Reply to Private school recommendations - living in Bowie and commuting to DC

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Not the original poster but It's not as simple as just sending your kids to public school to make them better.  For example, my neighborhood school had 28 kids in kindergarten last year.  Am I wrong, for not wanting to enroll my child? In addition, my kid has small sensory and motor skill issues, not enough to be considered special needs or need an IEP so they need a little more one on one.  Their school now caps at 12 students.  Me as a child, I could thrive in any environment 12 kids or 25 kids! However, I know my child and they need a small learning environment. 28:1 ratio is horrible, the average will stay average, those who need a little more help, won't get it and the advance will get bored.

Anne Arundel cluster, I would go public. The Crofton/Gambrills area schools are fantastic and most have 17/18 cap on students. Big difference than PG.  Also, to put it in perspective, my 3rd grader had 31!!!! However, she could hang because she is that child that can self direct.  *just saying*[/quote]

Exactly this. I moved my child out of a high performing elementary school in Bowie to St. Pius due to the class sizes. Ironically, St. Pius also has large classes sizes- approx. 25, but not as large as our zoned school- a whopping 33 at one point! Our zoned school also didn't have dedicated teacher's assistance, whereas St. Pius does. This is so important for classroom management and reading and math groups.
In many ways, COVID was a blessing for me because I was forced to teach my DS and realized how far behind he was from his potential. Our zoned school had great teachers, but way too many students, so as long as a child wasn't visibly lagging behind, they were okay. At St. Pius, my DS is being pushed academically every day even with the remote learning, which has been excellent. 
I question the PP who says that St. Pius kids aren't smart. There is of course a range, as there should be in any welcoming environment, but children with either learning challenges or heightened potential are definitely given additional support. A friend of mine whose a high school teacher at a local Catholic HS told me that St. Pius kids often stand out as some of his best prepared..
These are my two cents as a current St. Pius parent and former Bowie public school parent.[/quote]

One more point from PP- unless you're zoned to Tulip Grove or Northview, building size is another serious issue. The Bowie elementary school buildings are small and most have no dedicated space for specials. So kids are crowded in their classrooms and stay there the entire day. In some schools, they even do PE in the hallways and eat lunch at breakfast time because theirs no gym/cafeteria space. I think that parents shouldn't be judged for also considering the facilities of the schools they choose and many privates have that added advantage.[/quote]

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