I just want to thank Ben for commenting on here and giving out his contact info! Just an example of the awesome community. I have a 1st grader at OTES this fall.

I was sad to hear about your negative experience with the orientation, I am this year's president-elect of the OTES PTA and would be glad to help you with any issues you might have.

Overall, OTES has proven to be a great school with excellent staff and teachers, but I will tell you that we were also pretty freaked out when we first got there. In fact it provoked a whole "maybe we should think private school" discussion. This proved to be entering kindergarten jitters and I hope it will prove the same for you.

Feel free to email me at benpass4@hotmail.com if I. An do anything to help.

Our former Bethesda elementary school used the orientation as a way to collect health forms and check boundary eligibility(?? -- we had to bring a phone bill or utility or lease if one was renting). Kids had a short time in a classroom and met a teacher and "identified" their name tag on a table or something. Sorry, it's been a few years.

That said, my co-worker is an OTES parent with an incoming K student and a second child in the school as well. We speak often about our kids' elementary school experience. He and his wife could not be happier with OTES. On all fronts. Very positive about the principal.

Do not lose hope.

PP two above. I meant Oakland Terrace elementary orientation held at Sligo Middle School. Kindergarten was there while the new Flora Singer elementary school was being built. Now the kids are back at the Oakland campus but the school is much smaller, with half of the students attending the brand new school.