, Rock Creek Palisades, etc., that are still Kensington, but not Town of. It depends on what you want. |
Anonymous
There is no hostility but there is a lot of room for improvement. The basic curriculum is the same as there is a minimum standard and this school teachers to the minimum standard vs. other schools that place a higher emphasis on basics, like spelling. There is nothing to do about it as the administration and PTA are not interested. The school is fine and most kids are happy, but there is a huge room for improvement. If you live there, nothing wrong with the school but its not a school I would recommended buying for. There are also safety issues and kids getting regularly hurt on the playground as they don't have enough staff, equipment and don't allow parent volunteers. |
Anonymous
Slightly off topic but I live in GPE and wish they would annex us and make us a part of Rockville or make this mythical NORTH BETHESDA a real thing. |
Anonymous
You CLEARLY don't live in Kensington because the part that feeds into BCC is also the same part that feeds into Holy Redeemer and many private schools. As someone mentioned, you forgot the WJ part too which is pretty significant (all of Parkwood) Have you been to Einstein? Had a child attend the school? I'm guessing you are trying to be funny but you just sound ignorant. It's a great school and kids get a great education there. |
Anonymous
Not true. Not true. I couldn't live here if that were the case. It's the Chevy Chase View area around Holy Redeemer that gives the rest of us a bad name and it's such a small part of the town. Parkwood, TOK and Kensington Estates are heavily liberal.You just have to bypass the HR right to life crazies but they aren't that hard to avoid (and not all of HR is conservative either). I hope the OP doesn't read your post. I would have run for the hills if I read it and it's simply not true for Kensington as a whole 
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