Liklihood of Kindergarten Enrollment at Public Montessori (Hoyer)

[Anonymous]

Hi, my child is currently at a certified private Montessori and will be in Kindergarten next year. We've applied to Hoyer via the lottery, since we meet the requirement of current enrollment in a Montessori school. Does anyone have any feedback on the likelihood of getting a slot at the Kindergarten level and/or how many Kindergarten vacancies there typically are? I know there's a large element of luck, but I'm trying to weigh out whether there's a decent chance we might get in (and therefore maybe I want to not sign the contract at her currently school) versus a very slim chance so I definitely would want to sign the contract. I know there's no definite answer - just asking to take the pulse of those who may have a better sense of it than I do.

[Anonymous]

It's unknowable. Sometimes people take their child out of Hoyer to put them in K in another school with their older sibling. Or they may decide Montessori is not right for their kid. That creates 1 spot for a new child. So there will be a few spots for new kids.

[Anonymous]

FWIW - I know several families who are pulling their kids out of Hoyer.
I would call the school's registrar and see if they can tell you how many slots there were and how far along the wait list they got last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW - I know several families who are pulling their kids out of Hoyer.
I would call the school's registrar and see if they can tell you how many slots there were and how far along the wait list they got last year.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW - I know several families who are pulling their kids out of Hoyer.
I would call the school's registrar and see if they can tell you how many slots there were and how far along the wait list they got last year.

Same here. I don’t know many details, but generally, they’re unhappy with the teachers and classroom management.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW - I know several families who are pulling their kids out of Hoyer.
I would call the school's registrar and see if they can tell you how many slots there were and how far along the wait list they got last year.

Same here. I don’t know many details, but generally, they’re unhappy with the teachers and classroom management.

Interesting. May I ask what grades? My son is in pre-k 4 and I have not noticed anything out of the ordinary, although my older daughter attends our neighborhood school and it is just as good as Hoyer.

[Anonymous]

I know some of it centers around the Principal allowing teachers to take away recess as punishment. And at the older grades kids are just not learning that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know some of it centers around the Principal allowing teachers to take away recess as punishment. And at the older grades kids are just not learning that much.

That’s sort of to be expected- Montessori provides few avenues for incentives or punishments and recess is not considered important- at least that is my amateur understanding. And it’s pretty well known that the public Montessori schools in PG do not have as much of a curriculum or materials for the older kids, but there a couple teachers working on it. It’s still probably a good bet for primary-lower elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some of it centers around the Principal allowing teachers to take away recess as punishment. And at the older grades kids are just not learning that much.

That’s sort of to be expected- Montessori provides few avenues for incentives or punishments and recess is not considered important- at least that is my amateur understanding. And it’s pretty well known that the public Montessori schools in PG do not have as much of a curriculum or materials for the older kids, but there a couple teachers working on it. It’s still probably a good bet for primary-lower elementary.

I don't know much about Montessori but it is completely against PGCPS policy to take away recess. I guess the administration doesn't deal with kids that have any sort of behavioral problems. I think it is worth trying to get a slot, especially since it is free Pre-K but people shouldn't think it is the solution to all their problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some of it centers around the Principal allowing teachers to take away recess as punishment. And at the older grades kids are just not learning that much.

That’s sort of to be expected- Montessori provides few avenues for incentives or punishments and recess is not considered important- at least that is my amateur understanding. And it’s pretty well known that the public Montessori schools in PG do not have as much of a curriculum or materials for the older kids, but there a couple teachers working on it. It’s still probably a good bet for primary-lower elementary.

I don't know much about Montessori but it is completely against PGCPS policy to take away recess. I guess the administration doesn't deal with kids that have any sort of behavioral problems. I think it is worth trying to get a slot, especially since it is free Pre-K but people shouldn't think it is the solution to all their problems.

In my experience, the principal went above and beyond to resolve DC's behavior issues at pre-k3. He was having a very hard time adjusting and she and the other staff made a big effort to build a relationship with him. They could have very easily said "he's not ready for school" and let him go. I don't really know what happens with behavior issues with older kids but what I saw from the principal was that she is very proactive lady and she seems to love the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some of it centers around the Principal allowing teachers to take away recess as punishment. And at the older grades kids are just not learning that much.

That’s sort of to be expected- Montessori provides few avenues for incentives or punishments and recess is not considered important- at least that is my amateur understanding. And it’s pretty well known that the public Montessori schools in PG do not have as much of a curriculum or materials for the older kids, but there a couple teachers working on it. It’s still probably a good bet for primary-lower elementary.

Absolutely not true about Montessori not considering recess important. Running around and being outside are absolutely important aspects in Montessori, just as they should be in any school. the only time I can see taking away recess would be if it was a direct consequence to something the kid did at recess, and it would be part of a learning plan. For example, maybe the kid hits another child during recess, then the kid would have to stay near the teacher at recess rather than run around with everyone else. But no, removing recess is definitely not a montessori thing. Since it's also against PGCPS policy, I'd raise a stink about this if it actually happens.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all! This is the original poster and thank you for all the feedback. I certainly am interested in broader feedback on Hoyer, as some have offered, even apart from just the #/kindergarten slots question! I welcome any additional folks' perspectives too.

[Anonymous]

The PTA president pulled her kids out at the beginning of the school year....that speaks volumes to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The PTA president pulled her kids out at the beginning of the school year....that speaks volumes to me.

Yikes! I have historically heard good things about the school, but admittedly my sample size is limited to the few families I know who go there. I also see this recent review on Great Schools that speaks to some of the same issues noted on this thread.

https://www.greatschools.org/maryland/landover/1031-Judith-P.-Hoyer-Montessori-School/

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for all of this (admittedly slightly discouraging!) feedback! Follow-up question in case any parents on this board have been in this same situation: Is switching at Kindergarten, the last year of primary, a tough transition socially? Since the other kindergarteners will be in their third year in the same classroom with the same peer group? I'm torn between letting my child finish her primary cycle where she currently is (and trying the lottery for a Lower El spot) and taking a longer-term approach of taking the public specialty spot when we can get it, even if it's not at the most natural transition point. If anyone has been there, would love any feedback or reassurance!