Rachel Carson ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yep. QO is fine. Some of us want more than “fine” for our kids.

And some of us know that how much kids learn is not a function of how expensive their school is. You clearly don't have kids at any of these schools so not sure why you feel qualified to comment on what kind of education anyone is getting at QO or RCES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, nobody goes there anymore—it’s too crowded.

(I think that was a Yogi Berra line, right?)

You really can’t see that a school losing that number of kids in just a few years is a problem?

In fairness, there wasn’t a significant increase in the population zoned for RCES during the time that enrollment surged; it was just that RCES was named a Blue Ribbon School in 2012, and for a few years after that, fewer people in Kentlands and Lakelands chose private elementary schools, and then for several more years, they sent the younger siblings to RCES as well. Eventually, enrollment was out of control, the excellent longtime principal left, the new one couldn’t fill his shoes, and the Blue Ribbon designation wasn’t recent anymore, so the people seeking the best schools are back to choosing private.

Yeah no. I’ve lived in Lakelands for 7 years and can confidently say that I would’ve chosen private for my kid even if RCES had been named a Blue Ribbon school last year. You all always go back to that as though it’s the reason, when it’s just not. I don’t know anyone who has even mentioned it when making a decision about whether to send their kid there.

where do parents at kentlands or lakelands parents send their kids to private elementary school? I am curious where do they go?

Butler Montessori for my two. We LOVE that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, my kid was at RCES at the heart of the overcrowding and when the problematic principal was there. It was not ideal for sure but my kid get a decent education.

I think in the last few years with Covid there is an uptick in private schools for a few reasons. And the old principal did not help things either. And then there are people that will go to private regardless. Not a fan of private school myself but to each their own.

RCES being less overcrowded is a good thing.

“My kid got a decent education” isn’t the most inspiring testimonial. You just reinforced to me that we made the right choice.

DP. Overcrowding aside, we were very pleased with RCES. Our kids had good teachers and were usually placed with a teacher who was a good fit for their needs. They had some interesting projects in the CES and got to read high level texts. The PTA was active, there were fun school events, parent volunteers were welcomed, and the kids had multiple field trips each year, including some really nice ones. My dc was well prepared for the middle school magnet and is now in a high school magnet. RCES’s counselors and administrators were very thoughtful and accommodating during 504 meetings. The overcrowding was the downside, and that’s been alleviated.

I’m not willing to bet on my kid lucking into the magnet/CES programs. We all know even qualified kids don’t get into those programs.

There are two full local CES classrooms at RCES out of the 5 or 6 fourth and fifth grades. If you kid doesn't get in, it'd not because they were "unlucky" it's because they are poor academic performers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh and the overcrowding has been alleviated simply because more people have opted out of MCPS, not because MCPS did anything to resolve it.

Actually, it's because the people who moved into the Lakelands and had kids shortly after gave now aged out of elementary school. Duh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of you in Kentlands/Lakelands who send your kids to private school--

Do your kids feel like they are missing out on friendships with the other neighborhood kids? Asking because we are weighing pros and cons of private vs. public. TIA!

You have to understand that missing our on friendships with the riff raff is a feature, not a bug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:so, blue ribbon back in 2012 means nothing huh. Is that the reason that the great school rating has gone down from rating 10 to 7 now?

No. It's because they changed the way rankings work. Back then they went by average test scores. Now there are penalties if the black and Latino students don't perform as well as the white and Asian students. Since rces brings in Latino students from a poor, non English speaking part of Gaithersburg who test poorly, they are penalized harshly. Sad but true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, my kid was at RCES at the heart of the overcrowding and when the problematic principal was there. It was not ideal for sure but my kid get a decent education.

I think in the last few years with Covid there is an uptick in private schools for a few reasons. And the old principal did not help things either. And then there are people that will go to private regardless. Not a fan of private school myself but to each their own.

RCES being less overcrowded is a good thing.

“My kid got a decent education” isn’t the most inspiring testimonial. You just reinforced to me that we made the right choice.

It is elementary school. My kids are doing great and I didn't pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for it. Now can now afford to send them to whatever college they want.

Elementary school is still important. We can send our kid to an excellent ES and afford college.

Check back when your kid is in high school. Your perspective will be different.

Why would it be different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you in Kentlands/Lakelands who send your kids to private school--

Do your kids feel like they are missing out on friendships with the other neighborhood kids? Asking because we are weighing pros and cons of private vs. public. TIA!

You have to understand that missing our on friendships with the riff raff is a feature, not a bug.

I guarantee you that is not a private school parent. That’s a troll. We make a lot of effort to maintain neighborhood friendships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:QO consistently ranks around the same level as schools that are considered good in my home state of California, for context.

that's not saying much since so many CA schools are terrible.

-former Californian who moved out due to the schools. Couldn't justify the high col with the quality of the schools.

Maybe in the city you’re from. But the schools I’m referring to are respected and highly sought after.

well, I lived in the SF Bay Area, in a town more expensive than the DC area. I looked at the courses offered, the programs, and they don't compare to MCPS programming.

And don't get me started on the $1000/child per year "donation" for "extras" like PE, art.

Let me guess.. the schools you are referring to that are "well respected" are in towns that are ridiculously expensive, and propped up by the wealthy parents.

QO is not a horrible school. It's fine, but it doesn't have the $$$ that some of the "well respected" CA schools do. So to compare QO to the "well respected" rich schools says a lot about those "well respected" CA schools more so than QO.

Yep. QO is fine. Some of us want more than “fine” for our kids.

Well my niece went to UNC from QO I think that's fine. And my other one went to Columbia also fine.

QO has an AP Calculus teacher that everyone in his class pretty much gets a 5 on the exam. Yeah again QO is fine.

Perfect no. More than fine yes.

Just like any other school get what you put in.

If you are saying private is better LOL NO

Your post is so awful from a grammatical standpoint that I really call into question anything you say about schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, my kid was at RCES at the heart of the overcrowding and when the problematic principal was there. It was not ideal for sure but my kid get a decent education.

I think in the last few years with Covid there is an uptick in private schools for a few reasons. And the old principal did not help things either. And then there are people that will go to private regardless. Not a fan of private school myself but to each their own.

RCES being less overcrowded is a good thing.

“My kid got a decent education” isn’t the most inspiring testimonial. You just reinforced to me that we made the right choice.

It is elementary school. My kids are doing great and I didn't pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for it. Now can now afford to send them to whatever college they want.

Elementary school is still important. We can send our kid to an excellent ES and afford college.

Check back when your kid is in high school. Your perspective will be different.

Why would it be different?

Because you will realize that most of what happens in elementary school is not as important as it seems at the time. MCPS has numerous options for kids to challenge themselves in high school. There are magnets and then at even the "worst" school there are numerous AP classes and opportunities at Montgomery college. Also you will be surprised at how competitive the college landscape is and how much it costs. Very glad I didn't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on private school..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, my kid was at RCES at the heart of the overcrowding and when the problematic principal was there. It was not ideal for sure but my kid get a decent education.

I think in the last few years with Covid there is an uptick in private schools for a few reasons. And the old principal did not help things either. And then there are people that will go to private regardless. Not a fan of private school myself but to each their own.

RCES being less overcrowded is a good thing.

“My kid got a decent education” isn’t the most inspiring testimonial. You just reinforced to me that we made the right choice.

It is elementary school. My kids are doing great and I didn't pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for it. Now can now afford to send them to whatever college they want.

Elementary school is still important. We can send our kid to an excellent ES and afford college.

Check back when your kid is in high school. Your perspective will be different.

Why would it be different?

Because you will realize that most of what happens in elementary school is not as important as it seems at the time. MCPS has numerous options for kids to challenge themselves in high school. There are magnets and then at even the "worst" school there are numerous AP classes and opportunities at Montgomery college. Also you will be surprised at how competitive the college landscape is and how much it costs. Very glad I didn't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on private school..

I wasn’t born yesterday. I went through a combination of public and private school myself. I know how important a strong foundation is because I personally experienced a terrible ES and then went to private school for the rest of ES. Then I went to public MS and private HS. I know AP classes can sometimes be great, but often just teach to the test. That’s why the best private high schools don’t follow the AP curriculum. Instead they move beyond it.

I’m confident in our choice for our kid because I can draw on my personal experience, as can my husband. You act as though we made this decision with absolutely no background knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, my kid was at RCES at the heart of the overcrowding and when the problematic principal was there. It was not ideal for sure but my kid get a decent education.

I think in the last few years with Covid there is an uptick in private schools for a few reasons. And the old principal did not help things either. And then there are people that will go to private regardless. Not a fan of private school myself but to each their own.

RCES being less overcrowded is a good thing.

“My kid got a decent education” isn’t the most inspiring testimonial. You just reinforced to me that we made the right choice.

It is elementary school. My kids are doing great and I didn't pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for it. Now can now afford to send them to whatever college they want.

Elementary school is still important. We can send our kid to an excellent ES and afford college.

Check back when your kid is in high school. Your perspective will be different.

Why would it be different?

Because you will realize that most of what happens in elementary school is not as important as it seems at the time. MCPS has numerous options for kids to challenge themselves in high school. There are magnets and then at even the "worst" school there are numerous AP classes and opportunities at Montgomery college. Also you will be surprised at how competitive the college landscape is and how much it costs. Very glad I didn't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on private school..

I grew up attending public schools and paid for my college degree at a private university with merit based scholarships, so I didn’t have an inherent feeling that private school was the only way to go. There are pros and cons to both private and public. Our family has also been very lucky that we’ve had positive experiences with our public schools here (RCES, LPMS, MLK, QO and PHS), our children are solid academically, and because we haven’t had to pay for private schools in K-12, we can afford to send them to any colleges without worrying about how we’ll pay for it. If I was going to invest in private schools all the way, I would live in a cheaper neighborhood than Kentlands.

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. Each family must choose the option that is the best fit for their family, and perhaps even the best fit for each of their children, individually. While OP’s child might have an even better, more enriching experience at a private school, she should know that she’s not handicapping her child by giving RCES a try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, my kid was at RCES at the heart of the overcrowding and when the problematic principal was there. It was not ideal for sure but my kid get a decent education.

I think in the last few years with Covid there is an uptick in private schools for a few reasons. And the old principal did not help things either. And then there are people that will go to private regardless. Not a fan of private school myself but to each their own.

RCES being less overcrowded is a good thing.

“My kid got a decent education” isn’t the most inspiring testimonial. You just reinforced to me that we made the right choice.

It is elementary school. My kids are doing great and I didn't pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for it. Now can now afford to send them to whatever college they want.

Elementary school is still important. We can send our kid to an excellent ES and afford college.

Check back when your kid is in high school. Your perspective will be different.

Why would it be different?

Because you will realize that most of what happens in elementary school is not as important as it seems at the time. MCPS has numerous options for kids to challenge themselves in high school. There are magnets and then at even the "worst" school there are numerous AP classes and opportunities at Montgomery college. Also you will be surprised at how competitive the college landscape is and how much it costs. Very glad I didn't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on private school..

I grew up attending public schools and paid for my college degree at a private university with merit based scholarships, so I didn’t have an inherent feeling that private school was the only way to go. There are pros and cons to both private and public. Our family has also been very lucky that we’ve had positive experiences with our public schools here (RCES, LPMS, MLK, QO and PHS), our children are solid academically, and because we haven’t had to pay for private schools in K-12, we can afford to send them to any colleges without worrying about how we’ll pay for it. If I was going to invest in private schools all the way, I would live in a cheaper neighborhood than Kentlands.

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. Each family must choose the option that is the best fit for their family, and perhaps even the best fit for each of their children, individually. While OP’s child might have an even better, more enriching experience at a private school, she should know that she’s not handicapping her child by giving RCES a try.

Like you said, it depends on the kid. I know our kid is better off not going to RCES at all. That’s what is right for her and hearing the experiences of people with kids in K at RCES right now reinforces to us that we made the right decision for us.

[Anonymous]

Oh and in terms of neighborhood: that depends 100% on finances. We can afford private school, this neighborhood, college, and retirement. If we had to make sacrifices, it would be a different calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen, my kid was at RCES at the heart of the overcrowding and when the problematic principal was there. It was not ideal for sure but my kid get a decent education.

I think in the last few years with Covid there is an uptick in private schools for a few reasons. And the old principal did not help things either. And then there are people that will go to private regardless. Not a fan of private school myself but to each their own.

RCES being less overcrowded is a good thing.

“My kid got a decent education” isn’t the most inspiring testimonial. You just reinforced to me that we made the right choice.

It is elementary school. My kids are doing great and I didn't pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for it. Now can now afford to send them to whatever college they want.

Elementary school is still important. We can send our kid to an excellent ES and afford college.

Check back when your kid is in high school. Your perspective will be different.

Why would it be different?

Because you will realize that most of what happens in elementary school is not as important as it seems at the time. MCPS has numerous options for kids to challenge themselves in high school. There are magnets and then at even the "worst" school there are numerous AP classes and opportunities at Montgomery college. Also you will be surprised at how competitive the college landscape is and how much it costs. Very glad I didn't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on private school..

I wasn’t born yesterday. I went through a combination of public and private school myself. I know how important a strong foundation is because I personally experienced a terrible ES and then went to private school for the rest of ES. Then I went to public MS and private HS. I know AP classes can sometimes be great, but often just teach to the test. That’s why the best private high schools don’t follow the AP curriculum. Instead they move beyond it.

I’m confident in our choice for our kid because I can draw on my personal experience, as can my husband. You act as though we made this decision with absolutely no background knowledge.

You're so right. All people remember the academic rigor of their own kindergarten (or lack thereof). Your post is completely normal.