Payne Elementary Feedback

[Anonymous]

We have an OOB spot at Payne for PK3 and are looking for general feedback. Went to a school open house last night and while not disappointed, not wow'ed either. The teachers seems fairly energetic but I still don't have a good read on the principle who ran the meeting. I was very surprised that with 4-5 Pre-K classrooms, there were maybe only a dozen parents there and they didn't even offer a tour of a classroom. This would only be for 2 years max as we would aim to get into our IB school. Trying to listen to my gut but am open to hear what others think. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

They don't have 4 - 5 PreK classrooms at Payne. Maybe 2 PS3 and 2 PK4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They don't have 4 - 5 PreK classrooms at Payne. Maybe 2 PS3 and 2 PK4.

I recognize that, I was combing PK3 and PK4 in the general sense when I said Pre-K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have an OOB spot at Payne for PK3 and are looking for general feedback. Went to a school open house last night and while not disappointed, not wow'ed either. The teachers seems fairly energetic but I still don't have a good read on the principle who ran the meeting. I was very surprised that with 4-5 Pre-K classrooms, there were maybe only a dozen parents there and they didn't even offer a tour of a classroom. This would only be for 2 years max as we would aim to get into our IB school. Trying to listen to my gut but am open to hear what others think. Thanks.

I think you just inadvertently put in a nutshell why you were possibly met with mixed feelings. We're at a nearby school and I can't tell you how frustrating it is to see parents just circle through a school waiting to get a spot somewhere else. You should understand that schools are making a tremendous effort to align their preschool curriculum (tools of the mind in Payne's case) with what follows thereafter. It's very possible that your noncommittal feelings were met with a not so committal open house, not ideal of course but maybe if you were on the other end you, too, would say, hey let's not go out of our way. We'll bring out cookies and fanfares if they're still around come fall.

My honest advice is to move on. You won't be happy there, not because they won't make you happy but because they can't make you happy. You've got your mind set elsewhere and that's quite alright. You'll leave the spot you just got to an OOB family that really may not have a good IB option, and I think that's very fair.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, sorry OP, it sounds like you just want to use this school and dump them. That sort of sucks. They aren't a preschool, they run through elementary. So if you go into already knowing you'll leave you really should think of other alternatives (Appletree if you have to find something free...if you can afford it, go private).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have an OOB spot at Payne for PK3 and are looking for general feedback. Went to a school open house last night and while not disappointed, not wow'ed either. The teachers seems fairly energetic but I still don't have a good read on the principle who ran the meeting. I was very surprised that with 4-5 Pre-K classrooms, there were maybe only a dozen parents there and they didn't even offer a tour of a classroom. This would only be for 2 years max as we would aim to get into our IB school. Trying to listen to my gut but am open to hear what others think. Thanks.

I think you just inadvertently put in a nutshell why you were possibly met with mixed feelings. We're at a nearby school and I can't tell you how frustrating it is to see parents just circle through a school waiting to get a spot somewhere else. You should understand that schools are making a tremendous effort to align their preschool curriculum (tools of the mind in Payne's case) with what follows thereafter. It's very possible that your noncommittal feelings were met with a not so committal open house, not ideal of course but maybe if you were on the other end you, too, would say, hey let's not go out of our way. We'll bring out cookies and fanfares if they're still around come fall.

My honest advice is to move on. You won't be happy there, not because they won't make you happy but because they can't make you happy. You've got your mind set elsewhere and that's quite alright. You'll leave the spot you just got to an OOB family that really may not have a good IB option, and I think that's very fair.

Thanks for your feedback, very nicely put. The challenge is we have no other option to move on to as we are stuck in the DCPS wait list quagmire.

[Anonymous]

We were certainly prepared to take a Payne PreS3 slot before we got into AppleTree LP. We know several other rising AppleTree families who would have done the same.

We talked to the two Pres3 teachers during private visits to the school, during class time and were satisfied with what we heard and observed. A diverse group of kids seemed very happy and challenged. In PreK, an aide was offering pullout instruction for kids who could read - not bad for a free PreK4. Not bad at all.

I've heard that some of the parents leaving Payne's PreK 4 this year are heading to privates. This means that even fussy parents are generally OK with the preschool and prekindergarten programs. High-SES parents speak very well of the teachers and Tools of the Mind Curriculum. I wouldn't feel cheated if you end up at Payne rather than Peabody, Maury, Brent or wherever. And I wouldn't feel bad if you take a spot while planning to leave later (though I'd keep this to yourself), your choice. Your kid would do well at Payne.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to bump an old chat, but do any current Payne families (especially either already post preK or those who are going to stay after preK), have any comments about how the school is today? It had some positive comments a few years ago, but very little since then.

[Anonymous]

Payne will not change because the school administrators don't want change. Few years ago a PTA group tried to implement improvements and get involved and were pretty much brushed off as new elitist parents trying to "take over".

Still lots of Maryland plates doing drop off/pick up. Was not impressed when we toured it years ago and glad we steered clear. Maybe with more gentrification in Hill East it will become something, but not anytime soon in my opinion with so many other school options.

[Anonymous]

That's too bad if that's the case. I really liked their reps at the moth school fair.