Updated Info on Kensington & Bethesda Catholic Schools

[Anonymous]

Looking for updated opinions, insights on Holy Redeemer, Holy Cross, St Jane de Chantal, and St Barts. Interested in starting our family somewhere with a good community, great academics, variety of sports/extracurriculars, nice campus, and most importantly, a place where our kids can be creative, active, and truly enjoy going to school everyday.

[Anonymous]

These schools aren't different.

And I'd add Mercy, Little Flower and St. Elizabeth's to your list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking for updated opinions, insights on Holy Redeemer, Holy Cross, St Jane de Chantal, and St Barts. Interested in starting our family somewhere with a good community, great academics, variety of sports/extracurriculars, nice campus, and most importantly, a place where our kids can be creative, active, and truly enjoy going to school everyday.

When looking at these schools, you should note whether the schools have one class per grade or two, the average class size, before and aftercare programs, when Spanish classes begin, whether or not the school splits kids up according to ability in math and English, and teacher turnover. The answers will help you note the similarities and differences between the two schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking for updated opinions, insights on Holy Redeemer, Holy Cross, St Jane de Chantal, and St Barts. Interested in starting our family somewhere with a good community, great academics, variety of sports/extracurriculars, nice campus, and most importantly, a place where our kids can be creative, active, and truly enjoy going to school everyday.

When looking at these schools, you should note whether the schools have one class per grade or two, the average class size, before and aftercare programs, when Spanish classes begin, whether or not the school splits kids up according to ability in math and English, and teacher turnover. The answers will help you note the similarities and differences between the two schools.

Sorry. Meant “between these schools.”

[Anonymous]

OP: thank you for those additional school suggestions, I’ll be sure to check them out

To PP: from what Ive gathered so far, they are all quite similar in the basic respects, except for the class sizes. HR & De Jantal have more than one class per grade, while St Barts & Holy Cross only had one with no plans to add more (as far as I know). Can anyone give insight to what worked/works better for them in this setting - one class vs 2?

[Anonymous]

Do not have first hand knowledge about St Barts and Holy Cross, but having had kids in private schools for a long time, I will say having two sections or classes is extremely important. One class per grade is just too small and when (not if) there is an issue with another student or tricky social dynamics arise, you are stuck. A second class allows for a little space an flexibility.

[Anonymous]

DeChantal is great. Going through a transition year. HR is bigger and well organized. Mercy has strong academics, particularly in math. St. Bart's has poor leadership and constantly in financial crisis. That's allnI have exoerience with. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

You don't shop parochial schools, like private schools. Go with which one is your parish. Thats builds community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't shop parochial schools, like private schools. Go with which one is your parish. Thats builds community.

+1
Going to the parochial school closest to you also allows for closer friendships/relationships with kids & families that also live nearby. If you go to the attached church, you and your kids can build even closer and long-term relationships with the other kids’ families. That’s what happened with my siblings and I. We walked to our parochial school (and church) and to this day, decades later and not even living in the same state, we’re still friends with several kids in the neighborhood we went to the K-8 school with.

[Anonymous]

OP - thank you everyone, I truly appreciate your honest feedback.

As non Catholics (but Christian) we don’t have a parish we could jump into, which is why the search is more broad.

Disappointed to hear that St Barts is still having internal struggles because we appreciated their smaller class sizes & friendly teachers at open house.

Any HR families who could give some insight on joining as a non Catholic family? Also, we live close but not within walking distance like many of the other families who attend. It seemed like a lovely school, but not sure how “outsiders” fit into what seems like a very generational & local school.

[Anonymous]

HR is wonderful and *very* community based. But very full in the lower grades. Parochial schools give priority to practicing and tithing members of the parish then to catholics from other parishes before others so depending on the grade, HR will be tough.

[Anonymous]

If you like Saint Barts, you should check out Saint Elizabeth’s. They have a similar feel.

While I don't have personal experience with HR, I’ve heard from friends that a lot of the families that go there have been attending the school for generations. It can be hard for new families to break into the existing social groups.

[Anonymous]

We are happy at St. Barts. The teachers are incredible and the community is warm and welcoming. Kids are kind. Lots of extracurricular activities. Not wild about the principal or the hyper focus on the turf field. We have not heard of any financial issues recently and they are operating in the black. Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

DeChantal has a new principal this year who replaced a principal who had served for 20 years. That’s what the previous poster meant by transition year. The new principal is very popular.

[Anonymous]

Of these schools, HR seems to me to be the most connected to or integrated with the local town. And Kensington has a core of Catholic families that wouldn’t dream of sending their kids any other place.

The “We’re not Catholic” part of this suggests to me that they’d be happier at a Parish school that has more transient families and that draws from a wider geographic area than HR.

Seems to me that as the OP’s investigation continues and they understand more of what is taught, who sends their kids and why, and how insular these communities are, they might rethink whether a Catholic school is a good idea.