New to the private school discussion - nova family

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to clarify, do you want textbooks specifically, or just something other than devices? A lot of independent schools don’t use textbooks in the lower school years, but also don’t use devices much. I have a third grader, and, for example, this week in science they were learning about magnetism through a variety of inquiry-based activities and experiments with magnets. For social studies they’ve been learning about native peoples using a range of primary source material including documents, guest speakers, and artifacts. They’re learning to do research in the library. They don’t have textbooks not because they’re on devices but because it’s much more hands-on.

Thank you for the distinction. I want hands on learning, reading, writing. I know school has changed a lot since I was there so it’s hard to say what I want specifically if not textbooks. I do not want a bunch of apps and worksheets from teachers paying teachers or whatever that have not been reviewed and validated as a curriculum would be

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are also in Arlington and sending our kids to private next year. They will all be in lower school, never thought we would head down this path, but i have no faith in APS at this point. DH and I are both from public school background. Lots of bus options to the Bethesda schools from N. Arlington/Mclean. Applied to Potomac, but were waitlisted. Its very difficult to get into with so many people going private right now, whether that will change as we get farther away from Covid, who knows. I think Covid just really highlighted how public school cannot be creative and pivot when the situation calls for it. I honestly don't see that changing and that's why we are going private. I'm cannot believe how much we have to pay for it though...i'm still processing that, but if I'm going to spend my money on something, my kids education seems like the right way to allocate it.

OP here - totally agree with you that I did not expect to be doing this so soon. I get a sense that maybe APS were good a while back but not so much anymore (all relative - they’re still better than the rest of the country). Two of my neighbors that went private bc of covid said they did not expect their kids would have a hard time but once they got to the private they realized the straight As in APS do not translate to straight As in private and the first year was rocky. I hope Potomac will come through with wait list if you’re still hoping for that. About the cost - I’m weary of the whole application process because I don’t know which schools are worth it. Know people argue about the big 3 and I don’t exactly understand what those are and it probably varies based on who you ask. We’re not if the mind that we have to got to a TOP school but if we’re going to pay 40k+ it needs to be good. Where I grew up there were a lot of not good private schools and I don’t want to go that route inadvertently

Are you at a regular APS school or an option school? That seems to matter too,

[Anonymous]

Honestly with so many choices you may want a consultant for your family. There are so many great schools a consultant can steer your family in the direction that is the right fit for your family and kids. We pulled pre covid our rising 6th grader to a k-8 and it was ok socially. Academically it was AMAZING and refreshing to be out of APS. A year later we pulled our younger daughter for LS. When she arrived we saw the lack of learning from APS and spent two years getting her caught up in reading (thank you lucy caulkins). Regardless the k-8 was great and yes it means another application process but honestly they change so much in MS the k-8 was better for our kids and they both wound up in a great private US. Academically and socially thriving.

[Anonymous]

Another Arlington family with kids in DC private schools. Transportation not that big a deal. Would rather do that than some of the places in VA (e.g., Maderia much further for us)

[Anonymous]

We are in Arlington, too.

We love near Yorktown but decided on O'Connell (called DJO) twice for our sons who are very different from one another.

We also moved into our house "for the schools" and lots of my friends are teachers in APS.
They have so much on their plates, that it is really hard for them to be as excellent as they want to be, and ironically, these parents who are writing checks that are lower that Arlington's budgeted price per pupil, are less argumentative/litigious.

I am very pleased with the curriculum and support at O'Connell. The head of music department spent almost an hour on the phone with me discussing college options for my musical kid, and gave me some really great advice/encouragement. This person knows both of my kids, even though the other one is not musically inclined.

I have seen kids who hit a rough patch, and watching the team there help them "dig out of the hole" and make things work, and have heard my mom friends share how kind the school was when there were issues.

I have also been to sporting events where the other team (public or private) tried to "bait" or goad O'Connell students and they knew they'd be running laps the next day if they engaged in that.

It's not fancy, but it is very, very good. Check out the SuperDance for cystic fibrosis this weekend or the musical happening in 2 weeks as a neighbor, and see how it feels. Walk a dog by a game and just see how the students interact. It is nice.

I also have kids to would lose their heads if they were not attached, and having to run up to school with a charger, a lunch, some gear, or sheet music happens. I am glad they go to school just a few miles from our house (but their friends are all over NOVA & DC).

[Anonymous]

N Arlington in particular is filled w kids not going to APS. our block alone i count 5 houses (including ours) no longer at APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been looking through the forums and past posts as I try to get a general idea of the private school landscape for our Northern Virginia family. We’re in Arlington and thought the kids would go to public schools because ‘the schools were great’. At some point in time we learned that the high schools were not as great and we might want to consider private for that. We made ourselves to the idea that we would apply private for middle school or high school. And then the last two years happened and now we’re wondering if we should consider private sooner since it sounds like admissions have gotten much more competitive. I’m trying to come up to speed on this earlier than I expected.

My questions:
a) I kept reading about going to school close to where you live. Obviously there is Potomac. What are other options in this area? Madeira is all girls so that’s not an option for one of our kids. Langley sounds great, but I’m weary about doing the application again in HS especially for my kid who is not super social - seems rough to pull them out of public, then Langley, then somewhere else for HS but maybe people do It and it’s fine. We like where we live and moving for a school seems daunting
b) Are there set “entry years” when more spots open up usually or does it vary at all schools? Does it make more sense to apply for K (missed that boat), 6th, or 9th grade?
c) We’re Catholic but I hadn’t really considered Catholic schools - I’m not sure why. I think maybe I inadvertently ranked schools in my head as public, then Catholic and then independents like Potomac and if we’re gonna pull them out of public then try to go all the way. But I’m open to suggestions if there are exceptional ones to consider. Is it common that catholic school families would apply / get into Potomac type schools for HS?

We want solid academics with less emphasis on devices and more emphasis on textbooks. Child loves learning and is not an athlete. We’re big on social Justice values (I feel a little guilty about potentially going private) and educating the whole child / inculcating values. And we’re minorities so a bit concerned about that as well, though I’ve mostly come to terms that private schools will not have the level of diversity I would prefer in an ideal world.

All suggestions welcome but please be kind to this newbie

Former APS family. Older son entered Langley in 4th grade. My DW and I think it has been a fantastic experience. My DS has really blossomed there. He absolutely loves to go to school which wasn't the case at APS. We just finished the high school application process and had multiple acceptances including one of the Big 3. While the application process is daunting, it really helps to find the best fit for your child. Also, it will put you ahead of the game when you apply to colleges.

One final note, we originally applied in the May/June timeframe (atypical) but it wouldn't hurt to talk to admissions in April to see if there might be space in your grade next year.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re in Arlington and getting into the city is really not a big deal. Further, many schools have busses from Arlington (Bullis, GDS, Landon, Field just to name a few) or are very accessible by public transit (as they get into middle/high school) (Maret, WIS, GDS, Burke).

Is the school bus free for these above private schools?Or need to pay any additional fee?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just to clarify, do you want textbooks specifically, or just something other than devices? A lot of independent schools don’t use textbooks in the lower school years, but also don’t use devices much. I have a third grader, and, for example, this week in science they were learning about magnetism through a variety of inquiry-based activities and experiments with magnets. For social studies they’ve been learning about native peoples using a range of primary source material including documents, guest speakers, and artifacts. They’re learning to do research in the library. They don’t have textbooks not because they’re on devices but because it’s much more hands-on.

Thank you for the distinction. I want hands on learning, reading, writing. I know school has changed a lot since I was there so it’s hard to say what I want specifically if not textbooks. I do not want a bunch of apps and worksheets from teachers paying teachers or whatever that have not been reviewed and validated as a curriculum would be

I think generally teachers in private have more autonomy with curriculum (so it varies more depending on teacher)--something to keep in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re in Arlington and getting into the city is really not a big deal. Further, many schools have busses from Arlington (Bullis, GDS, Landon, Field just to name a few) or are very accessible by public transit (as they get into middle/high school) (Maret, WIS, GDS, Burke).

Is the school bus free for these above private schools?Or need to pay any additional fee?

Varies a bit from school to school. I know Field is free. I think that Potomac, GDS, Landon charge a moderate fee (like $1500 K/year + or - )

[Anonymous]

Congressional School in Falls church (close to Arlington) is a great place. Have a kid graduating from there this year (who started in pre-school). It meets all the priorities you list below. Focus on studying and learning, hands on, great teachers, very warm atmosphere with emphasis on kindness and social values.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve been looking through the forums and past posts as I try to get a general idea of the private school landscape for our Northern Virginia family. We’re in Arlington and thought the kids would go to public schools because ‘the schools were great’. At some point in time we learned that the high schools were not as great and we might want to consider private for that. We made ourselves to the idea that we would apply private for middle school or high school. And then the last two years happened and now we’re wondering if we should consider private sooner since it sounds like admissions have gotten much more competitive. I’m trying to come up to speed on this earlier than I expected.

My questions:
a) I kept reading about going to school close to where you live. Obviously there is Potomac. What are other options in this area? Madeira is all girls so that’s not an option for one of our kids. Langley sounds great, but I’m weary about doing the application again in HS especially for my kid who is not super social - seems rough to pull them out of public, then Langley, then somewhere else for HS but maybe people do It and it’s fine. We like where we live and moving for a school seems daunting
b) Are there set “entry years” when more spots open up usually or does it vary at all schools? Does it make more sense to apply for K (missed that boat), 6th, or 9th grade?
c) We’re Catholic but I hadn’t really considered Catholic schools - I’m not sure why. I think maybe I inadvertently ranked schools in my head as public, then Catholic and then independents like Potomac and if we’re gonna pull them out of public then try to go all the way. But I’m open to suggestions if there are exceptional ones to consider. Is it common that catholic school families would apply / get into Potomac type schools for HS?

We want solid academics with less emphasis on devices and more emphasis on textbooks. Child loves learning and is not an athlete. We’re big on social Justice values (I feel a little guilty about potentially going private) and educating the whole child / inculcating values. And we’re minorities so a bit concerned about that as well, though I’ve mostly come to terms that private schools will not have the level of diversity I would prefer in an ideal world.

All suggestions welcome but please be kind to this newbie

[Anonymous]

We want solid academics with less emphasis on devices and more emphasis on textbooks. Child loves learning and is not an athlete. We’re big on social Justice values (I feel a little guilty about potentially going private) and educating the whole child / inculcating values. And we’re minorities so a bit concerned about that as well, though I’ve mostly come to terms that private schools will not have the level of diversity I would prefer in an ideal world.

All suggestions welcome but please be kind to this newbie

There is a lot going on here and you may not find all of this in one place.

1. many schools both public and private are moving away from textbooks (or at least not using them exclusively) and are certainly moving toward learning management systems like Schoology and Canvas.
2. Social Justice is really important at many of the area privates (some of the girls schools have a lot of focus on it in particular)
3. Check out various schools - some have much more diversity than the publics
4. Don't lock yourself into VA schools. Many of the schools in MD and DC have 20% or more of their students coming from VA

[Anonymous]

Most of the privates are not better than APS, and the Catholic schools definitely aren't (and DH went to Catholic schools). For example, I'd never send my kid to O'Connell over Yorktown.

The only time private is worth paying for is in high school, where you get better college counseling and an admissions bump for many higher ranked schools. But it's only worth it to pay for the better privates like Sidwell, NCS/STA, GDS, Holton, Maret, Potomac. FYI, as a Virginia family, your geographic diversity is a positive for the DC/MD schools.

Middle school for both privates and publics is always mess because kids that age are a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the privates are not better than APS, and the Catholic schools definitely aren't (and DH went to Catholic schools). For example, I'd never send my kid to O'Connell over Yorktown.

The only time private is worth paying for is in high school, where you get better college counseling and an admissions bump for many higher ranked schools. But it's only worth it to pay for the better privates like Sidwell, NCS/STA, GDS, Holton, Maret, Potomac. FYI, as a Virginia family, your geographic diversity is a positive for the DC/MD schools.

Middle school for both privates and publics is always mess because kids that age are a mess.

Disagree completely the privates are way better than APS. Individualized learning classes bursting at the seams. Sorry but unless it’s IB APS is sinking

[Anonymous]

I wish there were just 1-2 more options reasonable from Arlington/McLean/FC for HS.

Potomac, Flint Hill, DJO and Madeira are the only reasonable commutes IMO.

The new paul VI is too far out to be an option. Same for Saint Paul the Great. It’s a shame too - both have the best facilities in the area IMO.