Feedback on ritchie park elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The people who do participate in the PTA work hard to create lots of fun events for families. If more people volunteered, it could be even better.

Yes, and if some of the PTA moms weren't so bitchy about working moms "not pulling their weight" when many volunteer opportunities are scheduled from 8:45-9:15 and 3:15-3:45, more of us would want to help.

Almost all of the PTA board this year works full time, and all family events that need event volunteers happen in the evenings. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer that are not during school hours. Sorry you've run into some unfriendly people, but don't over generalize to all parents or PTA members.

[Anonymous]

The people who do participate in the PTA work hard to create lots of fun events for families. If more people volunteered, it could be even better.


Yes, and if some of the PTA moms weren't so bitchy about working moms "not pulling their weight" when many volunteer opportunities are scheduled from 8:45-9:15 and 3:15-3:45, more of us would want to help.


Almost all of the PTA board this year works full time, and all family events that need event volunteers happen in the evenings. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer that are not during school hours. Sorry you've run into some unfriendly people, but don't over generalize to all parents or PTA members.

Oh believe me, I've volunteered for many events and activities in the past 3 years. But I heard a LOT of slams on working moms like me last year, and then after the nastiness of the boundary fight this year, I gave up on Ritchie Park parents.

[Anonymous]

Good, give up PP - we don't want your bitterness. Better off without you. You are a terrible person, poisoning the RP community.

[Anonymous]

Fallsgrove resident here. Most residents I know are happy with their neighborhood (overpriced? Lol), and with RP, JW and RM

Personally, I'd prefer it if the FARMS rate were more balanced out at nearby elementary schools, but as we saw last fall, there's no good way to do that without shifting the HS cluster boundaries. Most areas zoned for RP beginning next year are adjacent to Wootton and Churchill elementary school boundaries (and have similar demographics). If we're going to balance out the FARMS rate, it's going to require reshuffling boundaries between RM, Wootton and Churchill. It would be pretty easy for the central office to do that in a way that keeps students from being bussed a long way. However, as long as the zoning between these three HS clusters remains the way it is now, there's no effective way to balance the FARMS rate at the ES level within RM without putting a heavy transportation burden on some neighborhoods, and I don't blame anyone for resisting that. Anyone who thinks people advocated boundaries in an effort to get the FARMS rate at RP low is cynically uninformed.

[Anonymous]

I don't quite understand the focus on the FARMS rate. Anything under 20% is good in this county and will typically have minimal impact of student achievement. Twinbrook ES is over 60% FARMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When Crown HS is built, Fallsgrove will likely leave RP and other neighborhoods will be shifted again. It is unlikely the FARMS rate will stay so low longterm.

I hope they do leave but doubtful. What elementary school would they attend?

Nobody knows what kinds of change Crown HS will bring. Anything is possible:

Split metrication
Rezoning of numerous clusters
All kinds of special curriculum changes (e.g, IB)

Mcps cancelled RMs addition because kids were going to be moved to Crown. Fallsgrove is the most likely neighborhood.geographically.

Incorrect.

King Farm is currently split with half to Gaithersburg and half to RM. They will all be moving to Gaithersburg HS after they move low income kids to Crown to make the schools more even in SES.

Fallsgrove is 50% of RP and College Garden is highest capacity. It would be the most cohesive move without disrupting more rezones of RM’s ES’s and bring King Farm back together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good, give up PP - we don't want your bitterness. Better off without you. You are a terrible person, poisoning the RP community.

This has got to the same person. Every time someone says something you don’t like you insult them. Did you never graduate from high school?

[Anonymous]

Good, give up PP - we don't want your bitterness. Better off without you. You are a terrible person, poisoning the RP community.

OP, this poster is exactly the sort you will encounter at Ritchie Park. You will be better off in literally any other neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Not PP but genuinely curious about the school and looking to possibly move into the neighborhood. Also looking at the Beverly Farms area. Someone mentioned a high turnover of teachers? Is this recent? Also the upper grade teachers are not good and don't preps for middle school? Is this still true? What grades? Do other schools do more to prepare for middle school? We want the best school for our children- this information would be very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not PP but genuinely curious about the school and looking to possibly move into the neighborhood. Also looking at the Beverly Farms area. Someone mentioned a high turnover of teachers? Is this recent? Also the upper grade teachers are not good and don't preps for middle school? Is this still true? What grades? Do other schools do more to prepare for middle school? We want the best school for our children- this information would be very helpful.

Stop with the gossip and nonsense. This is an anonymous forum, so how do you expect to get reliable information. The best thing to do is to visit the school yourself. Listen to how teachers are talking to children. See the kind of work kids are doing. What’s the “vibe” in the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not PP but genuinely curious about the school and looking to possibly move into the neighborhood. Also looking at the Beverly Farms area. Someone mentioned a high turnover of teachers? Is this recent? Also the upper grade teachers are not good and don't preps for middle school? Is this still true? What grades? Do other schools do more to prepare for middle school? We want the best school for our children- this information would be very helpful.

Stop with the gossip and nonsense. This is an anonymous forum, so how do you expect to get reliable information. The best thing to do is to visit the school yourself. Listen to how teachers are talking to children. See the kind of work kids are doing. What’s the “vibe” in the school?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Incorrect.

King Farm is currently split with half to Gaithersburg and half to RM. They will all be moving to Gaithersburg HS after they move low income kids to Crown to make the schools more even in SES.

Fallsgrove is 50% of RP and College Garden is highest capacity. It would be the most cohesive move without disrupting more rezones of RM’s ES’s and bring King Farm back together.

Back together? King Farm has always been split.

[Anonymous]

College Gardens could just join Gaithersburg HS cluster entirely. It would be much smaller without King Farm and they would likely have have to redistrict the cluster again otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College Gardens could just join Gaithersburg HS cluster entirely. It would be much smaller without King Farm and they would likely have have to redistrict the cluster again otherwise.

I don't think that there would be any "just" about a rezoning of College Gardens ES to the Gaithersburg HS cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College Gardens could just join Gaithersburg HS cluster entirely. It would be much smaller without King Farm and they would likely have have to redistrict the cluster again otherwise.

I don't think that there would be any "just" about a rezoning of College Gardens ES to the Gaithersburg HS cluster.

True..but that does not mean it will not happen.