Anonymous wrote:With so many classes, do kids have trouble maintaining friendships from year to year?

Yes. For example, from grade to grade, my child never had more than 2-3 other kids he had known from prior classes. This is even more true if RHPS is no longer grouping across grade level for math and reading (i.e. if kids stay with the same teacher all day). Even in 2nd grade, he didn't have any other boys assigned to his class that he had been in class with before.

It was a pleasant surprise when transition to the upper elementary school which has about half the number of classrooms per grade, that DC finally had about 1/2 a dozen kids in his class that he already knew well from previous classes.

Also with such a large catchment area, many kids you meet and make friends with in class aren't really in your immediate neighborhood. Although CC/NCC/BES aren't that far apart, it's far enough that kids you meet in class aren't necessarily in walking or quick drop-off distance, particularly if you are arranging playdates that require rush hour pickups.

At the end of RHPS many kids (girls particularly, it seemed to me), were sad to leave their friends going to a different upper elementary. But, it is nice that they will see each other again at NCC.

For us, the bus ride was really the main way our child met and made neighborhood friends. The vast majority of kids at RHPS ride a bus.

I've had two kids go through RHPS. The first did K at a Montessori School and in hindsight, I wish we had sent him to RHPS. All of the local Chevy Chase schools are good - just different trade-offs between RHPS/CC, RHPS/NCC, or BE/Westland. And this will all change again with new middle school.

With so many classes, do kids have trouble maintaining friendships from year to year?

Anonymous wrote:I have to agree, I think high ability kids do well at RHPS. My DC who is now in the HGC did well at Rosemary Hills. You do have to take a leap of faith though, as with any school. It doesn't help to have two parents of every enrolled child second guessing the teacher's every move. Just chill out and let them do their thing. Let the teachers know about your child's unique situation and then back off.

Yes, there are 10 kindergarten classes, but each class has its own teacher. I don't think there is less individual attention than at a school that might have the same total number of kids, but have them spread over 6 grade levels. Here the little ones rule. Maybe because there are no older grades, the atmosphere amongst the kids seems particularly friendly and innocent. I did not see the formation of cliques. (or is 2nd grade too early for that anyway?)

In my experience and watching the experiences of neighbors, kids of varying abilities do well at RHPS. Also, issues between the kids get worked out at an individual level. (and we had one occasion to see the school speech therapist, who was also great!)

For the high ability child -- is RHPS regrouping for reading across the whole grade level so that very high readers have reading groups at their level with peers at the same level? Is RHPS allowing high ability kids to advance in math by one or two years? They used to do this. I heard some parents were unhappy that they stopped as part of C2.0.

I have to agree, I think high ability kids do well at RHPS. My DC who is now in the HGC did well at Rosemary Hills. You do have to take a leap of faith though, as with any school. It doesn't help to have two parents of every enrolled child second guessing the teacher's every move. Just chill out and let them do their thing. Let the teachers know about your child's unique situation and then back off.

Yes, there are 10 kindergarten classes, but each class has its own teacher. I don't think there is less individual attention than at a school that might have the same total number of kids, but have them spread over 6 grade levels. Here the little ones rule. Maybe because there are no older grades, the atmosphere amongst the kids seems particularly friendly and innocent. I did not see the formation of cliques. (or is 2nd grade too early for that anyway?)

In my experience and watching the experiences of neighbors, kids of varying abilities do well at RHPS. Also, issues between the kids get worked out at an individual level. (and we had one occasion to see the school speech therapist, who was also great!)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, our family did not have such a great experience at RHPS. If your child might need any special education, even minimal, I would be extremely cautious. (Although that doesn't apply to special education in the autism program.) Also, although in general I think the large school atmosphere is not as much of a problem as parents imagine (unless the child has a shy, anxious or sensory sensitive personality), the large atmosphere does mean that supervision can be weak (for example, on the playground) and some bullying does happen. Although the principal has changed since we were there many other key staff remain (special education, resource and services staff and administrators below the principal), many of whom we thought were weak. In retrospect, our child belonged in a private school. If you expect that your child is average to above average ability, but not high ability and won't have need anything out of the norm, and can manage a large atmosphere, then I would say RHPS might be an OK fit.

I would have to disagree, as my high ability children thrived at Rosemary Hills. I would say that if your child is average or below average, but you actually think they are high ability, private might be a better fit for them.

This might be my Post Of The Day.

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, our family did not have such a great experience at RHPS. If your child might need any special education, even minimal, I would be extremely cautious. (Although that doesn't apply to special education in the autism program.) Also, although in general I think the large school atmosphere is not as much of a problem as parents imagine (unless the child has a shy, anxious or sensory sensitive personality), the large atmosphere does mean that supervision can be weak (for example, on the playground) and some bullying does happen. Although the principal has changed since we were there many other key staff remain (special education, resource and services staff and administrators below the principal), many of whom we thought were weak. In retrospect, our child belonged in a private school. If you expect that your child is average to above average ability, but not high ability and won't have need anything out of the norm, and can manage a large atmosphere, then I would say RHPS might be an OK fit.

I would have to disagree, as my high ability children thrived at Rosemary Hills. I would say that if your child is average or below average, but you actually think they are high ability, private might be a better fit for them.