Young family relocating for Goddard job--Greenbelt? (Silver Spring, Bowie: home, school, place to live)

[Henry Bowman]

Originally Posted by LAX_BRO

Go to greatschools.org look at reviews of ACTUAL students and Parents of BHS and ERHS and hopefully it will show you which one is better.

Subjective reviews now by disaffected, lazy idiots who refused to take advantage of the opportunities at ER? Next you'll be quoting ratemyteachers.com

How about some >real< objective numbers?

Come on, you can do it.

I'll give you one just for kicks and giggles. $26 million (the amount of scholarship money awarded to ER seniors).

[craven2311]

I think Crofton/Odenton/Gambrills are good choices. Anne Arundel County schools are consistently ranked higher than Prince Georges County schools- Maryland State Districts - MD School District Rankings

Property taxes are also higher in PG. I don't think the commute is bad. I live in Odenton and commuted to University of Maryland (Passing Goddard on my way). Though traffic on 295 can be a bear sometimes.

[Khemistry]

Originally Posted by craven2311

I think Crofton/Odenton/Gambrills are good choices. Anne Arundel County schools are consistently ranked higher than Prince Georges County schools- Maryland State Districts - MD School District Rankings

Property taxes are also higher in PG. I don't think the commute is bad. I live in Odenton and commuted to University of Maryland (Passing Goddard on my way). Though traffic on 295 can be a bear sometimes.

I really don't understand why some people choose to respond to people, giving them advice that goes 100% against what they specifically laid out they were looking for. The OP clearly stated that they wanted a home IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER. They made it clear they weren't really open to other options, and if they couldn't find something in that area based on their criterion, they'd have to stay in VA. So why did you respond with Anne Arundel County??? If he/she could live in AA County, then Montgomery County would have been a clear winner as far as choices, given MoCo schools are the best in Maryland and it would be closer to their job(s) versus Anne Arundel.

[LAX_BRO]

Originally Posted by Khemistry

I really don't understand why some people choose to respond to people, giving them advice that goes 100% against what they specifically laid out they were looking for. The OP clearly stated that they wanted a home IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER. They made it clear they weren't really open to other options, and if they couldn't find something in that area based on their criterion, they'd have to stay in VA. So why did you respond with Anne Arundel County??? If he/she could live in AA County, then Montgomery County would have been a clear winner as far as choices, given MoCo schools are the best in Maryland and it would be closer to their job(s) versus Anne Arundel.

Actually, not any more. #1 in schools is Howard #2 is Arundel & #3 is Montgomery. PG sits at 23/23 out of all Maryland school districts.

[LAX_BRO]

Originally Posted by Julie1219

Input for where to move would be greatly appreciated! I need info. on the area immediately around, or within a few minutes commute, from Goddard Space Flight Center. I've briefly driven around near College Park, and had family that lived in Crofton...but that is as close to the area as I've been so far.

We are generally new to the DC area (currently in NOVA for 2 years). I have a good job prospect with GSFC. I would need to relocate to MD from NOVA because we are out near Leesburg and there's no way on earth I would ever make the commute back and forth.

We are a young family (children 6 months and 3 years) and would be looking for a SAFE neighborhood with GOOD schools, this is very important. We live in a very nice area right now and I don't want to sacrafice this quality of life. If nothing exists like this in the immediate area of Goddard, we may not make the move or take the job.

We are interested in single family homes, townhomes if we need to (because of price), in good family-friendly community. I want to be able to take walks with my children in the evening after work and be safe doing so. We would also want a nice town feel, and immediate neighborhood hopefully somewhat secluded from the traffic and noise, etc. of DC and the beltway. Neighborhood amenities, nearby shopping, dining, things to do, all a plus.

Thanks in advance!

If you do choose Bowie and go to BHS I suggest applying for the Summit Program. It is only for kids zoned in with Bowie. Also for safe areas, at the very peak of Bowie there is a neighborhood called Severn Crossing which has practically no crime. If you don't care about basements then I suggest the Levitt houses.

[Henry Bowman]

Originally Posted by LAX_BRO

If you do choose Bowie and go to BHS I suggest applying for the Summit Program. It is only for kids zoned in with Bowie. Also for safe areas, at the very peak of Bowie there is a neighborhood called Severn Crossing which has practically no crime. If you don't care about basements then I suggest the Levitt houses.

still waiting.

[LAX_BRO]

Originally Posted by Henry Bowman

still waiting.

keep waiting.

[Henry Bowman]

Originally Posted by LAX_BRO

keep waiting.

In other words, you were talking out of your rear and have no facts whatsoever to back up your statement.

At least you finally admitted it.

[psusra112]

I commute from Odenton/Ft. Meade to Goddard via MD32 and MD295 daily (630a-700a departure in the am and 3-4PM departure in the pm). It takes me about 20-25 minutes to get to and from work, with a max time of about 55 minutes when there was an accident on 295. You don't need to live in College Park, Greenbelt, Bowie, etc. You can live pretty much anywhere along 295 south of MD100 and still make it to work in under 40 minutes.

My boss commutes from Clarksville and makes it here in about 45 minutes. You've literally got the entire central MD area to look at. Do some more research on the amenities of different areas and make your choices accordingly. Anywhere you move here in Western AA co, HoCo or PG will be a hell of a lot better than commuting from NoVA.

[JosephineBeth]

I live in Old Greenbelt and my daughter goes to Roosevelt. She is not in the Science and Tech program. Before we moved I looked at all the data I could find and determined Roosevelt was a good choice for her. It had to do with more than the schools - it was also affordable housing, proximity to the urban environment we love to visit (DC), walkable space with a variety of options of things to go, and a sense of community in our area. I felt it was not only the school that would matter. If she had the opportunity to make friends among a wide diversity of people, to be part of a community and to give back to it (volunteering and such) and the chance to experience the community from more than just a car window that this would be our best bet. We moved from San Diego where everything was very anonymous. We can walk to the library, coop grocery store, aquatic and fitness center as well as the community center. People here are tight knit - the neighbors in our court of townhouses look out for my daughter and she helps them.

However there were a few factors that got taken into account. I have always homeschooled to some degree - and enjoy supplementing her education with lots of visits to places like museums, nature areas, etc. We also do things like work our way together through science books (currently reading Napoleon's Buttons as she has chemistry this next year as well as The Story of Science by Joy Hakim), study Greek and Latin Roots (using our old homeschool curriculum), and are really beginning to go to Art and Theatre events (this fall she will participate in Greenbelt's theatre program which is great).

My daughters observations on Roosevelt is that, like any school, there are plenty of kids who don't listen, talk while the teacher is talking, and generally are a nuisance - and they do affect the other kids. I don't think ERHS escapes these issues just by virtue of it being the "flagship". She has talked to teachers to be moved because she could not concentrate with all the noise in the classroom.

She has said that (compared to her school in CA) the written English skills of the students she has interacted with in some of her classes are generally very sub par. I always look at what she does in the groups where others have done the writing and I'd agree - and she has both ST and regular kids in some of her classes. One time I told her she needed to redo their work and she said that would not be right though she said that she did know there were numerous English errors. I had asked her if in that group the people were non native English speakers (which is more what we were used to in CA)- but none were. It was a bit scary to me - I mean nonsense sentences. More like 5th-6th grade work - clearly not h.s. level.

She has not found this in math. I have no idea if that is because of the science/tech focus or what - though I'd find it strange that they not have metrics for English and Language Arts...maybe it was just those kids this year. Certainly it is not all but more than what I'd of thought given the reputation. Overall she loves the school. We've had many conversations (she talks like a 40 year old..not like a teen) and she thinks the teachers are very good - and we have been so happy with her math teacher for Geometry who teaches the ST kids as well - he's been phenomenal. Her English teacher was a Roosevelt Grad like 7 years ago and now teaches - he's a blast and very in touch with the kids - she is in advanced classes (honors classes). Her Biology teacher pretty much sucked...but most were good. She had an easy time being a new kid - has a nice core group of friends. We're happy.

Just a view from someone there now.

I apologize to OP - I don't know about the Elementary Schools in Greenbelt. If your kids are very small though keep in mind that schools and areas change. What is one way now may not be the same in 10 years when your kids are old enough..and you might be on your 3rd job AFTER the current offer. There is always ways to counter anything even not so great schools. That has always been my belief - but it does require more work for the parent. It is what it is.