Bruce Monroe at Parkview

[Anonymous]

Anyone have any feedback on the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have any feedback on the school?

At least it's better than Raymond.

Plus, it's not far from Haynes, Bridges, Cap City, and Appletree.

[Anonymous]

We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

[Anonymous]

I'm happy to read the PP's experience. Bruce Monroe is our IB school, and we checked it out before getting into a charter. I'm rooting for BM and hoping parents do get involved, but I do want to say that a current parent had mixed reviews. While the facilities do sound great and I have no doubt that given the changing demographics of the IB community it serves, it's going to get better and better, I was very disturbed by some classroom management issues her DD is experiencing. This would be for PreK, and a child in her DD's classroom who sounds truly off the hook does not sound like she is managed well at all. I dont' want to give too many details since it's not my situation and not my direct experience, but the child's behavior involved biting and hitting (remember, this is PreK, not daycare!), and not just once... and it sounds like the teachers and Admin either did not take it sesriously enough or not responsive enough.

Hopefully that's the exception and not the rule, I'd really like to hear positive things about the school as well.

I'll ask this mom to remind me of hte positives, since once she started in on this situation with the badly-behaved child, I forgot everything else she said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

I agree with all of the above based on my visits there. Considering that the test scores are not so far off from Barnard and Powell, I see BMPV as an opportunity and wonder why I haven't seen more people express interest on this board. The dual language approach seems much more considerate than Powell, and the faculty and staff I spoke to were really on the ball. My biggest concerns were that there are no specials for PS and PK, which there are at West, Barnard and Powell, and that there seems to be some residual racial conflict from when the two schools merged--I think it left some parents feeling like winners and losers. This was alluded to in my meeting with them in any case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

A lot like my experience visiting Powell - and now DC is a student there. I hope you enjoy your neighborhood school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

I agree with all of the above based on my visits there. Considering that the test scores are not so far off from Barnard and Powell, I see BMPV as an opportunity and wonder why I haven't seen more people express interest on this board. The dual language approach seems much more considerate than Powell, and the faculty and staff I spoke to were really on the ball. My biggest concerns were that there are no specials for PS and PK, which there are at West, Barnard and Powell, and that there seems to be some residual racial conflict from when the two schools merged--I think it left some parents feeling like winners and losers. This was alluded to in my meeting with them in any case.

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

Im IB for Bruce Monroe and we took a tour and got to observe a K and a 4th grade class. Granted thats a small sample but both were well run especially the K class. There was an assistant in each class that we oberserved. The facilities are awesome. Its worth a tour just to see the original woodwork of the auditorium restored. They also have a huge library, cafeteria, gym and outdoor play space but also seem to utilize the rec center adjacent. I know the neighbor you mentioned who has become such a huge advocate. Its most likely going to be our number one choice for PS3/PK. Hopefully more neighborhood folks will consider it early on. I don't know if we will stay through elem but we are very hopeful. The immersion is one day all subjects in spanish and one day all in english...at least that was my understanding. we are still a year out from school so I will likely attend another open house to oberseve the Pk/PS3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

I agree with all of the above based on my visits there. Considering that the test scores are not so far off from Barnard and Powell, I see BMPV as an opportunity and wonder why I haven't seen more people express interest on this board. The dual language approach seems much more considerate than Powell, and the faculty and staff I spoke to were really on the ball. My biggest concerns were that there are no specials for PS and PK, which there are at West, Barnard and Powell, and that there seems to be some residual racial conflict from when the two schools merged--I think it left some parents feeling like winners and losers. This was alluded to in my meeting with them in any case.

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

I believe that Bruce-Monroe has Spanish language teachers and English language teachers and the students go from one to the other, where Powell has more bilingual teachers who teach in one language for a period of time and then the other language for the other period of time. I don't remember how much time for each but that is how it was explained to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

I agree with all of the above based on my visits there. Considering that the test scores are not so far off from Barnard and Powell, I see BMPV as an opportunity and wonder why I haven't seen more people express interest on this board. The dual language approach seems much more considerate than Powell, and the faculty and staff I spoke to were really on the ball. My biggest concerns were that there are no specials for PS and PK, which there are at West, Barnard and Powell, and that there seems to be some residual racial conflict from when the two schools merged--I think it left some parents feeling like winners and losers. This was alluded to in my meeting with them in any case.

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

I believe that Bruce-Monroe has Spanish language teachers and English language teachers and the students go from one to the other, where Powell has more bilingual teachers who teach in one language for a period of time and then the other language for the other period of time. I don't remember how much time for each but that is how it was explained to me.

PP at 9:07 here.
From what I understand, PK kids at BMPV have 2 classrooms, 1 Spanish and 1 English, and a teacher + assistant in each. They spend a day in each classroom. I think in a Powell PK classroom, both languages are spoken more fluidly throughout the day, with some restriction to a single language only at some times. I don't have any idea whether one way is better than the other for the overall development of the children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

Yes, sorry, I meant "considered" or deliberate, not considerate. I'm certainly not trying to knock Powell--I really liked both schools just based on visit. But the two previous posters are correct in saying that PS3 and PK4 at Powell has an English-speaking main teacher and a Spanish-speaking assistant, as opposed to a full teacher for each language at BMPV. The Powell teacher explained to me that it roughly ends up being 30/70 Spanish/English; however, it seemed a little more like a Spanish language support model than a full-on dual language model until you get to 1st grade (or is it K?) that you go to the 50/50 half-day model. I'm not an expert so I also cannot say which is best, either, just that the BMPV teachers were very good at expressing why they thought their model was good and how it worked.

I agree with all of the above based on my visits there. Considering that the test scores are not so far off from Barnard and Powell, I see BMPV as an opportunity and wonder why I haven't seen more people express interest on this board. The dual language approach seems much more considerate than Powell, and the faculty and staff I spoke to were really on the ball. My biggest concerns were that there are no specials for PS and PK, which there are at West, Barnard and Powell, and that there seems to be some residual racial conflict from when the two schools merged--I think it left some parents feeling like winners and losers. This was alluded to in my meeting with them in any case.

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

I believe that Bruce-Monroe has Spanish language teachers and English language teachers and the students go from one to the other, where Powell has more bilingual teachers who teach in one language for a period of time and then the other language for the other period of time. I don't remember how much time for each but that is how it was explained to me.

PP at 9:07 here.
From what I understand, PK kids at BMPV have 2 classrooms, 1 Spanish and 1 English, and a teacher + assistant in each. They spend a day in each classroom. I think in a Powell PK classroom, both languages are spoken more fluidly throughout the day, with some restriction to a single language only at some times. I don't have any idea whether one way is better than the other for the overall development of the children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live a couple of blocks away and want to be realistic about our odds in the lottery for other schools, how much commuting our family can live with, and the financial impact of private school, so I visited the Bruce Monroe at Park View school three times now. Twice in a tour, and once on a me-only tour where I got to sit like a little mouse in two PK classrooms for a little while.

The facilities are gorgeous and a lot of it is brand spanking new. That library is stunning.
At our last tour, I think I heard that all PK teachers have Masters Degrees. We might need to verify that, but it hasn't been the case in all DCPS and charter schools I've visited.
They're using Singapore Math for teaching math. Sidwell Friends is also using Singapore Math.

It's just not what I expected at all. One of my neighbors and friends has been advocating for the neighborhood families to consider Bruce Monroe and telling us she'd send her son there when it's his time, and it just seemed insane, based on the test scores, but after spending time there, I just don't see anything wrong with the school. All the teachers I've seen seem to have it together, be dynamic and working hard to good for the ESL population, but they also seem enthusiastic and welcoming to English-speaking middle/high SES families, unlike what I've heard about other schools in transitioning neighborhoods. This is going to sound obvious and ridiculous, but the current kids at the PK and K level just look like sweet kids and not social cases, and I can't imagine that sharing a classroom with them would do any damage to my kid. My kid will just be a little more lost on Spanish days than they are on English days, and in a couple of years they'll all speak both languages.

Yes, sorry, I meant "considered" or deliberate, not considerate. I'm certainly not trying to knock Powell--I really liked both schools just based on visit. But the two previous posters are correct in saying that PS3 and PK4 at Powell has an English-speaking main teacher and a Spanish-speaking assistant, as opposed to a full teacher for each language at BMPV. The Powell teacher explained to me that it roughly ends up being 30/70 Spanish/English; however, it seemed a little more like a Spanish language support model than a full-on dual language model until you get to 1st grade (or is it K?) that you go to the 50/50 half-day model. I'm not an expert so I also cannot say which is best, either, just that the BMPV teachers were very good at expressing why they thought their model was good and how it worked.

I agree with all of the above based on my visits there. Considering that the test scores are not so far off from Barnard and Powell, I see BMPV as an opportunity and wonder why I haven't seen more people express interest on this board. The dual language approach seems much more considerate than Powell, and the faculty and staff I spoke to were really on the ball. My biggest concerns were that there are no specials for PS and PK, which there are at West, Barnard and Powell, and that there seems to be some residual racial conflict from when the two schools merged--I think it left some parents feeling like winners and losers. This was alluded to in my meeting with them in any case.

Could you clarify what you mean by this?

I believe that Bruce-Monroe has Spanish language teachers and English language teachers and the students go from one to the other, where Powell has more bilingual teachers who teach in one language for a period of time and then the other language for the other period of time. I don't remember how much time for each but that is how it was explained to me.

PP at 9:07 here.
From what I understand, PK kids at BMPV have 2 classrooms, 1 Spanish and 1 English, and a teacher + assistant in each. They spend a day in each classroom. I think in a Powell PK classroom, both languages are spoken more fluidly throughout the day, with some restriction to a single language only at some times. I don't have any idea whether one way is better than the other for the overall development of the children.

Yes, sorry, I meant "considered" or deliberate, not considerate. I'm certainly not trying to knock Powell--I really liked both schools just based on visits. But the two previous posters are correct in saying that PS3 and PK4 at Powell has an English-speaking main teacher and a Spanish-speaking assistant, as opposed to a full teacher for each language at BMPV. The Powell teacher explained to me that it roughly ends up being 30/70 Spanish/English; however, it seemed a little more like a Spanish language support model than a full-on dual language model until you get to 1st grade (or is it K?) that you go to the 50/50 half-day model. I'm not an expert so I also cannot say which is best, either, just that the BMPV teachers were very good at expressing why they thought their model was good and how it worked.

[Anonymous]

Powell does 50-50 starting at K. And while my kid is at Powell I won't knock Bruce-Monroe either! Everybody's superfriends!!

[Anonymous]

I wonder if the set up of the immersion (one teacher speaking both languages versus separate classrooms) is dependent on the make up of the school? I think BMPV is about 60% ELL. Not sure about Powell. Don't know if one is more effective than the other.

[Anonymous]

Powell's similar on ELL percentages overall, though clearly not so at PS/PK. I was at my kid's class today and it is maybe 1/4 to 1/3 ELL.