Thanks for your detailed responses, 11:56 and 13:40. They were very helpful.

We were underwhelmed by the principal during our time there. He was "fine" but came across as more of a bureaucrat who was just trying to keep up with the paperwork. In other words, when you talk to him or hear him speak you don't get the impression he has any vision for the school or would be well-equipped to tackle a challenging issue. For example, when the SWS move-in happened (which we didn't have a problem with) the communication from his office was poor. We also had two direct reports that he failed to respond to emails from parents raising legitimate concerns. All that said, I understand that he is probably overwhelmed with administrative matters and wishes he could be more principal, but the great principals find a way to make it happen. I'd expect him to fall squarely in the middle of DCPS principals.

Teacher quality varied, as you would expect, but we never heard about any serious issues.

Parent involvement was ok, but not at the level you see at Brent or SWS. There are a couple of families that have fully dedicated themselves to improving the school (and if you follow school issues on the Hill you know who they are), so that's great. But at the gardening days and Halloween we were expecting to see much greater turnout. There could be a variety of reasons for that, including the citywide nature of the school, and it's not necessarily a negative but it was our observation.

Finally, and this has much more to do with why we left, we had real concerns about the model as well as its execution after primary. I can't imagine them handling MS. And this may go back to the principal. If we were re-considering the school, I'd want to hear him articulate a deep understanding of Montessori instruction and why he thinks he is the right person to lead that effort. Instead, we'd regularly hear that the school was lacking some of the basic Montessori teaching tools.

What did they go over in the open house? Was it more a sit-down thing or a tour?

This is 11:56. Aftercare is run by springboard and we have been pleased with it.

Hi, I am a current parent of a child in the primary program. We really love the school right now. Our teacher is excellent (she has been with the school for a long time) and I feel its a good for my child and for our family. I had my doubts going in, but its warm and the teachers and administration really care about the students and the school. The social worker is very involved with, and loved by, the kids and is an excellent resource as well.

I can't speak for elementary, but the person who said that the aid floats in the afternoon is right, or ours does, at least. The 3 year olds all nap, so there are fewer kids in the class during that time.

The principal I am afraid will be spread too thin with the expansion and I am watching closely and weighing what we will do for elementary. The elementary program is, in my opinion, very teacher dependent and elementary overall needs some work to get all of the kids and classrooms on the same page. I worry that the addition of middle school grades will take too much focus and things that currently need attention will fall through the cracks due to a lack of man power.

For us, I have zero regrets about sending my child to the school...DC will get a great primary Montessori education, which I love. Weather he gets an elementary or middle Montessori education is yet to be determined!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got a good impression overall. Most of that was from a Primary Teacher who gave an informative presentation in her class. She also answered many questions very openly. I agree that the principal's presentation was more about patting himself on the back than providing specific information. However, I liked the way he talked about the teachers (giving them lots of praise) and I liked his enthusiasm for the school. One thing I worry about it (and I know this is not unique to this school) is uneven teacher quality. It just seemed that the first teacher I spoke with was really stellar and other one was newer and just okay. I would be happy if we got a spot, but I'm not holding my breath given the insane amount of people there!

How many Primary classrooms are there?

I thought I heard 8 primary classes next year.

Anonymous wrote:I got a good impression overall. Most of that was from a Primary Teacher who gave an informative presentation in her class. She also answered many questions very openly. I agree that the principal's presentation was more about patting himself on the back than providing specific information. However, I liked the way he talked about the teachers (giving them lots of praise) and I liked his enthusiasm for the school. One thing I worry about it (and I know this is not unique to this school) is uneven teacher quality. It just seemed that the first teacher I spoke with was really stellar and other one was newer and just okay. I would be happy if we got a spot, but I'm not holding my breath given the insane amount of people there!

How many Primary classrooms are there?

Who runs the before and aftercare? Is it in-house, or someone outside?

Any current parents out there to weigh in with experience with this school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the student teacher ratio for the classrooms?

In the primary classes (3-6), there is one lead teacher and one assistant for the first part of the day. In the afternoon (while the 3 year olds are napping), the assistant "floats" between classes so there is sometimes only one teacher for 15 or so kids. This is what I wrote down, others please respond if you heard differently.

I think they said the average class size for primary was 22-24 (which is smaller than most Montessori programs, which usually have 30 per class). Didn't catch that the teaching assistant floats; that seems problematic (and not in line with the charter Montessori programs, which all seem to have one teacher and one aide at all times). For elementary, the principal said it was 28 students on average, but then the teacher who spoke about elementary said she had 30 or more.

I got the sense that this is a bit of a "Montessori factory"--they are adding 100 students or so next year, and it does not seem like the principal will be able to oversee the current classrooms and the expansion in an effective manner. My sense was that he is spread very thin and that the experience would really depend on the quality of the teacher. Right now, I don't think it's a risk I'm willing to take, especially with such large class sizes and some of the things I've read about the school on DCUM. So, I'm crossing it off my list. I really like Montessori and think it would work for my child, so I'm focusing on the charters.

Anonymous wrote:What is the student teacher ratio for the classrooms?

In the primary classes (3-6), there is one lead teacher and one assistant for the first part of the day. In the afternoon (while the 3 year olds are napping), the assistant "floats" between classes so there is sometimes only one teacher for 15 or so kids. This is what I wrote down, others please respond if you heard differently.

What is the student teacher ratio for the classrooms?

I agree with what others have said. Also, I thought the principal was nice but didn't come across as a strong leader. I thought he should have focused more on what makes his school special or unique and less on photos of students/teachers doing regular school activities. There wasn't much real insight.

One teacher (Ms. S) was very good and I got a great sence of the school from her. I. agree with the issue of teacher quality. The classrooms are probably all very different (More/less organized).

I got a good impression overall. Most of that was from a Primary Teacher who gave an informative presentation in her class. She also answered many questions very openly. I agree that the principal's presentation was more about patting himself on the back than providing specific information. However, I liked the way he talked about the teachers (giving them lots of praise) and I liked his enthusiasm for the school. One thing I worry about it (and I know this is not unique to this school) is uneven teacher quality. It just seemed that the first teacher I spoke with was really stellar and other one was newer and just okay. I would be happy if we got a spot, but I'm not holding my breath given the insane amount of people there!

Curious what people thought. I had a hard time getting a sense of the school--there must have been 150 people there and only 2 tours--couldn't hear what the tour guide was saying. I didn't find the presentation from the principal too informative.