Sidwell High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:unlike the rest of us who have been dealing with it for seven years.

Cry a river--at least Sidwell has the money and desire to upgrade it's facilities. OP, it's a great school--talented faculty, smart funny kids--but try to form your own opinions as it is a pretty aggressive parent body.

[Anonymous]

You know what it sucked having ghe endless construction. Don't worry about the parents, you don't reallly have to dell with them and many of them are down to earth and pleasant

[Anonymous]

Glad we chose WIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:oh lord, just the quick snippy replies about whether they call it the high school or the upper school say enough to me.

Say enough to you about what? I'm not a Sidwell parent, but I had never heard it referred to as "Sidwell High School," and I posted that.

A case study in why to ignore some posts: here's a snippy reply (the snarky question) posted by somebody who doesn't even have a kid at the school, but posted authoritatively on what to call it.

Hate to be snippy, but only Sidwell parents can post "authoritatively" on what Sidwell Upper School is commonly called? Exclusive, aren't we?

[Anonymous]

Agree with the PP about the workload -- it's formidable, but the teachers are very supportive. Encourage your son to connect with his teachers and to use his free periods during the school day to get started on assignments. Try not to hover and fret (easier said than done, I know). Our sons both started out as disorganized 9th-graders, but really pulled it together. Overall, their experience has been positive -- both kids engaged in their classes, happy socially and thriving in extracurricular activities. As for the competitive parents --and kids-- ignore the people who give you the willies and just hang with others -- there are many really nice families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:oh lord, just the quick snippy replies about whether they call it the high school or the upper school say enough to me.

Say enough to you about what? I'm not a Sidwell parent, but I had never heard it referred to as "Sidwell High School," and I posted that.

A case study in why to ignore some posts: here's a snippy reply (the snarky question) posted by somebody who doesn't even have a kid at the school, but posted authoritatively on what to call it.

Hate to be snippy, but only Sidwell parents can post "authoritatively" on what Sidwell Upper School is commonly called? Exclusive, aren't we?

I'm the poster you quoted. I don't have a kid at Sidwell. But I don't want to get information from posters who don't know what they are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with the PP about the workload -- it's formidable, but the teachers are very supportive. Encourage your son to connect with his teachers and to use his free periods during the school day to get started on assignments. Try not to hover and fret (easier said than done, I know). Our sons both started out as disorganized 9th-graders, but really pulled it together. Overall, their experience has been positive -- both kids engaged in their classes, happy socially and thriving in extracurricular activities. As for the competitive parents --and kids-- ignore the people who give you the willies and just hang with others -- there are many really nice families.

Really good advice about using free periods-- it makes a big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:oh lord, just the quick snippy replies about whether they call it the high school or the upper school say enough to me.

Say enough to you about what? I'm not a Sidwell parent, but I had never heard it referred to as "Sidwell High School," and I posted that.

A case study in why to ignore some posts: here's a snippy reply (the snarky question) posted by somebody who doesn't even have a kid at the school, but posted authoritatively on what to call it.

Hate to be snippy, but only Sidwell parents can post "authoritatively" on what Sidwell Upper School is commonly called? Exclusive, aren't we?

I'm the poster you quoted. I don't have a kid at Sidwell. But I don't want to get information from posters who don't know what they are talking about.

I don't have a kid at Sidwell, but I do know what I'm talking about when I say that it's called "upper school." If you are concerned about getting information from random posters, this anonymous forum is not for you. I could very well have posted, instead, that I have a kid at the school or that I work at Sidwell, as could anyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't have a kid at Sidwell, but I do know what I'm talking about when I say that it's called "upper school." If you are concerned about getting information from random posters, this anonymous forum is not for you. I could very well have posted, instead, that I have a kid at the school or that I work at Sidwell, as could anyone else.

Interesting question. I don't have a kid at Sidwell, but we do know a number of families there. And still I wouldn't post on what to call the upper school - even though I think I know it's the "upper" school and not the "high" school. It's a really slippery slope. PP may have 1 friend there, or 10 friends there, or maybe her kid just applied there. We have no idea what her creds are.

A better solution might have been to say "I have 10 friends there and they all call it the "upper school." Such a post would have provided helpful information without misleading people about the poster's authority. But instead she went with snippyness, which conveys an insider's absolute certainty that she doesn't actually have.

Not to mention the rudeness of her gratuitous snippyness, which has already been commented on.

[Anonymous]

Wow, this thread is the nastiest ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread is the nastiest ever.

That seems unlikely, unfortunately. I have had my fill of snippy posters, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't have a kid at Sidwell, but I do know what I'm talking about when I say that it's called "upper school." If you are concerned about getting information from random posters, this anonymous forum is not for you. I could very well have posted, instead, that I have a kid at the school or that I work at Sidwell, as could anyone else.

Interesting question. I don't have a kid at Sidwell, but we do know a number of families there. And still I wouldn't post on what to call the upper school - even though I think I know it's the "upper" school and not the "high" school. It's a really slippery slope. PP may have 1 friend there, or 10 friends there, or maybe her kid just applied there. We have no idea what her creds are.

A better solution might have been to say "I have 10 friends there and they all call it the "upper school." Such a post would have provided helpful information without misleading people about the poster's authority. But instead she went with snippyness, which conveys an insider's absolute certainty that she doesn't actually have.

Not to mention the rudeness of her gratuitous snippyness, which has already been commented on.

Fast Times at Sidwell High

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread is the nastiest ever.

That seems unlikely, unfortunately. I have had my fill of snippy posters, however.

Takes a snippy poster to know one.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Amazing that this thread turned so nasty. I should have titled it "Sidwell's high school." I know the school calls it Upper School, but I meant to refer to the more generic term "high school." Sidwell's upper school is, after all, a high school.

[Anonymous]

Very DCUM- crazy side issues that become vitriolic. To get back to your original post, consider urging your child to play on a team this fall even if he/she wasn't otherwise inclined. Some of the teams (girls/boys soccer, for example) have cuts, but many don't, and being on a team is a great way for a new ninth grader to make friends easily.