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Thoughts and experiences with regard to Chevy Chase Montessori?
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Anonymous
| We are considering it for our child this fall. Thank you in advance! |
Anonymous
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Anonymous We just found out our son was accepted to Chevy Chase Montessori for this Fall - what a relief! It's not a competitive school to get into, but after going thru the process and currently waiting to hear about our #1 choice, we are sooooooo relieved to know we have a school for this Fall regardless. We liked what we saw when we visited, and I believe I've read other positive posts on here - but I just want to double check with any other current families on your experiences at this school - and where your child went / are going after if applicable. Thanks! 02/13/2008 17:16 Subject: Re:Chevy Chase Montessori Experiences Anonymous How did you find out? We've applied there as well, and was wondering how you were notified (mainly because I haven't heard anything, so now I'm nervous!) Would also appreciate hearing from other parents on the board that have experience with the school. 02/13/2008 22:17 Subject: Re:Chevy Chase Montessori Experiences Anonymous my dd, went there for a year. She goes few hours in the morning. I cant find any other negative things about the school, but my nanny does who is actually the one who take dd to school and pick her up in the afternoon. She says that the principal, Marlene never smiles on her but do with other parents. And also had over heard marlene and the other staff gossiping about another parent in the school. har..har.. i dont know about that! I got my daughter out of the school the following year as recommended by our loving nanny. I trust my nanny's guts about some stuff regarding my dd. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
I am gathering that this is a cut and paste from a previous post? Helpful though. Thanks to whoever took the time to respond! |
Anonymous
Yes, I think someone did cut and paste. I've posted once on another thread about how much I love this school - our DD is there for her 2nd year. I guess I'll just start off by saying that I really love the teachers and staff - they are warm, welcoming, and professional. DD has really thrived at MSCC, and yes, I do believe she's learning a lot. She has lots of friends at the school - and it really is amazing to me how well the kids in general seem to play together. The other parents are a great, low-key bunch, and all in all, my husband and I are very happy - but most importantly, DD is happy. One of the questions posted was where do parents tend to send their kids afterward. I don't know what the best response to that would be, as I don't know many parents of alumni there. For our part, we decided that if we do apply to private schools, places like Sidwell are probably not going to work for us, as we would like for DD to finish the full Montessori cycle (through K) at MSCC. In other words, by keeping DD at MSCC through K, we're going to miss a big opportunity to apply to apply to schools that don't have a lot of slots (if any) for 1st. However, since MSCC is working out so well for DD, and she's so happy there, we don't want to fix something that isn't broken. This choice isn't right for everyone, but we are happy with our public school, and we figure that between public and the private options that exist (I tend to agree with the statement that as wonderful as Sidwell, GDS, Maret, etc, seem, there are other great private schools), DD will be fine. Regarding the post about the director, Marlene Cherry, and some unprofessional behavior reported by the family's nanny, I would just say that I'm sorry the school didn't work out for them, and it's too bad the parents didn't mention their concerns to Marlene or to one of the teachers. My DD is my first child, and this was her first experience away from us and our nanny - and so it was MY first experience with an out-of-the-home care environment as well. I'm admittedly pretty protective, so every time I saw something I wasn't sure about when I first sent DD to MSCC last year, I'd ask someone about it. Like "Why does the teacher do that? What is the policy on X? I saw Y happening, and I'm not sure how to understand it, so please explain to me..." etc. I felt as though my questions and concerns were answered thoroughly, and the upshot is I feel completely comfortable with MSCC and with the staff there, and I was very happy with the time and attention spent addressing my concerns. Marlene is not only the Director, but she also teaches at the school, and I'm sure she's usually preoccupied because she is tending to the students and other school business. I've never seen her snub someone - a parent or a caregiver. I think it's too bad that the PP's concerns were not mentioned to someone at the school, but I do hope the PP found a school that is a better fit for her and her family. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
PP thank you so much for your thoughtful response. One thing that I was slightly concerned about when we went buy the school to see it was that the ratio of children to teachers seemed higher than at other schools we have visited. Do you have a sense of the child/teacher ratio? Thanks so much. |
Anonymous
| The Montessori method requires a higher student to teacher ratio. In the primary classes (age3-6) the ratio is supposed to be 25-30 students to 1 teacher. That is purposeful. In Montessori the teacher is not leading the class but rather observing the students and training them individual as appropriate for that student's particular development. |
Anonymous
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We are also in the middle of our first year at MSCC with our son, and we are very impressed with the school. The toddler class is led by Ms. Janki and her assistant, Ms. Yolanda. As a team, they are incredibly warm with the kids.
Ms. Janki's background is Montessori for primary level kids, so I think she is naturally inclined to challenge the kids to do things that take the really young ones to the next level, such as scissor work, early reading and early math skills. As I recall, many of the other Montessori toddler programs did not start the Montessori method until age 3. They also do a pretty good job communicating with the parents via the private website (once you are enrolled, you will get instructions for this). I agree with the 10:37 poster re. Marlene. She is quite nice and approachable, and it is a pity that another parent decided to opt out of a direct discussion with her and pull her child out based on heresay... The one thing that I will say is that I've noticed that she is not always at the school - there are conferences etc. that she has to attend as a director. So, on those days, I'm not sure who leads her classes... When we visited the school initially, we were impressed by the confident calm that the students exude. This environment really helps center them. It is joy without the chaos that you see in many non-Montessori schools. Most of the other parents are pretty low-key, but still involved. And there is a lot of racial and cultural diversity in the school overall. But given the luxury car makes lined up outside, I think most of the parents tend to be quite affluent. We have also run into quite a few parents in stores, restaurants and at parks nearby - a sign that MSCC really seems to be quite a neighborhood school. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
Thanks so much to the previous posters. Your perspectives are very helpful. 
I am continuing to watch the post for any more input. |
bai
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| for parents who did send their children to MSCC did u think they were ready for Kindergarten in other schools? |