Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Re: Shining Stars communications - I expect that most of this will be worked out before any of your kids potentially go there. This year has been complicated for a number of reasons (2 teachers departing early/unexpectedly, need to hire a new office manager, expansion to 3 primary classrooms). It would be nice to get slightly more notice about school events and have a slightly more organized process for communications from each classroom. I get the most meaningful information about what's going on at school (parent night, parent teacher conferences, weather-related closures) from other parents on the (closed) Facebook group created by the PTA. We are working to identify what ways parents would prefer to be communicated with and will then pass those requests/recommendations along to the administration, who have generally been responsive to requests/contacts.
I do not know specifically when the open houses will be. I went to an open house this time last year and honestly, it was kind of hard to get a sense of the school at that time. Parents are not permitted in the classrooms during school hours (a policy I'm not thrilled about though I understand the rationale - disrupts the work, etc.) so you can only really look through the doors and see the common areas. This year, it will also be hard to make decisions about the physical space, as the school is planning to move but nothing is finalized yet. So the space you see likely would not be the one your child experienced next year. I was told by a staff member that the space they are looking at is over by Howard, has parking and an outdoor play area for the children. I don't know what space it is specifically or where the negotiations stand.
If you have specific questions, I'm happy to try answering them from the perspective of someone who's only been involved with the school for a few months.
This is a very thorough run-down of the issues, especially concerning communications, which can be frustrating. It does seem that the admin realizes that there is an issue and is working to address it. I think that some hiccups are to be expected in a newer, smaller school, and I am willing to give the school a chance to improve upon them.
On the positive side, the Montessori classrooms are really excellent, the materials are top-notch and we are very happy with DC's teacher. I have been very happy (and even a little surprised) at how much progress DC has made since the school year began, with how much DC has learned and how independent DC has become. The school seems committed to the Montessori method, and most of the parents seem committed to the school. The student body is very diverse, with kids from all around the city (and I don't mean that in a negative DCUM code-word kind of way).
The school isn't perfect, but it's pretty great for a free Montessori education, and I expect it to get even better as issues are fixed.
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