Dear Mrs. Dyson and Dr. Moran,
As parents of incoming kindergartners at Ritchie Park Elementary School (RPES), we are very concerned about the class size for the 2018-19 academic year. It is our understanding that currently two classes have 26 students and one has 27, with possible growth continuing over the course of the school year; the fact that RPES has only three teachers assigned to handle this volume of students is unacceptable.
We are worried about the wonderful staff being able to perform to the best of their best abilities with so many 5-year-olds in one class. The main reason for construction of a new elementary in the Richard Montgomery cluster was to decrease overcrowding, and therefore class size. Large class sizes means teachers can’t devote sufficient resources to each child; children who master material easily will be ignored so the teacher can devote more time to children who require more support.
In addition to the lack of individual attention, there is a safety issue. It is impossible for a teacher to keep track of 26 small children at one time, let alone actually teach them.
Therefore, we implore you to please approve adding a 4th kindergarten teacher at RPES to reduce class size and give our children and the staff the best possible environment to thrive.
Sincerely,
Concerned Parents of the 2018-2019 RPES Kindergarten Class
18 Comments
26-27 kindergartners is far too much to ask one teacher to educate, watch over, and interact with in a meaningful way.
I do not demand a teacher not find the current arrangement unacceptable. BUT. 27 is a lot of kids. There are no aids to help teach the kids or keep from wandering. Not good. What makes us different from others applying for extra resources. Other schools close by have far fewer kids per class. Far fewer. Not fair, not good. In more detail, we just had a new school created within 3 mins of many of our houses. Our districts were redrawn by a smart committee balancing several factors. I know they acted in good faith. Unfortunately, that balancing led to far more kids at Ritchie Park than other schools minutes away from it homes. It's not 26 vs 25 or 27 vs 24. There's a big gap. We can't ask for a re-districting. But we ask for another class.
We have twin boys attending kindergarten this fall and we moved into this neighborhood specifically for school size. Our school was just redistricted for just this reason. Please accommodate our rising numbers. We have the space, just not the manpower! Thanks for your consideration.
Several years ago when our other children were in kindergarten there were MANY concerns from teachers and parents regarding the class size at the time which was 23-24 kids per Kindergarten class. This only illustrates how standards continue to deteriorate and focus more on what is for the benefit of the county rather than the benefit of the teachers and students.
Interesting that at Cold Spring which is 1 mile from Ritchie Park, the two Kindergartens have 17 students per class. As a 16 year MCPS teacher I’ve seen how large classes hurt student performance through their entire six year elementary school career. It is difficult to manage so many small children and foster a healthy work environment. The students and teachers experience increased stress and anxiety.
This is a bit much for kids this young, just starting out.
Please consider the imbalance between your school and the Cold Spring kindergarten class.
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Dear Mrs. Dyson and Dr. Moran,
As parents of incoming kindergartners at Ritchie Park Elementary School (RPES), we are very concerned about the class size for the 2018-19 academic year. It is our understanding that currently two classes have 26 students and one has 27, with possible growth continuing over the course of the school year; the fact that RPES has only three teachers assigned to handle this volume of students is unacceptable.
We are worried about the wonderful staff being able to perform to the best of their best abilities with so many 5-year-olds in one class. The main reason for construction of a new elementary in the Richard Montgomery cluster was to decrease overcrowding, and therefore class size. Large class sizes means teachers can’t devote sufficient resources to each child; children who master material easily will be ignored so the teacher can devote more time to children who require more support.
In addition to the lack of individual attention, there is a safety issue. It is impossible for a teacher to keep track of 26 small children at one time, let alone actually teach them.
Therefore, we implore you to please approve adding a 4th kindergarten teacher at RPES to reduce class size and give our children and the staff the best possible environment to thrive.
Sincerely,
Concerned Parents of the 2018-2019 RPES Kindergarten Class
18 Comments
An additional kindergarten teacher is sorely needed at RPES. At the current class sizes, much of the teachers' time will likely be spent on crowd control rather than teaching.
26-27 kindergartners is far too much to ask one teacher to educate, watch over, and interact with in a meaningful way.
I do not demand a teacher not find the current arrangement unacceptable. BUT. 27 is a lot of kids. There are no aids to help teach the kids or keep from wandering. Not good. What makes us different from others applying for extra resources. Other schools close by have far fewer kids per class. Far fewer. Not fair, not good. In more detail, we just had a new school created within 3 mins of many of our houses. Our districts were redrawn by a smart committee balancing several factors. I know they acted in good faith. Unfortunately, that balancing led to far more kids at Ritchie Park than other schools minutes away from it homes. It's not 26 vs 25 or 27 vs 24. There's a big gap. We can't ask for a re-districting. But we ask for another class.
We have twin boys attending kindergarten this fall and we moved into this neighborhood specifically for school size. Our school was just redistricted for just this reason. Please accommodate our rising numbers. We have the space, just not the manpower! Thanks for your consideration.
Several years ago when our other children were in kindergarten there were MANY concerns from teachers and parents regarding the class size at the time which was 23-24 kids per Kindergarten class. This only illustrates how standards continue to deteriorate and focus more on what is for the benefit of the county rather than the benefit of the teachers and students.
Interesting that at Cold Spring which is 1 mile from Ritchie Park, the two Kindergartens have 17 students per class. As a 16 year MCPS teacher I’ve seen how large classes hurt student performance through their entire six year elementary school career. It is difficult to manage so many small children and foster a healthy work environment. The students and teachers experience increased stress and anxiety.
This is a bit much for kids this young, just starting out.
Please consider the imbalance between your school and the Cold Spring kindergarten class.
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An additional kindergarten teacher is sorely needed at RPES. At the current class sizes, much of the teachers' time will likely be spent on crowd control rather than teaching.