Parent life at DC private schools?
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Anonymous
| My child is starting at one of the so called “Big 3s” in the fall, and I’m wondering what parent life is like. I assume most children have 2 working parents with busy/time consuming jobs (as is the case with us). Are parents expected to take off frequently for school responsibilities, such as chaperoning field trips, doing school tours, etc.? Are there social parent activities? I’m just trying to figure out what to expect and how much additional time I should be expected to spend doing activities at the school. Thanks!! |
Anonymous
| Sorry, I forgot to add - my child is starting in kindergarten, so obviously very young. That may make a difference. |
Anonymous
| Every accepted new family has an assigned current family. Ask them. |
Anonymous
Oh, this is good to know, thank you! We were admitted off the wait list, so we have not yet received that information. |
Anonymous
| And I still have no idea which schools are considered “big 3” for K. 😂 |
Anonymous
| Buddy families should be assigned between now and the end of the school year. There should also be summer events for new families and class playdates. In the fall, most schools will give you the option to volunteer for different things like admissions, library, and field trips, but it's not required. It's worth marking the big events once you have access to the school calendar and keeping an eye out for the school auction. Parents give to schools in different ways so it's also fine to use the first year to figure out what you'd like to get involved in. |
Anonymous
| Basically there are families expected to donate time and families expected to donate money. You're the latter. |
Anonymous
| Don’t feel too stressed about how much time you spend at school. Let your DC get settled and figure out the lay of the land before you overcommit yourself. As you suspect, there is a good mix of parents who work inside the home and outside the home. You will see that some people volunteer a lot and some people volunteer rarely, and there is no pressure either way. There will be some social activities, but not too many, and you will have notice about them. And most of the important school events are in the evening because so many people work. Don’t stress about this, and don’t feel like you have to be everywhere all the time. It will mean a lot to your child if you are ever able to chaperone or volunteer, but it will also mean a lot to them when you are totally stressed out all the time. |
Anonymous
| FFS - make your friends on your own and not through your children. Get a life, loser mommies. |
Anonymous
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We have one in 1st and 3rd. The level of involvement was similar to our public. You can chaperone a field trip if you want, but not required.
There are some annual events which are big, like field day, and just about every kid has at least one parent there for that.. but it's also a great event and totallly worth it. |
Anonymous
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I definitely find myself needing to take time during the work week for in person conferences, concerts, etc at least 6-7 times a year. Most kids have both parents in attendance and I wouldn’t want my kid to feel like we don’t care enough.
Volunteering can be done in many ways - there are weekend as well as weekday opportunities. And don’t underestimate the value of donating a lot of money if time is in short supply, it’s always appreciated. |
Anonymous
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Yes when your kids are young there are lots of times that parents are invited to school. Parties, volunteering, Halloween, plays, reading a book, etc.
Also know that some families have a SAH parent or lots of flexibility so you will miss out, or feel you’re missing out, on social times if you can’t get to things. That’s how many play dates and family friendships start too. But if your super important it may not matter, there are plenty of those. When my kids were young I felt like I was at school a couple times a week for things. Older kids — you’re rarely there except for sports or concerts/plays/etc. |
Anonymous
| Depends on the school. One of ours had heavy requirements..the other not so much. |
Anonymous
| There are a lot of volunteer asks in early elementary. I’m not a room parent this year but I have gone to the school at least a dozen times this year, not counting teacher conferences. |
Anonymous
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Both parents work in most families at our school. There are some SAHMs also. We donate time when we can, and skip when we can’t. The school understands this, and they also have a good idea which families have a SAH parent (or not).
We aren’t wealthy, but we participate in annual giving within our budget/means. Schools have a good idea which families are wealthy or not, and adjest expectations accordingly. This mostly is common sense, I think…. |