Anonymous
10/31/2021 11:55
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:In general I think lower performing school have more of a testing focus as more kids struggle with them.
Our experience was the opposite at a Silver Spring school we loved. Very low pressure on standardized tests compared to friends at Bethesda and Kensington schools. People don’t choose our school based on test scores, but on parent recommendations.
Anonymous
10/31/2021 11:27
Subject: Re:Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Adding another element-- with the schools that you have named-- do any of these schools seem to be hands on -- more progressive. As I preview- I am trying to avoid schools that have heavy testing/ worksheet vibe. For early childhood I would rather have more play based and experiential. Your thoughts?
North Chevy Chase ES
Burning Tree
Kensington
Kensington Parkwood
Rock Creek Forest
Rock View ES
Silver Spring
Flora Singer Elementary
Oakland Terrace Elementary
East Silver Spring Elementary School
TKPK: Takoma Park (outside of Silver Spring)
Silver Spring:
Woodlin Elementary School
Highland View Elementary School
Forest Knolls Elementary School
Is this a joke? Yes, some of these schools will have a different "vibe", but, none of them are play-based or experiential. They are all MCPS public schools.
+1
We’re at Oakland Terrace and it has a strong anti-racist “vibe,” but it’s not play-based since it’s MCPS. We do have great outdoor space and I think the admin and teachers make good use of it, for whatever that’s worth.
Anonymous
10/31/2021 09:07
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Every mcps school has the same curriculum and testing.
+1. As I recall at least in upper elementary they test both before and after every unit. If you want progressive you should look at Green Acres or something.
Anonymous
10/31/2021 08:13
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
In general I think lower performing school have more of a testing focus as more kids struggle with them.
Anonymous
10/31/2021 08:10
Subject: Re:Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Adding another element-- with the schools that you have named-- do any of these schools seem to be hands on -- more progressive. As I preview- I am trying to avoid schools that have heavy testing/ worksheet vibe. For early childhood I would rather have more play based and experiential. Your thoughts?
North Chevy Chase ES
Burning Tree
Kensington
Kensington Parkwood
Rock Creek Forest
Rock View ES
Silver Spring
Flora Singer Elementary
Oakland Terrace Elementary
East Silver Spring Elementary School
TKPK: Takoma Park (outside of Silver Spring)
Silver Spring:
Woodlin Elementary School
Highland View Elementary School
Forest Knolls Elementary School
Is this a joke? Yes, some of these schools will have a different "vibe", but, none of them are play-based or experiential. They are all MCPS public schools.
Anonymous
10/31/2021 08:00
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Every mcps school has the same curriculum and testing.
Anonymous
10/31/2021 07:32
Subject: Re:Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Adding another element-- with the schools that you have named-- do any of these schools seem to be hands on -- more progressive. As I preview- I am trying to avoid schools that have heavy testing/ worksheet vibe. For early childhood I would rather have more play based and experiential. Your thoughts?
North Chevy Chase ES
Burning Tree
Kensington
Kensington Parkwood
Rock Creek Forest
Rock View ES
Silver Spring
Flora Singer Elementary
Oakland Terrace Elementary
East Silver Spring Elementary School
TKPK: Takoma Park (outside of Silver Spring)
Silver Spring:
Woodlin Elementary School
Highland View Elementary School
Forest Knolls Elementary School
North Chevy Chase ES
Burning Tree
Kensington
Kensington Parkwood
Rock Creek Forest
Rock View ES
Silver Spring
Flora Singer Elementary
Oakland Terrace Elementary
East Silver Spring Elementary School
TKPK: Takoma Park (outside of Silver Spring)
Silver Spring:
Woodlin Elementary School
Highland View Elementary School
Forest Knolls Elementary School
Anonymous
10/31/2021 07:27
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share excellent elementary schools-- small class sizes and strong teachers for an African American child. We want teachers who will reflect our child. Also if there are other forums that speak to this, please share.
Thanks!
This is moco. There are NO small class sizes.
Yes there are, just not in Bethesda. You can find smaller class sizes at Focus schools. The closest ones would be Rock Creek Forest, Flora Singer, And Oakland Terrace. These schools also have more diverse student populations. Oakland Terrace has one of the two-way language immersion programs, which is very popular.
Rock View is also in Kensington, has a very diverse population and small class sizes (18 max in my son's 1st grade class)
OP here-- do you find an over reliance on testing -- do you find hands on experiences, field trips and lots of recess time?
Anonymous
10/13/2021 10:26
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share excellent elementary schools-- small class sizes and strong teachers for an African American child. We want teachers who will reflect our child. Also if there are other forums that speak to this, please share.
Thanks!
This is moco. There are NO small class sizes.
Yes there are, just not in Bethesda. You can find smaller class sizes at Focus schools. The closest ones would be Rock Creek Forest, Flora Singer, And Oakland Terrace. These schools also have more diverse student populations. Oakland Terrace has one of the two-way language immersion programs, which is very popular.
Rock View is also in Kensington, has a very diverse population and small class sizes (18 max in my son's 1st grade class)
Anonymous
10/10/2021 18:55
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Also lol at the idea that MCPS is not racist. Clearly shows a lack of understanding of what racism is.
Perhaps I live in a mcps bubble because we’ve had more black principals and vice principals than white, and many of the best teachers my kids have had are black (male and female).
If your school isn’t diverse (student body and admin), then nobody is forcing you to stay. If your school isn’t welcoming, then that speaks volumes about the people in your neighborhood.
MoCo is very diverse. Mcps is very diverse, and it remains a top public school system in the country.
Yeah. You don't know what racism is if you think diversity means no racism.
I’ve done anti-poverty/civil rights work in the Deep South. While no place is perfect because racism exists everywhere and everyone has some level of bias, mcps is nowhere near the bottom of the barrel. And, diversity most certainly does matter. Every been to New England where there are so few blacks people the local cvs doesn’t carry any black hair care products? Imagine what it’s like to be the one black family at the local elementary school.
Are you new to mcps by any chance?
Nope, I've been around a while. I like how you moved the bar from."not racist" to "not the bottom of the barrel". I never said diversity doesn't matter. I say this sincerely, if you truly care about this as much as you say you do:
A. Get some training in anti racism and
B. Look at the data on racial segregation and student discipline in MCPS and talk to families about their experiences.
Anonymous
10/10/2021 07:39
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Also lol at the idea that MCPS is not racist. Clearly shows a lack of understanding of what racism is.
Perhaps I live in a mcps bubble because we’ve had more black principals and vice principals than white, and many of the best teachers my kids have had are black (male and female).
If your school isn’t diverse (student body and admin), then nobody is forcing you to stay. If your school isn’t welcoming, then that speaks volumes about the people in your neighborhood.
MoCo is very diverse. Mcps is very diverse, and it remains a top public school system in the country.
Yeah. You don't know what racism is if you think diversity means no racism.
I’ve done anti-poverty/civil rights work in the Deep South. While no place is perfect because racism exists everywhere and everyone has some level of bias, mcps is nowhere near the bottom of the barrel. And, diversity most certainly does matter. Every been to New England where there are so few blacks people the local cvs doesn’t carry any black hair care products? Imagine what it’s like to be the one black family at the local elementary school.
Are you new to mcps by any chance?
Anonymous
10/10/2021 05:59
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Also lol at the idea that MCPS is not racist. Clearly shows a lack of understanding of what racism is.
Perhaps I live in a mcps bubble because we’ve had more black principals and vice principals than white, and many of the best teachers my kids have had are black (male and female).
If your school isn’t diverse (student body and admin), then nobody is forcing you to stay. If your school isn’t welcoming, then that speaks volumes about the people in your neighborhood.
MoCo is very diverse. Mcps is very diverse, and it remains a top public school system in the country.
That's also been our experience.
Anonymous
10/09/2021 23:33
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Also lol at the idea that MCPS is not racist. Clearly shows a lack of understanding of what racism is.
Perhaps I live in a mcps bubble because we’ve had more black principals and vice principals than white, and many of the best teachers my kids have had are black (male and female).
If your school isn’t diverse (student body and admin), then nobody is forcing you to stay. If your school isn’t welcoming, then that speaks volumes about the people in your neighborhood.
MoCo is very diverse. Mcps is very diverse, and it remains a top public school system in the country.
Yeah. You don't know what racism is if you think diversity means no racism.
What?
Anonymous
10/09/2021 21:31
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Also lol at the idea that MCPS is not racist. Clearly shows a lack of understanding of what racism is.
Perhaps I live in a mcps bubble because we’ve had more black principals and vice principals than white, and many of the best teachers my kids have had are black (male and female).
If your school isn’t diverse (student body and admin), then nobody is forcing you to stay. If your school isn’t welcoming, then that speaks volumes about the people in your neighborhood.
MoCo is very diverse. Mcps is very diverse, and it remains a top public school system in the country.
Yeah. You don't know what racism is if you think diversity means no racism.
Anonymous
10/09/2021 19:53
Subject: Moving to Bethesda or Kensington
Anonymous wrote:Also lol at the idea that MCPS is not racist. Clearly shows a lack of understanding of what racism is.
Perhaps I live in a mcps bubble because we’ve had more black principals and vice principals than white, and many of the best teachers my kids have had are black (male and female).
If your school isn’t diverse (student body and admin), then nobody is forcing you to stay. If your school isn’t welcoming, then that speaks volumes about the people in your neighborhood.
MoCo is very diverse. Mcps is very diverse, and it remains a top public school system in the country.