Anonymous wrote:School has improved tremendously over the last several years. Administration is better and improving. Parental involvement has dramatically increased. We are in zone with a child attending RPES. I would rate this school as very good now, whereas 3 years ago, I would have said it is inconsistent.

Parent involvement increased? Um, no. Every year they try but it just never happens. The moms/dads that do the bulk of the work get burned out easily.

They are getting some better teachers, I will give them that. Principal still needs to go. And like another poster said the para-educators (besides the one awesome one) are just terrible. They got a new AP that speaks Spanish because the RP population is getting super high in ESOL and FARMS compared to 10 years ago. I guarantee that AP will be leaving next year to be principal to the new school on Hungerford which will be high in Spanish/ESOL. IF the school is actually ready by then.

We've been really happy with RPES. It's not perfect, but no school is around here. Been happy with the majority of DD's teachers. There is a person on this board that is a relentless, irrational hater of the school and will probably show up soon to dump on it. Ignore them.

Thanks so much for these replies on recent feedback! I appreciate hearing from you all!

School has improved tremendously over the last several years. Administration is better and improving. Parental involvement has dramatically increased. We are in zone with a child attending RPES. I would rate this school as very good now, whereas 3 years ago, I would have said it is inconsistent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a brand new ap this year....does anyone have any thoughts?

I've met her and like her so far. She's also bilingual, which should be helpful for including more of the Latino population at our school.

Re: class sizes question from PP - the new school won't affect class sizes, just number of classes/teachers. MoCo is pretty standard with their class sizes being around 27 for 1-5 grade in non-focus/title 1 schools.

This year DC's 4th grade class has 24 kids.

Anonymous wrote:There is a brand new ap this year....does anyone have any thoughts?

I've met her and like her so far. She's also bilingual, which should be helpful for including more of the Latino population at our school.

Re: class sizes question from PP - the new school won't affect class sizes, just number of classes/teachers. MoCo is pretty standard with their class sizes being around 27 for 1-5 grade in non-focus/title 1 schools.

There is a brand new ap this year....does anyone have any thoughts?

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Rockville four years ago and both kids attended RP. I'm shocked by all the negative reviews here as we love the school, several teachers and the principal. She has gone above and beyond in supporting our DD through issues that arose in the classroom and we are very happy here.

Thanks PP! Glad to hear it! How are your class sizes thisyear? I know a new elem school is being built to help with sizes, but just curious how the classes are now.

We moved to Rockville four years ago and both kids attended RP. I'm shocked by all the negative reviews here as we love the school, several teachers and the principal. She has gone above and beyond in supporting our DD through issues that arose in the classroom and we are very happy here.

Bringing back an old thread... does Ritchie Park still have mixed reviews? Any recent feedback people can share?

The latest on the new elementary school in the RM Cluster...

"Montgomery County is moving forward with plans to move its Children’s Resource Center to a school-owned property in Twinbrook, but some area residents have lingering concerns about the relocation.

County staff presented preliminary designs for the new Children’s Resource Center at a community meeting Nov. 20. The center must move out of its current building at 332 W. Edmonston Drive by 2016 so construction can start on a new elementary school in the Richard Montgomery cluster."
http://www.gazette.net/article/20131125/NEWS/131129457/children-x2019-s-resource-center-slated-for-twinbrook&template=gazette

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a new elementary school going into that Cluster in a few years (called Hungerford Park, but located on W. Edmonston) so your parents house might be rezoned into that brand new school.

If her parents neighborhood is in Potomac Woods or Montgomery Square, the neighborhood Ritchie Park is in, there is no way that is going to the new school. All those kids walk.

Not necessarily - location is only one factor in school boundaries. I live in walking distance to Lakewood, but my child gets bussed to Ritchie Park passing two other elementary schools along the way. But as other posters mentioned the new ES is only theoretical at this point.

Where do you live? I live near Lakewood and my kids go to Fallsmead ES. I did not know any neighborhood NW of Wootton HS went to RP

Fallsgrove - just across from the intersection of Darnestown & Wootton Pkwy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a new elementary school going into that Cluster in a few years (called Hungerford Park, but located on W. Edmonston) so your parents house might be rezoned into that brand new school.

If her parents neighborhood is in Potomac Woods or Montgomery Square, the neighborhood Ritchie Park is in, there is no way that is going to the new school. All those kids walk.

Not necessarily - location is only one factor in school boundaries. I live in walking distance to Lakewood, but my child gets bussed to Ritchie Park passing two other elementary schools along the way. But as other posters mentioned the new ES is only theoretical at this point.

Where do you live? I live near Lakewood and my kids go to Fallsmead ES. I did not know any neighborhood NW of Wootton HS went to RP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a new elementary school going into that Cluster in a few years (called Hungerford Park, but located on W. Edmonston) so your parents house might be rezoned into that brand new school.

If her parents neighborhood is in Potomac Woods or Montgomery Square, the neighborhood Ritchie Park is in, there is no way that is going to the new school. All those kids walk.

Not necessarily - location is only one factor in school boundaries. I live in walking distance to Lakewood, but my child gets bussed to Ritchie Park passing two other elementary schools along the way. But as other posters mentioned the new ES is only theoretical at this point.

Anonymous wrote:There's a new elementary school going into that Cluster in a few years (called Hungerford Park, but located on W. Edmonston) so your parents house might be rezoned into that brand new school.

If her parents neighborhood is in Potomac Woods or Montgomery Square, the neighborhood Ritchie Park is in, there is no way that is going to the new school. All those kids walk.