Trinity Christian School

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:How much screen time does TCS do?

2 school days are virtual half days - they were really proud of how prepared their school was for virtual learning during spring 2020. That's for the entire school.

Kids get a device in 6th grade and have to bring one in 7th. There's a student portal starting at those ages.

Before then there is a computer lab that the elementary kids can access.

So different than the surrounding public schools "every kid gets a device starting in kindergarten, their own email, and access to the learning system that they will be using to turn in some assignments starting in primary school," but not no-tech.

Even Kindergarten??

No one is in the school building on those days - the virtual day is K-12. Our kids didn't do kindergarten there so I don't know the exact details for that age.

The website says, "Trinity resumed on-campus learning on Monday, August 24, 2020 with five full days of instruction weekly" and during the tour I recently went on, nothing was mentioned about virtual days when I specifically asked about technology use—is it possible they phased those virtual days out after your student graduated?

They do two a year per the student handbook. 2023-2024 were November 6 and March 4.

[Anonymous]

Even before the pandemic, they held a virtual day every year to practice for snow days. At that time, virtual days were fire 7th and up. Elementary had packets or something. When the pandemic happened, they went virtual without a hiccup. My connection to the school is old, so I can’t comment on current practices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I know who has a kid there seems very happy with it.

This is an understated MAGA crowd, as with most evangelicals these days. There seems to be an undercurrent of "of course Trump is the greatest, why would anyone think differently? No need to even discuss it! Oh, also, Jesus."

I never got that vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP. It is so interesting that people whonwork with technology so often are Luddites outside work. I hear it is pretty common in Silly Valley also.

It is very very common not only in SV, but also around route 128 in Boston area, in RTP, in Austin, and so on. Folks who work in tech companies pretty consistently try to keep their kids away from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It seems like an excellent school academically - very rigorous and with a strong science program (yes, they teach real science). Teachers and administrators seem dedicated. I was especially impressed with Dr. Vander Poel and the English teacher. The admissions staff were extremely nice.

I have a similar impression of TCS and their graduates go on to some pretty good colleges too. https://www.tcsfairfax.org/academics/college-counseling/college-acceptances

We looked at it but decided on a school closer to home.

Where did you go closer to home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leaving politics aside - I see this school in Wikipedia is characterized as "non-denominational". From what we saw the majority is Protestants. How does this school treat Christians of other beliefs (e.g. Catholic, Orthodox etc.)?

I went to this school around a decade ago. Assuming nothing has changed, I vividly remember a moment from 8th grade. We had exactly one Catholic girl in my class, and I thought, "Wow, we're so diverse! One Catholic student! That's diversity!" Then, I entered the real world. 😂 Of course, it's been a decade, and things have probably changed. But, the student body was super homogeneous.

So there are a few Catholic students? Any at all is kind of surprising given all the nearby Catholic schools.

[Anonymous]

The kids are really great. I once misplaced my purse and it was left unattended for hours. Nothing was touched.

[Anonymous]

My neighbors kids are there and they are nice and well adjusted. Smart kids. They are religious but okay that works for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids are really great. I once misplaced my purse and it was left unattended for hours. Nothing was touched.

That's so great to hear. One of the primary draws for us is the focus on character development and values. Our zoned public has a good academic record, but we hope Trinity will really help cultivate DC's character -- without sacrificing academic quality. And the religious aspect is important to us. Also, the children there seem so happy. Every kid we saw on the tour was smiling and really seemed present in the moment -- maybe it's the phones-locked-away policy? That's probably good for their mental health.

Can anyone comment on the carpool situation: do a lot of parents carpool? Most?

[Anonymous]

Ugh so many teachers went to Bob Jones University where interracial dating was prohibited until 2000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh so many teachers went to Bob Jones University where interracial dating was prohibited until 2000.

Character

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh so many teachers went to Bob Jones University where interracial dating was prohibited until 2000.

"So many"? Out of 100+ faculty I only see 2 teachers who hold any degree from there, and far, far more degrees from the University of Virginia, etc.

https://www.tcsfairfax.org/academics/faculty-at-a-glance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh so many teachers went to Bob Jones University where interracial dating was prohibited until 2000.

The Bob Jones grads I met through our local church are about as far from what you'd expect as you can imagine while still being the kind who go to church. People's reasons for going to a specific school can vary wildly. Judge them by who they are now.

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
My children currently attend TCS so I thought I would answer some questions -
we do two virtual halfdays a year - no more, so it's a non-issue. It is just to keep everyone familiar with the technology in case something happens. For Covid they were back in the fall of 2020 in person (a full year earlier than FCPS). It is a great size school for our family - small enough that it feels like a community of families, but big enough that they offer so many classes, performing arts and sports options. The academics are superior to anything I have seen - lots of honors and AP choices, and beginning in 7th grade they really hold the kids accountable for turning things in on time and doing work. There is a lot of critical thinking and asking questions, and in elementary they teach grammar and spelling and all of the things that it feels like FCSP is doing via app. There is not a lot of computer use at all. Yes, students get a computer in 7th but they don't use it often and when they do, it is to learn how to check email, send emails, use the online school site which shows grades and assignments. Parents have access to the school site which shows all of your kids assignments for the whole week in an easy to read format, so helpful for planning out their weeks.
Yes, it is a Christian school - we are Christian and we signed up for that. My children learn the Bible and take a religious class every year, but we also do those things at church and we WANT those things in our life. If you aren't Christian it probably isn't a good fit (just as a French immersion school might not work for your child if they didn't want to learn French).
As for carpools - yes most people carpool and on the school website it shows you who lives close to you (sorted by distance) and there are tools to help with carpools.
I hope that helps - It is an amazing community of people!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh so many teachers went to Bob Jones University where interracial dating was prohibited until 2000.

Character

This isn't even true - look at the list, there are two. And I know a few people who went their because they grew up and were sent there by their parents, but have since grown and make their own choices and own lives.