Eastern or Takoma MS magnets vs SSIMS?

[Anonymous]

Our home school is Silver Spring International MS. Trying to learn about how different the educational offerings are at SSI versus the Eastern or Takoma Park MS magnet programs. I know that SSI has the middle years programme, and have read about it, but have not heard from parents who are familiar with it.

While I am glad that the gifted magnet programs are offered, I don't see much need to ask middle school kids to specialize in math/science versus humanities. How is the specialized focus versus a balanced education accomplished?

And in these magnet programs, how much is it that schoolwork/homework is much more work, or it is different work than a traditional MS, or both more and different work? trying to get a sense of how much harder students need to work to be successful in these magnet programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our home school is Silver Spring International MS. Trying to learn about how different the educational offerings are at SSI versus the Eastern or Takoma Park MS magnet programs. I know that SSI has the middle years programme, and have read about it, but have not heard from parents who are familiar with it.

While I am glad that the gifted magnet programs are offered, I don't see much need to ask middle school kids to specialize in math/science versus humanities. How is the specialized focus versus a balanced education accomplished?

And in these magnet programs, how much is it that schoolwork/homework is much more work, or it is different work than a traditional MS, or both more and different work? trying to get a sense of how much harder students need to work to be successful in these magnet programs.

See if your kid gets in before trying to figure out if it's "worth it". Chances are your child won't, and it will be a moot point.

[Anonymous]

Agree with previous poster. If your child is interested, apply to magnet(s) and see what happens. Make it your child's choice instead of yours.

We're in SSI zone but in magnet. Know families happy with all three schools. And the kids I know at each of the schools is at a good place for them.

For instance, my child is all math/science and always has been. TPMS is the right place for him. Entire school seems impressive to me. And yes, expectations are high.

Friends at Eastern like writing/creativity way more than my child. Right fit for them. I've heard that they seem to have more homework than TPMS, though TPMS homework demands are a lot of time management/change for my son.

SSI kids I know are all happy there and parents have good things to say. Really, you can't go wrong with whatever happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our home school is Silver Spring International MS. Trying to learn about how different the educational offerings are at SSI versus the Eastern or Takoma Park MS magnet programs. I know that SSI has the middle years programme, and have read about it, but have not heard from parents who are familiar with it.

While I am glad that the gifted magnet programs are offered, I don't see much need to ask middle school kids to specialize in math/science versus humanities. How is the specialized focus versus a balanced education accomplished?

And in these magnet programs, how much is it that schoolwork/homework is much more work, or it is different work than a traditional MS, or both more and different work? trying to get a sense of how much harder students need to work to be successful in these magnet programs.

We had the same concern you express about having to specialize at such a young age. DC got into both Takoma Park and Eastern programs and ultimately picked Eastern. It is important to know that while the core program is enriched and accelerated, they still have to take Math and Science! So your 6th grader could take IM or Algebra I as a sixth grader as well as Advanced Science. In other words, they get the same Math and Science curriculum they would get at a regular MS such as SSIMS but they get a lot more in social studies and English. What they miss out on is a foreign language (in sixth grade only) and electives. The Media course is required and takes the place of an elective but they do have the option to take Band etc, if they stay after school. In sixth grade only nearly all students take "Literature and the Humanities" instead of a foreign language. I don't know how to describe the class but it nearly sounds like a philosophy class and it was dc's fav. class. From what I've heard, the students LOVE this class and it really encourages creative and critical thinking.

I can't speak to the TP program but I have been impressed by the Humanities program. DC in sixth grade read a lot of the books an 8th grader would read in Advanced English. I also liked that the program is designed so well - if they are learning a topic in English, they will take it up in some form in Social Studies and Media and of course Lit and the Humanities. They do have homework and a lot of projects but the work is interesting and engaging. You do need good time management skills and if that is a problem for your child, you should think about it carefully.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the summary from PP above. DS is at Eastern but has been taking math a couple of years ahead and they are nice and challenging. Not the same as TPMS but since he's more of a humanities kid, the mix is perfect. It's really a great program. I would apply to everything and attend the open houses. If your child gets in, you can decide at that point whether it's the best fit.

[Anonymous]

DC is in RMHS IB magnet. There are kids from TPMS SMACS program, Eastern MS Humanities program, Roberto Clemente MS SMACS and Humanities program, regular middle schools and also some specialized ones (parkland?)...

In the end ...all of these students are doing well. They all have their strengths and weakness...but these cannot be aligned by who went to what school.

Apply - if he gets in - then decide.

[Anonymous]

I wasn't able to attend the Takoma Park info meeting tonight and wondered if anyone else who did could share notes?
Also, does anyone have comparisons to offer from within your own family? Do you have one kid who went to 1 of the 3 schools and another who went to another? I know the advice is to wait and see whether your child gets in but if you get lucky and have a choice, you want to be informed enough to decide quickly and confidently.
I'm interested in the practical pros and cons of each school. I hadn't heard that Eastern kids usually don't take a foreign language in 6th grade, so that's exactly the kind of detail I'd like to know. (By the way, is there an after-school club in foreign language or some way to get that?) I hear SSI has a block schedule - do the others? Can you share more details about the homework load at TPMS and Eastern? (For comparison, DC is at Pine Crest magnet and it's been less brutal than we feared, at least so far). What are the after-school opportunities and what's the overall social climate of each school like?
Any thoughts welcome.

[Anonymous]

We went to the TPMS meeting tonight. They do use a block system (with an alternate day schedule). There are three classes that are only with magnet kids-- math, science and computer science, and then 5 classes (english, world history or something like that, PE and 2 electives) that are mixed with the rest of the school, although the first two are grouped by honors/GT and on-grade level. The math/science/CS side of the curriculum was presented as analogous to the approach of the HGC (i.e., they use the MCPS curriculum but go more in-depth).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our home school is Silver Spring International MS. Trying to learn about how different the educational offerings are at SSI versus the Eastern or Takoma Park MS magnet programs. I know that SSI has the middle years programme, and have read about it, but have not heard from parents who are familiar with it.

While I am glad that the gifted magnet programs are offered, I don't see much need to ask middle school kids to specialize in math/science versus humanities. How is the specialized focus versus a balanced education accomplished?

And in these magnet programs, how much is it that schoolwork/homework is much more work, or it is different work than a traditional MS, or both more and different work? trying to get a sense of how much harder students need to work to be successful in these magnet programs.

We had the same concern you express about having to specialize at such a young age. DC got into both Takoma Park and Eastern programs and ultimately picked Eastern. It is important to know that while the core program is enriched and accelerated, they still have to take Math and Science! So your 6th grader could take IM or Algebra I as a sixth grader as well as Advanced Science. In other words, they get the same Math and Science curriculum they would get at a regular MS such as SSIMS but they get a lot more in social studies and English. What they miss out on is a foreign language (in sixth grade only) and electives. The Media course is required and takes the place of an elective but they do have the option to take Band etc, if they stay after school. In sixth grade only nearly all students take "Literature and the Humanities" instead of a foreign language. I don't know how to describe the class but it nearly sounds like a philosophy class and it was dc's fav. class. From what I've heard, the students LOVE this class and it really encourages creative and critical thinking.

I can't speak to the TP program but I have been impressed by the Humanities program. DC in sixth grade read a lot of the books an 8th grader would read in Advanced English. I also liked that the program is designed so well - if they are learning a topic in English, they will take it up in some form in Social Studies and Media and of course Lit and the Humanities. They do have homework and a lot of projects but the work is interesting and engaging. You do need good time management skills and if that is a problem for your child, you should think about it carefully.

The term "specialize" suggests that the focus is in a given area or areas and that other areas are not covered - but in fact, at both magnets, those areas *are* covered at the standard MCPS level. So I don't see how the higher-level work in math/science (TPMS) or the humanities (Eastern) constitutes specialization since the rest of the curriculum is the same as it would have been had the student not enrolled in the magnet.

Our child was also invited to attend both magnets and we and DC chose TPMS, not only for the math/science focus, but also for the fantastic music program (the instrumental music program is unparalleled in the county); the foreign language option; and the wonderful after-school activities. Also, the facility is far nicer than the one at Eastern.

DC has been super-happy at TPMS overall, but I wish DC could attend *both* programs as she would benefit from them both. Too bad there is no middle school magnet for all disciplines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't able to attend the Takoma Park info meeting tonight and wondered if anyone else who did could share notes?
Also, does anyone have comparisons to offer from within your own family? Do you have one kid who went to 1 of the 3 schools and another who went to another? I know the advice is to wait and see whether your child gets in but if you get lucky and have a choice, you want to be informed enough to decide quickly and confidently.
I'm interested in the practical pros and cons of each school. I hadn't heard that Eastern kids usually don't take a foreign language in 6th grade, so that's exactly the kind of detail I'd like to know. (By the way, is there an after-school club in foreign language or some way to get that?) I hear SSI has a block schedule - do the others? Can you share more details about the homework load at TPMS and Eastern? (For comparison, DC is at Pine Crest magnet and it's been less brutal than we feared, at least so far). What are the after-school opportunities and what's the overall social climate of each school like?
Any thoughts welcome.

I have one kid at Eastern and another at a nonmagnet MCPS middle school in the western part of the county, so I am getting the opportunity to compare the two options pretty closely. The difference in challenge, complexity and interesting work is pretty striking. If you have a child who's thriving at Pine Crest (mine also went to Pine Crest) I would most definitely apply to the magnet. My kid who's at Eastern would be miserable in the regular county program. There are things the regular MS kids are doing now that are less-challenging duplications of what the Pine Crest kids did in 4th grade.

It's not that the regular middle school program is bad, but my child who's doing it (who was waitlisted for both Eastern and TPMS) isn't finding it particularly inspiring and is turning into one of those kids who talks about hating school. To be fair, she might have hated Eastern too!

We really like Eastern and I think the issues about the school being older are kind of a red herring -- it's not as attractive to us as parents but it doesn't seem to bother the kids. We also have been pleased with the fact that our DC has continued friendships with nonmagnet kids made at Pine Crest, and has met a lot of nice non-magnet kids through after-school sports. The concerns about Eastern being a "rougher" school have not been an issue for us or our DC -- sure, some kids have problems but I feel the administration is good about addressing them. And let me tell you, there are plenty of problems at the west-county middle school with the "good" reputation, too. I have seen more issues of concern -- girls cutting, for example -- than I have at Eastern. I think middle school is just tough -- at Eastern you may have more low-income kids with some issues that go along with that, but the social pressure at the other school is no picnic either.

I don't have first hand knowledge of SSIMS but a lot of the neighbor kids go there and the parents are generally pretty pleased.

[Anonymous]

Thank you 08:24! This is great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't able to attend the Takoma Park info meeting tonight and wondered if anyone else who did could share notes?
Also, does anyone have comparisons to offer from within your own family? Do you have one kid who went to 1 of the 3 schools and another who went to another? I know the advice is to wait and see whether your child gets in but if you get lucky and have a choice, you want to be informed enough to decide quickly and confidently.
I'm interested in the practical pros and cons of each school. I hadn't heard that Eastern kids usually don't take a foreign language in 6th grade, so that's exactly the kind of detail I'd like to know. (By the way, is there an after-school club in foreign language or some way to get that?) I hear SSI has a block schedule - do the others? Can you share more details about the homework load at TPMS and Eastern? (For comparison, DC is at Pine Crest magnet and it's been less brutal than we feared, at least so far). What are the after-school opportunities and what's the overall social climate of each school like?
Any thoughts welcome.

I have one kid at Eastern and another at a nonmagnet MCPS middle school in the western part of the county, so I am getting the opportunity to compare the two options pretty closely. The difference in challenge, complexity and interesting work is pretty striking. If you have a child who's thriving at Pine Crest (mine also went to Pine Crest) I would most definitely apply to the magnet. My kid who's at Eastern would be miserable in the regular county program. There are things the regular MS kids are doing now that are less-challenging duplications of what the Pine Crest kids did in 4th grade.

It's not that the regular middle school program is bad, but my child who's doing it (who was waitlisted for both Eastern and TPMS) isn't finding it particularly inspiring and is turning into one of those kids who talks about hating school. To be fair, she might have hated Eastern.

We really like Eastern and I think the issues about the school being older are kind of a red herring -- it's not as attractive to us as parents but it doesn't seem to bother the kids. We also have been pleased with the fact that our DC has continued friendships with nonmagnet kids made at Pine Crest, and has met a lot of nice non-magnet kids through after-school sports. The concerns about Eastern being a "rougher" school have not been an issue for us or our DC -- sure, some kids have problems but I feel the administration is good about addressing them. And let me tell you, there are plenty of problems at the west-county middle school with the "good" reputation, too. I have seen more issues of concern -- girls cutting, for example -- than I have at Eastern. I think middle school is just tough -- at Eastern you may have more low-income kids with some issues that go along with that, but the social pressure at the other school is no picnic either.

I don't have first hand knowledge of SSIMS but a lot of the neighbor kids go there and the parents are generally pretty pleased.

Thank you for your post. I have a lot of concerns about Eastern being a 'rough' school but so far (two months in) it has not been an issue at all and dc is SO happy. It is very reassuring to read about your experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't able to attend the Takoma Park info meeting tonight and wondered if anyone else who did could share notes?
Also, does anyone have comparisons to offer from within your own family? Do you have one kid who went to 1 of the 3 schools and another who went to another? I know the advice is to wait and see whether your child gets in but if you get lucky and have a choice, you want to be informed enough to decide quickly and confidently.
I'm interested in the practical pros and cons of each school. I hadn't heard that Eastern kids usually don't take a foreign language in 6th grade, so that's exactly the kind of detail I'd like to know. (By the way, is there an after-school club in foreign language or some way to get that?) I hear SSI has a block schedule - do the others? Can you share more details about the homework load at TPMS and Eastern? (For comparison, DC is at Pine Crest magnet and it's been less brutal than we feared, at least so far). What are the after-school opportunities and what's the overall social climate of each school like?
Any thoughts welcome.

At Eastern, kids in the magnet can take foreign language after school for credit. I think it's 3x a week. I think it was French or Spanish. At one point some parents were trying to get Chinese going too. You should ask the school specifically about this opportunity. There also was an opportunity to take music before or after school, but I am not sure where that stands now, whether it was for credit or not. Also, the program is not clear about this, but a magnet student can decline to take the Magnet Reading course with Ms. Ray and take a foreign language instead. There are a few students each year who do this. My child opted for magnet reading, because everyone says Ms. Ray is great and my DD thought it was an important way to make friends. I'm not sure how valuable it really was as a course.

After school opportunities are very limited at Eastern (at least compared to our home school) because the school has a lot of FARMS students and many other who are not FARMS but who still can't/don't want to pay hundreds of dollars more for after school activities. There are a few sports -- soccer, basketball, track, softball. Many of the other after school activities are geared toward kids who are not doing well academically or have poor home life or need after school dining programs or are minority leadership programs. The school is not really that proactive/interested in developing a strong after school program. Plus, many magnet kids live far enough away from school that participating in after school programs, even with an after school bus, is not really practical between the long ride, still needing a parent pick up and heavy homework load.

Honestly, all this is stuff to worry about after you get in. Apply first and save your energy for figuring out if it's appropriate after you receive the admit decision. There will be another open house in the spring for admitted students, and you have some time after that to decide.

[Anonymous]

To follow up 8:24... My experience is from several years ago, but I had one kid who went to the Eastern magnet (from Pine Crest), and another that went to SSIMS having been waitlisted for Easter. Yes, the difference in challenge was *striking* and child #2 became quite demoralized, to the point that we pulled her. "Advanced" (GT) English was nowhere near advanced, and the span of kids in the class was laughably large.