Anonymous wrote:"Mean girls" don't exist in elementary school. That's just kids learning social skills. "Mean girls" is a middle school and high school thing.

uh, I beg to differ.

-signed mom of 4th grader at a EOTP DCPS whose daughter just yesterday experienced definite Mean Girl behaviour that had nothing to do with social skills

Anonymous wrote:"Mean girls" don't exist in elementary school. That's just kids learning social skills. "Mean girls" is a middle school and high school thing.

Either your daughter is the mean girl or you are at a great school. Where does your daughter go? It absolutely exist at my daughter's current school.

"Mean girls" don't exist in elementary school. That's just kids learning social skills. "Mean girls" is a middle school and high school thing.

I recommend that you connect with the counselor. She'll have a good sense of the dynamics of your particular class and may be able to suggest potential playmates the summer before you start and may be able to influence class placements. Our experience entering a different ES in 4th grade is that there has not been much explicit meanness, but nor was there much effort to reach out and include my quiet DD.

We had an issue several years ago, and it was hard convincing the class teacher that there was a problem (the "mean girl" apparently acted like an angel when adults were around). The girls who were affected did get support from the school psychologist and eventually from the class teacher, but only after several parents complained.

Anonymous wrote:So much has to do with your child's teacher. My child had some difficulty fitting in, but the teacher recognized this and created opportunities for more mixing in the classroom, which really helped. They also started a "girls book club" that met before school once a week. It created another opportunity for bonding and positive interactions.

This makes me feel better. Thank you so much! I feel like her current school is doing nothing and she is miserable. She may be miserable at a new school next year but at least I won't be paying tuition. My hope is DCPS has more variety. I know Deal is large so she will really have a large number of girls and should be able to "find her tribe."

FWIW, I am friends with two families with two girls at Janney each, and both have been very happy with the school.

So much has to do with your child's teacher. My child had some difficulty fitting in, but the teacher recognized this and created opportunities for more mixing in the classroom, which really helped. They also started a "girls book club" that met before school once a week. It created another opportunity for bonding and positive interactions.

Thanks! I realize that every class is different so that's why I asked broadly. My assumption is that a larger number of kids will reduce the mean girl cliques and provide a bigger variety of personalities. I mainly wanted to hear people's experiences and if there was resolution to confirm that my plan is a good one.

The DCPS parent handbook outlines the school system's bullying policies. See page 19 and 20.

https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/publication/attachments/DCPS%20Parent%20HandbookEnglishweb.pdf

Anonymous wrote:I am asking for your experience regardless of school. How does DCPS handle it? Isn't there a school system policy on behavior? Or does each school handle discipline differently? Maybe I am not asking the question properly?

There are strong DCPS policies against bullying. How well those bullying incidents are managed depends on the classroom teacher and principal/vice principal at a particular school. And, as you know, the dynamics can be very dependent based on the particular children in a grade.

However, at Janney, there are multiple classes for 3rd, 4th and 5th. And if there is a bad dynamic it is certainly possible to switch to a different one.

Good luck.

Oh and Janney is my inbound school. The neighbors we know are all childless or have adult children.

I am asking for your experience regardless of school. How does DCPS handle it? Isn't there a school system policy on behavior? Or does each school handle discipline differently? Maybe I am not asking the question properly?

You realize there are 40+ DCPS elementary schools.

Which one is your IB?

What are the mean girl dynamics at your DCPS elementary school? Specifically grades 3, 4, and 5. Thinking of making the move to public for larger classes and more options for friends. (Smaller isn't always better!)