Shining Stars Montessori in Brookland

[Anonymous]

We have an opportunity to attend Shining Stars Montessori PCS (Kindergarten) and would love the inside scoop - good, bad, and ugly. Quality of teachers, kids, academic achievement, administration??

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Where were you on the waitlist?
Do you want Montessori?

[Anonymous]

Yes, Montessori, at least for now...
Any experience with Shining Stars?

[Anonymous]

Yes we got in too for pre k 4 so would love to hear people's experience

[Anonymous]

Hopefully your child will not turn out to have any learning disabilities or need special ed services. They haven't yet figured that out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully your child will not turn out to have any learning disabilities or need special ed services. They haven't yet figured that out.

STILL? Jeez. We were there 3 years ago and they didn't have it together for special needs then either.

[Anonymous]

Honestly asking - is that still true this year? It seems like they addressed their issue from last year by hiring a new learning specialist, who's a lot more proactive than anyone in that position in the past has been.

OP - it seems like the school screwed up on special ed. last year, but we've been there for several years and are very happy, for what its worth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly asking - is that still true this year? It seems like they addressed their issue from last year by hiring a new learning specialist, who's a lot more proactive than anyone in that position in the past has been.

OP - it seems like the school screwed up on special ed. last year, but we've been there for several years and are very happy, for what its worth.

It will take more than one hire to resolve this. All teachers need inclusion training and support as do the administrators.

[Anonymous]

Is this really all people have to say about it? I've talked to a lot of happy parents. We are enrolled. I simply don't get why the school is considered some kind of mediocre option on this type of snobby forum as compared to other "HRCS" in the area. The charter score is equal to or higher than some of those as well. Perhaps I'm missing something and I should be more concerned, but I thought we were lucky to get a spot there until I realized other SES white folks on forums seem to regard it with disdain. Anyways, hopefully they're all going somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this really all people have to say about it? I've talked to a lot of happy parents. We are enrolled. I simply don't get why the school is considered some kind of mediocre option on this type of snobby forum as compared to other "HRCS" in the area. The charter score is equal to or higher than some of those as well. Perhaps I'm missing something and I should be more concerned, but I thought we were lucky to get a spot there until I realized other SES white folks on forums seem to regard it with disdain. Anyways, hopefully they're all going somewhere else.

Just enroll and be happy. If you only go by what you read on online forums, you will never be satisfied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this really all people have to say about it? I've talked to a lot of happy parents. We are enrolled. I simply don't get why the school is considered some kind of mediocre option on this type of snobby forum as compared to other "HRCS" in the area. The charter score is equal to or higher than some of those as well. Perhaps I'm missing something and I should be more concerned, but I thought we were lucky to get a spot there until I realized other SES white folks on forums seem to regard it with disdain. Anyways, hopefully they're all going somewhere else.

Ahh, DCUM's school popularity contest. I notice some schools are better than others at shutting down discussion by flooding threads with over-the-top glowing posts and denigrating any more circumspect posts. SSMA's parents don't do this and thus they have a slightly lower rep; but for this reason they are likely to get a parent body not as interested in school popularity contests. It's a win IMO.

[Anonymous]

Our WL# is 70 at SSMA for PK4. Any chance we'll get in by September?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this really all people have to say about it? I've talked to a lot of happy parents. We are enrolled. I simply don't get why the school is considered some kind of mediocre option on this type of snobby forum as compared to other "HRCS" in the area. The charter score is equal to or higher than some of those as well. Perhaps I'm missing something and I should be more concerned, but I thought we were lucky to get a spot there until I realized other SES white folks on forums seem to regard it with disdain. Anyways, hopefully they're all going somewhere else.

Ahh, DCUM's school popularity contest. I notice some schools are better than others at shutting down discussion by flooding threads with over-the-top glowing posts and denigrating any more circumspect posts. SSMA's parents don't do this and thus they have a slightly lower rep; but for this reason they are likely to get a parent body not as interested in school popularity contests. It's a win IMO.

I hope you're right. I just have been a little surprised by the popularity contest thing! It does have a real world impact and is not only on here. It plays out at open houses when parents size up the popularity of the school based on number of parents at the OH and their apparent demographic.

Not to hijack the thread here! My advice: visit SSMA and see what you think. You can even sit in on a classroom I believe. Then read up on Montessori and see if it's your cup of tea.

[Anonymous]

We were originally WL #11 and just got offered a spot for prek4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this really all people have to say about it? I've talked to a lot of happy parents. We are enrolled. I simply don't get why the school is considered some kind of mediocre option on this type of snobby forum as compared to other "HRCS" in the area. The charter score is equal to or higher than some of those as well. Perhaps I'm missing something and I should be more concerned, but I thought we were lucky to get a spot there until I realized other SES white folks on forums seem to regard it with disdain. Anyways, hopefully they're all going somewhere else.

Ahh, DCUM's school popularity contest. I notice some schools are better than others at shutting down discussion by flooding threads with over-the-top glowing posts and denigrating any more circumspect posts. SSMA's parents don't do this and thus they have a slightly lower rep; but for this reason they are likely to get a parent body not as interested in school popularity contests. It's a win IMO.

I hope you're right. I just have been a little surprised by the popularity contest thing! It does have a real world impact and is not only on here. It plays out at open houses when parents size up the popularity of the school based on number of parents at the OH and their apparent demographic.

Not to hijack the thread here! My advice: visit SSMA and see what you think. You can even sit in on a classroom I believe. Then read up on Montessori and see if it's your cup of tea.

It's a Tier 2 school. And there simply isn't enough publicly available data on the upper grades (because there are less than 20 students enrolled) for people to really know if it's a strong school or not.

http://www.dcpcsb.org/sites/default/files/Shining%20Stars%20Montessori%20Academy%20PCS_EC_PK3-8_2016.pdf