Anonymous wrote:If you don't like Trix yogurt, how about you send your child to school with the yogurt of your choosing?

God forbid that people try to improve school lunches for those who rely on that food (those who rely on free or reduced public lunch).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Churchill cluster is down to earth. At least from our view (we have 2 at Potomac ES and love it)

Really? You must have very low expectations.

Churchill is middle earth. Wow, go over and have a read in the Churchill threads. Crazyville.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I agree with many of these sentiments, but parents who complain to administration about the sugar content of the yogurt are barking up the wrong tree. MCPS administrators have nothing to do with the food served in the building. If parents want to fight that fight, take it to the county and out of the schools.

I'm the PP for whom the yogurt isn't a huge issue (since we pack lunches), but I do know what happened there and the folks who cared about this did take it to the county level. I believe they had a meeting with some muckity-muck in the nutrition department at MCPS, and then invited the biggest muckity-muck to the school for an event. It was actually totally appropriate advocacy, working up the chain of command.

I would also note that the same folks who worked on the Great Yogurt Debacle organized the school community to come shovel the blacktop after Snowmageddon so the kids could have outdoor recess as soon as MCPS went back to school since the district prioritized snow removal in parking lots but not playgrounds. These are parents who care a lot about nutrition and also making sure kids get outdoor activity as often as possible.

We all have things we are passionate about, and I'm pretty much happy any time parents invest in their local public school community.

Funny that you also cite the outdoor recess crowd. In addition to the yogurt crowd, this is the other group of vocal people who, in my opinion, seem to make an issue out of something that really isn't one. This is the aspect of ESS that I find the least down to earth.

The ESS yogurt crusaders and outdoor recess defenders are the same group, and if the listserv is accurate, it's like four people max. Aside from that small contingency, I find the rest of the ESS community pretty chill and reasonable.

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP, I live in the Barnsley ES area of Rockville HS cluster, and from what I've seen so far, I think our community is what you are looking for. Parents are involved, but not overly (or annoyingly) so. Solid education, warm community. It is a diverse school cluster, and also happens to be one of the smaller high schools in the area, giving it a more homey feeling. I am so enamored by our community.

FWIW, I am a product of a down-county "W" school. AND I taught in two of those clusters. I totally understand what it is you are trying to avoid. While I was blessed with a great education, I'm looking for a more "down-to-earth" area for my own children. I do not want my kids to grow up feeling so entitled.

Thanks! This is helpful.

Anonymous wrote:Churchill cluster is down to earth. At least from our view (we have 2 at Potomac ES and love it)

Really? You must have very low expectations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes. yes. My beef is that I do not want to be around people who, for whatever reason, are in a setting that induces the anxious need to find and advocate for issues. Whether this is because they are anxious DC parents, or because the school legitimately needs that much attention, I don't want to be around it. I just want to be able to take the school for granted, basically, within reason, like many other public services I use and enjoy.

OP, pay careful attention, because I am about to solve your problems for you.

If you just want to be able to take the school for granted, basically, within reason, like many other public services you use and enjoy, then this is what you should do: take the school for granted, basically, within reason, like many other public services you use and enjoy.

There! Hooray! And welcome to Montgomery County. We've lived here for 15 years and are happy, basically, within reason.

Honestly, this answer is the best! Drop the mic. Thread over.

If you don't like Trix yogurt, how about you send your child to school with the yogurt of your choosing?

Hey OP, I live in the Barnsley ES area of Rockville HS cluster, and from what I've seen so far, I think our community is what you are looking for. Parents are involved, but not overly (or annoyingly) so. Solid education, warm community. It is a diverse school cluster, and also happens to be one of the smaller high schools in the area, giving it a more homey feeling. I am so enamored by our community.

FWIW, I am a product of a down-county "W" school. AND I taught in two of those clusters. I totally understand what it is you are trying to avoid. While I was blessed with a great education, I'm looking for a more "down-to-earth" area for my own children. I do not want my kids to grow up feeling so entitled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I agree with many of these sentiments, but parents who complain to administration about the sugar content of the yogurt are barking up the wrong tree. MCPS administrators have nothing to do with the food served in the building. If parents want to fight that fight, take it to the county and out of the schools.

I'm the PP for whom the yogurt isn't a huge issue (since we pack lunches), but I do know what happened there and the folks who cared about this did take it to the county level. I believe they had a meeting with some muckity-muck in the nutrition department at MCPS, and then invited the biggest muckity-muck to the school for an event. It was actually totally appropriate advocacy, working up the chain of command.

I would also note that the same folks who worked on the Great Yogurt Debacle organized the school community to come shovel the blacktop after Snowmageddon so the kids could have outdoor recess as soon as MCPS went back to school since the district prioritized snow removal in parking lots but not playgrounds. These are parents who care a lot about nutrition and also making sure kids get outdoor activity as often as possible.

We all have things we are passionate about, and I'm pretty much happy any time parents invest in their local public school community.

Funny that you also cite the outdoor recess crowd. In addition to the yogurt crowd, this is the other group of vocal people who, in my opinion, seem to make an issue out of something that really isn't one. This is the aspect of ESS that I find the least down to earth.

This is interesting to me, because I can see how a person would be annoyed at advocacy around food, since it is relatively easy for those who don't like the cafeteria options to have their child opt out. You can't opt out of indoor recess, though. If you happen to have a child who is more successful when they are able to move their bodies for a half hour in the middle of the day, then that seems like a much more obvious reason to get involved. The thing about indoor recess is that it isn't recess. It's free time, but the kids are expected to play board games or read books. That's fine for many kids, but other kids really need a physical release.

I think this is a problem all over the county, to be honest. A lot of kids are better students when they get some outdoor time, but MCPS is pretty conservative when it comes to indoor recess policies. I've heard it cited quite often as a reason why families, particularly of boys in K-2, would choose private schools that offer longer recess, or recess twice a day.

Rockville for the win.

Anonymous wrote:

I agree with many of these sentiments, but parents who complain to administration about the sugar content of the yogurt are barking up the wrong tree. MCPS administrators have nothing to do with the food served in the building. If parents want to fight that fight, take it to the county and out of the schools.

I'm the PP for whom the yogurt isn't a huge issue (since we pack lunches), but I do know what happened there and the folks who cared about this did take it to the county level. I believe they had a meeting with some muckity-muck in the nutrition department at MCPS, and then invited the biggest muckity-muck to the school for an event. It was actually totally appropriate advocacy, working up the chain of command.

I would also note that the same folks who worked on the Great Yogurt Debacle organized the school community to come shovel the blacktop after Snowmageddon so the kids could have outdoor recess as soon as MCPS went back to school since the district prioritized snow removal in parking lots but not playgrounds. These are parents who care a lot about nutrition and also making sure kids get outdoor activity as often as possible.

We all have things we are passionate about, and I'm pretty much happy any time parents invest in their local public school community.

Funny that you also cite the outdoor recess crowd. In addition to the yogurt crowd, this is the other group of vocal people who, in my opinion, seem to make an issue out of something that really isn't one. This is the aspect of ESS that I find the least down to earth.

OP, you are seriously high-maintenance, and over one particular issue. I don't understand why you don't bond like super-glue with the parents you claim to disdain.

Anonymous wrote:

Yes. yes. My beef is that I do not want to be around people who, for whatever reason, are in a setting that induces the anxious need to find and advocate for issues. Whether this is because they are anxious DC parents, or because the school legitimately needs that much attention, I don't want to be around it. I just want to be able to take the school for granted, basically, within reason, like many other public services I use and enjoy.

OP, pay careful attention, because I am about to solve your problems for you.

If you just want to be able to take the school for granted, basically, within reason, like many other public services you use and enjoy, then this is what you should do: take the school for granted, basically, within reason, like many other public services you use and enjoy.

There! Hooray! And welcome to Montgomery County. We've lived here for 15 years and are happy, basically, within reason.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is indeed a fascinating discussion. The OP seems to be think that parents are just inventing issues for power trips. You can always take the school for granted. MCPS is probably decent enough that most likely your kids will be just fine if they possess average to above average IQ and work ethics. But if you want to find a place people are more complacent, you may have to move further away from the city. I doubt that MCPS is the place for you.

Totally untrue. There are still many pockets of Montgomery County not overrun by Type A, data-driven, minutiae-obsessed parents, but as I stated many pages ago on this thread, OP's original mistake was seeking to find those places on this board.

HA, it's like going to an N.R.A board to ask where are the best places to avoid gun lovers.

OP here. I am determined to find the most down-to-earth school, as indicated by my down-to-earth metric and the rich dataset available on DCUM.

OP, "down to earth" does not mean "worrying about the things I think people should worry about and not worrying about the things I think people shouldn't worry about", which I think you know. However, congratulations! On DCUM, very many people have trouble understanding the idea that different people are different, so you fit right in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Right. So maybe explain to your kid why the yogurt is shitty food and why it would be healthier to avoid it, or at least consume it minimally. Then let them choose what to do. Or will you also be checking the nutritional content in their college cafeteria one day?

I don't know anything about the Trix yogurt episode, but it does seem to me that "MCPS should offer better food to all children" is a valid issue to be an advocate about. It might even be a down-to-earth issue! It's not my issue, but that's how advocacy works; everybody picks their own issues.

NO!!! That is my WHOLE point! I DO NOT WANT to be at a school community where everyone feels the need to advocate for the issue of their choosing, just as a way of marking their imprint on the school.

Well, you're welcome to look for a school where everybody advocates only for the issues you believe they should advocate for, for the reasons you think they should advocate, but you're unlikely to find one.