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Outplacement from Beauvoir
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Anonymous
| How supportive is the administration of families that do not want to send their children to NCS/STA? I understand that Beauvoir applicants to these schools have an early notification date--do they also need to commit before other candidates? |
Anonymous
| You do need to commit to NCS or STA well before you'll hear anything from any other school. If you decide to change your mind, it costs you $1,000. It's a pain in the rear, but at least several families seem to bite the $1,000 every year. |
Anonymous
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If you don't want to send your kid to STA, NCS, or public school starting in fourth grade, then I wouldn't send your kid to Beauvoir. The outplacement process can be pretty difficult unless you have a banner child. You really have little to no advantage at other schools coming out of Beauvoir, and fourth grade isn't a huge entry grade for most of the schools which have it as an entry year. What's more, you may even have a bit of a disadvantage because of the behavior of your fellow parents. Lots of parents cast a very wide net and apply to say Potomac, GDS, Maret, and Landon/Holton in addition to STA/NCS. They say all sorts of nice things and write great letters, but then pull all of their applications as soon as they hear a yes from NCS/STA. This applying to a lot of schools and then pulling applications is promoted by the administration as a way of giving other kids a better shot at getting in. I don't really buy it because it leads to many of these schools being very distrustful of Beauvoir applicants.
The administration is fairly supportive in the outplacement process, I think, but there's definite room for improvement. There is a guidance director who is helpful, but she kind of has to keep her mouth shut when it comes to saying that any certain school might not be the best fit for a child. My experience is that some of the third grade teachers are much more honest and helpful in discussing what truly is or isn't a good fit for the students. Unfortunately, you can't rely on that because teachers change (sometimes quite rapidly at Beauvoir), and you can never be assured of getting any particular teacher. Really, at the end of the day - even though it's very different from NCS/STA, which are again very different from each other - Beauvoir is a feeder school for the other Cathedral schools. Vance Wilson, head of STA, actually once proposed that STA take over Beauvoir and make it STA's co-ed lower school. The Beauvoir administration and board thought that was an absolutely outrageous idea, and the proposal died an early death. |
Anonymous
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I don't think that it is hard to avoid STA/NCS if you want to. Beauvoir places many children each year at schools such as GDS etc Several schools send representatives each fall to talk to third grade families and discuss opportunities at their schools. The guidance director is fantastic and works with all the families.
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Anonymous
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Beauvoir usually places at least a few kids at GDS, a couple at Maret, a couple at Potomac, a couple at St. Patrick's, and then a sprinkling that ranges anywhere from NPS to Lowell to Burgundy to Grace Episcopal to Landon to Bullis to... well... all over the map.
That said, for people who aren't keen on the Cathedral schools, it's not uncommon to not get into their first or second choice non-Cathedral school. There were a lot of Beauvoir third graders this year "wait-listed" at Maret, GDS, Potomac, and St. Pat's. |
Anonymous
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Are the Beauvoir kids not highly sought after (outside of STA and NCS)? Sounds like if you're not quite sure about wanting your kid to go to STA or NCS from Beauvoir, perhaps Maret or GDS or Potomac would be better choices for K through 3 as you're already at a school that goes through high school. But then again, I guess if you choose GDS or Maret or Potomac early on your chances of getting into STA or NCS (having not gone to Beauvoir) aren't as good. Kind of a tough position given that you don't know now (i.e., at Pre-K or K) what your kid will be like at 3rd, and whether a single sex school will be desirable/appropriate.
Anybody know of any kids who left Maret, GDS, Potomac...to go the NCS or STA at 4th? |
Anonymous
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I know of a couple boys who left GDS after sixth grade to go to STA because they were super into competitive sports that were strengths of STA (both lacrosse). One really liked it, and the other is really regretting it. I don't think he realized how different the culture is between GDS and STA.
I have three kids at GDS now and have been there for a good long while, and I don't know of any others who've left or tried to leave GDS for STA. Well, I take that back. I have heard of a couple kids leaving for STA after eighth grade. |
Anonymous
| PLEASE REFER TO THE WEBSITE. OUTPLACEMENT INFORMATION IS LISTED. |
Anonymous
| All I found there was a list of schools that Beauvoir alumni have attended in the last three years and a very brief description of the process. Is there more information elsewhere on the site? |
Anonymous
| The website isn't very helpful when it comes to outplacement. We have no idea how many kids went to each school, and of course the school is going to say it offers support. It doesn't look like anyone here has said that the school doesn't offer support. One poster just said that the school was supportive but that there was room for improvement or something like that. |
Anonymous
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Although the Web site lists Sidwell as one of the schools, I assume that odds of going there are particularly low, given that 4th grade is not an entry year. Is outplacement to Sidwell an anomaly?
Also, given the differences in philosophy between Beauvoir and, say, GDS, is there resistance to accepting Beauvoir alumni at the more progressive schools? |
Anonymous
I recently spoke with a Beauvoir parent about the Outplacement process. She spoke very highly about the guidance counselor and discussed how she guides parents through the admissions process beginning the summer of second grade. The school writes recs and makes sure the paper work is submitted to schools in a timely manner. Also during a visit to the school our guide who has gone through the outplacement process twice spoke about how the children even play a key role in determining their next steps. Some students have no desire to attend the other Cathedral schools and choose GDS, Maret, Potomac and other schools. |
Anonymous
Check out: http://www.beauvoirschool.org/ftpimages/224/download/download_group5534_id204168.pdf |
Anonymous
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Check out: http://www.beauvoirschool.org/ftpimages/224/download/download_group5534_id204168.pdf Page 53 of this "State of the School Address" lists outplacement from the class of 2006. Should provide some idea of what families can expect from Beauvoir outplacement. |
Anonymous
| Thank you PP the State of the School Address provides great information. |