| We're looking at a house for which Oak View would be the assigned ES for our daughter entering 3rd grade. Any feedback from parents or teachers at this school? |
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Have you visited the school? We found that taking a tour (hopefully with the Principal) was the best source of first hand information on any of the ES schools in the area.
And have you run a search on here? |
| I think if you have other nearby options (like Highland View) I would go with that. I had a child at Oak View in the HGC. He had a good experience overall but our home school has a better community with more involved parents and activities. A lot of the families in the neighborhood near Oak View try to get their kids in immersion or send to private which would give me pause. |
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I know several families who live or lived in that neighborhood between Flower and University, and Wayne and Franklin, and either moved or got COSAs to send their kids to different schools. But they all made the changes to avoid New Hampshire Estates, the k-2 partner school to Oak View. I am not sure how they felt about Oak View.
You should also ask about Eastern middle school (non-magnet). People on this board might have more insights about the middle school than they have about the elementary school. |
| PP again. I want to be clear that the families I knew who moved or got COSAs did it either prior to kindergarten, or for first grade, while their kids were assigned to NHE. They did not change back to Oak View when their kids reached third grade. As I type this, I am also recalling two families who sent their kids to private, and one who did immersion. |
| Also a former HGC parent. Oak View used to have the most loving principal and the school had a vibe better than several other elementary schools that I'd seen. However, she retired a year ago. You'd have to visit or talk with current parents to find out how the school has changed under new leadership. There was another post on DCUM mentioning that they are adding another HGC classroom. I don't know what impact that will have on the school population as a whole. The assistant principal, who is still there, was not well-liked by the kids. He was a lecturer/yeller. |
| I think the pairing with NHE causes lots of parents to find other options before their kids hit 3rd grade. There's not anything wrong with NHE either, it's just that the kids get bussed out of the Oak View neighborhood to a different part of town (pretty close to PG County) and the parents would rather sign on to a school in their own neighborhood (Highland View is really close) or one that offers a unique program (immersion). |
Taking a tour with the Principal at any school does not give you the best source of information. The Principal won't tell you if there are a lot of bullies, how effective they are resolving issues, why the administratives and teachers are constantly treating parents as idiots. |
Don't be a dummy, if you go on a tour you can see with your own eyes what the school is like, and if you go with the Principal you can judge for yourself if you think they're an idiot or a genuine person trying their hardest to do a good job. Think outside the box! |
EEEK! Wait, what? |
It's pretty close to Langley Park. My cousin lived in LP for a while and it was a pretty rough place. Maybe the NHE neighborhood on the Montgomery county side of the line is much different, but the map definitely lumps them in close proximity. |
Do you think that Prince George's County is infectious? |
No, no the neighborhood NHE is in (Quebec Terrace) is a notorious slum and maybe the worst area in MoCo |
No, but I think geographic proximity to high crime areas matters. or maybe Langley Park has improved over the past few years? You tell me. |
Well, let's look at the school safety report. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/SafetyGlance/currentyear/schools/02791.pdf 2014-2015 reported serious incidents: 4 medical assistance (police called for 1) 1 missing child (police called) 2 protective services (no police call for either) 1 vandalism (police called) 1 other (police called) I'm not seeing the effect of geographic proximity to Prince George's County, here. |