Norwood feedback

[Anonymous]

What are families like? What is the school culture? What do you like most about Norwood? Where do you see opportunties for improvement?

[Anonymous]

We left during the pandemic. It is definitely a family type of atmosphere but the math and reading instruction were not up to what our kids needed. Like most private schools, it’s very white. New building is beautiful. The stereotype for any preK-8 is that it’s a school for kids that can’t get into the 3-12 schools. I know several kids rejected by Norwood but accepted to GDS, Sidwell and St Andrew’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We left during the pandemic. It is definitely a family type of atmosphere but the math and reading instruction were not up to what our kids needed. Like most private schools, it’s very white. New building is beautiful. The stereotype for any preK-8 is that it’s a school for kids that can’t get into the 3-12 schools. I know several kids rejected by Norwood but accepted to GDS, Sidwell and St Andrew’s.

And like most stereotypes, it isn’t based in much. Norwood is a lovely school that has had very strong outplacement and a warm atmosphere. If you left, there isn’t a reason to put down the kids going there.

[Anonymous]

OP ignore the trolls.

I don't know one person who Norwood did not work for. That said of course there are kids it does not work for.

Norwood is a nice environment just not as academic as public so if planning on public for HS need tutoring summer of 8th grade. However, if sticking with private then said the child would be fine academically.

[Anonymous]

Norwood is a wonderful school. It has a diverse group of parents, a warm and kind culture, and though the math instruction isn’t what it could be the kids do well and get into fantastic schools after graduating. People who leave are loo looking for stronger academics. But Norwood has strong academics and the kids do well in their next schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left during the pandemic. It is definitely a family type of atmosphere but the math and reading instruction were not up to what our kids needed. Like most private schools, it’s very white. New building is beautiful. The stereotype for any preK-8 is that it’s a school for kids that can’t get into the 3-12 schools. I know several kids rejected by Norwood but accepted to GDS, Sidwell and St Andrew’s.

And like most stereotypes, it isn’t based in much. Norwood is a lovely school that has had very strong outplacement and a warm atmosphere. If you left, there isn’t a reason to put down the kids going there.

I wasn’t. Just making OP aware of the stereotype.

[Anonymous]

That’s the old stereotype. It’s very diverse now and has been for years.

[Anonymous]

Norwood is a very unique school. The teachers and administrations see the best in each student and this leads to the children feeling really good about themselves. The academics are challenging, but not stressful. My son needed more challenge in math and the teacher gave and continues to give him more work. The teacher initiated the process. The education is also very well-rounded, meaning that the kids learn about being a "good person" onto of English, history, etc. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We've in our 8th year there, and have been really happy with it. The only negative is that we can't continue there for HS.

[Anonymous]

We absolutely love Norwood and have made lifelong friends with fellow parents. We've found other parents to be super down-to-earth and friendly. It's a warm, nurturing place where teachers are very skilled and work to really know your kid. The campus has so much space and every resource you could need. Matthew Gould (HOS) really sets the tone for kindness, thoughtfulness and a sense of belonging. We thought the decision-making during covid was excellent and our kids were safely in school just about every day during the worst of the pandemic. Overall, it is so well run, our kids are happy and it really matches our values as a family. I'd say our only complaint is that it is a slightly longer commute than we would have preferred but it is 100% worth it.

I'm not sure what the PP is referring to in terms of the math and reading instruction. We've been really impressed with both.We have one kid that needed more support in reading and she has made a ton of progress with just the right level of support. And we purposely only applied to K-8 schools. We wanted HS to be an intentional decision based on who our kids are at that time.

Good luck OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And we purposely only applied to K-8 schools. We wanted HS to be an intentional decision based on who our kids are at that time.

Good luck OP!

There's nothing that says you can't start in a K-12 school, and go somewhere else for HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And we purposely only applied to K-8 schools. We wanted HS to be an intentional decision based on who our kids are at that time.

Good luck OP!

There's nothing that says you can't start in a K-12 school, and go somewhere else for HS.

True! But momentum and wanting to stay in a familiar place/with friends who are staying can certainly impact decision-making for a 13/14 year old. We liked the idea of everyone graduating 8th grade together and moving on at the same time to the next chapter. Norwood has some wonderful traditions for the 8th graders that make it a really meaningful milestone. It also gives 8th graders an opportunity to experience a leadership role in the school before high school, which we thought was valuable. We also found some of the k-12's we considered to be very focused on resources for the HS vs. the lower grades. In any case, this was our thinking and what pushed our family to focus on PK-8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And we purposely only applied to K-8 schools. We wanted HS to be an intentional decision based on who our kids are at that time.

Good luck OP!

There's nothing that says you can't start in a K-12 school, and go somewhere else for HS.

True! But momentum and wanting to stay in a familiar place/with friends who are staying can certainly impact decision-making for a 13/14 year old. We liked the idea of everyone graduating 8th grade together and moving on at the same time to the next chapter. Norwood has some wonderful traditions for the 8th graders that make it a really meaningful milestone. It also gives 8th graders an opportunity to experience a leadership role in the school before high school, which we thought was valuable. We also found some of the k-12's we considered to be very focused on resources for the HS vs. the lower grades. In any case, this was our thinking and what pushed our family to focus on PK-8.

Yeah, there are certainly some positives...on the other hand, my kid, who has a big friend group at Norwood, has to start from scratch at a new school, which makes starting high school even more stressful than it otherwise would be. The schools we're applying to go out of their way to have comprehensive orientation programs for the new students for exactly that reason though, and hopefully that will help ease the transition.
Again, I'm still happy we ended up at Norwood, and it's been a fantastic experience.

[Anonymous]

Having a current 9th grader at a “Big 3” high school that graduated from Norwood last year, I would strongly disagree that the academics are weaker than public school. My DC is killing it academically and feels they were very prepared for high school. Some teachers are stronger than others, but we feel the education was really good.
Most of the families we came across shared in our family values and beliefs. Also- it is much more diverse than our neighborhood public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We absolutely love Norwood and have made lifelong friends with fellow parents. We've found other parents to be super down-to-earth and friendly. It's a warm, nurturing place where teachers are very skilled and work to really know your kid. The campus has so much space and every resource you could need. Matthew Gould (HOS) really sets the tone for kindness, thoughtfulness and a sense of belonging. We thought the decision-making during covid was excellent and our kids were safely in school just about every day during the worst of the pandemic. Overall, it is so well run, our kids are happy and it really matches our values as a family. I'd say our only complaint is that it is a slightly longer commute than we would have preferred but it is 100% worth it.

I'm not sure what the PP is referring to in terms of the math and reading instruction. We've been really impressed with both.We have one kid that needed more support in reading and she has made a ton of progress with just the right level of support. And we purposely only applied to K-8 schools. We wanted HS to be an intentional decision based on who our kids are at that time.

Good luck OP!

Parent of a kid in one of the lower grades and I could have written this exact same reply. It's an amazing place. Also, Mike Risen (lower school head) is phenomenal, as are all the teachers we've encountered thus far. We have found a lot of parents who are deeply invested in their kids' well-being and totally not the private school stereotype.