Lunch at Deal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a kid at Deal but we are zoned for it because we live in the neighborhood. This thread is making me reconsider sending DC. Lunch is one of the few precious down times for kids during a busy and hectic day. I don't feel comfortable with my kid scrambling or scarfing down lunch. Its not healthy and if I don't subject myself or employees to working lunches, I wouldn't subject my kid to that kind of pressure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising Deal student and how can all this be? Long lines at lunch? Do the kids have enough time to eat? Are parents calling downtown for answers?

I teach at a middle school in Maryland. Our kids have 30 minutes for lunch. I work lunch duty and, on average, the last kid makes it through the line with 5-7 minutes to eat. They rarely complain, but I can't help but feel bad for them. When I was in school, lunch was an hour. I have a rising 4th grader at Murch who's been looking forward to Deal. I'm starting to rethink it now. I wonder what the class sizes are like.

My kid’s classes were 20-22 kids per class. FWIW, we moved from private because they accelerated math better at Deal.

My kids classes this past year (6th grade) were 30 kids. I think Deal has gotten larger since your kid was there.

This was last year! My kid is going to be a 7th grader. He said his classes were 20-22. Maybe he under counted...?

NP. My rising 8th grader reports the same. Avg of 20-22, a few classes smaller, a few classes bigger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a kid at Deal but we are zoned for it because we live in the neighborhood. This thread is making me reconsider sending DC. Lunch is one of the few precious down times for kids during a busy and hectic day. I don't feel comfortable with my kid scrambling or scarfing down lunch. Its not healthy and if I don't subject myself or employees to working lunches, I wouldn't subject my kid to that kind of pressure.

This is going to sound snarky, but I’m being sincere. If this worries you, you should consider other options. You won’t be happy at Deal. It’s a big school that provides lots of support but also requires that the kids (and parents) be flexible and resilient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising Deal student and how can all this be? Long lines at lunch? Do the kids have enough time to eat? Are parents calling downtown for answers?

I teach at a middle school in Maryland. Our kids have 30 minutes for lunch. I work lunch duty and, on average, the last kid makes it through the line with 5-7 minutes to eat. They rarely complain, but I can't help but feel bad for them. When I was in school, lunch was an hour. I have a rising 4th grader at Murch who's been looking forward to Deal. I'm starting to rethink it now. I wonder what the class sizes are like.

My kid’s classes were 20-22 kids per class. FWIW, we moved from private because they accelerated math better at Deal.

My kids classes this past year (6th grade) were 30 kids. I think Deal has gotten larger since your kid was there.

I don't think the 6th grade classes were split evenly--probably based on the number of kids taking each language and the different math classes and the fact that the math classes led to a reshuffling of schedules a week into school. My kid definitely had classes with 30 kids in them in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

But, but, according to some PPs there is never an empty classroom at Deal even when all the 6th graders are at lunch. Queue the hysteria!

All kidding aside, thank you PP for this helpful addition.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This set up really puts low income students at a disadvantage. Sad.

It's because the school is freaking bursting at the seams.
The same reason it's impossible to get a spot on a sports team or a role in the musical or any of the other myriad of other ways having a packed school affects kids.

If you have packed a building to the point of bursting not every kid is going to get to sit at lunch.

Actions (in this case running a mega-sized middle school) have consequences.

No sympathy. The IB parents fight any boundary changes that would push them to hardy. And that’s how you get a school with 400 kids too many.

Why would the IB parents accept a boundary change when there are 400+ OOB students at Deal? What planet do you live on?

. Because even if the school was only feeders it’s too crowded. More feeders have to pushed to Hardy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

Those poor teachers! I can’t imagine never being able to have a quiet 30 minute lunch to myself because I have to supervise a club and students who have no where to eat from the cafeteria. Shame on DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

Those poor teachers! I can’t imagine never being able to have a quiet 30 minute lunch to myself because I have to supervise a club and students who have no where to eat from the cafeteria. Shame on DCPS.

Those teachers are already working doing grit. They get a period off at other times in the day. This is very common in middle and high schools. Stop already with the hysteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

But, but, according to some PPs there is never an empty classroom at Deal even when all the 6th graders are at lunch. Queue the hysteria!

All kidding aside, thank you PP for this helpful addition.

Just noting these were not empty classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

Those poor teachers! I can’t imagine never being able to have a quiet 30 minute lunch to myself because I have to supervise a club and students who have no where to eat from the cafeteria. Shame on DCPS.

All teachers at Deal don't get a lunch break. They aren't part of the WTU which has requirements for breaks. They have to have their own union to accommodate them called the FU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

Those poor teachers! I can’t imagine never being able to have a quiet 30 minute lunch to myself because I have to supervise a club and students who have no where to eat from the cafeteria. Shame on DCPS.

All teachers at Deal don't get a lunch break. They aren't part of the WTU which has requirements for breaks. They have to have their own union to accommodate them called the FU.

Can you tell me which teachers at Deal don’t have breaks? I am very familiar with almost all of them and really curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was in 6th grade last year and had 2 teachers who opened their classrooms up during lunch so that kids could eat their lunch there if they were well behaved and talked quietly (the teachers also had GRIT going on concurrently). I'm hoping some of the 7th grade teachers do this as well. It was much preferred to the crowded cafeteria.

Those poor teachers! I can’t imagine never being able to have a quiet 30 minute lunch to myself because I have to supervise a club and students who have no where to eat from the cafeteria. Shame on DCPS.

Those teachers are already working doing grit. They get a period off at other times in the day. This is very common in middle and high schools. Stop already with the hysteria.

No they don't not for doing GRIT, sad but true.

[Anonymous]

Regarding class size - it is very variable. My child had a class of 17 and a class in the 30s. Scheduling is really hard given lots of variables that they try and manage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regarding class size - it is very variable. My child had a class of 17 and a class in the 30s. Scheduling is really hard given lots of variables that they try and manage.

PE was the only class my child had with over 22 kids.