Lunch at Deal

[Anonymous]

My kid always packs a lunch. He said kids quickly eat then go play soccer and play outside. It isn’t a big deal. These are kids not “ladies who lunch.” It may not match your small town MS experience but it works rather well for a large school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe your kids are a bunch of wussies, I’m not surprised in these days of bubble wrap kids. My school had picnic tables outside where we ate on many days in 40 degree weather. On rain/snow days we adjusted and ate in next period classrooms or gym in addition to the cafeteria. There are other middle schools in the area that have 1500 kids and you don’t hear anything about kids having to stand up to eat so obviously they’re doing something wrong. Don’t be offended. I guess the good thing about this year is that there are only 470 rising 6th graders so maybe there won’t be many standing kids for their lunch.

Next period classrooms? There are classes in the classrooms. There is no space in the gym because three classes are having PE in the gym.

Have you ever been to Deal? Have you ever been to Deal at lunch?

No, I didn’t think so.

Yes I have. There are some empty 6th grade classrooms during 6th grade lunch. That’s a fact. Same with 7th and 8th. You can continue to be dramatic about things or you can be part of a solution.

Lunch is typiclly GRIT time - so classrooms are not empty - rather teachers are there to support students who need it.

[Anonymous]

My kid is one year out from Deal (ie he was not there last year), so maybe things have changed, but he ate the school lunch and liked it fine. He said they have stuff in various places that you can grab (such as pizza) so you do not have to wait in the main long line. He packed lunch the first year but then switched to getting it there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is one year out from Deal (ie he was not there last year), so maybe things have changed, but he ate the school lunch and liked it fine. He said they have stuff in various places that you can grab (such as pizza) so you do not have to wait in the main long line. He packed lunch the first year but then switched to getting it there.

Thanks. This is helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is one year out from Deal (ie he was not there last year), so maybe things have changed, but he ate the school lunch and liked it fine. He said they have stuff in various places that you can grab (such as pizza) so you do not have to wait in the main long line. He packed lunch the first year but then switched to getting it there.

Thanks. This is helpful.

np: Really? It’s great that kids can get crappy DCPS pizza with its low-quality cheese every day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe your kids are a bunch of wussies, I’m not surprised in these days of bubble wrap kids. My school had picnic tables outside where we ate on many days in 40 degree weather. On rain/snow days we adjusted and ate in next period classrooms or gym in addition to the cafeteria. There are other middle schools in the area that have 1500 kids and you don’t hear anything about kids having to stand up to eat so obviously they’re doing something wrong. Don’t be offended. I guess the good thing about this year is that there are only 470 rising 6th graders so maybe there won’t be many standing kids for their lunch.

Next period classrooms? There are classes in the classrooms. There is no space in the gym because three classes are having PE in the gym.

Have you ever been to Deal? Have you ever been to Deal at lunch?

No, I didn’t think so.

Yes I have. There are some empty 6th grade classrooms during 6th grade lunch. That’s a fact. Same with 7th and 8th. You can continue to be dramatic about things or you can be part of a solution.

And who would be staffing these classrooms during lunch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is one year out from Deal (ie he was not there last year), so maybe things have changed, but he ate the school lunch and liked it fine. He said they have stuff in various places that you can grab (such as pizza) so you do not have to wait in the main long line. He packed lunch the first year but then switched to getting it there.

Thanks. This is helpful.

np: Really? It’s great that kids can get crappy DCPS pizza with its low-quality cheese every day?

Where do you get that from “such as pizza”? Nonetheless, PP clearly made it appear it’s not the mad hysteria that some PPs explain upthread. You really need to take a chill pill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This set up really puts low income students at a disadvantage. Sad.

It's because the school is freaking bursting at the seams.
The same reason it's impossible to get a spot on a sports team or a role in the musical or any of the other myriad of other ways having a packed school affects kids.

If you have packed a building to the point of bursting not every kid is going to get to sit at lunch.

Actions (in this case running a mega-sized middle school) have consequences.

No sympathy. The IB parents fight any boundary changes that would push them to hardy. And that’s how you get a school with 400 kids too many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising Deal student and how can all this be? Long lines at lunch? Do the kids have enough time to eat? Are parents calling downtown for answers?

I teach at a middle school in Maryland. Our kids have 30 minutes for lunch. I work lunch duty and, on average, the last kid makes it through the line with 5-7 minutes to eat. They rarely complain, but I can't help but feel bad for them. When I was in school, lunch was an hour. I have a rising 4th grader at Murch who's been looking forward to Deal. I'm starting to rethink it now. I wonder what the class sizes are like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This set up really puts low income students at a disadvantage. Sad.

It's because the school is freaking bursting at the seams.
The same reason it's impossible to get a spot on a sports team or a role in the musical or any of the other myriad of other ways having a packed school affects kids.

If you have packed a building to the point of bursting not every kid is going to get to sit at lunch.

Actions (in this case running a mega-sized middle school) have consequences.

No sympathy. The IB parents fight any boundary changes that would push them to hardy. And that’s how you get a school with 400 kids too many.

Why would the IB parents accept a boundary change when there are 400+ OOB students at Deal? What planet do you live on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This set up really puts low income students at a disadvantage. Sad.

Let me fix that ..... This set up really puts low income students at more of a disadvantage

Overcrowding Deal puts ALL kids at a disadvantage. Overcrowded lunch rooms. Overcrowded classrooms and hallways and not enough spots on sports teams and clubs. Ridiculous.

What clubs have "cuts"? My child has never told me they can't participate in a club b/c it is full.

Your child must not play a sport or theatre.

My child plays sports - BUT my specific question was what CLUB have they been told is full? And I thought every child who wanted to participate in theater had some type of role - clearly there are only so many lead roles - but no child was fully turned away from theater (note - I do not define theater as a club - but I am open to discussion)

No, not at all. Plenty of kids were not given any role. I believe they are always welcome to join the stage crew. But no, they don't all get roles.

Many kids may end up in the ensemble groups, but I have never heard of a student that auditioned not being included in the performance. I have a child that has been in the last three years of theater productions and students being completely cut out of being in the performance never happened. I have lots of issues with the theater program but this is not one of them. Also, as of last year they had three musicals, one for each grade. The Shakespeare play in the fall is all three grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising Deal student and how can all this be? Long lines at lunch? Do the kids have enough time to eat? Are parents calling downtown for answers?

I teach at a middle school in Maryland. Our kids have 30 minutes for lunch. I work lunch duty and, on average, the last kid makes it through the line with 5-7 minutes to eat. They rarely complain, but I can't help but feel bad for them. When I was in school, lunch was an hour. I have a rising 4th grader at Murch who's been looking forward to Deal. I'm starting to rethink it now. I wonder what the class sizes are like.

My kid’s classes were 20-22 kids per class. FWIW, we moved from private because they accelerated math better at Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising Deal student and how can all this be? Long lines at lunch? Do the kids have enough time to eat? Are parents calling downtown for answers?

I teach at a middle school in Maryland. Our kids have 30 minutes for lunch. I work lunch duty and, on average, the last kid makes it through the line with 5-7 minutes to eat. They rarely complain, but I can't help but feel bad for them. When I was in school, lunch was an hour. I have a rising 4th grader at Murch who's been looking forward to Deal. I'm starting to rethink it now. I wonder what the class sizes are like.

My kid’s classes were 20-22 kids per class. FWIW, we moved from private because they accelerated math better at Deal.

My kids classes this past year (6th grade) were 30 kids. I think Deal has gotten larger since your kid was there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising Deal student and how can all this be? Long lines at lunch? Do the kids have enough time to eat? Are parents calling downtown for answers?

I teach at a middle school in Maryland. Our kids have 30 minutes for lunch. I work lunch duty and, on average, the last kid makes it through the line with 5-7 minutes to eat. They rarely complain, but I can't help but feel bad for them. When I was in school, lunch was an hour. I have a rising 4th grader at Murch who's been looking forward to Deal. I'm starting to rethink it now. I wonder what the class sizes are like.

My kid’s classes were 20-22 kids per class. FWIW, we moved from private because they accelerated math better at Deal.

My kids classes this past year (6th grade) were 30 kids. I think Deal has gotten larger since your kid was there.

This was last year! My kid is going to be a 7th grader. He said his classes were 20-22. Maybe he under counted...?

[Anonymous]

I don't have a kid at Deal but we are zoned for it because we live in the neighborhood. This thread is making me reconsider sending DC. Lunch is one of the few precious down times for kids during a busy and hectic day. I don't feel comfortable with my kid scrambling or scarfing down lunch. Its not healthy and if I don't subject myself or employees to working lunches, I wouldn't subject my kid to that kind of pressure.