Janney third grade parents--what do you think of the giant class sizes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like an awkward arrangement to us but our child seems fine with it.

Not sure what classroom noise or this alleged concussion has to do with it though - 2 teachers ought to be better able to control a classroom than one.

What are the details on this concussion incident - your post is the first I've heard of it.

The concussion happened within the past few days.

And do you have details on what happened and whether it had anything to do with the 3rd grade classroom model? I can easily see how my child might get a concussion on the playground or maybe in PE but a concussion typically requires a serious blow to the head and I'm having a hard time figuring how that may have happened in a classroom.

Also we are pretty socially dialed in so I find it hard to believe we haven't heard about this already so I hope you are not making things up to stir the pot?

you mean you gossip! Happy to hear that the school is ding what it can to keep some things confidential. My kid has a physical altercation with another last year and I would have been incensed if it had been passed around among the "socially dialed in".

Oh get over yourself - I have a child in the same grade at the same school as where this alleged incident took place and since things can escalate between kids on the playground I certainly would have hoped to learn about this incident from a fellow parent, the school or my child as I think most parents would have - this has nothing to do with gossip.

Interestingly I heard about it from none of the three groups and no other parent has chimed in to corroborate this story on this thread - since this incident, according to the OP, involved two classes of 32 students there is a 50/50 chance it would have involved one of dear child's classes and with the number of impacted parents it is odd this is apparently a secret several days after it allegedly happened.

Pretty sure this is considered gossip. If the altercation warranted communication school wide the principal would have done so. You really have no reason to be aware of the circumstances because it's none of your business.

If it had been a lice outbreak, you would have known, as you should.[/quote

This did happen and like other incidents with the child who bashed this other child's head into the floor, Janney has not responded. Shame the new principal has to deal with this her 1st month.
I think parents need to take off rose colored glasses soon

[Anonymous]

My dd is in one of the unfarhomable 31 kid classes. Her 2nd grade teacher, whom she loves, moved up with the whole class. We are getting to know the second teacher.
Dd seems happy and has not complained. So far so good. I have not heard of the bashing the head into the floor/stuffed in cubby incident. Btsn went smoothly. First open house is tomorrow. I have all confidence in the teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't if they still rezone to Murch and ask them to stop taking OOB?

Murch is designed for 400 students, has over 620, is very very full, with entire grades in trailers, and a building from 100 years ago. In addition to that, Murch will be renovated in the next two year and the over 600 Murch kids will have to go somewhere we do not yet know where. in short, Murch is not the solution for Janney's overcrowding.

Murch, Lafayette..they are all overcrowded, falling apart and being renovate in soon or already under construction. I understand Janney is pretty nice after the renovation (so be thankful for that because Murch is in some bad shape) but it does not sound like the new Janney facility was built for it's growing population as I'm no sure Murch and Lafayette will either. More families moving into the NW hoods and using the DCPS, new apartments being built along Conn Ave, and a brand new school causes an increase in the student population. Fact of the matter is that none of theses schools have enough space. Some could be gained by not allowing OOB kids but I understand DCPS holds a certain # of spots in these schools for OOB kids and then they stay on track to attend Deal and Wilson and the over crowding is perpetuated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't if they still rezone to Murch and ask them to stop taking OOB?

Murch is designed for 400 students, has over 620, is very very full, with entire grades in trailers, and a building from 100 years ago. In addition to that, Murch will be renovated in the next two year and the over 600 Murch kids will have to go somewhere we do not yet know where. in short, Murch is not the solution for Janney's overcrowding.

Murch, Lafayette..they are all overcrowded, falling apart and being renovate in soon or already under construction. I understand Janney is pretty nice after the renovation (so be thankful for that because Murch is in some bad shape) but it does not sound like the new Janney facility was built for it's growing population as I'm no sure Murch and Lafayette will either. More families moving into the NW hoods and using the DCPS, new apartments being built along Conn Ave, and a brand new school causes an increase in the student population. Fact of the matter is that none of theses schools have enough space. Some could be gained by not allowing OOB kids but I understand DCPS holds a certain # of spots in these schools for OOB kids and then they stay on track to attend Deal and Wilson and the over crowding is perpetuated.

Mann is not overcrowded and they just got renovated-there are about 300 kids in the school and the peek-first grades at least (don't know the numbers in the older grades) have 18 to a class-half of the class you are speaking of.we also have a ft teacher and ft aide in every class.

[Anonymous]

I think if Mann fed to Deal, it would be overcrowded in less than 2 years.

[Anonymous]

And if some Janney children were moved to Mann it would relieve overcrowding, both at Janney but also at Deal. But it would make Mann overcrowded and make Janney parents upset after 5th grade. Still something to consider on the margin.

In the end this is all going to be steps on the margin. Lose a few PK4 classes; tolerate larger class sizes; reduce the boundary some, moving kids to Mann and Hearst; take fewer OOB children; and sadly, likely just make the school less attractive so families will not move in. Wish them well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't if they still rezone to Murch and ask them to stop taking OOB?

Murch is designed for 400 students, has over 620, is very very full, with entire grades in trailers, and a building from 100 years ago. In addition to that, Murch will be renovated in the next two year and the over 600 Murch kids will have to go somewhere we do not yet know where. in short, Murch is not the solution for Janney's overcrowding.

Murch, Lafayette..they are all overcrowded, falling apart and being renovate in soon or already under construction. I understand Janney is pretty nice after the renovation (so be thankful for that because Murch is in some bad shape) but it does not sound like the new Janney facility was built for it's growing population as I'm no sure Murch and Lafayette will either. More families moving into the NW hoods and using the DCPS, new apartments being built along Conn Ave, and a brand new school causes an increase in the student population. Fact of the matter is that none of theses schools have enough space. Some could be gained by not allowing OOB kids but I understand DCPS holds a certain # of spots in these schools for OOB kids and then they stay on track to attend Deal and Wilson and the over crowding is perpetuated.

Mann is not overcrowded and they just got renovated-there are about 300 kids in the school and the peek-first grades at least (don't know the numbers in the older grades) have 18 to a class-half of the class you are speaking of.we also have a ft teacher and ft aide in every class.

DCPS lost an opportunity by not making Mann much bigger in its renovation. It has more land that either Janney or Murch and is less than half the size of each. They should have made Mann bigger and shifted all three boundaries toward Mann. Actually, they still could do this.

[Anonymous]

So what's the solution to all this overcrowding and super-large elementary schools? Obviously there's no political will, but the natural solution is to build another elementary school in upper NW DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't if they still rezone to Murch and ask them to stop taking OOB?

Murch is designed for 400 students, has over 620, is very very full, with entire grades in trailers, and a building from 100 years ago. In addition to that, Murch will be renovated in the next two year and the over 600 Murch kids will have to go somewhere we do not yet know where. in short, Murch is not the solution for Janney's overcrowding.

Murch, Lafayette..they are all overcrowded, falling apart and being renovate in soon or already under construction. I understand Janney is pretty nice after the renovation (so be thankful for that because Murch is in some bad shape) but it does not sound like the new Janney facility was built for it's growing population as I'm no sure Murch and Lafayette will either. More families moving into the NW hoods and using the DCPS, new apartments being built along Conn Ave, and a brand new school causes an increase in the student population. Fact of the matter is that none of theses schools have enough space. Some could be gained by not allowing OOB kids but I understand DCPS holds a certain # of spots in these schools for OOB kids and then they stay on track to attend Deal and Wilson and the over crowding is perpetuated.

Mann is not overcrowded and they just got renovated-there are about 300 kids in the school and the peek-first grades at least (don't know the numbers in the older grades) have 18 to a class-half of the class you are speaking of.we also have a ft teacher and ft aide in every class.

DCPS lost an opportunity by not making Mann much bigger in its renovation. It has more land that either Janney or Murch and is less than half the size of each. They should have made Mann bigger and shifted all three boundaries toward Mann. Actually, they still could do this.

Too late for that. What DC should do, however, is shift boundaries toward Hearst. This is a newly renovated and expanded school in the heart of Ward 3. Yet it is still 80% or so OOB enrollment, which means a lot of surplus capacity currently used for OOB slots, which could easily become IB. In addition to its own facilities, Hearst adjoins a DC park, with a large field and tennis courts. And unlike Mann, it is a Deal feeder school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what's the solution to all this overcrowding and super-large elementary schools? Obviously there's no political will, but the natural solution is to build another elementary school in upper NW DC.

Yep. This or stop OOB. Take your pick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And if some Janney children were moved to Mann it would relieve overcrowding, both at Janney but also at Deal. But it would make Mann overcrowded and make Janney parents upset after 5th grade. Still something to consider on the margin.

In the end this is all going to be steps on the margin. Lose a few PK4 classes; tolerate larger class sizes; reduce the boundary some, moving kids to Mann and Hearst; take fewer OOB children; and sadly, likely just make the school less attractive so families will not move in. Wish them well.

I can't for the life me figure out why Hearst hasn't attracted more NW bound families. Good school with great feed and reasonable size. They might be less IB centric, but they're doing well with the kids who attend.

[Anonymous]

I am hoping the new principal cuts PK classes next year. I was not a fan of Norah (which I think most people feel is blasphemy to say,) and I hope some fresh blood comes up with some new solutions besides the co teaching model.

[Anonymous]

To put in perspective, there are schools outside of DC that have class sizes near or around this size with only one teacher and no aides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what's the solution to all this overcrowding and super-large elementary schools? Obviously there's no political will, but the natural solution is to build another elementary school in upper NW DC.

Yep. This or stop OOB. Take your pick.

OOB is clearly not the problem at a place like Janney. That might reduce the school's size by what, 20 kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To put in perspective, there are schools outside of DC that have class sizes near or around this size with only one teacher and no aides.

and many of those schools do not have the challenges of an urban school.