Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi,
My DD is 5th grade at Poe magnet and we are making final decision on either Martin or Moore Square for our first choice. I would like to ask your experience at either school. Moore has a new principal and love to hear any changes.
We had in-person tour at Martin and Moore Square. We had during the school hour at Martin and we had it after school hour at Moore Square. Magnet coordinator at Martin was courteous and knowledgeable. School was big but it did not overwhelm us and we were impressed by the electives and huge auditorium seems like a plus. Our tour was after school hour at Moore Square so we did not see any students nor teachers. It was hard to visualize in empty building and vibe wasn't there. They were preparing some performance that night and they were setting up the stage in the cafeteria during our tour. My DD wants to take the compacted math on 6th grade and the class size is bigger at Martin and it is a lot smaller at Moore Square (they offer 2 math period each day and it is a plus).
If your child goes to either Martin or Moore Square, would you please share your experience of programs (academics, orchestra, drama) and overall feel of school, any recent changes through covid time? As far as the commute, we will drive her to school in the morning (bus arrives at 6am!) and she will take bus home. Martin provides neighborhood busing and PM route seems much shorter than AM. More Square is express stop and I do not know the route yet. I do think she will do fine at either school but it is still hard decision. I love small school but Moore Square is definitely more distance from Cary.
My daughter is at Martin in 6th. It was our base school, and we are very happy it is a G&T magnet. She likes all of her core academic classes and teachers, and especially her accelerated (7+) math class teacher. She loves Orchestra (Intermediate/Advanced), which has a fairly new and young instructor who is wonderful. They had an amazing in person concert in the auditorium in the Fall, and will have a Spring performance as well as a trip up to Carowinds (COVID permitting). There are some incredibly talented kids. She also attended the Band and Dance recitals, as she had friends performing there as well. She also enjoyed attending home football games, even though the team was having a bit of a rebuilding year. I’ve heard good things about Drama, but were unable to attend their performance. She has really enjoyed her visual arts electives. She has made several new friends from outside of her elementary school, including kids from out in Cary and Wendell, while in her cohorts and lunch groups. She’s not the most extroverted kid, so I’m happy she was able to make at least a half dozen new interpersonal connections given the strong headwinds of COVID and the barriers to broader social interactions imposed at the school. Middle school was a big change from elementary in just the size of the school, the more frantic pace, and the higher expectations for personal responsibility, but she’s becoming a seasoned veteran. Once the COVID pressure lifts, it will likely become even more comfortable (as much as Middle School can be). Carpool sucks as does the early start, but that’s just life these days.
Thank you RaleighSentinel!
I so appreciate you took time to write this. It is exactly what I was hoping to hear. The school building is beautiful and well laid out. My DD will attend the orchestra too and I love the wide gamut of elective choices. How challenging is the carpool? I will be dropping off near 7:30am. Can I park near school and kids walk to school?
Thanks for your reply RaleighSentinel!
I thank you so much for taking time to reply.
I deleted my response by mistake and I replied again but my post did not show up.
I am glad your daughter is having positive experience at Martin. All the electives sounds like big plus.
May I ask how tough carpool is? If it gets hectic, can I drop my kid off 7:20am near school and can she walk to school?
Butts in seats by 7:30. Drop off as early as 6:50, but doors don’t open until 7:00 and many idiots park and bottleneck the line before then. COVID has driven up carpool dramatically, but after 7 it does move. I personally wouldn’t target 7:20, especially if your kid has an instrument they need to drop off. Carpool was one of the most frustrating aspects of Martin. I just don’t know if it is the same at the other Middle Schools. We had zero stress on this in Elementary, but it was walk zone.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
