Westland - Please share your experience

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The worst think about Westland is its current PTA president. She thinks she runs the school but the principal is very happy to have somebody who screens every post for the list serve and communicates everything to the families. That way she does not have to address any controversial topics.

I would say the situation is horrible because of that. You have one parent who is a control freak and the school admin is taking advantage of it.

I sincerely doubt you are at Westland. The principal has not shied away from controversy, she has actively addressed many issues, including achievement gap and sexting.
The current PTA president is certainly not perfect but is far from a "control freak"
As a parent, I am happy that the posts are screened. I don't need a bunch of emails about off-topic things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst think about Westland is its current PTA president. She thinks she runs the school but the principal is very happy to have somebody who screens every post for the list serve and communicates everything to the families. That way she does not have to address any controversial topics.

I would say the situation is horrible because of that. You have one parent who is a control freak and the school admin is taking advantage of it.

I sincerely doubt you are at Westland. The principal has not shied away from controversy, she has actively addressed many issues, including achievement gap and sexting.
The current PTA president is certainly not perfect but is far from a "control freak"
As a parent, I am happy that the posts are screened. I don't need a bunch of emails about off-topic things.

Don't even know the Westland PTA president but I find it BEYOND laughable that anyone would even think a PTA president thinks they "run the school". What big decisions does she control? When the fall carnival is held? Spirit wear designs?

I manage our elementary school listserve and the people who get upset (like you) are the ones who want to constantly send emails out about the non-existent wireless threat, gun-control petitions, political viewpoint/statements, wacky nutritional/spiritual advice or just random complaints about school staff that they need to take up with the principal or staff.

We have 450 people on our listserve and most are work addresses, they have no desire to receive multiple emails not related to their children's education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst think about Westland is its current PTA president. She thinks she runs the school but the principal is very happy to have somebody who screens every post for the list serve and communicates everything to the families. That way she does not have to address any controversial topics.

I would say the situation is horrible because of that. You have one parent who is a control freak and the school admin is taking advantage of it.

I sincerely doubt you are at Westland. The principal has not shied away from controversy, she has actively addressed many issues, including achievement gap and sexting.
The current PTA president is certainly not perfect but is far from a "control freak"
As a parent, I am happy that the posts are screened. I don't need a bunch of emails about off-topic things.

I am not the one who posted the message but I am familiar with the PTA president and can tell you that we are not talking about off topic subjects that are being disallowed. I also agree that the problem is not the PTA president but the principal who allows this situation to continue. We should all have equal access to the listserve to express our opinions on academic as well as health and safety issues at school. For example parents were not allowed to post messages about lice at Outdoor Ed. Was that off topic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst think about Westland is its current PTA president. She thinks she runs the school but the principal is very happy to have somebody who screens every post for the list serve and communicates everything to the families. That way she does not have to address any controversial topics.

I would say the situation is horrible because of that. You have one parent who is a control freak and the school admin is taking advantage of it.

I sincerely doubt you are at Westland. The principal has not shied away from controversy, she has actively addressed many issues, including achievement gap and sexting.
The current PTA president is certainly not perfect but is far from a "control freak"
As a parent, I am happy that the posts are screened. I don't need a bunch of emails about off-topic things.

I am not the one who posted the message but I am familiar with the PTA president and can tell you that we are not talking about off topic subjects that are being disallowed. I also agree that the problem is not the PTA president but the principal who allows this situation to continue. We should all have equal access to the listserve to express our opinions on academic as well as health and safety issues at school. For example parents were not allowed to post messages about lice at Outdoor Ed. Was that off topic?

There were bed bugs at this year's Outdoor Ed, not lice, also many kids were spreading rumors about how it started which I believe is why the posts were not allowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst think about Westland is its current PTA president. She thinks she runs the school but the principal is very happy to have somebody who screens every post for the list serve and communicates everything to the families. That way she does not have to address any controversial topics.

I would say the situation is horrible because of that. You have one parent who is a control freak and the school admin is taking advantage of it.

I sincerely doubt you are at Westland. The principal has not shied away from controversy, she has actively addressed many issues, including achievement gap and sexting.
The current PTA president is certainly not perfect but is far from a "control freak"
As a parent, I am happy that the posts are screened. I don't need a bunch of emails about off-topic things.

I am not the one who posted the message but I am familiar with the PTA president and can tell you that we are not talking about off topic subjects that are being disallowed. I also agree that the problem is not the PTA president but the principal who allows this situation to continue. We should all have equal access to the listserve to express our opinions on academic as well as health and safety issues at school. For example parents were not allowed to post messages about lice at Outdoor Ed. Was that off topic?

There were bed bugs at this year's Outdoor Ed, not lice, also many kids were spreading rumors about how it started which I believe is why the posts were not allowed.

Did kids try to post to the listserve?

[Anonymous]

I don't kids were posting but maybe telling their parents things which were then posted or attempts to post

[Anonymous]

*don't think*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I manage our elementary school listserve and the people who get upset (like you) are the ones who want to constantly send emails out about the non-existent wireless threat, gun-control petitions, political viewpoint/statements, wacky nutritional/spiritual advice or just random complaints about school staff that they need to take up with the principal or staff.

Ditto here. I don't think moderating every post is necessarily the way to go, but I do understand it. The risk of being unmoderated is having a list that no one wants to be a part of because of the huge number of off-topic posts--and what good is that in getting out information to families?

[Anonymous]

Not at Westland but if there were bedbugs at the Outdoor Ed camp then parents should ask the principal who to contact in MCPS who is responsible for renting these camps. What is the principal supposed to do? Call up the MC{S facility rental department and report, "parents are writing that there are bedbugs in the Outdoor Ed camp". You know they are going to ask what kind of proof she has, so is she then supposed to hunt people down on the listserve? Should not the parents go to principal with an issue like this first?

I have slept in a bed with bed bugs before, make no mistake you will get bitten and know. You would also take a photo to show that it was not just an itchy feeling.

It's a public health issue and no one wants to read versions of telephone being played out on the listserve.

We had a similar issue on our listserve about last year where people wanted to just post rumours about some changes they thought were going to happen to PE. A parent would read the third message posted and think it was the truth and then respond with their opinion of why they were outraged and what their opinion was and we were at over twenty messages about a rumour. It was so annoying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst think about Westland is its current PTA president. She thinks she runs the school but the principal is very happy to have somebody who screens every post for the list serve and communicates everything to the families. That way she does not have to address any controversial topics.

I would say the situation is horrible because of that. You have one parent who is a control freak and the school admin is taking advantage of it.

I sincerely doubt you are at Westland. The principal has not shied away from controversy, she has actively addressed many issues, including achievement gap and sexting.
The current PTA president is certainly not perfect but is far from a "control freak"
As a parent, I am happy that the posts are screened. I don't need a bunch of emails about off-topic things.

I am not the one who posted the message but I am familiar with the PTA president and can tell you that we are not talking about off topic subjects that are being disallowed. I also agree that the problem is not the PTA president but the principal who allows this situation to continue. We should all have equal access to the listserve to express our opinions on academic as well as health and safety issues at school. For example parents were not allowed to post messages about lice at Outdoor Ed. Was that off topic?

The parents of entire school body of Westland does not want to hear about 6th grade lice/bedbugs concerns. I would guess they have close to 1000 people on the Westland listserve. Do you really think this is a valid concern shared by the entire school community?

It literally takes less than 10 minutes to create a listserve on yahoo. Create one called WestlandParentsDiscussion (or what ever you want) and advertise it on the Westland listserve to get people to join your listserve.

Then you are responsible for moderating and ownership, no PTA control will be exerted at all!

Let me guess, you don't want to moderate discussions when they get ugly, especially since your name is attached. Guess what, the PTA moderators don't either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The new Head of Washington Episcopal was a fabulous Principal while at Westland, a model for all. He left to be an Asst. Superintendent in North Carolina and is now returning to head Washington Episcopal. The current Principal at Westland is the weak one.

I disagree and I wonder why he came back to the area with such a great job in NC-check some of the feedback from down there.

The current principle is great. engaged, always available and actually knows the kids. We were in the OP shoes a few years aback and couldn't be happier with the way things have gone. The kids are happy there, that is what matters, not what the parents think. They are prepared for B-CC and like any middle school, there are groups of the "popular" kids the ones that stick to themselves, the ones trying to find themselves and the ones that cause trouble.

In a few years you will look back on this and be very happy with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The worst think about Westland is its current PTA president. She thinks she runs the school but the principal is very happy to have somebody who screens every post for the list serve and communicates everything to the families. That way she does not have to address any controversial topics.

I would say the situation is horrible because of that. You have one parent who is a control freak and the school admin is taking advantage of it.

Nice way to throw someone who is volunteering their time under the bus. I really hope to meet up with you someday to see what you do to help others.

[Anonymous]

Love the principal at Westland and the counselors. Very responsive. Do not love the school though-- classes too big and overall too big. Some kids can thrive but others get lost.