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[quote=Anonymous]We are in similar situation: live in DC, mediocre MS, spouse says move to Bethesda for schools, we are applying DC#2 to private (DC#1 in 7th grade public MS), plus we also have a DC#3 in public elementary.

We are applying to privates for #2 due to our horrendous experience with bullying of #1 at MS, including physical assault recorded on security cameras, constant "pranking" theft of personal property (this week was someone destroying math notebook prior to major unit test), lack of proactive communication from teachers when DC (waiting instead for mid-term report cards with D/F due to missing assignments), making i-Ready major portion of math grade because that is how DCPS central office tracks teacher performance, students watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (first the live action version then the animated one) the past two days in "Science" class.

We love our neighborhood, appreciate not needing to commute and being able to walk to grocery, restaurants, kids taking Metrobus and walking to/from school and going to playground on their own. We have family and friends who have moved to MoCo "for the schools" and ended up going private anyway, plus paying higher RE taxes. (DH says we could just rent for 5-9 years.)

We have explored trying to move our 7th grader out of the MS even mid-year, and 8th grade is not an admission year for privates. (Catholic is not an option for our Jewish family.). However we are very concerned about educational gaps in what DC may not be receiving at the MS.

Our intermediate strategy for MS is to supplement the required lessons with tutoring for enrichment, as well as "coaching" DC to do more than just the required minimum. I'm now trying to figure out whether to go route of a college/grad student who can sit with DC#1 and also help with plotting out long-range assignments, or enroll in on-line Math (DC#2 is taking Art of Problem Solving Prealgebra, which is substantially plugging gaps in learning, including questions she encountered on ISEE as a 5th grader and was able to answer only because of AOPS). I am also looking into Writetopia. The MS does very little writing development, which parents have been complaining about for years.

Ironically I think DC#2 would likely thrive at the mediocre MS as this child is more of a self-starter, but the stories from #1's experiences and our overall frustration with DCPS central office management decisions have really turned us off. We really feel we have done a disservice to DC#1 by not taking seriously how bad the bullying was in 6th grade until the one episode that was captured on security cameras in late January of that year, after all the private school deadlines had passed. Our concerns until then had been dismissed by school leadership as typical "middle school years" behavior. I sincerely believe that if DC#1 loved school and was eager to go each day, the effort level would increase and teachers' encouragement would result in a virtuous cycle of high expectations/meet expectations/set higher expectations.

Would love recommendations for ways to help save our MS student's education. Some of the privates we have explored have suggested DC#1 apply as an incoming 7th grader, but the thought of one additional $35-40K tuition year makes me cringe. [/quote]

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