Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 12:57     Subject: Re:S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Hearst!

Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 12:41     Subject: Re:S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
When my 4 kids were atPre K and K at Janney, they had wild, abandon all your cares style recess three times a day 5 days a week. They each had Ms. Gero who has been there 30 years--she is of Dutch Extraction and would take the kids out no matter if it was pouring rain or temps of @ 20-25ºF. Janney with it's new wing has cross over from great school into the realm of fantasy-level perfection; diversity, curricula, and physical plant in perfect harmony....the jaguars purr with power.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 12:31     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Janney is overcrowded--do a search with terms Janney and overcrowded. Last I read, projections for K next year are 125,not 100.

1 of the 3 recesses is actually lunch.

Still only one PE/week.

BTW gross motor/dramatic play IS the arguably the most important aspect of curriculum for 5 year olds.


I'm sorry but since when is a search for a term on an anonymous board a way of finding out accurate information about a school. Good luck to you with that.


Or on Google, which has been suggested on at least two other threads. Please, I could do a search for my name + hairy and discover I'm a gorilla.


Does this mean that the PP who said that there were "only" 23 kids in her DC's class this year (vs 28 in the previous year) might not have provided accurate info? I suppose I should just call Janney and find out what the K class sizes currently are.


No, there are 23. And a phenomenal teacher and great aide.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 12:31     Subject: Re:S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Janney is on par with a big 3 private. Yes it is officially 'crowded with 24 students in a classroom for 4th and 5th grade. But anyone who goes there knows that there is rarely a day when at least 2 or 3 kids aren't absent and many of the classes have a student teacher assisting. Shhhh-it's Sidwell/GDS but free. Plus bonus, your kid can easily get into those schools after 6th grade, if that's what you want--but Deal is equally awesome.


I think that Janney and the other JKLMM schools are excellent schools, but they are not on par with "big-3" schools (Beauvoir/GDS/Sidwell) at least at the K level. The teacher:student ratio and general class sizes are better at privates. GDS has a 10:1 student:teacher ratio (two teachers, not a teacher plus an aide or two) with the average K class at 20. There is a dedicated playground for K-2 grade (1-1.5 hours of daily outdoor play), plus PE four days a week, M-TH. They have dedicated teachers who specialize in science, music, reading, and math, and who teach the K class on a weekly or bi-weekly basis; there are also weekly visits in groups of 10 to the library.

I know that the price tag for private school education is steep and controversial, but you do get more individualized attention, smaller classes, more appropriate gross motor play, and other benefits by going the private school route. For some, the $30K price tag is not worth the curriculum, but for others it is.

å
Janney also has dedicated teachers for those subjects, has a separate playground for peek and K only, one for 1st and 2nd graders and one with a huge nylon tower à la Sheridan School for 3-5 graders. Yes PE an music are only once a month--but for an extra $150 per 6 week session you can have our hottie PE teacher run your kids until they drop on the heavenly school campus, or have a faculty members walk the kid across the street to Tae Kwon Do Class, or take a Lego™ brick building class (at school), or take french , italian or chinese, etc. Plus class ratios are the same as at private because large classes get 2 teachers--so no, the curriculum at private really is NOT better at private. But once your in private, if that's what you want, you are done and don't have to worry about getting in at 6th grade--except that I have no idea why anyone does that, with the equally stellar Deal awaiting you after Janney.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 12:26     Subject: Re:S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
We toured GDS and were really underwhelmed by the cramped quarters of Kindergarten classrooms. Justification for all the extra time for outdoor play I guess, there is not enough room indoors.

OK. I am a troll
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 12:23     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:"but you do get more individualized attention, smaller classes, more appropriate gross motor play, and other benefits by going the private school route."

Really not true, but go ahead and convince yourself of that while I save $2500/month.


Janney has 28 kids/K class. Our private has 19. Last I knew, 28 > 19. And that's with 2 lead teachers, not 1 lead teacher and an aide.

Janney has PE 1x/week, right? How many scheduled hours of outdoor play do Ks at Janney have?

I'm not knocking the value of Janney, but what you're suggesting about the JKLMM schools having the same size classes and equal amounts of PE/outdoor play are simply not true. I say this as a parent who toured both public and private schools, with friends who have children at the JKLMM schools, but who ultimately chose private. Is it worth $28K/year? Maybe not. But that is a different question than that of class size and developmentally appropriate amounts of outdoor gross motor activity.



Dollars well spent for more outdoor play...
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 12:17     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Janney is overcrowded--do a search with terms Janney and overcrowded. Last I read, projections for K next year are 125,not 100.

1 of the 3 recesses is actually lunch.

Still only one PE/week.

BTW gross motor/dramatic play IS the arguably the most important aspect of curriculum for 5 year olds.


I'm sorry but since when is a search for a term on an anonymous board a way of finding out accurate information about a school. Good luck to you with that.


Or on Google, which has been suggested on at least two other threads. Please, I could do a search for my name + hairy and discover I'm a gorilla.


Does this mean that the PP who said that there were "only" 23 kids in her DC's class this year (vs 28 in the previous year) might not have provided accurate info? I suppose I should just call Janney and find out what the K class sizes currently are.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 11:53     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Janney is overcrowded--do a search with terms Janney and overcrowded. Last I read, projections for K next year are 125,not 100.

1 of the 3 recesses is actually lunch.

Still only one PE/week.

BTW gross motor/dramatic play IS the arguably the most important aspect of curriculum for 5 year olds.


I'm sorry but since when is a search for a term on an anonymous board a way of finding out accurate information about a school. Good luck to you with that.


Or on Google, which has been suggested on at least two other threads. Please, I could do a search for my name + hairy and discover I'm a gorilla.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 11:43     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:"but you do get more individualized attention, smaller classes, more appropriate gross motor play, and other benefits by going the private school route."

Really not true, but go ahead and convince yourself of that while I save $2500/month.


Janney has 28 kids/K class. Our private has 19. Last I knew, 28 > 19. And that's with 2 lead teachers, not 1 lead teacher and an aide.

Janney has PE 1x/week, right? How many scheduled hours of outdoor play do Ks at Janney have?

I'm not knocking the value of Janney, but what you're suggesting about the JKLMM schools having the same size classes and equal amounts of PE/outdoor play are simply not true. I say this as a parent who toured both public and private schools, with friends who have children at the JKLMM schools, but who ultimately chose private. Is it worth $28K/year? Maybe not. But that is a different question than that of class size and developmentally appropriate amounts of outdoor gross motor activity.



You need a job. Better yet, go volunteer somewhere.


This is your best response?

There is no denying that Janney is one of the most over-crowded schools in DC. From the school's own website: http://www.janneyschool.org/PTASITPPP/SIT_Minutes/Funding%20Alert.html
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 11:22     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:"but you do get more individualized attention, smaller classes, more appropriate gross motor play, and other benefits by going the private school route."

Really not true, but go ahead and convince yourself of that while I save $2500/month.


Janney has 28 kids/K class. Our private has 19. Last I knew, 28 > 19. And that's with 2 lead teachers, not 1 lead teacher and an aide.

Janney has PE 1x/week, right? How many scheduled hours of outdoor play do Ks at Janney have?

I'm not knocking the value of Janney, but what you're suggesting about the JKLMM schools having the same size classes and equal amounts of PE/outdoor play are simply not true. I say this as a parent who toured both public and private schools, with friends who have children at the JKLMM schools, but who ultimately chose private. Is it worth $28K/year? Maybe not. But that is a different question than that of class size and developmentally appropriate amounts of outdoor gross motor activity.



You need a job. Better yet, go volunteer somewhere.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 11:03     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:Janney is overcrowded--do a search with terms Janney and overcrowded. Last I read, projections for K next year are 125,not 100.

1 of the 3 recesses is actually lunch.

Still only one PE/week.

BTW gross motor/dramatic play IS the arguably the most important aspect of curriculum for 5 year olds.


I'm sorry but since when is a search for a term on an anonymous board a way of finding out accurate information about a school. Good luck to you with that.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 11:02     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
I have a child who will be in k next year and max projections are 100. Whoever is posted 125 I don't think is in the school.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 08:02     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:Janney is overcrowded--do a search with terms Janney and overcrowded. Last I read, projections for K next year are 125,not 100.

1 of the 3 recesses is actually lunch.

Still only one PE/week.

BTW gross motor/dramatic play IS the arguably the most important aspect of curriculum for 5 year olds.


There iseems to be bit of confusion with regard to overcrowding. Yes, the school is soon to exceed its planned capacity. However, this does not mean that the student-to-teacher ratio will change significantly. It means that there will be portables or other rooms converted into classrooms. Last year's K classes were large as the school was constrained by construction. This year the ratio is more in keeping with historic trends. I have two DC at Janney. One had a K with 21 and the other with 25.

As for the issue with outdoor time, I'm not sure how you discount lunch recess. They are outside just the same as they would be at other recess periods. FWIW, this outdoor time is significantly more than what my MoCo friends' children received in K. Their children received lunch recess and that is it.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 06:43     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Janney is overcrowded--do a search with terms Janney and overcrowded. Last I read, projections for K next year are 125,not 100.

1 of the 3 recesses is actually lunch.

Still only one PE/week.

BTW gross motor/dramatic play IS the arguably the most important aspect of curriculum for 5 year olds.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2012 03:26     Subject: S/O Is Janney the best of the JKLMM schools?
Anonymous wrote:GO MANN!


Centaurs Rock!