PSA on SSSAS

[Anonymous]

It's disappointing but I have to confirm as a parent with 2 kids at SSSAS for a number of years, posters are correct when they talk about the school going downhill in recent years.

Their LS is very good. The teachers there make it so esp as you get to the higher elementary grades.

The US is run by a HOS that is really on top of things. He is responsive and I feel like again, the teachers make the place worth it.

The MS has gone downhill really fast however. There seems to be the most issues as a whole there from picking teachers that should never have been hired and the change in their Head maybe impacts negatively. That guy is now only a teacher but the new guy had been an admin for years but this yr I've notice significant changes in a number of ways that detract from the quality of admin addressing concerns and communications.

Unfortunately MS is typically when a lot of public families consider private as we surely did too. A lot of our friends moved on to BI and I think the popularity of that school has driven its quality higher. However as it's Catholic school, you'd have to be comfortable with that, which we are not. I still think US SSSAS works but in a few more years it's hard to say. My kid who is older has a better class than my younger - stronger academically focused and better behaved kids in general. I think there's a lot more work the MS is trying to do in making the transition from MS to US more seamless as they must recognize there are more unhappy families there.

From a location perspective in Alex, it's hard to find another school in proximity to a commute but just want to put it out there that the MS is prob the weakest of all campuses these days. There are still a few excellent teachers there but our experience is that it's a harder 3 yrs than the other 2 campuses because if the administration.

Good luck everyone! It's always hard deciding on schools and there's no perfect one esp when you pay so much for these schools. Every class differs so luck is involved in how your family does but the admin is so important in helping navigate through bumps. My sense is that the good ones are super laser focused on solving probes while the less good ones are more about keeping the peace in a manner of speaking, consider asking about different scenario approaches when you talk to the school admins when you check out schools.

[Anonymous]

This is what I have been trying to say too, OP! I just want to warn people not to waste their money and the only reason SSSAS has survived the way they have is because they are in a unique spot geographically in a terrible public school system but that doesn't make it a quality education. I hope people listen and don't have to learn the lesson the hard way like we did. We can't get those years or money back.

[Anonymous]

I love SSSAS but the middle school is awful. So disappointed. The administration won’t even acknowledge it’s anything other than “amazing!!!!” and if you can’t acknowledge a problem, you can’t fix it.

There are several parents with concrete suggestions for improvement, and the school just doesn’t seem to care.

The lower school is fabulous though, and I think the head of the lower school is response to suggestions.

[Anonymous]

What current year MS changes are you referring to, OP?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, though, if MS is the main issue, what's a better alternative? The MS experience tends to be bad at any school. The Alex public middle school options are concerning, and there aren't many private school options in the area. I've heard negative things about the MS experience at St. Mary's. ACDS has a significantly smaller class size than SSSAS, which brings its own concerns. Blessed Sacrament and St Rita's tend to fly under the radar, so I can't comment on the experience there. Immanual Lutheran goes to 8th, but I'm not sure someone considering Immanual Lutheran would also consider SSAS. Going outside the city, Browne and Burgundy have their own concerns and/or cultural fit issues.

No school is going to be perfect. The middle school years are going to be particularly hard for most kids. I agree that I wish SSSAS would put a bit more effort into the MS as it does seem like the lost sibling. However, I'm not sure what alternative is better right now.

[Anonymous]

Just started at Upper school and kid is loving it. Middle school is a bad time for kids. We weren’t at SSSAS for middle and it wasn’t great where we were either. I think that is true across the board. It’s sort of a hormone holding tank. Kids are all over the place hormonally and schools have to figure out how harsh to be when boundaries are pushed. And they are pushed. Some kids are practically adults while others haven’t even hit puberty and parents often still want them coddled. I did not agree with the calls made at our school about every incident. It’s hard because the administrators don’t want to ruin the kids lives but also know they need to set boundaries and enforce rules. I think every single school gets it wrong in the eyes of some parents. We generally liked our K-8 and don’t regret sending our kids there at all but my kids have been very happy at their high schools and I think maybe some of the rage on here about SSSAS is from families that think middle school at other places is tranquil and calm and pleasant. It’s not a great few years anywhere.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the above about MS being hard but it’s helpful to see administrators at least pretend to care about parent complaints imo. The recent dress code changes are the ultimate example of that - SO many complaints, but NOTHING was even said to parents - they just act like no one is upset.

The MS is certainly better than Alexandria public and probably better than other privates in Alexandria. The problem is they try to compete with other DC area schools, and for families with young kids I think they do (lots of families who live in the district but are looking to move outside the city tour and ultimately choose SSSAS and Alexandria as their suburb of choice).

But “better than public or Catholic schools” is not something to brag about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the above about MS being hard but it’s helpful to see administrators at least pretend to care about parent complaints imo. The recent dress code changes are the ultimate example of that - SO many complaints, but NOTHING was even said to parents - they just act like no one is upset.

The MS is certainly better than Alexandria public and probably better than other privates in Alexandria. The problem is they try to compete with other DC area schools, and for families with young kids I think they do (lots of families who live in the district but are looking to move outside the city tour and ultimately choose SSSAS and Alexandria as their suburb of choice).

But “better than public or Catholic schools” is not something to brag about.

I think maybe you need to explore the upper school. There are a lot of kids from outside of Alexandria at the upper school. A lot. We chose the school over closer independent schools because of what it offers and over DC schools because of logistics and fit. It sounds like you feel like it’s your only option. It isn’t. You just may have to drive farther.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the above about MS being hard but it’s helpful to see administrators at least pretend to care about parent complaints imo. The recent dress code changes are the ultimate example of that - SO many complaints, but NOTHING was even said to parents - they just act like no one is upset.

The MS is certainly better than Alexandria public and probably better than other privates in Alexandria. The problem is they try to compete with other DC area schools, and for families with young kids I think they do (lots of families who live in the district but are looking to move outside the city tour and ultimately choose SSSAS and Alexandria as their suburb of choice).

But “better than public or Catholic schools” is not something to brag about.

I think maybe you need to explore the upper school. There are a lot of kids from outside of Alexandria at the upper school. A lot. We chose the school over closer independent schools because of what it offers and over DC schools because of logistics and fit. It sounds like you feel like it’s your only option. It isn’t. You just may have to drive farther.

Following up on this - are you happy with the US? It doesn’t seem to have the same issues the middle school does, but then again I wasn’t plugged into the middle school issues until my kid got there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the above about MS being hard but it’s helpful to see administrators at least pretend to care about parent complaints imo. The recent dress code changes are the ultimate example of that - SO many complaints, but NOTHING was even said to parents - they just act like no one is upset.

The MS is certainly better than Alexandria public and probably better than other privates in Alexandria. The problem is they try to compete with other DC area schools, and for families with young kids I think they do (lots of families who live in the district but are looking to move outside the city tour and ultimately choose SSSAS and Alexandria as their suburb of choice).

But “better than public or Catholic schools” is not something to brag about.

I think maybe you need to explore the upper school. There are a lot of kids from outside of Alexandria at the upper school. A lot. We chose the school over closer independent schools because of what it offers and over DC schools because of logistics and fit. It sounds like you feel like it’s your only option. It isn’t. You just may have to drive farther.

Following up on this - are you happy with the US? It doesn’t seem to have the same issues the middle school does, but then again I wasn’t plugged into the middle school issues until my kid got there.

Yes. It has been a very welcoming experience and my child has gotten involved, joined a sports team and is excited for homecoming. We are very happy so far. There have been a few typical start of year glitches but since we have done public and other privates, it’s all standard stuff. Happy with SSSAS.

[Anonymous]

I think MS is the weak link for most k-12s. DC went to Congressional and has now been at SSSAS for a couple years, and the experience at each has been wonderful. I think k-8s generally do a much better job with the tricky 6-8 grades. Best of both worlds for us, very happy all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The MS has gone downhill really fast however. There seems to be the most issues as a whole there from picking teachers that should never have been hired and the change in their Head maybe impacts negatively. That guy is now only a teacher but the new guy had been an admin for years but this yr I've notice significant changes in a number of ways that detract from the quality of admin addressing concerns and communications.

I don't think I understand what you are trying to say? The last Head was a woman. What are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Can anyone comment on the MS back to school night?

I’m finding the MS to be extremely uneven. Some teachers seem great, and some seem awful. The communication between teachers and administrators seems weak (why did EVERY teacher have kids fill out a getting-to-know-you form?!?) and i don’t feel like every child is “seen and known”. It feels….like an assembly line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone comment on the MS back to school night?

I’m finding the MS to be extremely uneven. Some teachers seem great, and some seem awful. The communication between teachers and administrators seems weak (why did EVERY teacher have kids fill out a getting-to-know-you form?!?) and i don’t feel like every child is “seen and known”. It feels….like an assembly line.

DC was not at SSSAS for middle school, but every teacher at their school had them fill out a getting to know you kind of thing. They were all slightly different variations. I think it’s just an annoying MS thing.

[Anonymous]

These are troll posts. I just went to back to school night and the middle school teachers were wonderful. I think that the trolls get their feelings hurt because education is inherently “liberal” and they want to air out their maga hurt feelings. They are reminded at back to school night that education is “woke”.