Beauvoir v. NPS—please compare the communities

[Anonymous]

I never said they didn't have iPads at all or use them in school. In fact I said the opposite. what I said was that I am grateful they have them AND teach them how to use them so they can be ready for virtual learning if needed. PK did not have one-to-one iPads until the pandemic first started. Now they have one assigned to each student so they can be prepared if they need to learn from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BVR only gave PK students an assigned iPad so they would be prepared for remote learning if/when needed during the pandemic. My older child never had an assigned iPad in PK before the pandemic, although they were occasionally used and shared in class. It is not tied to their hips during the day but I am grateful as a parent that my child was acclimated enough and did not seem frustrated when they had to learn from home (last year). Not sure how it is being used this year but the last thing I would want as a parent is for my child to be frustrated in a virtual setting and need me for every move.

Not true. I have a current PreK student at BVR, we have been in person and they have iPads and they use them.

Honestly, how do you feel about that, PP?

Not a fan but at this point, I feel like I'm stuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never said they didn't have iPads at all or use them in school. In fact I said the opposite. what I said was that I am grateful they have them AND teach them how to use them so they can be ready for virtual learning if needed. PK did not have one-to-one iPads until the pandemic first started. Now they have one assigned to each student so they can be prepared if they need to learn from home.

Well, that certainly is a nice spin on things. And it also contradicts what other posters have said, as you imply that they use them for virtual learning only. Is that not the case?

[Anonymous]

Thanks to PPs, I’ve read comparisons of nps and bvr on class size, religion, counselors, exit year, exmission path, tech use, facilities, club culture, legacies... Right now they seem equally appealing but the instability at nps is worrisome and I’m not a fan of the tech use at bvr (for prek)

Three more areas I’m curious about:

-teacher responsiveness—does one have more of a culture of really listening to (unconnected) parents?
-parent participation—which school has more events and classroom access for parents?
-dei/ anti racism

Thank you again to all of those contributing personal experiences and humoring an overly analytical parent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never said they didn't have iPads at all or use them in school. In fact I said the opposite. what I said was that I am grateful they have them AND teach them how to use them so they can be ready for virtual learning if needed. PK did not have one-to-one iPads until the pandemic first started. Now they have one assigned to each student so they can be prepared if they need to learn from home.

Well, that certainly is a nice spin on things. And it also contradicts what other posters have said, as you imply that they use them for virtual learning only. Is that not the case?

No I said they DO use them in class and I am grateful they are comfortable using them b/c it helps them acclimate much quicker to virtual learning w/the classroom practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to PPs, I’ve read comparisons of nps and bvr on class size, religion, counselors, exit year, exmission path, tech use, facilities, club culture, legacies... Right now they seem equally appealing but the instability at nps is worrisome and I’m not a fan of the tech use at bvr (for prek)

Three more areas I’m curious about:

-teacher responsiveness—does one have more of a culture of really listening to (unconnected) parents?
-parent participation—which school has more events and classroom access for parents?
-dei/ anti racism

Thank you again to all of those contributing personal experiences and humoring an overly analytical parent!

Beauvoir parent with three kids some current some past:
- Teacher responsiveness is prompt and on pint. They take your concerns seriously and actually address/mitigate the issue. Out of the many many years we've been there there is on one teacher who was lackluster and luckily our other children have not had that person
- ton of opportunities for parent participation on many different levels, this goes without saying but especially pre pandemic
- great DEI model, age appropriate

The head is really phenomenal, deeply caring and personable, as are the teachers. FYI, the connection to the cathedral schools is great but that's not why we send/sent our kids.

Good luck, you have two great options. At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with either one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never said they didn't have iPads at all or use them in school. In fact I said the opposite. what I said was that I am grateful they have them AND teach them how to use them so they can be ready for virtual learning if needed. PK did not have one-to-one iPads until the pandemic first started. Now they have one assigned to each student so they can be prepared if they need to learn from home.

Well, that certainly is a nice spin on things. And it also contradicts what other posters have said, as you imply that they use them for virtual learning only. Is that not the case?

Exactly! And it is not the case. We haven’t been virtual in a while. And they don’t need to go to school to learn to use an iPad. Cut it out!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to PPs, I’ve read comparisons of nps and bvr on class size, religion, counselors, exit year, exmission path, tech use, facilities, club culture, legacies... Right now they seem equally appealing but the instability at nps is worrisome and I’m not a fan of the tech use at bvr (for prek)

Three more areas I’m curious about:

-teacher responsiveness—does one have more of a culture of really listening to (unconnected) parents?
-parent participation—which school has more events and classroom access for parents?
-dei/ anti racism

Thank you again to all of those contributing personal experiences and humoring an overly analytical parent!

Beauvoir parent with three kids some current some past:
- Teacher responsiveness is prompt and on pint. They take your concerns seriously and actually address/mitigate the issue. Out of the many many years we've been there there is on one teacher who was lackluster and luckily our other children have not had that person
- ton of opportunities for parent participation on many different levels, this goes without saying but especially pre pandemic
- great DEI model, age appropriate

The head is really phenomenal, deeply caring and personable, as are the teachers. FYI, the connection to the cathedral schools is great but that's not why we send/sent our kids.

Good luck, you have two great options. At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with either one

Current NPS parents. I almost concur exactly with the BVR parent. Two great options!

-An AA parent

[Anonymous]

What is the largest class size Beauvoir has had k-3 in recent years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the largest class size Beauvoir has had k-3 in recent years?

22 or 23 kids with two co-teachers and math and reading specialist. The specialists are an invaluable resource. A real shock not to have the same resources when we moved on from Beauvoir

[Anonymous]

Where would a (very) frumpy mom feel less out of place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where would a (very) frumpy mom feel less out of place?

Honestly, you would be fine at either place, signed a Beauvoir mom. And I bet you are not as frumpy as you think

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A school's "vibe" isn't a bottle of ketchup. It's not a single flavor that will taste the same yesterday, tomorrow, and next year, much less taste the same to everybody.

We had two kids at the same small K-8, a warm one, and the families weren't that different but one class felt warm to us and the other less.

+1 this is not a very answerable question. my kids are at the same school, but the vibe feels different in each of their grades.

[Anonymous]

NPS parent here - to the responsiveness question - I find the teachers to not only be available and responsive to parents, but also proactive and very thoughtful about reaching out when issues or concerns arise in the classroom that we may not be seeing at home. This is not only relevant to the teachers, but also to Malcolm Lester head of school who knows the kids well and seemingly remembers all the parents as well! Likely also the case at BVR, you can’t make a bad choice!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never said they didn't have iPads at all or use them in school. In fact I said the opposite. what I said was that I am grateful they have them AND teach them how to use them so they can be ready for virtual learning if needed. PK did not have one-to-one iPads until the pandemic first started. Now they have one assigned to each student so they can be prepared if they need to learn from home.

Not to beat a dead horse on this issue, but other posters are saying that Beauvoir PK age kids - 4 and 5 years old -use iPads at school, now. As in, every day. We are not currently in virtual learning. You seem to be trying to skate past that point.