Schools in silver spring area
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Anonymous
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“I met a Science teacher at a Title 1 school whose sole job is to provide STEM enrichment for all the students at the school. ”
We used to be there I think. (Not sure how many schools have a special STEM teacher but have to assume it is not common. The one at our school was amazing. |
Anonymous
NP but in our elementary school there was 3’K classes and my son knew most of the kids if not by name by face. I don’t think you could do that with 10 K classes. |
Anonymous
With roughly 200 kids per grade allows TPES to better group children for differentiated math and reading. However, classroom sizes for my kids were from 18 to 20. |
Anonymous
Curiously, there is a small section of SS zoned for TPES and PBES that isn't part of TKPK so avoids the additional property taxes. |
Anonymous
There's also a small section of Takoma Park zoned for ESS. I think the boundaries are weird in part because BOTH ESS and TPES used to feed to Piney Branch. Then Piney Branch got too big, and their footprint can't be expanded, so ESS moved to a K-5 system and the boundaries ended up a little muddled. With all of that said, I've had kids at both schools and they both have their strengths and weaknesses. TPES/PBES benefit from the in-house gifted programs, and from a generally wealthier parent community that allows the PTA to really flourish. They also suffer from that same wealthier student community, with some parents advocating just a little too strenuously for the interests of their own children over the interests of the broader (and diverse) student body. They have push-in STEM enrichment, somehow funded by the city as far as I can tell, which is unique among schools in the area. The school reflects Takoma Park values, which is nice if you want your bake sale to have vegan gluten free ethically sourced chocolate chip cookies, which I do. The K-2 model lets TPES really focus on the needs of littler kids, and lets the 2nd graders have some responsibility when they are the "big kids." The down side is that the size of the schools, and the shift from TPES to PBES, means that the kids aren't "seen" by teachers, counselors, and administration. There are just too many little kids, and the school knows them for too short a period of time. That can be fine, or it can be frustrating if you have a kid who needs a little extra care and attention. ESS has a more economically diverse student body, and a smaller number of parents with the time, money, and interest to volunteer. That's changing, however, as new families come into the school and broaden the base of parent volunteers. While they don't have the in-house gifted programs, they do some differentiation that the Takoma Park schools didn't, like William & Mary starting in 2nd grade. They are also apparently piloting the new Enhanced Literacy Curriculum in 4th grade this year. There is a new principal who seems interested in improving outreach to parents, from what I hear, and getting the school more engaged in the broader TP/SS community. My child at ESS was also absolutely known and loved and "seen" by the school. From the principal and AP to the counselor and classroom teachers even outside their grade, my child definitely felt known and appreciated as an individual student and community member. Oh, and you get the same preference going in to TPMS magnet admissions as kids coming out of Piney Branch, and anecdotally, ESS kids have done pretty well. Basically, they are both great schools, with pluses and minuses, like literally every other school in MCPS. I wouldn't prioritize one over the other unless I had a child who desperately needed the math enrichment available at TPES, or unless curbside composting was on my Top 3 list for a neighborhood. |
Anonymous
OP here - we aren’t currently in the Wilson zone. I would be fine staying in DC if we could move in bounds for Wilson, but I really don’t think we can afford it. We are currently at a title I school east of the park for pre-K. We’re very happy there now, but considering we need more space anyway, we’re looking to secure a good school pattern through HS, somewhere close in where we can afford four bedrooms. So I guess space is the primary motivator. I’m too risk averse to rely on the DC school lottery. I’ve been looking into Takoma Park more and think it’s a good fit! Thanks for all the helpful suggestions |
Anonymous
Yup, that's what we just did. Moved from Takoma, btw. Partly because I was actually able to afford more house for the money in this cluster (who knew?) and also because my kids are headed to high school and with BCC's recent addition, there will be less overcrowding in the next 5-10 years. That may not be relevant to you, however, because it's a bit harder to predict what things will look like 10+ years out. (Woodside Park and close-in Silver Spring are also lovely. So are large swaths of silver spring...! You could also look at Shepherd Park (Wilson) with your budget. Good luck!) |
Anonymous
The zone boundaries for those areas along the edge of SS nearer CC are very likely to be impacted by the addition of Woodward 4-6 years from now. |
Anonymous
The reopening of Woodward HS is to address the remaining space deficits in the Downcounty Consortium high schools and Walter Johnson High School. It's not related to B-CC. |
Anonymous
| We are also in Rock Creek Forest. Love the school and our neighborhood. Lots of young families moving in for schools and convenient location. Also looking forward to future purple line station within walking distance of the neighborhood. |
Anonymous
I'm sorry there is a 40-page thread on this subject already and you are sadly misinformed. Woodward is being reopened primarily to deal with serious overcrowding in Walter Johnson; however, by the time Woodward opens BCC will be at capacity again. Woodward is located in between BCC and Walter Johnson. Many students blocks from Woodward currently attend BCC. It stands to reason they willbe rezoned to Woodward since it's closer. It also seems likely many students from Einstein which will be heavily overcrowded then too and nearby Woodward will also end up. The only other DCC school with overcrowding not wholly and directly addressed by capital improvements is Blair. Some of that excess will be offloaded to Northwood which is adjacent; however, it also stands to reason a larger part of western Silver Spring will be rezoned to BCC. |
Anonymous
Interesting! The bus ride to either Blair or BCC from that western part of SS adjacent to Chevy Chase is about the same so it makes sense. |
Anonymous
BCC is the only high-school other than Blair which services students inside the beltway and it's zone is adjacent to Blairs in western SS. |
Anonymous
That's not how MCPS does rezoning. Proximity is one factor, but it's not the only factor. MCPS is unlikely to include a whole cluster in a rezoning just because a small section of that cluster is close to another cluster that is getting rezoned. You are using "It stands to reason" to mean "I think that MCPS ought to..." The only actual information we have right now is the CIP. And the CIP says that (1) Woodward is for capacity at Walter Johnson and the DCC (2) the B-CC addition is for capacity at B-CC. DCC: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/MP19_Chap4_DCC.pdf Walter Johnson: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/MP19_Chap4_WJ.pdf B-CC: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/MP19_Chap4_BCC.pdf |
Anonymous
B-CC was originally to be part of the DCC until snooty Bethesda parents strong-armed the school board. When people complain about snooty Bethesda parents, it's because they have this attitude, "Now that we got our expansion @B-CC screw the rest of you especially you poor DCC people!" Whether B-CC parents like it or not B-CC is part of Montgomery County too and bear some of the burdens of making things work for everyone. |