Caderock Springs - 3 locations?

[Anonymous]

Why are there three adderses listed for Carderock? Radnor, Persimmon and something else? What is the difference and why does the MoCo website only list one?

[Anonymous]

The actual Carderock site is being rebuilt - I haven't seen the list you reference but assuming those are the satellite locations being used during contruction - that kids are being reassigned to multiple other schools for the duration.

[Anonymous]

Actually, the school is being rebuilt and will open in the fall of 2010. All students are being bused to a holding school that is located on Radnor Rd near downtown Bethesda. The students have not been split up at all. Feel free to ask me any questions. I have been very happy with the school so far.

[Anonymous]

pp, how old are your kids, and how long have they been at the school? What do you like about it? What do you wish you could change? Do you have any regrets about choosing this school for your kids? How involved are the parents? How is the principal? Is it at all diverse? What's the gifted program like? How do they handle differentiation in the classroom? Thanks, pp.

[Anonymous]

Hi - Carderock is a very small school and that makes it feel very welcoming. You can quickly get to know many families because there just are not that many people at the school. There are generally 2 teachers/grade, but class sizes can be large (average by MOCO standards). I think Woodacres has 4 teachers/grade and about the same class sizes, so Woodacres is probably double the size of Carderock.

We are in the process of hiring a new principal and hopefully it will be complete before the end of the school year. Our current principal has only been here for 4 years.

Parents are quite active, and welcome in the school. I volunteer every other week for one child and once a month for the other child. I enjoy it, but it's not for everyone. Some parents give so much time and energy to the school, it's incredible.

The school achieves very high scores and is extremely academic. They offer differentiation for the kids, but they stress the acceleration. Meaning, if your child is "on grade level", they could be the exception. Many kids have tutors to help them keep up with their math and reading. It's competitive - welcome to Bethesda.

Overall, I have been quite happy at Carderock. Is it perfect? No, but no school is perfect. But it is a great public school and it will have a beautiful building when they complete the renovation.

I personally love the small school, but there are downsides. We do not have much in the way of afterschool activities. Larger schools, such as Bannockburn, have extensive activities that all take place right at the school. It would be nice to have some things right at Carderock, but you need numbers to make that happen. I don't think we have enough kids to fill up various classes.

If a small school is appealing to you, you may want to look at Bradley Hills too. If you're interested in a larger school, look at Bannockburn, Woodacres or Burning Tree. Good luck!