Anonymous wrote:It is amazing to read people's differing opinions on the same thing. We are not RP but in the cluster. We have found JW fine. In fact, I would say we are happier with the staff than we were at our ES. Our kids have made friends are generally engaged. Classes could certainly be more challenging..but so much goes on with kids in MS, we are happy that they have good friends and are busy with activities and school work. In you live in Rockville, you live in a diverse world...the grocery store is diverse..the restaurants are diverse..my kids will know a diverse group of kids (and don't care about their legal status)

No the OP but I am curious, why would they not care about their status? Is it now cool to be friends with illegals? They broke a federal law. They have no respect for all the other immigrants who took the legal way to become citizens of our country. You want to be friends with these families? Have your kids hang out with them? What if ICE came in and your kid was there? I am all for legal diversity but the safety of Rockville is another thing. There is nothing safe about numerous neighborhoods that go to Julius West. The school is overcrowded, class sizes are too big, bullying, gangs, dumbed down education, lackluster teachers, unsupervised halls and cafeteria. If someone is praising a school for "generally engaged" than their standards are not high as it is.

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing to read people's differing opinions on the same thing. We are not RP but in the cluster. We have found JW fine. In fact, I would say we are happier with the staff than we were at our ES. Our kids have made friends are generally engaged. Classes could certainly be more challenging..but so much goes on with kids in MS, we are happy that they have good friends and are busy with activities and school work. In you live in Rockville, you live in a diverse world...the grocery store is diverse..the restaurants are diverse..my kids will know a diverse group of kids (and don't care about their legal status)

Ditto. After sending 2 kids through JW (with a 3rd to start soon), we haven't had any trouble at all.

It is amazing to read people's differing opinions on the same thing. We are not RP but in the cluster. We have found JW fine. In fact, I would say we are happier with the staff than we were at our ES. Our kids have made friends are generally engaged. Classes could certainly be more challenging..but so much goes on with kids in MS, we are happy that they have good friends and are busy with activities and school work. In you live in Rockville, you live in a diverse world...the grocery store is diverse..the restaurants are diverse..my kids will know a diverse group of kids (and don't care about their legal status)

Anonymous wrote:Op asked for thoughts on Ritchie park. Perhaps we could stick to topic.

As a parent at rp, I think the principal is awful. Simply awful. Terrible with parents and children. A stickler for some rules, and totally disregards others. Has no knowledge of special education law or policies. Refuses to do anything about poor teaching.

And Ritchie Park feeds into JW for middle school so it is relevant. And yes the school is nasty. Full of Twinbrook illegals and gangs from Lincoln Park and the apartments behind McGruders. Most Fallsgrove parents send to private or parochial.

The 5th school might make RP less crowded but if you lose Fallsgrove it will make the school even worse. They need to lose the small area off HUD and apartments off of Maryland Ave. They added it to make the zoning politically correct years back and it has completely affected the school. It used to just be Potomac Woods and Horizon Hill that went to the school. It was great then.

The only thing that will affect the quality of Ritchie park is a new principal.

I, for one, was glad to see the information posted on the new school build. Not sure if it'll really affect the quality but at least RP won't be overcrowded by the time my 3-year old is there.

Op asked for thoughts on Ritchie park. Perhaps we could stick to topic.

As a parent at rp, I think the principal is awful. Simply awful. Terrible with parents and children. A stickler for some rules, and totally disregards others. Has no knowledge of special education law or policies. Refuses to do anything about poor teaching.

Anonymous wrote:The middle school (Julius West) is getting an addition. It'll be a gigantic school but it won't be overcrowded in three years when they finish the planned addition.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/PDF/CIP14CH4_MontgomeryR.pdf

It still wont make it a good school though. Full of bullies, punks, and lackluster teachers who give mindless work. Worst 3 years of my kid's life. I highly recommend private school.

Not sure what you mean by "Finish building??? I wish they would START building it." It only takes MCPS 1.5 years to complete a new building. Even if they were still working on the original opening date of August 2015, they wouldn't have started building anything yet.

That 2015 date was moved to August 2017. This is firm in the sense that everything can always be changed which is the nature of the world. They'll start building in spring 2016. Boundary studies will be done in 2015.

See the link in 23:55's post. Those are the plans. It is definitely NOT in the "to be assigned" list.

Anonymous wrote:And for that matter, the 4 elementary schools in the RM cluster (including Ritchie Park) won't be overcrowded any more in 4 years when they finish building the new elementary school on Edmonston. You know, we'll see if that all actually happens, but at least it's definitely in the plans!

Finish building??? I wish they would START building it.

I know construction has been delayed at least a year; is there a firm date? I was under the impression it is still on the "to be assigned" list, but admit that I haven't paid as much attention to BOE Capital Improvement Plan since I know any construction will be long after my kids finish at another RM school.

I have a son there now. I would ask around in the neighborhood before sending a child there. The school has serious problems. The principal is very mean spirited and ineffective with policies that don't make any sense. Some of the teachers are very good and some are terrible. My biggest problem is with the over all culture of the school. It is incredibly punitive, without any emphasis on problem solving or making anything better. They punish first and ask questions later. They give the para educators incredible amount of power to make disciplinary decisions. The principal is new, and has absolutely no idea what she is doing, and makes statements that are untrue. She is terrible when it comes to special education.

And for that matter, the 4 elementary schools in the RM cluster (including Ritchie Park) won't be overcrowded any more in 4 years when they finish building the new elementary school on Edmonston. You know, we'll see if that all actually happens, but at least it's definitely in the plans!

The middle school (Julius West) is getting an addition. It'll be a gigantic school but it won't be overcrowded in three years when they finish the planned addition.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/PDF/CIP14CH4_MontgomeryR.pdf

My daughter went there. I think it is a pretty good school. She had a lot of friends and pretty good teachers. Better principal is there now. A little overcrowded but what school isn't in MC. It is the middle school that you have to watch out for. My daughter is having a terrible 2 years there. St Raphaels and St Elizabeth's are were most of the potential Ritchie Park kids would go. I would take a look at all 3.

Considering Ritchie Park Elementary School or one of the local Catholic schools. Anyone have thoughts/opinions on Ritchie Park?