List your kindergarden class size, along with location

[Anonymous]

True, I would rather live next to 50 illegal cleaning ladies then the nasty pp and her BIGLAW neighbor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason that Bethesda and other affluent areas have larger Kindergarten classes is because 95% of the students come from wealthy homes and speak English and are able to help their children In my area of the county 50% of the students are ESOL and 50% are on free and reduced meals. So these students don't come to Kindergarten with all the benefits of those who live in affluent areas and families.

I'm not sure why you are so bitter. If you want smaller class sizes, move to my neighborhood in Silver Spring. It is cheaper, we have great ethnic restaurants and lots of diversity.

Bethesda has plenty of diverstiy - from Nepal to Chile to Rwanda. It's just an educated kind of diversity.

It is skin-color and cultural diversity - not economic diversity. Not the kind that makes people uncomfortable.

So the diversity is now grouped into a "comfortable" and "uncomfortable" types? And presumably the "comfortable" one is not sufficient? Must we strive for diversity that makes one uncomfortable?

The original post mentioned English as a native language to explain away the class size. That explanation fails on its face - there is a tremendous number of non-native english speakers in Bethesda. They learn English, do just fine, and never receive the extra benefits.

They have parents who likely read, write, and speak multiple languages fluently and who work professional jobs; they have food and warm clothing and books and computers at home; they travel during school breaks. They live in print-rich, ready-for-learning environments. They are not taking care of younger siblings after school, or going without meals on weekends because there is no free breakfast and lunch. Their parents are at home in the evenings and not working second or third jobs.

It's not just about language.

It's not about language, and apparently also not about income, since you did not mention it, and since a lot of parents in these international families work as research scientists and frequently have only one (small) salary to support the family. And no, these kids don't travel on spring breaks. And they don't go to summer camp, either, because their families can't afford it. And if they don't have to take care of the younger siblings, it's only because their parents chose to limit their reproductive ambitions to those children they can actually care for themselves. But yes, they do usually live surrounded by books, which are accessible free of charge at any public library to anyone who wishes to read them. So it appears that the real dfference is the love of learning that the family does or does not have. And the educational benefits our county offers should go to the children of families who do not value education? Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason that Bethesda and other affluent areas have larger Kindergarten classes is because 95% of the students come from wealthy homes and speak English and are able to help their children In my area of the county 50% of the students are ESOL and 50% are on free and reduced meals. So these students don't come to Kindergarten with all the benefits of those who live in affluent areas and families.

I'm not sure why you are so bitter. If you want smaller class sizes, move to my neighborhood in Silver Spring. It is cheaper, we have great ethnic restaurants and lots of diversity.

Bethesda has plenty of diverstiy - from Nepal to Chile to Rwanda. It's just an educated kind of diversity.

It is skin-color and cultural diversity - not economic diversity. Not the kind that makes people uncomfortable.

So the diversity is now grouped into a "uncomfortable" types? And presumably the "comfortable" one is not sufficient? Must we strive for diversity that makes one uncomfortable?

The original post mentioned English as a native language to explain away the class size. That explanation fails on its face - there is a tremendous number of non-native english speakers in Bethesda. They learn English, do just fine, and never receive the extra benefits.

They have parents who likely read, write, and speak multiple languages fluently and who work professional jobs; they have food and warm clothing and books and computers at home; they travel during school breaks. They live in print-rich, ready-for-learning environments. They are not taking care of younger siblings after school, or going without meals on weekends because there is no free breakfast and lunch. Their parents are at home in the evenings and not working second or third jobs.

It's not just about language.

It's not about language, and apparently also not about income, since you did not mention it, and since a lot of parents in these international families work as research scientists and frequently have only one (small) salary to support the family. And no, these kids don't travel on spring breaks. And they don't go to summer camp, either, because their families can't afford it. And if they don't have to take care of the younger siblings, it's only because their parents chose to limit their reproductive ambitions to those children they can actually care for themselves. But yes, they do usually live surrounded by books, which are accessible free of charge at any public library to anyone who wishes to read them. So it appears that the real dfference is the love of learning that the family does or does not have. And the educational benefits our county offers should go to the children of families who do not value education? Why?

I agree with you, to a point, but I think it's more complicated than that. The research scientists you refer to have gone through school successfully, regardless of their incomes (low as they may be). They know that they need to read to their children (and probably enjoy it as you and I do), they know what it takes to excel in school. They are familiar with the workings of the public library, the PTAs, the magnet programs. They themselves have navigated these things.

Many (not all) poor immigrants, on the other hand, many of which didn't finish high school themselves, have no such familiarity with how these things work. They want their children to succeed, but have no idea what the roadmap looks like. My sister teaches children who are 11, 12 years old and who just arrived here, and have never been to school - any school. Ever.

My family didn't have a lot of money - but my parents knew what they needed to do. Not everyone does.

I think it is complicated.

[Anonymous]

Ashburton poster here. I never mentioned anything about paying more into the system, and I don't consider myself affluent. I have no issue with Silver Spring and/or Title I schools. I was just making the point that people, including myself, try to move into Bethesda neighborhoods for the schools. However, the Bethesda schools generally seem to be over-crowded with higher class sizes. For example, Asburton is over-capacity by at least 200 students. I'm sort of kicking myself for buying into this neighborhood and its local school, although the neighborhood is very nice and convenient. That is all.

[Anonymous]

To bring the thread back to its original question: 23, Bethesda

[Anonymous]

To the Ashburton pp, don't worry, you'll feel better once your kids hit high school.
I live in silver spring and I don't think we can afford private, I hear some good things about our high school, but overall it isn't a great school so I am crossing my fingers that my kids stay away from the bad kids and enjoy high school, but it's going to be a toss up I think

[Anonymous]

Rosemary Hills, 25. It's frustrating because since the school is so large (10 kindergarten classes, would have been 9 until they added a 10th class right before school started) but our school will never have smaller classes. It seems like at least a floating aide should be assigned to the schools with Kindergartens with such big classes. There is a huge difference in the amount of attention a teacher can give each child when there are 15 or 20 kids in the class as opposed to 25+. I am glad that BCC has such a good reputation as a high school but we're far away from high school. It seems like some of the people on this thread don't even want to acknowledge that in the so called "affluent" schools (and Rosemary Hilss is in Silver Spring), the classes are really really big. So far, we're really happy at the school.

[Anonymous]

I'm genuinely curious, not trying to start a war or a discussion here but really want to know... I see a PP says Rosemary Hills has 10 K classes of 25. So, the school has 250 kids in K?

That just sounds huge... does that mean the ES has about 1500 kids total? Do all the ES have 10 classrooms per grade?

My kids have been in private the whole way. DD had 12 in K and DS had 10. DD is now in 4th and has 14. There's 2 classrooms per grade that cap at 14 per class. So, like I said, I don't know, please don't think I'm asking to be rude.

I didn't realize the ES have that many kids. The buildings don't look that large just driving by. Or does Rosemary Hills just happen to be a larger school?

[Anonymous]

RHPS is only K, 1 and 2nd grades. I think it has around 768 (somewhere around there). The 1 and 2nd grades have bigger classes than the Kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

I find it hilarious that such a simple request (kindergarten class size and location) has turned into a big fight. DCUM never disappoints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it hilarious that such a simple request (kindergarten class size and location) has turned into a big fight. DCUM never disappoints.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:RHPS is only K, 1 and 2nd grades. I think it has around 768 (somewhere around there). The 1 and 2nd grades have bigger classes than the Kindergarten.

TY PP
I thought all the ES were K-5

[Anonymous]

Forest knolls has 7 k classes, shockingly though I have found it to have a very small school feel to it and it's a very tight-knit community. lots of parents know each other, and seem to watch over all the kids after school playing on the playground
I say this as someone who grew up going to a very small catholic school

[Anonymous]

14 in K - Private school in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:RHPS is only K, 1 and 2nd grades. I think it has around 768 (somewhere around there). The 1 and 2nd grades have bigger classes than the Kindergarten.

TY PP
I thought all the ES were K-5

No there are a couple schools in Silver Spring which split the grades K-2, 3-5