Looking for info on various Bethesda/CC/etc neighborhoods

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was actually thinking about this thread yesterday while running errands in Bethesda and running into a lot of rudeness.

One thing I really hate about this area is that when people are clearly struggling with bags or something no one helps. No one opens the door or anything. I was at UPS and saw an older man with a big package and he looked like he was about to fall over. I had to run halfway across the strip mall to help him while all the people around him just walked past him.

Come on people. You can do better than this. I have lived all over and the DC area or maybe Bethesda is the only place where I have seen this kind of disregard for other people. In every other place I have lived people will help others in this situation. This is not a covid thing. Happened precovid too. We just went somewhere else in the country, a big city, and saw lots of people helping strangers.

My impression of living here is that people care a lot about how they look to their fellow parents at school and their child's sports teams but they show their true colors in how they treat strangers.

I’m one of the PPs who grew up in Bethesda but doesn’t live there now, by choice (we’re in Silver Spring). I went to college in the Midwest, and when I was back home one summer, went to Bethesda Bagels on a Saturday morning, as I’d done throughout high school. I was *horrified* when I realized how rude people are there. Horrified. That moment has stuck with me, but I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t spent considerable time in a part of the country where people are generally kinder and more generous. It’s the water we swim in.

It’s not just Bethesda that’s like that, the “CC/etc.” (wealthy) areas typically are, too. It’s not okay, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase/parts of Silver Spring and Kensington feed into RHPS fir grades K to 2. The school is HUGE, hundreds of kids per grade with a cold Principal. The lunch room is LOUD and crazy like a zoo with adults screaming to be heard on megaphones. I heard the Principal might be retiring.
There is an autism program but nothing for other disabilities.

RHPS then split into two (depending on where you live) NCC or CCES. CCES has a huge gifted and talented program that feeds in from all over the county. That is the program the Principal cares about because it wins her awards and she is nuts with a massive ago. If you have a special needs kid, they will get ignored. They will not get the services they need.

Add to the fact that the CCES gifted and talented program expanded and almost swallowed the entire school two years ago. So what you have at CCES are kids who don’t live close by and parents who are not involved in the school because of distance and it is temporary so they don’t volunteer. It does not feel like a community school.

Add to that, As a previous poster mentioned, 90% of the Chevy Chase neighborhood sends their kids to private. The neighborhood has a disconnect because kids don’t know each other.

That is the scoop on RHPS/CCES. As far as MCPS in general goes, if your student has dyslexia/dysgraphia/AHHD, run! The system does not recognize the disorders. They killed phonics years ago which is essential for Dyslexic kids. Your kid will need to be in a private school to get what they need. I learned the hard way. Sorry this post is so long. Good luck to you!

The special needs people at CCES are disgusting. Truly bad people. Unethical and should lose their jobs but - see above.

We also had a bad special needs experience at CCES - principal is terrible about SN and several teachers were awful - stigmatic, discriminatory, blame-casters.

BCC is also terrible for special needs - IME. The one school in the cluster with a good rep for SN is Bethesda ES.

[Anonymous]

NP - I didn't see enough information to really get a bead on what you're looking for.

The right SN program will be the most difficult to match to your kid. There are different SN programs, so it makes a difference which one you're looking for and what grade level.

Also, search or ask for advice in the Special Needs section of DCUMS or on an outside post. Anonymous advice isn't always the best, so take it with a grain of salt.

Once you figure which SN program you need, then it will be easier to choose what's best for your other kids.

[Anonymous]

Rock Creek Forest/Rosemary Hills-BCC school district

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, first try not to care about what cars people drive. Bethesda close to beltway (Luxmanor or Wyngate or Maplewood) are about 60-40 “fancy” cars vs regular cars (my guess). I couldn’t care less what other people choose to drive, but if that bothers you, then perhaps you should look elsewhere.

It was just a shorthand of the type of values that do not match her own.
In Bethesda and Chevy Chase, there may be a few pockets where there are more people that she may click with, but at the school level she's going to find the same general vibe she hated at Janney, Murch, Hearst, or wherever she's coming from.

Not in the parts of Chevy Chase that go to RCF or RHES/CCES RHES/NCC. These schools are a lot more diverse than the schools to the west.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase/parts of Silver Spring and Kensington feed into RHPS fir grades K to 2. The school is HUGE, hundreds of kids per grade with a cold Principal. The lunch room is LOUD and crazy like a zoo with adults screaming to be heard on megaphones. I heard the Principal might be retiring.
There is an autism program but nothing for other disabilities.

RHPS then split into two (depending on where you live) NCC or CCES. CCES has a huge gifted and talented program that feeds in from all over the county. That is the program the Principal cares about because it wins her awards and she is nuts with a massive ago. If you have a special needs kid, they will get ignored. They will not get the services they need.

Add to the fact that the CCES gifted and talented program expanded and almost swallowed the entire school two years ago. So what you have at CCES are kids who don’t live close by and parents who are not involved in the school because of distance and it is temporary so they don’t volunteer. It does not feel like a community school.

Add to that, As a previous poster mentioned, 90% of the Chevy Chase neighborhood sends their kids to private. The neighborhood has a disconnect because kids don’t know each other.

That is the scoop on RHPS/CCES. As far as MCPS in general goes, if your student has dyslexia/dysgraphia/AHHD, run! The system does not recognize the disorders. They killed phonics years ago which is essential for Dyslexic kids. Your kid will need to be in a private school to get what they need. I learned the hard way. Sorry this post is so long. Good luck to you!

We are at CCES as a regular (non-CES) family and have had a very different experience. It has been a great school for my kids.
I think both the RHES and CCES principals are going to be retiring soon. That’s what I have heard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, first try not to care about what cars people drive. Bethesda close to beltway (Luxmanor or Wyngate or Maplewood) are about 60-40 “fancy” cars vs regular cars (my guess). I couldn’t care less what other people choose to drive, but if that bothers you, then perhaps you should look elsewhere.

It was just a shorthand of the type of values that do not match her own.
In Bethesda and Chevy Chase, there may be a few pockets where there are more people that she may click with, but at the school level she's going to find the same general vibe she hated at Janney, Murch, Hearst, or wherever she's coming from.

Not in the parts of Chevy Chase that go to RCF or RHES/CCES RHES/NCC. These schools are a lot more diverse than the schools to the west.

True. These parts of town are Chevy Chase in name only -- well, also in that they're part of the BCC cluster. Geographically and socio-economically, they're more west Silver Spring than East Chevy Chase. East of the park, anyway!

FWIW, I ended up in RCF instead of SS/TKPK because I was able to find much more house for my money. YMMV

[Anonymous]

It’s been mentioned once, but +1 for Carderock Springs. Diverse and down to earth, friendly neighbors, good elementary for SN. Can still find reasonably priced houses (for this area).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chevy Chase/parts of Silver Spring and Kensington feed into RHPS fir grades K to 2. The school is HUGE, hundreds of kids per grade with a cold Principal. The lunch room is LOUD and crazy like a zoo with adults screaming to be heard on megaphones. I heard the Principal might be retiring.
There is an autism program but nothing for other disabilities.

RHPS then split into two (depending on where you live) NCC or CCES. CCES has a huge gifted and talented program that feeds in from all over the county. That is the program the Principal cares about because it wins her awards and she is nuts with a massive ago. If you have a special needs kid, they will get ignored. They will not get the services they need.

Add to the fact that the CCES gifted and talented program expanded and almost swallowed the entire school two years ago. So what you have at CCES are kids who don’t live close by and parents who are not involved in the school because of distance and it is temporary so they don’t volunteer. It does not feel like a community school.

Add to that, As a previous poster mentioned, 90% of the Chevy Chase neighborhood sends their kids to private. The neighborhood has a disconnect because kids don’t know each other.

That is the scoop on RHPS/CCES. As far as MCPS in general goes, if your student has dyslexia/dysgraphia/AHHD, run! The system does not recognize the disorders. They killed phonics years ago which is essential for Dyslexic kids. Your kid will need to be in a private school to get what they need. I learned the hard way. Sorry this post is so long. Good luck to you!

We are at CCES as a regular (non-CES) family and have had a very different experience. It has been a great school for my kids.
I think both the RHES and CCES principals are going to be retiring soon. That’s what I have heard.

I have a child with SN who has gone through both RHPS and CCES. I was pleased with the services received at RHPS. The experience at CCES has been an absolute disaster and I chalked it up to Covid but I’m going to have to go to battle this year. Totally agree that all they care about is the CES program. Also, MCPS hiring people who are completely unqualified for positions as SN instructors. It’s not the teachers’ faults but the services provided are abysmal.

[Anonymous]

Kensington or Woodside, OP. You’ll be happy in these places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nowhere near downtown Bethesda is going to be down to earth. If you really want to get away from the luxury car market families, you’re going to need to head way out to areas where houses go for under a million.

Is "luxury car market" literal here or some kind of euphemism?

We live in close-in Bethesda just over the DC line and our neighborhood of $1-2M homes is all Honda/Toyota/Subaru, plenty of old ones too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The area that feeds into Westbrook ES isn't quite as ritzy as Bethesda ES or Chevy Chase ES. Fewer Lexus and Volvo and more Honda and Subaru.

OP, there was just another chain on "down to earth" Bethesda neighborhoods and this one was suggested there as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nowhere near downtown Bethesda is going to be down to earth. If you really want to get away from the luxury car market families, you’re going to need to head way out to areas where houses go for under a million.

Is "luxury car market" literal here or some kind of euphemism?

We live in close-in Bethesda just over the DC line and our neighborhood of $1-2M homes is all Honda/Toyota/Subaru, plenty of old ones too.

Ditto for our neighborhood in Potomac. I think the woke in east county have this fantasy of W school neighborhoods they've created I'm their minds. I'm sure there are pockets of gaudy, "Real Housewives" neighborhoods. But that's not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nowhere near downtown Bethesda is going to be down to earth. If you really want to get away from the luxury car market families, you’re going to need to head way out to areas where houses go for under a million.

Is "luxury car market" literal here or some kind of euphemism?

We live in close-in Bethesda just over the DC line and our neighborhood of $1-2M homes is all Honda/Toyota/Subaru, plenty of old ones too.

I assume that was referring back to the OP's characterization: "We are looking to move to Bethesda/Chevy Chase from upper NW DC. We are not happy with the public schools here and can’t afford private, and we hate the parent community (super cliquey, judgmental, and everyone drives the same Lexus SUV)."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nowhere near downtown Bethesda is going to be down to earth. If you really want to get away from the luxury car market families, you’re going to need to head way out to areas where houses go for under a million.

Is "luxury car market" literal here or some kind of euphemism?

We live in close-in Bethesda just over the DC line and our neighborhood of $1-2M homes is all Honda/Toyota/Subaru, plenty of old ones too.

Ditto for our neighborhood in Potomac. I think the woke in east county have this fantasy of W school neighborhoods they've created I'm their minds. I'm sure there are pockets of gaudy, "Real Housewives" neighborhoods. But that's not the norm.

The original car issue was raised by OP, who lives in NW DC, and was clearly using it as shorthand for other issues. But DCUM never passes up a chance to take a swipe at East county.