Basilica School of St Mary Parents

[Anonymous]

What has your experience been like? We're attending the open house next week, so hopefully, we'll get some good insight there, but I'm curious about input from the parent's perspective. Do you see the school as a caring and supportive environment? Are kids encouraged to be individuals and creative? Is it an everyone sit down and be quiet type of environment or do teachers find ways to work with kids at their level? I like the individual approach to education I've seen at other schools we've visited, and my personal experience with a Catholic education is that it is not like that. Maybe my experience is just old and outdated, and the approach has been modernized? Are the class sizes a concern? The price is certainly attractive, and I do not mind DD getting some religious education. Any thoughts/experiences/insight you can provide would be helpful!

[Anonymous]

Most if not all of the school families are members of Saint Mary’s Church, with the second largest group coming from Good Shepherd parish as they don’t have a school.

In my experience as a parent, the school is a welcoming place with supportive families. There is differentiation, and a robust learning center that offers additional support services which is not common for a Catholic school. It is a large school, with 3 classes per grade, and class sizes are manageable. Every class grade PreK-2 has a teacher and instructional assistant, and grade 3-8 have a grade level instructional assistant for support.

Attending the open house will give you a better feel of the school day.

[Anonymous]

I’d describe it as a pretty typical parochial school education. Pretty structured and formal, not the most warm and fuzzy place and not much emphasis on creativity or individuality. It’s a fine school but daily standard Catholic education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d describe it as a pretty typical parochial school education. Pretty structured and formal, not the most warm and fuzzy place and not much emphasis on creativity or individuality. It’s a fine school but daily standard Catholic education.

Thanks for this. That's very much what I'm imagining.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PPs. I have three BSN graduates. All three kids did well and with school fit each academically- and I have a high achiever, average student and one with mild learning differences.

Lots of great things about the school historically. I live the Kindergarten buddies, reading buddies and school families (mixed grade groups that get together through the school year).

CYO programs along with school band and play allow for lots of interaction with kids and families outside of the school.

[Anonymous]

very conservative compared to other parochial schools which may be ok for you but just fyi. For example, one of the dmv catholic high schools started including marriage announcements in their bulletin for alumni for same sex couples and the head of this school was advising families to boycott that school as a result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:very conservative compared to other parochial schools which may be ok for you but just fyi. For example, one of the dmv catholic high schools started including marriage announcements in their bulletin for alumni for same sex couples and the head of this school was advising families to boycott that school as a result.

Who is the “head of school”? Do you mean the principal? Or the pastor? There is no “head of school” at St Marys.

Within our neighborhood we have experience with a couple Alexandria Catholic schools and there are conservative families at all the schools, just like everywhere. Most “very conservative” Catholic families homeschool (or eventually send their children to the Heights or Oakcrest).

Op, if you are referring to Visi, many BSM girls go there for high school, so there is no boycott. It is a very popular school choice in Alexandria for catholics.

[Anonymous]

If it matters to you, be aware that the parent community can be a bit toxic (mean girl behavior among the mothers, for example), and that the politics of many are of the MAGA ilk. Perhaps not a deal-breaker for you (or a positive!) but worth knowing before you sign up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it matters to you, be aware that the parent community can be a bit toxic (mean girl behavior among the mothers, for example), and that the politics of many are of the MAGA ilk. Perhaps not a deal-breaker for you (or a positive!) but worth knowing before you sign up.

You’ll run into Sean Spicer in the parent community so that tells you something…

[Anonymous]

OP- I hate when people spew off like the last two previous posters. It is a typical Catholic school. And such, you will find both Republicans and Democrats in the community. The vast majority tend to be moderate but there will be a few that lean to the far side of their respective ‘side’.
Instead of seeing the benefit of DC being around different viewpoints as a positive, they see it only as a negative. I wish people would focus on that which binds us together. IMO this has offered DC a wonderful place to hear and learn varying opinions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- I hate when people spew off like the last two previous posters. It is a typical Catholic school. And such, you will find both Republicans and Democrats in the community. The vast majority tend to be moderate but there will be a few that lean to the far side of their respective ‘side’.
Instead of seeing the benefit of DC being around different viewpoints as a positive, they see it only as a negative. I wish people would focus on that which binds us together. IMO this has offered DC a wonderful place to hear and learn varying opinions.

I think PP's point was that your child is NOT going to get varying opinions at St Mary's. From my experience you would be hard pressed to find Democrats in the parent community, and many of the Republicans were supporters of the Trump presidency - either for ideological reasons, or simply because it benefitted their career. PP is correct - it's something to be aware of before applying to the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP- I hate when people spew off like the last two previous posters. It is a typical Catholic school. And such, you will find both Republicans and Democrats in the community. The vast majority tend to be moderate but there will be a few that lean to the far side of their respective ‘side’.
Instead of seeing the benefit of DC being around different viewpoints as a positive, they see it only as a negative. I wish people would focus on that which binds us together. IMO this has offered DC a wonderful place to hear and learn varying opinions.

DP here, and no info about this school in particular, but I appreciate these things. There are schools where the above is not the case at many schools. DD is now at a Catholic school with a left-leading parent body, relatively speaking, as compared with many other schools we considered. This was important to us, as it may be to other families of all political persuasions.

[Anonymous]

There is a very different vibe at St. Mary's than at say Blessed Sacrament - also in Alexandria. From the priests and a fair number of the parents. If it is what OP is looking for that is great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP- I hate when people spew off like the last two previous posters. It is a typical Catholic school. And such, you will find both Republicans and Democrats in the community. The vast majority tend to be moderate but there will be a few that lean to the far side of their respective ‘side’.
Instead of seeing the benefit of DC being around different viewpoints as a positive, they see it only as a negative. I wish people would focus on that which binds us together. IMO this has offered DC a wonderful place to hear and learn varying opinions.

I think PP's point was that your child is NOT going to get varying opinions at St Mary's. From my experience you would be hard pressed to find Democrats in the parent community, and many of the Republicans were supporters of the Trump presidency - either for ideological reasons, or simply because it benefitted their career. PP is correct - it's something to be aware of before applying to the school.

Current parent here: While there are some parents who have supported/ made money off the Trump presidency, that is the exception to the norm. There was a SMALL group of loud people last year who supported Trump, but most left the school to pursue homeschooling.

There are plenty of non-Republican parents at the school, and a variety of political opinions. It is a Catholic school, and reflects Catholicism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it matters to you, be aware that the parent community can be a bit toxic (mean girl behavior among the mothers, for example), and that the politics of many are of the MAGA ilk. Perhaps not a deal-breaker for you (or a positive!) but worth knowing before you sign up.

I take serious offense to this. My daughter spent pre-K to 8th grade at BSM and we couldn't be happier with her experience there. Do you understand that Catholicism stands for LIFE and has no room for people who disagree. It's a Catholic school for goodness sake. Of course most people lean to the right. That's what our religion teaches us. If you don't like it, keep your mouth shut and stay at your secular school.

Tired of the attacks on Catholicism. If people attacked Islam, Hinduism, mainstream Protestant religious and Judaism like the Catholic church has been attacked, there would be massive protests over it.