Neighborhoods in Winchester/Lexington/Belmont (Boston: new home, schools, live in)

[cknollfinn]

Thank you so much for this thread. I too am considering Winchester, Lexington, and Wellesley, and just like all of you, I am also looking for excellent schools, a location near Boston, and a child friendly neighborhood close to the town center.

My most important consideration though, is that my children have two moms, and my oldest son is very small, and an easy target for bullying. Does anyone have information about how the schools in these towns address issues of inclusiveness, and what kind of work has been done around accepting differences? I am looking for a school system that has actively taken on the task of insuring that all their students will be accepted for who they are. Any thoughts??

Chris

[4panthers]

In my opinion, Lexington or Wellesley would be the best fit. Not that Winchester would not be a good fit, but Winchester is quite a small town, so it appears more conservative in the make-up of families. I have lived here for 5 years, with kids in the schools, and I can't say that I know of any kids with 2 moms or 2 dads. I know of a few families in Wellesley whom are happy. I think it would be important for your son to relate to other kids with a similar situation, and Winchester might not provide the diversity.

[cknollfinn]

Thank you so much 4panthers for your reply. I will check into Wellesley and Lexington.

[Skwidy]

cknollfinn, Lexington has made national news for it's diversity curriculum, even at the elementary level. I don't want to get into the right or wrong of it all as some other message boards tend to do (and often with angry, polarizing posts in which everyone is "shouting" past each other trying to convince the others of their point of view), but just let you know that since it's been national news, there's a lot of info to search for on the web. First, I'd recommend going to Lexington Public School's website and reading a few of the letters that Dr. Paul Ash (the superintendent) has written to the community on the matter of diversity in the curriculum. From there, google will show you the way to making a good deecision for you and your family.

(On a personal side note, you will probably run into quite a bit of info from conservative, so-called "family" groups that oppose the current curriculum. As a resident, I want you to know that this view is represented in town by a very small, but very vocal, minority, and the bulk of their messages are directed from a national platform. The vast majority of Lexington residents passionately support the school administration's decisions and strive to maintain Lexington's long history of tolerance of all).

[cocoaday]

The vast majority of Lexington residents passionately support the school administration's decisions and strive to maintain Lexington's long history of tolerance of all).[/quote]



Very well said, I am a Lexington resident and have been VERY impressed by the school administration's decisions. This is a very welcoming and accepting town.

[smarty]

Originally Posted by cocoaday

Very well said, I am a Lexington resident and have been VERY impressed by the school administration's decisions. This is a very welcoming and accepting town.

I'm curious if there were residents protesting the protester.

I wonder what drove that elementary school principal to leave?

[Skwidy]

There are opposing views everywhere. And while I have no knowledge of residents protesting a protester, it wouldn't surprise me...the bell curve works in both directions...with vocal minorities at both ends, and just plain old folks lumped in the middle just trying to carve out a happy and productive life for their families, regardless of how "family" is defined.

And as to a person's motivation for doing anything, only that person can tell you. Will one person's actions really help a person decide whether or not a town is the right place to move to? I'd like to think there are more important factors in determining a home town. Certainly there were for me and my family, and Lexington met and surpassed those criteria.

I think the point to be made for this thread is that Lexington has a curriculum in place to educate children about the diverse population in which they are living. There are lots of other sources for people to learn about how others feel about the curriculum (whether for or against).

[esragray]

Hello there,

I have lived in Winchester for 13 years. I moved out briefly for a bigger house elsewhere but like you said missed activity and seeing people. Winchester is great if you want to see tons of people out and about, kids downtown after school and great school system. Everyone is always out and about. I live closer to Mc Call Middle School and there are always people out. Flats is very popular among teenagers. They hang out there all the time.

Lexington is also nice place to live. I find it a bit granola-crunchy but whatever floats their boat

Good luck and hope this helps

Originally Posted by elisemarie

Hi -

I am wondering about three very specific neighborhoods in three different towns: Lexington - Monroe Hill; Belmont - Belmont Hill; Winchester - The Flats.

How do those neighborhoods compare to eachother in terms of friendliness? Small kids living in the neighborhood (we have two young children)? Overall old-fashioned neighborliness?

Also, separate question re: Lexington...how do Bowman and Fiske compare to eachother in terms of reputation? Does anyone have any first hand knowledge about Lexington Montessori School?

Thanks

[esragray]

Hello there,

I have lived in Winchester for 13 years. I moved out briefly for a bigger house elsewhere but like you said missed activity and seeing people. Winchester is great if you want to see tons of people out and about, kids downtown after school and great school system. Everyone is always out and about. I live closer to Mc Call Middle School and there are always people out. Flats is very popular among teenagers. They hang out there all the time.

Lexington is also nice place to live. I find it a bit granola-crunchy but whatever floats their boat

Good luck and hope this helps

[jad79]

Can anybody comment on the area of Winchester between Mt. Vernon Street and Prospect Street? It appears to have many things going for it (easy access to schools, downtown, rail and the fells) - are there any big negatives?