What do you love about your kid’s MoCo school?

[Anonymous]

The experience with our ES has been excellent. Great teachers, diverse community, active parents. I don't know how MS and HS will be - but I'm happy with DD's ES.

[Anonymous]

Our middle school music teacher. He is absolutely fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Principal is fantastic. He greets every child at the door every morning and would call them by their name. The teachers- every single teacher that my children had was excellent and dedicated to make sure that they were challenged at the appropriate level. Finally, the community of parents -parents who are non-pretentious and are actively involved with the school. The PTA events rock. This is a focus ES in Gaithersburg.

I bet you're at Strawberry Knoll.

Just wait until your kid hits middle and high.

What is your personal, first-hand, direct experience with Gaithersburg MS and Gaithersburg HS?

Let's just say that when you're in the system, you know a lot more . . . good or bad.

In other words: you don't have any.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the RM cluster, my kids are in elementary. We moved here for the schools from Silver Spring where we were paying for a private school, and two years in I couldn't be happier with my decision.

I love how the curriculum connects the kids to the broader world and concepts within in. They are learning to be global citizens, which is tremendously important to me as a first generation American with strong ties to my parents' home country and friends around the world.

I love how they are embedding practical things in the curriculum. To learn about local governments, the role of city councils, citizen voice, and budget trade-offs as a third grader?? That was stuff I learned in high school. My Kindergardner came home talking about empathy -- that is awesome and 100% in sync with my value system.

I love how they are not doing drills and rote memorization, but learning about math holistically. I remember being drilled on times table, my kid is decomposing and composing and learning to solve problems multiple ways. The challenge word problems on homework sheets are really neat and I enjoy seeing my kid solve them.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE some of the teachers who pour their heart and soul into teaching my kids. There are some who are so good, and truly have inspired my kids to excel.

I love that I can read class lists and say "Indian, Korean, Russian, Serbian, Armenian, Latin American, Nigerian, Irish, German, etc." when I see the names. That is the essence of America. And my kids are so fortunate to be exposed to such diversity of ideas, cultures, and values.

[Anonymous]

I am so thankful for the PEP program and how many resources we have accces too, and parent education they give. They really do their best to give parents every opportunity to help their kid with outside activities, education classes for parents at night with childcare etc.

I also really like how responsive the teachers are.

[Anonymous]

My kid's school is about 10% FARMS and the remainder fairly wealthy and I love how the PTA always keeps that in mind in their programming, even though it's made up primarily of the wealthier parents. They offer scholarships for afterschool activities, extra tutoring over the summer, a food pantry and winter clothing for kids who might not otherwise have them and also donate funds each year to a Focus school.

[Anonymous]

I am kind of alarmed at how many people state the percentage of FARMS. Is that really necessary?

[Anonymous]

Several amazing teachers and a few fantastic principals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in the RM cluster, my kids are in elementary. We moved here for the schools from Silver Spring where we were paying for a private school, and two years in I couldn't be happier with my decision.

I love how the curriculum connects the kids to the broader world and concepts within in. They are learning to be global citizens, which is tremendously important to me as a first generation American with strong ties to my parents' home country and friends around the world.

I love how they are embedding practical things in the curriculum. To learn about local governments, the role of city councils, citizen voice, and budget trade-offs as a third grader?? That was stuff I learned in high school. My Kindergardner came home talking about empathy -- that is awesome and 100% in sync with my value system.

I love how they are not doing drills and rote memorization, but learning about math holistically. I remember being drilled on times table, my kid is decomposing and composing and learning to solve problems multiple ways. The challenge word problems on homework sheets are really neat and I enjoy seeing my kid solve them.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE some of the teachers who pour their heart and soul into teaching my kids. There are some who are so good, and truly have inspired my kids to excel.

I love that I can read class lists and say "Indian, Korean, Russian, Serbian, Armenian, Latin American, Nigerian, Irish, German, etc." when I see the names. That is the essence of America. And my kids are so fortunate to be exposed to such diversity of ideas, cultures, and values.

I think we are in the same school I was going to write pretty much the same thing about CGES. We have had both great and just good teachers (in 4th now), but school culture is phenomenal. I LOVE our principal and still cant figure out how she manages to remember each kid by name in almost 1,000 kids school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That we only have one year left and then moving to private.

We don't like 80% of the teachers, the principal, or the lack of parent involvement. There is only 15% FARMS. Most are middle or upper middle class and are completely uninvolved in the school. The same 10 parents out of 300 doing all the fundraising, PTA, and volunteering. I do think it is this area though for the most part. Parents are always too "busy" to be involved in their kid's lives.

Or did the controlling PTA moms push everyone else out?

That's what happened at our school.

Sure the lead moms invited others to the planning meetings, and tons of moms showed up with great ideas. But the lead moms ignored them and retained control. So, everyone wrote a check or signed up to drop off fruit or whatever and bailed.

That happened at our PTA. I gave up going or even trying to help. They don't have great ideas and just go with what is easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the best thing about your school?

That the MCPS Public Relations department uses anonymous chat rooms to promote the brand.

OP here. We’re actually moving to MoCo over winter break from out of state and this board was giving me horrible buyer’s remorse. Just wanted to hear the good things. I get that DCUM seems to exist for the purpose of demonizing everything in the area and that people generally have to be masochists to post questions here, but I have found (most of) the answers heartening.

Thanks to those who answered thoughtfully.

MCPS curriculum is terrible. If you kid has SN and the school is terrible, forget getting any help. I can't wait to move away. Overpriced housing, traffic is a nightmare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I LOVE our principal and still cant figure out how she manages to remember each kid by name in almost 1,000 kids school!

The front office worker at my ES knew which teacher (has two different ones) my DC had by heart the first week of school when I stopped by to drop something off. That lady is awesome, so sweet and always so friendly.

We're in the RM cluster, too, not CGES. While not perfect, DC *loves* the school and most of the teachers that DC has had. Great diversity. In chorus, they sing a few songs in different languages which is great. I only wish there was more foreign language exposure in ES.

And agree, PTA is very conscientious of the low income parents in our school.

I won't post any of the negatives though since I think OP is looking for positive stories

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the best thing about your school?

That the MCPS Public Relations department uses anonymous chat rooms to promote the brand.

OP here. We’re actually moving to MoCo over winter break from out of state and this board was giving me horrible buyer’s remorse. Just wanted to hear the good things. I get that DCUM seems to exist for the purpose of demonizing everything in the area and that people generally have to be masochists to post questions here, but I have found (most of) the answers heartening.

Thanks to those who answered thoughtfully.

+1 mil

I’m shocked anyone moved here after they read DCUM. It makes the area come across as a failed state populated by angry, prejudiced, and frankly stupid people. In reality, this area is a great place to raise a family.
—signed,
Someone who has actually lived in an area with dismal publics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am kind of alarmed at how many people state the percentage of FARMS. Is that really necessary?

Under DCUM logic, even one student receiving FARMS will derail the entire school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the best thing about your school?

That the MCPS Public Relations department uses anonymous chat rooms to promote the brand.

OP here. We’re actually moving to MoCo over winter break from out of state and this board was giving me horrible buyer’s remorse. Just wanted to hear the good things. I get that DCUM seems to exist for the purpose of demonizing everything in the area and that people generally have to be masochists to post questions here, but I have found (most of) the answers heartening.

Thanks to those who answered thoughtfully.

MCPS curriculum is terrible. If you kid has SN and the school is terrible, forget getting any help. I can't wait to move away. Overpriced housing, traffic is a nightmare.

Oops you forgot to mention what you love!