Opinions and info on Hunter Elementary Magnet in Raleigh (Durham: fit in, how much) - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary - North Carolina (NC) -The Triangle Area - City-Data Forum

Kramosnyc · 05-07-2012, 06:54 PM

Our dd was waitlisted at Hunter. We applied because there are many attractive offerings that seem like they would lend to a great fit for her. I am concerned and curious why it is given a rating of only 4 out of 10 on greatschools.com, even though it is a magnet. I would have expected a higher rating. Any insight?
Thanks!

shellsd · 05-07-2012, 07:47 PM

The reason why it has a low score is because it is a really, really great magnet but not a great base school. My son just transferred to Hunter this year when he started second grade. They were light years ahead of his base school and the beginning of school "review" was all new to him. I think it may not be as good for the economically disadvantaged minorities who are not there for the gifted program but because they live in that neighborhood.

That being said, they regularly give my son tests in math and such and put him in a group that is similar which is great.

For us, we LOVE LOVE LOVE this school. It is so amazingly different than our base school which only did "No child gets ahead". The electives are just wonderful. He picks two per quarter and there is a 40 page book to pick from. He has really enjoyed all of them. He has picked a science one on bugs, a social studies one on civilizations (they did Egypt, Babylon, China, and 2 others I can't recall), team sports, and some others. Right now he is in Racquet Math-It which combines racquet sports (tennis, badmitton, etc) with math and a multimedia class where they are currently making a commercial for a product they choose using cameras, camcorders, powerpoint, etc. He loves it. The arts programs such as band and theater are amazing though my son has no interest in either.

The PTA is huge and very involved. I will say most of the PTA leaders have been doing it for years and their kids are in 5th grade so I am hoping it stays great in the future but they do a TON of stuff now whereas the last school we were in did nothing.

The principal, Mr. Newkirk, is very nice. This school has a community feel. My son is new this year and I am always amazed when I am there that every single teacher and administrator we pass says "Hi Cole!" when we walk by. Everyone knows everyone. He knows them too. I have no idea how he knows the 4th grade teacher but he does!

Oh, they also just won the 2012 Magnet of Distinction award

so, as you can see I am absolutely thrilled with this school. We're looking to move to a new house and I will not consider any house where Hunter is not an option. That being said, one of my best friends has a rising kindergartner and she went to check out Hunter and felt strongly that it was not the school for their family so it is definitely a very individual decision based on what you are looking for.

The neighborhood leaves a lot to be desired but I have always felt safe at the school. You have to go in at the front door and the guard who does carpool is always around and will see you.

Sorry, this may be way more than you wanted but I am one very happy parent! Feel free to ask any questions here or DM me and I am happy to discuss specifics. If you don't have plans tomorrow night, stop by at 7 PM and watch the band concert or Wednesday night at 7 for the dance ensemble. The orchestra is doing a concert at Ligon next tuesday and they are amazing.

Kramosnyc · 05-07-2012, 08:08 PM

Thank you so much for the info and reassurance. We are still in NYC, closing on our house in wake forest this week, moving after school semester ends. Our dd has been begging to go to a school where she can "major in being a bug scientist". She would only give her seal of approval on our house once the realtor assured her that the yard came with plenty of species for research. We want so badly for her to feel like she fits in and feels challenged. We read over some of the elective offerings and were thrilled to see so many exciting options. I am glad to hear your rave review! Thank you very much! Now if only we can magically move up 10 spots : ).

shellsd · 05-07-2012, 11:34 PM

She can definitely major in being a bug scientist there! My son has loved all of the electives but the bug class was probably his favorite. Even in his regular class they have done some cool things. They had a pet caterpillar that became a butterfly that they studied every day along the way for example. I chaperoned a field trip to the Museum of Natural History and the instructor was clearly impressed with how much these kids knew about various life cycles.

Make sure you take your daughter to the Durham Museum of Life and Science as soon as you can too. It is a wonderful museum that has a nice bug area at the butterfly house. My sons are really into bugs too and they can spend forever in there.
Bayer CropScience Insectarium | Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC

Your daughter will be thrilled with all the parks and green here as well. We really do have an abundance of bugs to be discovered - for better or worse!

wizard-xyzzy · 05-08-2012, 04:36 AM

Although it's been a while, both my kids went to Hunter and had an excellent experience. Some of the staff are still there from those days. Also, at that time if you had your eye on magnets for middle and high school, it helped to enter the magnet program early on. Someone could comment on whether that's still true.

Kramosnyc · 05-08-2012, 09:45 AM

Thank you so much for the helpful suggestions! It is so daunting trying to gather all information necessary and maneuver the system from another state still. I want so badly to find the perfect fit academically, but also nurturing and supportive socially and emotionally. Just found out we moved up one on the wait list for Jones Dairy, but still no movement for Hunter.
I would love to get a better overview of the current AG curriculum for 1st and 2nd, to compare to dds current class work, to get a better idea for goodness of fit. Sometimes teachers keep a website for their class to better communicate with families and keep assignments posted. Anyone have a particular link I can go to? Thanks!!

mizunomom · 05-08-2012, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kramosnyc

I would love to get a better overview of the current AG curriculum for 1st and 2nd, to compare to dds current class work, to get a better idea for goodness of fit. Sometimes teachers keep a website for their class to better communicate with families and keep assignments posted. Anyone have a particular link I can go to? Thanks!!

Hunter Classrooms | Hunter Gifted & Talented Magnet Elementary School (http://www.hunterelementary.org/content/hunter-classrooms - broken link)
Click on the grade in question and you will get a link to each teacher's website. Good luck! Hunter has an excellent AG program.

WeLuvNC · 05-08-2012, 12:02 PM

The AG stuff doesn't start in wake county until the end of the 3rd grade when they are designated AG. That being said, up to 3rd grade, the teachers are supposed to teach to their level and regularly divide kids into reading/math groups. In the 4th grade - 8th grade, the AG programs will differ depending on the school -- at an AG magnet like Hunter/Ligon, math and language arts will be differentiated. It is important to note that social studies and science are not differentiated.

This is all explained on the WCPSS website under AG as well as the process for having the AG designation determined.

The electives at Hunter/Ligon totally ROCK and make the school so totally awesome -- and what is even better for my AG kids was that ALL classes during the day seemed to move along at a quicker pace to be able to "FIT IN" the elective classes into the day.

Kramosnyc · 05-08-2012, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mizunomom

Hunter Classrooms | Hunter Gifted & Talented Magnet Elementary School (http://www.hunterelementary.org/content/hunter-classrooms - broken link)
Click on the grade in question and you will get a link to each teacher's website. Good luck! Hunter has an excellent AG program.

Thank you!! This is a huge help : )

raleighjayne · 05-08-2012, 01:41 PM

Like somebody else said, AG services don't begin until 4th grade. They pull some kids out for AG Explorers in 3rd grade (kids who seem like they would benefit from AG, hand picked by teachers) but the official test happens at the end of 3rd grade. Official pullouts and ID start in 4th.

Our experience in the early grades was that it varied widely by teacher. Some of our teachers did an excellent job of differentiating in the classroom & making sure advanced kids were challenged. Others weren't so great at it and seemed to resent being asked to give a child more to do.

An AG magnet like Hunter will most likely not have that problem. They are used to dealing with parents who expect a lot.

My friend's son is #4 on the waitlist for 4th grade at Hunter. She's not too hopeful but you never know. . . .