Tell me about TPMS Magnet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the social stuff work if everybody is taking long bus rides to school? How do the kids get together to socialize outside of school? It seems like a lot of kids would just be too geographically spread out. How does it work?

Social on the bus.

From where we live in Chevy Chase TPMS is about a 15-20 minute drive which I wouldn't classify as especially long.

Well, aren't you special? From where we live in Rockville, it's 50 minutes and I'd call it long.

That's not that long but you can always drive your child.

Some people have jobs.

Funny thing, most of us who don't get bus service find a way to drive our kids.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone has that luxury. Some of us are single parents or have hourly jobs. You must be coming from a two-income family with flexible job schedules. How nice for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone has that luxury. Some of us are single parents or have hourly jobs. You must be coming from a two-income family with flexible job schedules. How nice for you.

Or from a family with a nanny/au pair

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone has that luxury. Some of us are single parents or have hourly jobs. You must be coming from a two-income family with flexible job schedules. How nice for you.

What choice do we have but to make it work? Our school doesn't have busing except for 1-2 buses and its not exactly walkable. Next year in middle school the drive will be a lot further and no bus is offered. You do what you need to do. Its a luxury to have buses for some of us. We're looking at high school before we get a bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not everyone has that luxury. Some of us are single parents or have hourly jobs. You must be coming from a two-income family with flexible job schedules. How nice for you.

What choice do we have but to make it work? Our school doesn't have busing except for 1-2 buses and its not exactly walkable. Next year in middle school the drive will be a lot further and no bus is offered. You do what you need to do. Its a luxury to have buses for some of us. We're looking at high school before we get a bus.

Uh, this is a thread about the TPMS magnet. Sounds like you are talking about your local ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:English and history were big disappointments at TPMS for my kid. Science and math were top notch - great teachers and motivated/capable peer. English and history -- much worse than W district middle schools.

Can you please say more about this? English especially is as important to us as the math and science. Can you give more particulars about the problems and also about why some W/non-magnet middle schools are better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English and history were big disappointments at TPMS for my kid. Science and math were top notch - great teachers and motivated/capable peer. English and history -- much worse than W district middle schools.

Can you please say more about this? English especially is as important to us as the math and science. Can you give more particulars about the problems and also about why some W/non-magnet middle schools are better?

I am not PP, but maybe their kid is a little older. When my now 10th grader started at TPMS, she had a terrible Eng teacher. That teacher is now gone. In 8th, she had one of the new teachers who is AMAZING -- really invested. Her last year of Eng made up for her first. I have heard that there are a few other great additions in Eng. She also had a pretty lame SS teacher her first year. That teacher is now gone. My younger daughter (currently at TPMS) has a wonderful SS teacher. She is new. My older had a top notch SS teacher for 8th grade who has been at TPMS for a while. So the problematic teachers are leaving, and the new hires are inspiring. I think the principal's reputation has a lot to do w/ attracting great teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the social stuff work if everybody is taking long bus rides to school? How do the kids get together to socialize outside of school? It seems like a lot of kids would just be too geographically spread out. How does it work?

Social on the bus.

From where we live in Chevy Chase TPMS is about a 15-20 minute drive which I wouldn't classify as especially long.

Well, aren't you special? From where we live in Rockville, it's 50 minutes and I'd call it long.

That's not that long but you can always drive your child.

Some people have jobs.

Funny thing, most of us who don't get bus service find a way to drive our kids.

Exactly because we prioritize our children's education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English and history were big disappointments at TPMS for my kid. Science and math were top notch - great teachers and motivated/capable peer. English and history -- much worse than W district middle schools.

Can you please say more about this? English especially is as important to us as the math and science. Can you give more particulars about the problems and also about why some W/non-magnet middle schools are better?

I am not PP, but maybe their kid is a little older. When my now 10th grader started at TPMS, she had a terrible Eng teacher. That teacher is now gone. In 8th, she had one of the new teachers who is AMAZING -- really invested. Her last year of Eng made up for her first. I have heard that there are a few other great additions in Eng. She also had a pretty lame SS teacher her first year. That teacher is now gone. My younger daughter (currently at TPMS) has a wonderful SS teacher. She is new. My older had a top notch SS teacher for 8th grade who has been at TPMS for a while. So the problematic teachers are leaving, and the new hires are inspiring. I think the principal's reputation has a lot to do w/ attracting great teachers.

They're also starting the enriched SS classes next year.

[Anonymous]

DC, a current TPMS magnet 8th grader, has been spending a lot more time on non-magnet courses (Spanish and English) than magnet courses (math, computer and sciences).

Here is DC's data

MAP-M down 7 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall
MAP-R up 16 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall

I believe DC has benefited a lot more from non-magnet courses than magnet courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC, a current TPMS magnet 8th grader, has been spending a lot more time on non-magnet courses (Spanish and English) than magnet courses (math, computer and sciences).

Here is DC's data

MAP-M down 7 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall
MAP-R up 16 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall

I believe DC has benefited a lot more from non-magnet courses than magnet courses.

Why do you think that is? Is the math class too easy for your child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does the social stuff work if everybody is taking long bus rides to school? How do the kids get together to socialize outside of school? It seems like a lot of kids would just be too geographically spread out. How does it work?

Social on the bus.

From where we live in Chevy Chase TPMS is about a 15-20 minute drive which I wouldn't classify as especially long.

Well, aren't you special? From where we live in Rockville, it's 50 minutes and I'd call it long.

That's not that long but you can always drive your child.

Some people have jobs.

Funny thing, most of us who don't get bus service find a way to drive our kids.

Exactly because we prioritize our children's education.

Don’t you people understand that not everybody can work that out? Not everybody has jobs with flexibility or the ability to change up a start time. Some people have jobs with significant travel. Some people have other children with other demands. It’s great for those who can find a way to drive their kids, and I am in that group. But for people who can’t, it’s not because they don’t care about their child’s education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC, a current TPMS magnet 8th grader, has been spending a lot more time on non-magnet courses (Spanish and English) than magnet courses (math, computer and sciences).

Here is DC's data

MAP-M down 7 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall
MAP-R up 16 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall

I believe DC has benefited a lot more from non-magnet courses than magnet courses.

Why do you think that is? Is the math class too easy for your child?

NP my guess is that you max out around 240-250 on MAP Math. There was probably more room for growth with the MAP-R.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC, a current TPMS magnet 8th grader, has been spending a lot more time on non-magnet courses (Spanish and English) than magnet courses (math, computer and sciences).

Here is DC's data

MAP-M down 7 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall
MAP-R up 16 points from 5th Spring to 8th Fall

I believe DC has benefited a lot more from non-magnet courses than magnet courses.

Why do you think that is? Is the math class too easy for your child?

NP my guess is that you max out around 240-250 on MAP Math. There was probably more room for growth with the MAP-R.

Map M won’t max out at 240-250. A lot of kids score 290+. That’s where the true plateau is.

Map R usually max out around 250 at the end of elementary school, and has more room to go.

The max RIT score for both map m and map r is 350.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English and history were big disappointments at TPMS for my kid. Science and math were top notch - great teachers and motivated/capable peer. English and history -- much worse than W district middle schools.

Can you please say more about this? English especially is as important to us as the math and science. Can you give more particulars about the problems and also about why some W/non-magnet middle schools are better?

Teachers were ok. English and History classes are with non-magnet students. In those classes teachers were not able to challenge kids more. Sometimes having disrupting kids in classes. With watered-down materials to ensure most kids get As. Overall those classes were way too easy for my kid.