In this seventh installment of the Spotlight on Schools series, we shine a light on the great and creative work going on at Mt. Rainier Elementary School! Local parent extraordinaire, Stacy Smith, shares her story about MRE and why she feels “blessed to have such a great school within walking distance of our home.” Read on!
By: Stacy Smith
Mom to a Third-grader
Mount Rainier Elementary School is a great local public school with an involved parent body, responsive teacher and administrators and a great diverse student population. Our daughter has been at MRE since Kindergarten. She is currently in the 3rd grade and loving it. She is a part of the Talented and Gifted program and is pulled out of class twice a week to do differentiated learning. Her teachers have been terrific all the way through and we have found that there is great communication between us and them. The teachers use a system called classDOJO which allows them to send parents routine, individualized reports on how their child is doing at school. With this system, we get regular updates and are in communication with her teachers via email.
 |
| Credit: PGCPS |
MRE has an active PTO and we help organize and plan many community events. We also fund raise to help with arts integration which is THRIVING at MRE. This past year they had a resident Flamingo Dancer and many other programs. There is so much going on on a monthly basis that one needs to be super concentrated on their calendars:) There are reading nights and potluck dinner, movie/pjs nights and more. Just this past April, kindergarteners had a Textile Artist in Residence, Pam Negrin, join them to integrate embroidery with their science unit on The Life Cycle of Plants! For more information, check out the April newsletter right here!
More than anything we love that our child is going to school in her neighborhood. On the weekends it is easy to walk to the park and meet up with classmates and to go to local Mount Rainier or Brentwood events and see our friends. It is also very important to our family that our daughters learn in a diverse learning environment, where there are lots of opportunities to learn from people who are different from them.
 |
| Movie Night! Credit: MRE PTO |
It is important to me as a teacher that I know and have relationship with not only my daughters teachers and past teachers, but her principal and other administrators in the building. MRE provides a safe and welcoming community and we are blessed to have such a great school within walking distance of our home.
Curious about Mount Rainier Elementary? Check out one of the PTO meetings, held the first Tuesday evening (6:30-8pm) and the first Friday morning (8am) of each month.
Quick note: This Friday (5/12), shop for a mom/grandma/partner/sister/friend at Tanglewood Works in Hyattsville and they will donate 10% of sales to the Mount Rainier Elementary Parent Teacher Organization! Just let them know at checkout that you wish to support the Organization.
** Not familiar with Tanglewood Works? Read our review.
Want to foster and support a love for art in our students? Then go here and check out this campaign to fund in-school artist residencies and after school arts programs for the students of MRE!
Facebook: Mount Rainier Elementary Parent Teacher Organization
Like what you’ve read? Read about more schools in our Spotlight on Schools Series!
Greenbelt Elementary School
Dora Kennedy French Immersion School
University Park Elementary School
Riverdale Elementary School
Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School
Robert Goddard Montessori School
Mt. Rainier Elementary School
Holy Redeemer School
Interested in sharing a little bit about your local Prince George’s County school?
Please do! Contact me at Sarah@routeonefun.com
Leave a Reply