Einstein vs. Northwood, and how does school choice in the DCC work?

[Anonymous]

Connections is one year. Einstein has 7 classes with the same schedule every day. Northwood might possibly have 8 with a block schedule, but please check with someone else. The catalogue says that preIB English and APUSH get a kid out of Connections. I’m not sure what they do with the students who just want preIB English. New principal coming this summer. Details could change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think connections is mandatory at all. Maybe if you are not in on level English or Math.

Are you an Einstein parent whose child wasn’t in PreIB English or APUSH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think connections is mandatory at all. Maybe if you are not in on level English or Math.

Are you an Einstein parent whose child wasn’t in PreIB English or APUSH?

DP. I am an Einstein parent whose child was in neither class, and yes, Connections is mandatory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think connections is mandatory at all. Maybe if you are not in on level English or Math.

Are you an Einstein parent whose child wasn’t in PreIB English or APUSH?

I have a rising Senior who did not take APUSH as a Freshman. She did take Pre-IB English. There was never any mention of her taking Connections. It was never even suggested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

The class registration form linked above says Connections is "optional for students registering for AP US
History and/or Pre-IB English. Required for all other students"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think connections is mandatory at all. Maybe if you are not in on level English or Math.

Are you an Einstein parent whose child wasn’t in PreIB English or APUSH?

I have a rising Senior who did not take APUSH as a Freshman. She did take Pre-IB English. There was never any mention of her taking Connections. It was never even suggested.

Exactly. Because Pre IB students don't have to take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

Yeah, but we've already established my feelings on APUSH.

It looks, to me, like APUSH has another class that goes with it? So, it wouldn't solve the PE problem, just the exposure to riff raff (kidding, my kid IS the riff raff apparently).

Of course, as a high school teacher, I'm guessing that covid will change things. I think block schedules will become more common, for example, as a way to cut down on the overall number of kids someone is in class with, and singing, dancing, and team sports may all disappear for a while. This makes me very sad, although of course losing co-workers or students to covid would be worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

Yeah, but we've already established my feelings on APUSH.

It looks, to me, like APUSH has another class that goes with it? So, it wouldn't solve the PE problem, just the exposure to riff raff (kidding, my kid IS the riff raff apparently).

Of course, as a high school teacher, I'm guessing that covid will change things. I think block schedules will become more common, for example, as a way to cut down on the overall number of kids someone is in class with, and singing, dancing, and team sports may all disappear for a while. This makes me very sad, although of course losing co-workers or students to covid would be worse.

Approaches to Learning is optional. But would probably be a good idea for a 9th grader taking APUSH to get extra support/time to read and write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

Yeah, but we've already established my feelings on APUSH.

It looks, to me, like APUSH has another class that goes with it? So, it wouldn't solve the PE problem, just the exposure to riff raff (kidding, my kid IS the riff raff apparently).

Of course, as a high school teacher, I'm guessing that covid will change things. I think block schedules will become more common, for example, as a way to cut down on the overall number of kids someone is in class with, and singing, dancing, and team sports may all disappear for a while. This makes me very sad, although of course losing co-workers or students to covid would be worse.

Are you an MCPS high school teacher? I don't think you are quite getting what people are saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

Yeah, but we've already established my feelings on APUSH.

It looks, to me, like APUSH has another class that goes with it? So, it wouldn't solve the PE problem, just the exposure to riff raff (kidding, my kid IS the riff raff apparently).

Of course, as a high school teacher, I'm guessing that covid will change things. I think block schedules will become more common, for example, as a way to cut down on the overall number of kids someone is in class with, and singing, dancing, and team sports may all disappear for a while. This makes me very sad, although of course losing co-workers or students to covid would be worse.

Are you an MCPS high school teacher? I don't think you are quite getting what people are saying.

I'm a DC high school teacher. What I got was that people think that the kids in Algebra 1 are somehow different from their children, and their children should be protected from them. But that since my kid has a mom who posts on DCUM, they'll assume he's OK and give me strategies so I can protect him too.

Also, that my kid needs to take connections unless he takes APUSH (which I don't want him to take) or Pre-IB English, and if he takes connections he can't have PE or dance and band or choir in the same semester.

The part about there maybe not being band (My kid plays a brass instrument that involves basically spitting into a valve) or choir or team sports was not from this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

Yeah, but we've already established my feelings on APUSH.

It looks, to me, like APUSH has another class that goes with it? So, it wouldn't solve the PE problem, just the exposure to riff raff (kidding, my kid IS the riff raff apparently).

Of course, as a high school teacher, I'm guessing that covid will change things. I think block schedules will become more common, for example, as a way to cut down on the overall number of kids someone is in class with, and singing, dancing, and team sports may all disappear for a while. This makes me very sad, although of course losing co-workers or students to covid would be worse.

Are you an MCPS high school teacher? I don't think you are quite getting what people are saying.

I'm a DC high school teacher. What I got was that people think that the kids in Algebra 1 are somehow different from their children, and their children should be protected from them. But that since my kid has a mom who posts on DCUM, they'll assume he's OK and give me strategies so I can protect him too.

Also, that my kid needs to take connections unless he takes APUSH (which I don't want him to take) or Pre-IB English, and if he takes connections he can't have PE or dance and band or choir in the same semester.

The part about there maybe not being band (My kid plays a brass instrument that involves basically spitting into a valve) or choir or team sports was not from this thread.

OP is not asking about how COVID will be handled when we return. Can people stick to the topic.

The math sequence is a big deal as many kids take Algebra in MCPS in 6, 7 or 8th, not 9th. I would hope band is canceled for a semester and I say this a a music parent. I was surprised to see one band camp still running and talking about some in person meetings as kids blowing into instruments is a bad idea.

Starting a new foreign language in high school is not a big deal. Lots of kids change in high school after taking 3 years in middle school or if they are native speakers of the language they were taking as middle school does not have a lot of choices. We got French or Spanish and that was it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

Yeah, but we've already established my feelings on APUSH.

It looks, to me, like APUSH has another class that goes with it? So, it wouldn't solve the PE problem, just the exposure to riff raff (kidding, my kid IS the riff raff apparently).

Of course, as a high school teacher, I'm guessing that covid will change things. I think block schedules will become more common, for example, as a way to cut down on the overall number of kids someone is in class with, and singing, dancing, and team sports may all disappear for a while. This makes me very sad, although of course losing co-workers or students to covid would be worse.

No one is saying your kid or other kids are bad kids BUT, if you are looking at the cohort as a priority, the math may be an issue as your school takes a slower approach to math than MCPS does. When I looked at Catholics, I noticed that math at some of the schools was a very different track and no options due to the small class sizes.

Depending on the grade they are in now, you may want to consider changing for middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again,

What is connections? I had assumed that my kid would be able to take both music and PE, but it looks like maybe that's prevented by connections? Is it optional?

Connections is a mandatory study skills/ study hall class. I haven’t heard anything good about it. The pre-IB English/APUSH kids don’t have to take it. Your kid still gets two electives. Many of the music kids take Health and Tech over the summer online (for $300 per semester course). You could push PE to sophomore year this way. Some kids like saving PE until junior year when they have a tougher courseload overall. It depends how flexible your counselor is, but most understand dedication to music. The school wants health taken by the end of sophomore year.

Northwood might be on a block schedule with 8 classes. I’m not sure. It worked out well for my DD to have the same 7 classes everyday.

Is it mandatory for four years or one?

So, my kid gets 8 classes at Einstein and could take

English
Math
Bio
History
Language
Connections
Band
PE

I thought it was just 7, but maybe that's an assumption.

Or he could take PreIB English and then skip Connections?

Einstein has 7 periods each day. Yes, if they take Pre-IB English they can choose not to take Connections.

I would check on this. The new schedule specifies APUSH as well for the exemption

Yeah, but we've already established my feelings on APUSH.

It looks, to me, like APUSH has another class that goes with it? So, it wouldn't solve the PE problem, just the exposure to riff raff (kidding, my kid IS the riff raff apparently).

Of course, as a high school teacher, I'm guessing that covid will change things. I think block schedules will become more common, for example, as a way to cut down on the overall number of kids someone is in class with, and singing, dancing, and team sports may all disappear for a while. This makes me very sad, although of course losing co-workers or students to covid would be worse.

Are you an MCPS high school teacher? I don't think you are quite getting what people are saying.

I'm a DC high school teacher. What I got was that people think that the kids in Algebra 1 are somehow different from their children, and their children should be protected from them. But that since my kid has a mom who posts on DCUM, they'll assume he's OK and give me strategies so I can protect him too.

Also, that my kid needs to take connections unless he takes APUSH (which I don't want him to take) or Pre-IB English, and if he takes connections he can't have PE or dance and band or choir in the same semester.

The part about there maybe not being band (My kid plays a brass instrument that involves basically spitting into a valve) or choir or team sports was not from this thread.

OP is not asking about how COVID will be handled when we return. Can people stick to the topic.

The math sequence is a big deal as many kids take Algebra in MCPS in 6, 7 or 8th, not 9th. I would hope band is canceled for a semester and I say this a a music parent. I was surprised to see one band camp still running and talking about some in person meetings as kids blowing into instruments is a bad idea.

Starting a new foreign language in high school is not a big deal. Lots of kids change in high school after taking 3 years in middle school or if they are native speakers of the language they were taking as middle school does not have a lot of choices. We got French or Spanish and that was it.

I am OP. I thought that was obvious when I referred to my kid as riff raff, so I didn't include it. I think that given that my kid will be going to high school during/after covid, and this is a thread about what his high school experience will be like, that what classes will be available is relevant.

I hope that band is not cancelled, but that they come up with some kind of solution that allows music lovers to have what they love at school, but I imagine it to be something like music theory in the classroom and recorded practice at home. I don't want my kid in a room full of trumpet and trombone players anytime soon.