Anonymous wrote:Heh heh, another OTES neighbor here I think the "anti" posters are just soooo mad they spent 1.2 mil instead of 600K for a great neighborhood and great school and great neighbors like us!

I guess we will have to disagree what makes a neighborhood great. 1.2 mil seems like great value to avoid the 600k and below types of people

Heh heh, another OTES neighbor here I think the "anti" posters are just soooo mad they spent 1.2 mil instead of 600K for a great neighborhood and great school and great neighbors like us!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are *many* teacher parents whose kids go to OTES. They are onto something.

They don’t make a lot of money and their options are limited in this very expensive metro area. That is what it is saying

Point.

People who think like this suck

The area is fine. It's next to two metro stations and the Marc and it's a cute neighy, but apparently to some people it's a ghetto or out in the boonies

Two teachers make plenty. There is a lot of money with the families who go to OTES but many of us prefer to spend our money on other things beyond big houses. Its far from ghetto out in the boonies. Rockville, Potomac, Gaithersburg are the boonies..

Yet another teacher/Fed family here. (This seems to be the norm in the neighborhood!) Love OTES. I teach at a middle school mid-county. Looked carefully where to send my kids and chose OTES. Missed the immersion program, dang.

Hey, we're all over-educated around here. Everyone's got at least one Masters, many have 2 (like DH and me). This is not the norm for the country, but appears to be the norm in this area.

I can't speak to the immersion (my kids just missed it, which is a shame because now my older child is learning spanish in middle school and would have been much farther along), but I can talk about sending two kids through.

First, the admin. The principal is great. She is a very strong leader and provides a vision in the school. She doesn't just put out a fire, she puts it out and comes up with a plan to prevent them in the future (or already had a plan to prevent them). Having an experience with admin that just addresses the problem in front of him/her, I appreciate the strategic vision. As she has strong opinions, parents don't always get what they want. I have asked for things and been turned down. I have asked for things and it has been considered and offered in a way that satisfied my need but was not exactly what I requested. I have come away feeling heard, but also know the admin is not going to do something just to make me happy. I can imagine some parents would be frustrated so it really just comes down to the request. At the end of the day, my kids had a great experience. They left to go to the magnet so we have comparative experience with different elementary school leaders. I admire the OTES principal.

In terms of volunteering, I have volunteered throughout the years. It depends on the teacher. Some have you in classroom, some have you do copying and some don't want you at all. When I haven't been in the classroom, I have volunteered for recess or lunch. I have to take off from work to do it, and this year was super busy so I did not do it last year. So, unless some policy changed in the last year and I didn't know about it, you can volunteer.

I don't remember my kids working on handwriting. My older child's handwriting is awful and we are working on him writing more legibly for his middle school teachers. But he types most of his stuff in the chrome book so no complaints. I do remember spelling homework coming home in second grade but not third (but there was a spelling notebook). There is a standard curriculum so OTES is following it. My kids came out with a solid foundation of the basics and were more than prepared for the magnet and now middle school. There are parents who supplement (I am one of them, because I am type A) but I also found that when my kid went to middle school with the kids who stayed at OTES without supplementation, he was in the advanced math with plenty of kids who just took the OTES curriculum and were getting the same grades as him.

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I do have an opinion about what my kids should be taught as an involved parent. Other local schools have weekly spelling tests and work on handwriting. They all have a basic MCPS curriculum but what they do with it varies by school teacher. Our experience is that they are far weaker than other MCPS schools and like others said, you have to wonder about a closed school that doesn't allow parent involvement and there is absolutely no communication from teachers (other schools send home a weekly summary, for example).

You clearly haven't been there to see the admin screaming at staff or as a parent have been screamed at.

Most of the kids who are successful are either very smart or are heavily supplemented at home.

According to DCUM, that's not true.

My kids' ES did have weekly spelling tests and some handwriting work, but that was 5+ years ago. My opinion on weekly spelling tests is that they're a waste of time.

Neighborhood*

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are *many* teacher parents whose kids go to OTES. They are onto something.

They don’t make a lot of money and their options are limited in this very expensive metro area. That is what it is saying

Point.

People who think like this suck

The area is fine. It's next to two metro stations and the Marc and it's a cute neighy, but apparently to some people it's a ghetto or out in the boonies

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the admin is an issue. About 7 or 8 years ago so many talented staff members left to go to flora Singer and other places. I’d look at Singer instead of OTES.

You’re suggesting OP move? This isn’t a “we’re looking at a house in this school zone” question. OP’s kid is going there in September. She wants advice about how to prepare him.

If OP wants to prepare, teach your child to read, handwriting, spelling and math facts. Spelling and math facts are not taught. Handwriting varies by teacher.

Also, make sure they can fend for themselves in the lunch room as they only have a few aides and don't allow parent volunteers to help open containers. Get easy to open. For K. send them in easy to take off clothing as teachers cannot help.

There goes your credibility. You clearly have your own opinion of what should be taught and how. OTES teaches the same curriculum as every other MCPS ES. The immersion factor does not change the material that is covered in kindergarten.

OP, you don’t NEED to do anything to prep your son for the Spanish part, but if you want to do something, you could check out some Spanish “my first words” board books from the library. Also, the Disney channel app has Disney Junior shows in Spanish.

Yes, I do have an opinion about what my kids should be taught as an involved parent. Other local schools have weekly spelling tests and work on handwriting. They all have a basic MCPS curriculum but what they do with it varies by school teacher. Our experience is that they are far weaker than other MCPS schools and like others said, you have to wonder about a closed school that doesn't allow parent involvement and there is absolutely no communication from teachers (other schools send home a weekly summary, for example).

You clearly haven't been there to see the admin screaming at staff or as a parent have been screamed at.

Most of the kids who are successful are either very smart or are heavily supplemented at home.

Our MCPS elementary does not do spelling in kindergarten. Kindergarten is about matching sounds to letters, and as long as the kid is listening to the sound of words and trying to match that to letters they are satisfied. Lots of very creative spelling in K. Starting to work on standard spelling happened a few months into 1st grade.

K. is not the issue. Its the older grades. Other local schools work heavily on spelling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the admin is an issue. About 7 or 8 years ago so many talented staff members left to go to flora Singer and other places. I’d look at Singer instead of OTES.

You’re suggesting OP move? This isn’t a “we’re looking at a house in this school zone” question. OP’s kid is going there in September. She wants advice about how to prepare him.

If OP wants to prepare, teach your child to read, handwriting, spelling and math facts. Spelling and math facts are not taught. Handwriting varies by teacher.

Also, make sure they can fend for themselves in the lunch room as they only have a few aides and don't allow parent volunteers to help open containers. Get easy to open. For K. send them in easy to take off clothing as teachers cannot help.

There goes your credibility. You clearly have your own opinion of what should be taught and how. OTES teaches the same curriculum as every other MCPS ES. The immersion factor does not change the material that is covered in kindergarten.

OP, you don’t NEED to do anything to prep your son for the Spanish part, but if you want to do something, you could check out some Spanish “my first words” board books from the library. Also, the Disney channel app has Disney Junior shows in Spanish.

Yes, I do have an opinion about what my kids should be taught as an involved parent. Other local schools have weekly spelling tests and work on handwriting. They all have a basic MCPS curriculum but what they do with it varies by school teacher. Our experience is that they are far weaker than other MCPS schools and like others said, you have to wonder about a closed school that doesn't allow parent involvement and there is absolutely no communication from teachers (other schools send home a weekly summary, for example).

You clearly haven't been there to see the admin screaming at staff or as a parent have been screamed at.

Most of the kids who are successful are either very smart or are heavily supplemented at home.

Here you go folks. It sounds like this poster tried to go toe-to-toe with the principal and didn’t come out on the winning end, probably because she (the parent) is crazy.
Do you know all of the children at this school? Who are you to declare which kids are “successful” or “very smart”? This school doesn’t ban parent volunteers. That’s simply untrue. More likely, the teachers just don’t want YOUR “help” in their classroom.

You clearly don't have a child/ren at this school. Many of us supplement outside of school and/or our kids have private tutors and services outside as our kids have been refused help (even when they identify a need).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the admin is an issue. About 7 or 8 years ago so many talented staff members left to go to flora Singer and other places. I’d look at Singer instead of OTES.

You’re suggesting OP move? This isn’t a “we’re looking at a house in this school zone” question. OP’s kid is going there in September. She wants advice about how to prepare him.

If OP wants to prepare, teach your child to read, handwriting, spelling and math facts. Spelling and math facts are not taught. Handwriting varies by teacher.

Also, make sure they can fend for themselves in the lunch room as they only have a few aides and don't allow parent volunteers to help open containers. Get easy to open. For K. send them in easy to take off clothing as teachers cannot help.

There goes your credibility. You clearly have your own opinion of what should be taught and how. OTES teaches the same curriculum as every other MCPS ES. The immersion factor does not change the material that is covered in kindergarten.

OP, you don’t NEED to do anything to prep your son for the Spanish part, but if you want to do something, you could check out some Spanish “my first words” board books from the library. Also, the Disney channel app has Disney Junior shows in Spanish.

Yes, I do have an opinion about what my kids should be taught as an involved parent. Other local schools have weekly spelling tests and work on handwriting. They all have a basic MCPS curriculum but what they do with it varies by school teacher. Our experience is that they are far weaker than other MCPS schools and like others said, you have to wonder about a closed school that doesn't allow parent involvement and there is absolutely no communication from teachers (other schools send home a weekly summary, for example).

You clearly haven't been there to see the admin screaming at staff or as a parent have been screamed at.

Most of the kids who are successful are either very smart or are heavily supplemented at home.

Here you go folks. It sounds like this poster tried to go toe-to-toe with the principal and didn’t come out on the winning end, probably because she (the parent) is crazy.
Do you know all of the children at this school? Who are you to declare which kids are “successful” or “very smart”? This school doesn’t ban parent volunteers. That’s simply untrue. More likely, the teachers just don’t want YOUR “help” in their classroom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are *many* teacher parents whose kids go to OTES. They are onto something.

They don’t make a lot of money and their options are limited in this very expensive metro area. That is what it is saying

Point.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the admin is an issue. About 7 or 8 years ago so many talented staff members left to go to flora Singer and other places. I’d look at Singer instead of OTES.

You’re suggesting OP move? This isn’t a “we’re looking at a house in this school zone” question. OP’s kid is going there in September. She wants advice about how to prepare him.

If OP wants to prepare, teach your child to read, handwriting, spelling and math facts. Spelling and math facts are not taught. Handwriting varies by teacher.

Also, make sure they can fend for themselves in the lunch room as they only have a few aides and don't allow parent volunteers to help open containers. Get easy to open. For K. send them in easy to take off clothing as teachers cannot help.

There goes your credibility. You clearly have your own opinion of what should be taught and how. OTES teaches the same curriculum as every other MCPS ES. The immersion factor does not change the material that is covered in kindergarten.

OP, you don’t NEED to do anything to prep your son for the Spanish part, but if you want to do something, you could check out some Spanish “my first words” board books from the library. Also, the Disney channel app has Disney Junior shows in Spanish.

Yes, I do have an opinion about what my kids should be taught as an involved parent. Other local schools have weekly spelling tests and work on handwriting. They all have a basic MCPS curriculum but what they do with it varies by school teacher. Our experience is that they are far weaker than other MCPS schools and like others said, you have to wonder about a closed school that doesn't allow parent involvement and there is absolutely no communication from teachers (other schools send home a weekly summary, for example).

You clearly haven't been there to see the admin screaming at staff or as a parent have been screamed at.

Most of the kids who are successful are either very smart or are heavily supplemented at home.

Our MCPS elementary does not do spelling in kindergarten. Kindergarten is about matching sounds to letters, and as long as the kid is listening to the sound of words and trying to match that to letters they are satisfied. Lots of very creative spelling in K. Starting to work on standard spelling happened a few months into 1st grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the admin is an issue. About 7 or 8 years ago so many talented staff members left to go to flora Singer and other places. I’d look at Singer instead of OTES.

You’re suggesting OP move? This isn’t a “we’re looking at a house in this school zone” question. OP’s kid is going there in September. She wants advice about how to prepare him.

If OP wants to prepare, teach your child to read, handwriting, spelling and math facts. Spelling and math facts are not taught. Handwriting varies by teacher.

Also, make sure they can fend for themselves in the lunch room as they only have a few aides and don't allow parent volunteers to help open containers. Get easy to open. For K. send them in easy to take off clothing as teachers cannot help.

There goes your credibility. You clearly have your own opinion of what should be taught and how. OTES teaches the same curriculum as every other MCPS ES. The immersion factor does not change the material that is covered in kindergarten.

OP, you don’t NEED to do anything to prep your son for the Spanish part, but if you want to do something, you could check out some Spanish “my first words” board books from the library. Also, the Disney channel app has Disney Junior shows in Spanish.

Yes, I do have an opinion about what my kids should be taught as an involved parent. Other local schools have weekly spelling tests and work on handwriting. They all have a basic MCPS curriculum but what they do with it varies by school teacher. Our experience is that they are far weaker than other MCPS schools and like others said, you have to wonder about a closed school that doesn't allow parent involvement and there is absolutely no communication from teachers (other schools send home a weekly summary, for example).

You clearly haven't been there to see the admin screaming at staff or as a parent have been screamed at.

Most of the kids who are successful are either very smart or are heavily supplemented at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are *many* teacher parents whose kids go to OTES. They are onto something.

They don’t make a lot of money and their options are limited in this very expensive metro area. That is what it is saying

Those parent value and know a good education. Former colleague (with PhD Justin and spouse we/masters) were very happy with OTES. Children were prepared for MCPS magnet programs and are excelling.

And the local lower cohort will help your middle class kids stand out and justify magnet slots. If you went to better schools they might only be average and most of those parents have both advanced degrees and incomes compared to only the later. I would do the same if I were you and that was my best option.

Troll fail