Anonymous wrote:The PTA for the elementary schools in the mini-cluster used to have a pin that said "OPC" - it stood for "Other People's Children" as in we care not just for our kids but for all the kids at our schools. So, OP - look at the statistics and have a little conversation about what you want for your child - not with dcurbanmom community - but your spouse and family. If you value the experience of sending your child to a highly successful school that is also diverse, then purchase a home that will probably be in the boundary for the new middle school. If, you are for whatever reason not comfortable with socio-economic and racial diversity (in elementary school or middle school) then just don't buy in the downcounty area.

If it's a new school, how can it already be highly successful?

The fact that you'd call a school that hasn't even opened yet a success tells me pretty strongly that you're just pontificating based on your own views of social justice. As long as a school has the right SES and racial diversity for you, it's a guaranteed success. No thanks. There's enough of that mindset in MCPS already.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

the current plan for the middle school, both of which would pull lots of kids from lower income parts of Silver Spring and Kensington.

OK, please. I have a child at RHPS. The parts of Kensington that are in the RHPS/NCCES configuration currently are Rock Creek Hills and Chevy Chase View. They are by no stretch of the imagination "lower income" and are arguably the nicest areas in Kensington and are nicer neighborhoods than many in Bethesda. The parts of Silver Spring are the neighborhood immediately surrounding Rosemary Hills, where every house costs more than $450K, and a few nearby apartment complexes where I assume incomes are lower. It's true that there will be a boundary study and the outcome is uncertain at this point, but there is no proposal to move wide swaths of other parts of Silver Spring and Kensington into the already overcrowded B-CC cluster. The kids that OP is complaining about are already at RHPS, which is a fantastic school with an incredibly dedicated staff and involved parent community.

Yeah, Rock Creek Hills and Chevy Chase View are real low income neighborhoods - NOT. Most of my neighbors are either lawyers, doctors, research scientists or economists. I don't think the OP would like her kids going to school with the likes of our kids. The people who moved to these neighborhoods appreciate large lot sizes, the proximity to the Beltway, downtown and several Metro stations, the BCC cluster and yes, diversity. Therefore I don't think you'd like living in the part of Kensington (Rock Creek Hills and Chevy Chase View) served by the BCC cluster.

I too live in lowly slummy Kensington, and not even the nice part. Our neighborhood is diverse, and chock-a-block with teachers, Fed employees, Fed lawyers, artists, and writers, etc. Wouldn't trade it for the world. I suggest you move out of ChCh if you don't want to associate with anyone from SS or Kensington.

It’s amazing how people declare which schools will feed into the new MS, or how the cluster boundaries will change. MCPS has stated repeatedly that the cluster boundaries are not changing. In addition, no decision has been made on which schools will feed into the new middle school because the feasibility study is not complete. The RCHP site is very challenging and smaller than it was when KJH was there (1/3 the lot and the access road to the site were leased to HOC for the elder care facility), and it has an odd, sloping topology. It very well may be sized much smaller than Westland, in which case, it will approach the feel of a neighborhood school. Finally, people need to remember that the MS is being built because the Westland population is increasing. It very well may be that some line of demarcation, e.g., Bradley Boulevard, will divide who goes to Westland and who goes to the new MS. Net-net: People have to wait and see. P.S. For all those who worried about the quality of the cluster, B-CC is diverse and was just ranked #1 in the county, #1 in the state, and #59 (I think) among over 27,000 high schools nationwide. A school is what you make it.

^^^ oops...realize that you weren't considering lowly Kensington anyway.

Anonymous wrote:

the current plan for the middle school, both of which would pull lots of kids from lower income parts of Silver Spring and Kensington.

OK, please. I have a child at RHPS. The parts of Kensington that are in the RHPS/NCCES configuration currently are Rock Creek Hills and Chevy Chase View. They are by no stretch of the imagination "lower income" and are arguably the nicest areas in Kensington and are nicer neighborhoods than many in Bethesda. The parts of Silver Spring are the neighborhood immediately surrounding Rosemary Hills, where every house costs more than $450K, and a few nearby apartment complexes where I assume incomes are lower. It's true that there will be a boundary study and the outcome is uncertain at this point, but there is no proposal to move wide swaths of other parts of Silver Spring and Kensington into the already overcrowded B-CC cluster. The kids that OP is complaining about are already at RHPS, which is a fantastic school with an incredibly dedicated staff and involved parent community.

Yeah, Rock Creek Hills and Chevy Chase View are real low income neighborhoods - NOT. Most of my neighbors are either lawyers, doctors, research scientists or economists. I don't think the OP would like her kids going to school with the likes of our kids. The people who moved to these neighborhoods appreciate large lot sizes, the proximity to the Beltway, downtown and several Metro stations, the BCC cluster and yes, diversity. Therefore I don't think you'd like living in the part of Kensington (Rock Creek Hills and Chevy Chase View) served by the BCC cluster.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if an official decision has been made as to which elementary schools will feed the new MS? Specifically, where will RCF ES kids go for middle school?

I have heard that RCF will definitely go to the new middle school if it is built. If it isn't built then there is a chance that the immersion program would be articulated elsewhere and possibly the whole school as something would have to be done about the overcrowding at Westland.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love that OP expressed concern with the school and is immediately called a rascist. Way to be defensive, RH parnets. The fact is, the percentage of free and reduced price lunch students at a school is the best single predictor of educational quality. So it makes huge sense for OP to be concerned about the additional of lower income neighborhoods. We live in that district now, and while we don't think our options are bd, per say, we will be looking strongly at private schools as well as moving nother district.

OP - per your concerns about being priced out of Bethesda,, you might look at the Carderock/Bannockburn districts. Great elementary schools with a wider range of housing options. Good luck.

You are the reason for high farms.

What does this even mean? (And I'm not the PP being referred to)

When will a new middle school open? Will the RCF immersion program continue in the b-cc cluster or is it still slated to move to Silver Spring International (since most of the students are from the DCC according to data from the BoE this fall and b-cc is also overcrowded)?

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if an official decision has been made as to which elementary schools will feed the new MS? Specifically, where will RCF ES kids go for middle school?

No that requires a boundary study and none has been done. I don't even know what the schedule would be. I expect first they would want to get further along on approving construction (but isn't RCF one of the closest ESs to the proposed site for the new MS? It would seem odd to me if those kids didn't go to the new MS).

Does anyone know if an official decision has been made as to which elementary schools will feed the new MS? Specifically, where will RCF ES kids go for middle school?

The PTA for the elementary schools in the mini-cluster used to have a pin that said "OPC" - it stood for "Other People's Children" as in we care not just for our kids but for all the kids at our schools. So, OP - look at the statistics and have a little conversation about what you want for your child - not with dcurbanmom community - but your spouse and family. If you value the experience of sending your child to a highly successful school that is also diverse, then purchase a home that will probably be in the boundary for the new middle school. If, you are for whatever reason not comfortable with socio-economic and racial diversity (in elementary school or middle school) then just don't buy in the downcounty area.

Studies show that kids who attend diverse schools make more diverse choices in life (work, housing, spouse). So, make your choice about the world you want your child to be comfortable in when he or she grows up. No school in the BCC cluster is going to be bad, but if you want your child to attend a school just among the elite - that is a reasonable choice - but you will have to purchase a home in such a community or pay for private school.

People. What is education? Is it training to score high on SAT's ultimately? Is that all you care about? What about learning to be a good citizen in this world? What about having your child learn that a child unlike him/herself, and maybe even who has to deal with difficulties s/he will never know, is a good person with bright ideas and a kind heart and is nice to be around?

When else and where else are your kids going to get an education about people unlike themselves, and have an opportunity to relate to them as equals and as friends, without prejudice? Certainly not from the stereotypes and fear-mongering coming from the parents concerned about sheltering their children from "FARMS" and "ESOL."

Please remember that all children are human beings and education is much broader than academics.

Anonymous wrote:I love that OP expressed concern with the school and is immediately called a rascist. Way to be defensive, RH parnets. The fact is, the percentage of free and reduced price lunch students at a school is the best single predictor of educational quality. So it makes huge sense for OP to be concerned about the additional of lower income neighborhoods. We live in that district now, and while we don't think our options are bd, per say, we will be looking strongly at private schools as well as moving nother district.

OP - per your concerns about being priced out of Bethesda,, you might look at the Carderock/Bannockburn districts. Great elementary schools with a wider range of housing options. Good luck.

You are the reason for high farms.

Anonymous wrote:We just started at CCES and I don't get where the FARMS kids live. Almost all the houses in CC are close to a million. Where is the lower/low income housing?

Likely Rosemary Hills Elem neighborhood children.
Since it's just a k-2 school, the local children must go to other schools, like CCes and n. Chevy Chase Elem since their "home" school does not handle grades 3-5.

Evidence shows us that in mixed income schools middle and high income children do as well as they would in segregated schools, and lower income children perform better.

I see this bandied about on DCUM periodically and yet no one has ever cited actual empirical evidence to support the bolded text (not the other part). Also, I have researched this discrete question myself and have never found an actual study that addresses the question.

I would be much appreciative if PP could point me toward the evidence she cites.