A more relaxed MD elementary school?

[Anonymous]

I'm currently in DC and we're looking to move to the MD burbs for more green space. (DH and I both work at Children's National, so my impression is that a commute from VA would be rough for us.) Are there any good public elementary schools out there that emphasize science, art, music, creativity etc? I've heard that MC schools have very short lunches, almost no outdoor time, lots of worksheets, etc. Can anyone suggest a school that I should consider? Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

Wow. 63 views so far and no one has any suggestions. are the MoCo schools that bad??

[Anonymous]

They are not bad. Kensington Parkwood has a well-known arts program, and may not be the test-driven type school you are talking about. it also has the grace of being very close, relatively speaking to NIH. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/parkwoodes/

There are alot of disaffected, for whatever reason, parents on this board - mostly private school people. If you ask about specific schools, you are likely to get a better report - although I've asked about Garrett Park a number of times and have gotten 0 feedback - again, showing a bit of the demographics of the population rather than GP in general. I've heard people say wonderful things about Luxmanor as well.

[Anonymous]

I also think the school threads have worn us out for the time being. There is A LOT in the archives regarding MoCo schools...

[Anonymous]

We love our school: Greenwood Elementary in Brookeville (right next to Olney). My active son enjoys school tremendously and when asked what he does during the day he says "we have fun and play all day." Having spoken to his teacher about their schedules and seeing the work that he brings home, I know that he isn't in fact playing all day --- but the fact that he thinks school is fun is a tribute to his teachers and the warm atmosphere in the school. All MCPS schools have weekly art, PE, music, media, etc. classes as well as recess. And the curriculum is uniform across the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We love our school: Greenwood Elementary in Brookeville (right next to Olney). My active son enjoys school tremendously and when asked what he does during the day he says "we have fun and play all day." Having spoken to his teacher about their schedules and seeing the work that he brings home, I know that he isn't in fact playing all day --- but the fact that he thinks school is fun is a tribute to his teachers and the warm atmosphere in the school. All MCPS schools have weekly art, PE, music, media, etc. classes as well as recess. And the curriculum is uniform across the county.

But recess time seems to vary by school.

[Anonymous]

We love Kensington Parkwood--as the pp noted, it has one of three arts integration programs in Montgomery County elementary schools. Right now, too, it has funding (I think from the Italian embassy) for grades 2-5 to have Italian classes once a week. It is very close to Rock Creek, so many houses zoned for it have good access to the paths in the woods and to Beach Drive.

I've heard that Montgomery County is working on strengthening its science curriculum in the elementary schools (embedding it more in reading lessons, etc.) In any case, we're supplementing with the Hands-on Science afterschool program at KP, which our child loves.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know which schools have more recess and which schools have less?

[Anonymous]

You could do Howard County, but I suspect it is more of a hike than you are looking for. Stay South of 32 for sanity's sake.

[Anonymous]

OP, you can not make an easy commute from Olney or Howard Co to DC.
I would look at VA close in communities since the commutes are more reasonable.