SSSAS, ACDS, GMES, Grace

[Anonymous]

I also know people rejected from SSSAS. I can’t actually say why the child was rejected but it happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are a G Mason family and divided our kids for private public since one has severe learning disabilities that ACPS would not address. Documented but as he received tutors they suggested he didn't struggle enough to warrant help. Totally insane. Anyway.. too hard to split schools so we moved both to private.

We know plenty with families still in public however - both MS and HS. What I have to say is if your kid is "perfect" in they are well adjusted with no learning disabilities, public can work. If they are tracked for honors they should be fine.

We've looked into all the probates in the area and we didn't start with SSSAS but in hindsight I'm going to say - it's the fast choice in the area. The seamless transition moving grades will be a lifesaver - life is hard enough, keel things easy as much as possible - stay in one school the different campuses really does help you feel it's a new experience even though new school.

SSSAS is a school that's great community wise. There's a place for you at whatever financial level you are and the kids are nice. I've never met a group of nicer sophomore boys and it's like a huge group who are friendly with one another. Keep in mind socially, every class differs so you'd experience is the luck of the draw anywhere you go. All in all, SSSAS gives you the best option if you wanted private in Alex.

We know a ton of families who opted to B Ireton and that school runs a similar block schedule and admittedly is also improved v years past. The thing is I would never send my kids to Catholic school it's a cultural thing where they wouldn't be happy we are just not into that much religion but SSSAS runs chapel weekly and a huge service oriented culture - you can't graduate from HS without 40 hrs volunteer work prior to senior year- that's as good as we can hope without actual Catholic school if you are open though, look at both schools.

Ultimately I do think that through grade 4, public is fine. It's really starting 5th that you should consider pvt. And to the pp - I personally know ACDS families who were not accepted into SSSAS so no, they do not in fact accept everyone. This family is good friends with us so I know they had a kid who was a fairly strong applicant.

Was SSSAS good for your child with learning disabilities? I have a child who is having issues at another area private and we are thinking of moving them, but I know privates can sometimes be weird about learning disabilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a G Mason family and divided our kids for private public since one has severe learning disabilities that ACPS would not address. Documented but as he received tutors they suggested he didn't struggle enough to warrant help. Totally insane. Anyway.. too hard to split schools so we moved both to private.

We know plenty with families still in public however - both MS and HS. What I have to say is if your kid is "perfect" in they are well adjusted with no learning disabilities, public can work. If they are tracked for honors they should be fine.

We've looked into all the probates in the area and we didn't start with SSSAS but in hindsight I'm going to say - it's the fast choice in the area. The seamless transition moving grades will be a lifesaver - life is hard enough, keel things easy as much as possible - stay in one school the different campuses really does help you feel it's a new experience even though new school.

SSSAS is a school that's great community wise. There's a place for you at whatever financial level you are and the kids are nice. I've never met a group of nicer sophomore boys and it's like a huge group who are friendly with one another. Keep in mind socially, every class differs so you'd experience is the luck of the draw anywhere you go. All in all, SSSAS gives you the best option if you wanted private in Alex.

We know a ton of families who opted to B Ireton and that school runs a similar block schedule and admittedly is also improved v years past. The thing is I would never send my kids to Catholic school it's a cultural thing where they wouldn't be happy we are just not into that much religion but SSSAS runs chapel weekly and a huge service oriented culture - you can't graduate from HS without 40 hrs volunteer work prior to senior year- that's as good as we can hope without actual Catholic school if you are open though, look at both schools.

Ultimately I do think that through grade 4, public is fine. It's really starting 5th that you should consider pvt. And to the pp - I personally know ACDS families who were not accepted into SSSAS so no, they do not in fact accept everyone. This family is good friends with us so I know they had a kid who was a fairly strong applicant.

Was SSSAS good for your child with learning disabilities? I have a child who is having issues at another area private and we are thinking of moving them, but I know privates can sometimes be weird about learning disabilities.

What kind of disabilities does your child have and what kind of support do they need? I have a child at SSSAS who has executive function issues and we have found the school to be accommodating with the neuropsychological report suggesting extra time, keyboard support and no bubble tests. But they don't tutor my kid. I have to provide the executive functioning coach, the testing, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a G Mason family and divided our kids for private public since one has severe learning disabilities that ACPS would not address. Documented but as he received tutors they suggested he didn't struggle enough to warrant help. Totally insane. Anyway.. too hard to split schools so we moved both to private.

We know plenty with families still in public however - both MS and HS. What I have to say is if your kid is "perfect" in they are well adjusted with no learning disabilities, public can work. If they are tracked for honors they should be fine.

We've looked into all the probates in the area and we didn't start with SSSAS but in hindsight I'm going to say - it's the fast choice in the area. The seamless transition moving grades will be a lifesaver - life is hard enough, keel things easy as much as possible - stay in one school the different campuses really does help you feel it's a new experience even though new school.

SSSAS is a school that's great community wise. There's a place for you at whatever financial level you are and the kids are nice. I've never met a group of nicer sophomore boys and it's like a huge group who are friendly with one another. Keep in mind socially, every class differs so you'd experience is the luck of the draw anywhere you go. All in all, SSSAS gives you the best option if you wanted private in Alex.

We know a ton of families who opted to B Ireton and that school runs a similar block schedule and admittedly is also improved v years past. The thing is I would never send my kids to Catholic school it's a cultural thing where they wouldn't be happy we are just not into that much religion but SSSAS runs chapel weekly and a huge service oriented culture - you can't graduate from HS without 40 hrs volunteer work prior to senior year- that's as good as we can hope without actual Catholic school if you are open though, look at both schools.

Ultimately I do think that through grade 4, public is fine. It's really starting 5th that you should consider pvt. And to the pp - I personally know ACDS families who were not accepted into SSSAS so no, they do not in fact accept everyone. This family is good friends with us so I know they had a kid who was a fairly strong applicant.

Was SSSAS good for your child with learning disabilities? I have a child who is having issues at another area private and we are thinking of moving them, but I know privates can sometimes be weird about learning disabilities.

What kind of disabilities does your child have and what kind of support do they need? I have a child at SSSAS who has executive function issues and we have found the school to be accommodating with the neuropsychological report suggesting extra time, keyboard support and no bubble tests. But they don't tutor my kid. I have to provide the executive functioning coach, the testing, etc.

+1
We’ve found SSSAS (only upper, so I can’t speak to LS/MS) academic center to be wonderful, but they won’t remediate problems. DC is dyslexic and dysgraphic and did a few years of Orton-Gillingham remediation in (a different) ES, and no longer needs outside support, only accommodations. Extra time (including different amounts for different subjects — started with 50% extra for all but the school actually suggested 100% extra for writing-based assessments like English and History); spelling doesn’t count for in-class, timed assignments; and use of text to speech on a computer are the main accommodations. The academic center, the teachers, and the test coordinator (for SAT, ACT) have all been phenomenal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is SSSSA the only non boarding private high school in Alexandria? If that’s the case, I’m surprised it’s not a lot more competitive to get into. It’s already competitive, but I would have thought it would be like Big 5 competitive just because of the location.

Big 5 is accurate if you are only considering northern Va schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a G Mason family and divided our kids for private public since one has severe learning disabilities that ACPS would not address. Documented but as he received tutors they suggested he didn't struggle enough to warrant help. Totally insane. Anyway.. too hard to split schools so we moved both to private.

We know plenty with families still in public however - both MS and HS. What I have to say is if your kid is "perfect" in they are well adjusted with no learning disabilities, public can work. If they are tracked for honors they should be fine.

We've looked into all the probates in the area and we didn't start with SSSAS but in hindsight I'm going to say - it's the fast choice in the area. The seamless transition moving grades will be a lifesaver - life is hard enough, keel things easy as much as possible - stay in one school the different campuses really does help you feel it's a new experience even though new school.

SSSAS is a school that's great community wise. There's a place for you at whatever financial level you are and the kids are nice. I've never met a group of nicer sophomore boys and it's like a huge group who are friendly with one another. Keep in mind socially, every class differs so you'd experience is the luck of the draw anywhere you go. All in all, SSSAS gives you the best option if you wanted private in Alex.

We know a ton of families who opted to B Ireton and that school runs a similar block schedule and admittedly is also improved v years past. The thing is I would never send my kids to Catholic school it's a cultural thing where they wouldn't be happy we are just not into that much religion but SSSAS runs chapel weekly and a huge service oriented culture - you can't graduate from HS without 40 hrs volunteer work prior to senior year- that's as good as we can hope without actual Catholic school if you are open though, look at both schools.

Ultimately I do think that through grade 4, public is fine. It's really starting 5th that you should consider pvt. And to the pp - I personally know ACDS families who were not accepted into SSSAS so no, they do not in fact accept everyone. This family is good friends with us so I know they had a kid who was a fairly strong applicant.

Was SSSAS good for your child with learning disabilities? I have a child who is having issues at another area private and we are thinking of moving them, but I know privates can sometimes be weird about learning disabilities.

What kind of disabilities does your child have and what kind of support do they need? I have a child at SSSAS who has executive function issues and we have found the school to be accommodating with the neuropsychological report suggesting extra time, keyboard support and no bubble tests. But they don't tutor my kid. I have to provide the executive functioning coach, the testing, etc.

+1
We’ve found SSSAS (only upper, so I can’t speak to LS/MS) academic center to be wonderful, but they won’t remediate problems. DC is dyslexic and dysgraphic and did a few years of Orton-Gillingham remediation in (a different) ES, and no longer needs outside support, only accommodations. Extra time (including different amounts for different subjects — started with 50% extra for all but the school actually suggested 100% extra for writing-based assessments like English and History); spelling doesn’t count for in-class, timed assignments; and use of text to speech on a computer are the main accommodations. The academic center, the teachers, and the test coordinator (for SAT, ACT) have all been phenomenal.

It's good to hear the school provides support. It feels like a strength of SSSAS is the scaffolding that they provide (at least at the US, where we've looked). We were told that every exam is broken down into tasks (reading / annotating / making notes / reducing notes to most essential parts / make flashcards / etc) and each step is awarded points in addition to the overall performance on the test. Similarly an essay assignment would be broken down into all its individual parts, precise subject matter / primary thesis assigned, number of resources and types needed, etc.

However, while this sounds great for some kids, what about for kids who are pretty good at those tasks and just want to venture out on their own a bit? It seems VERY structured but also a little rigid, like it wouldn't allow much room for exploration and discovery. My kid likes to tackle a challenge and I worry it would be a little too regimented for him (though I'm sure it's great for kids who need the support). Any thoughts on that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a G Mason family and divided our kids for private public since one has severe learning disabilities that ACPS would not address. Documented but as he received tutors they suggested he didn't struggle enough to warrant help. Totally insane. Anyway.. too hard to split schools so we moved both to private.

We know plenty with families still in public however - both MS and HS. What I have to say is if your kid is "perfect" in they are well adjusted with no learning disabilities, public can work. If they are tracked for honors they should be fine.

We've looked into all the probates in the area and we didn't start with SSSAS but in hindsight I'm going to say - it's the fast choice in the area. The seamless transition moving grades will be a lifesaver - life is hard enough, keel things easy as much as possible - stay in one school the different campuses really does help you feel it's a new experience even though new school.

SSSAS is a school that's great community wise. There's a place for you at whatever financial level you are and the kids are nice. I've never met a group of nicer sophomore boys and it's like a huge group who are friendly with one another. Keep in mind socially, every class differs so you'd experience is the luck of the draw anywhere you go. All in all, SSSAS gives you the best option if you wanted private in Alex.

We know a ton of families who opted to B Ireton and that school runs a similar block schedule and admittedly is also improved v years past. The thing is I would never send my kids to Catholic school it's a cultural thing where they wouldn't be happy we are just not into that much religion but SSSAS runs chapel weekly and a huge service oriented culture - you can't graduate from HS without 40 hrs volunteer work prior to senior year- that's as good as we can hope without actual Catholic school if you are open though, look at both schools.

Ultimately I do think that through grade 4, public is fine. It's really starting 5th that you should consider pvt. And to the pp - I personally know ACDS families who were not accepted into SSSAS so no, they do not in fact accept everyone. This family is good friends with us so I know they had a kid who was a fairly strong applicant.

Was SSSAS good for your child with learning disabilities? I have a child who is having issues at another area private and we are thinking of moving them, but I know privates can sometimes be weird about learning disabilities.

What kind of disabilities does your child have and what kind of support do they need? I have a child at SSSAS who has executive function issues and we have found the school to be accommodating with the neuropsychological report suggesting extra time, keyboard support and no bubble tests. But they don't tutor my kid. I have to provide the executive functioning coach, the testing, etc.

+1
We’ve found SSSAS (only upper, so I can’t speak to LS/MS) academic center to be wonderful, but they won’t remediate problems. DC is dyslexic and dysgraphic and did a few years of Orton-Gillingham remediation in (a different) ES, and no longer needs outside support, only accommodations. Extra time (including different amounts for different subjects — started with 50% extra for all but the school actually suggested 100% extra for writing-based assessments like English and History); spelling doesn’t count for in-class, timed assignments; and use of text to speech on a computer are the main accommodations. The academic center, the teachers, and the test coordinator (for SAT, ACT) have all been phenomenal.

It's good to hear the school provides support. It feels like a strength of SSSAS is the scaffolding that they provide (at least at the US, where we've looked). We were told that every exam is broken down into tasks (reading / annotating / making notes / reducing notes to most essential parts / make flashcards / etc) and each step is awarded points in addition to the overall performance on the test. Similarly an essay assignment would be broken down into all its individual parts, precise subject matter / primary thesis assigned, number of resources and types needed, etc.

However, while this sounds great for some kids, what about for kids who are pretty good at those tasks and just want to venture out on their own a bit? It seems VERY structured but also a little rigid, like it wouldn't allow much room for exploration and discovery. My kid likes to tackle a challenge and I worry it would be a little too regimented for him (though I'm sure it's great for kids who need the support). Any thoughts on that?

I’m the pp you’re responding to, with a dyslexic/dysgraphic kid in US, and I do not recognize the level of task breakdown that you’re describing. Maybe in LS/MS, which DC wasn’t at for SSSAS?

There was definitely more scaffolding for the first big History research paper, in 9th grade, but for a lot of students, that was the first time they were having to do something like that. They were introduced to the library and how to use the online and physical resources, especially for finding primary sources, and were required to have at least a certain number of certain types of sources. They were given an organizer to asses and take notes from each source. Those restrictions and the required organizer were not in place for the term papers after 9th grade.

DC had nothing like what you describe for test prep. Yes, they are required to annotate texts as homework and occasionally as part of an essay test. They are not shown how to do that; the requirement to annotate texts was in the first summer homework leading to 9th grade before DC even set foot on campus, so I think they assume kids have those skills already. Students are not walked through how to take notes, or create flashcards, or anything like that. I’m sure if a student needed help with chunking tasks or test prep, the staff in the academic center would help, but it’s not an in-class thing done by the teachers for all students.

For regular essays and even history term papers (after that first 9th grade one) they are not rigidly stepped through the writing process; they don’t turn in a thesis and then an outline and then a draft and then a final, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a G Mason family and divided our kids for private public since one has severe learning disabilities that ACPS would not address. Documented but as he received tutors they suggested he didn't struggle enough to warrant help. Totally insane. Anyway.. too hard to split schools so we moved both to private.

We know plenty with families still in public however - both MS and HS. What I have to say is if your kid is "perfect" in they are well adjusted with no learning disabilities, public can work. If they are tracked for honors they should be fine.

We've looked into all the probates in the area and we didn't start with SSSAS but in hindsight I'm going to say - it's the fast choice in the area. The seamless transition moving grades will be a lifesaver - life is hard enough, keel things easy as much as possible - stay in one school the different campuses really does help you feel it's a new experience even though new school.

SSSAS is a school that's great community wise. There's a place for you at whatever financial level you are and the kids are nice. I've never met a group of nicer sophomore boys and it's like a huge group who are friendly with one another. Keep in mind socially, every class differs so you'd experience is the luck of the draw anywhere you go. All in all, SSSAS gives you the best option if you wanted private in Alex.

We know a ton of families who opted to B Ireton and that school runs a similar block schedule and admittedly is also improved v years past. The thing is I would never send my kids to Catholic school it's a cultural thing where they wouldn't be happy we are just not into that much religion but SSSAS runs chapel weekly and a huge service oriented culture - you can't graduate from HS without 40 hrs volunteer work prior to senior year- that's as good as we can hope without actual Catholic school if you are open though, look at both schools.

Ultimately I do think that through grade 4, public is fine. It's really starting 5th that you should consider pvt. And to the pp - I personally know ACDS families who were not accepted into SSSAS so no, they do not in fact accept everyone. This family is good friends with us so I know they had a kid who was a fairly strong applicant.

Was SSSAS good for your child with learning disabilities? I have a child who is having issues at another area private and we are thinking of moving them, but I know privates can sometimes be weird about learning disabilities.

What kind of disabilities does your child have and what kind of support do they need? I have a child at SSSAS who has executive function issues and we have found the school to be accommodating with the neuropsychological report suggesting extra time, keyboard support and no bubble tests. But they don't tutor my kid. I have to provide the executive functioning coach, the testing, etc.

+1
We’ve found SSSAS (only upper, so I can’t speak to LS/MS) academic center to be wonderful, but they won’t remediate problems. DC is dyslexic and dysgraphic and did a few years of Orton-Gillingham remediation in (a different) ES, and no longer needs outside support, only accommodations. Extra time (including different amounts for different subjects — started with 50% extra for all but the school actually suggested 100% extra for writing-based assessments like English and History); spelling doesn’t count for in-class, timed assignments; and use of text to speech on a computer are the main accommodations. The academic center, the teachers, and the test coordinator (for SAT, ACT) have all been phenomenal.

It's good to hear the school provides support. It feels like a strength of SSSAS is the scaffolding that they provide (at least at the US, where we've looked). We were told that every exam is broken down into tasks (reading / annotating / making notes / reducing notes to most essential parts / make flashcards / etc) and each step is awarded points in addition to the overall performance on the test. Similarly an essay assignment would be broken down into all its individual parts, precise subject matter / primary thesis assigned, number of resources and types needed, etc.

However, while this sounds great for some kids, what about for kids who are pretty good at those tasks and just want to venture out on their own a bit? It seems VERY structured but also a little rigid, like it wouldn't allow much room for exploration and discovery. My kid likes to tackle a challenge and I worry it would be a little too regimented for him (though I'm sure it's great for kids who need the support). Any thoughts on that?

I’m the pp you’re responding to, with a dyslexic/dysgraphic kid in US, and I do not recognize the level of task breakdown that you’re describing. Maybe in LS/MS, which DC wasn’t at for SSSAS?

There was definitely more scaffolding for the first big History research paper, in 9th grade, but for a lot of students, that was the first time they were having to do something like that. They were introduced to the library and how to use the online and physical resources, especially for finding primary sources, and were required to have at least a certain number of certain types of sources. They were given an organizer to asses and take notes from each source. Those restrictions and the required organizer were not in place for the term papers after 9th grade.

DC had nothing like what you describe for test prep. Yes, they are required to annotate texts as homework and occasionally as part of an essay test. They are not shown how to do that; the requirement to annotate texts was in the first summer homework leading to 9th grade before DC even set foot on campus, so I think they assume kids have those skills already. Students are not walked through how to take notes, or create flashcards, or anything like that. I’m sure if a student needed help with chunking tasks or test prep, the staff in the academic center would help, but it’s not an in-class thing done by the teachers for all students.

For regular essays and even history term papers (after that first 9th grade one) they are not rigidly stepped through the writing process; they don’t turn in a thesis and then an outline and then a draft and then a final, for example.

Thanks for this! I actually was told by admissions that they do this, so I'm not quite sure where the disconnect is. It's supposed to be better (from their view) because then a final grade isn't based just on the paper but on all the in-between tasks as well. But I appreciate the response, I'll have to ask around more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a G Mason family and divided our kids for private public since one has severe learning disabilities that ACPS would not address. Documented but as he received tutors they suggested he didn't struggle enough to warrant help. Totally insane. Anyway.. too hard to split schools so we moved both to private.

We know plenty with families still in public however - both MS and HS. What I have to say is if your kid is "perfect" in they are well adjusted with no learning disabilities, public can work. If they are tracked for honors they should be fine.

We've looked into all the probates in the area and we didn't start with SSSAS but in hindsight I'm going to say - it's the fast choice in the area. The seamless transition moving grades will be a lifesaver - life is hard enough, keel things easy as much as possible - stay in one school the different campuses really does help you feel it's a new experience even though new school.

SSSAS is a school that's great community wise. There's a place for you at whatever financial level you are and the kids are nice. I've never met a group of nicer sophomore boys and it's like a huge group who are friendly with one another. Keep in mind socially, every class differs so you'd experience is the luck of the draw anywhere you go. All in all, SSSAS gives you the best option if you wanted private in Alex.

We know a ton of families who opted to B Ireton and that school runs a similar block schedule and admittedly is also improved v years past. The thing is I would never send my kids to Catholic school it's a cultural thing where they wouldn't be happy we are just not into that much religion but SSSAS runs chapel weekly and a huge service oriented culture - you can't graduate from HS without 40 hrs volunteer work prior to senior year- that's as good as we can hope without actual Catholic school if you are open though, look at both schools.

Ultimately I do think that through grade 4, public is fine. It's really starting 5th that you should consider pvt. And to the pp - I personally know ACDS families who were not accepted into SSSAS so no, they do not in fact accept everyone. This family is good friends with us so I know they had a kid who was a fairly strong applicant.

Was SSSAS good for your child with learning disabilities? I have a child who is having issues at another area private and we are thinking of moving them, but I know privates can sometimes be weird about learning disabilities.

What kind of disabilities does your child have and what kind of support do they need? I have a child at SSSAS who has executive function issues and we have found the school to be accommodating with the neuropsychological report suggesting extra time, keyboard support and no bubble tests. But they don't tutor my kid. I have to provide the executive functioning coach, the testing, etc.

+1
We’ve found SSSAS (only upper, so I can’t speak to LS/MS) academic center to be wonderful, but they won’t remediate problems. DC is dyslexic and dysgraphic and did a few years of Orton-Gillingham remediation in (a different) ES, and no longer needs outside support, only accommodations. Extra time (including different amounts for different subjects — started with 50% extra for all but the school actually suggested 100% extra for writing-based assessments like English and History); spelling doesn’t count for in-class, timed assignments; and use of text to speech on a computer are the main accommodations. The academic center, the teachers, and the test coordinator (for SAT, ACT) have all been phenomenal.

It's good to hear the school provides support. It feels like a strength of SSSAS is the scaffolding that they provide (at least at the US, where we've looked). We were told that every exam is broken down into tasks (reading / annotating / making notes / reducing notes to most essential parts / make flashcards / etc) and each step is awarded points in addition to the overall performance on the test. Similarly an essay assignment would be broken down into all its individual parts, precise subject matter / primary thesis assigned, number of resources and types needed, etc.

However, while this sounds great for some kids, what about for kids who are pretty good at those tasks and just want to venture out on their own a bit? It seems VERY structured but also a little rigid, like it wouldn't allow much room for exploration and discovery. My kid likes to tackle a challenge and I worry it would be a little too regimented for him (though I'm sure it's great for kids who need the support). Any thoughts on that?

I’m the pp you’re responding to, with a dyslexic/dysgraphic kid in US, and I do not recognize the level of task breakdown that you’re describing. Maybe in LS/MS, which DC wasn’t at for SSSAS?

There was definitely more scaffolding for the first big History research paper, in 9th grade, but for a lot of students, that was the first time they were having to do something like that. They were introduced to the library and how to use the online and physical resources, especially for finding primary sources, and were required to have at least a certain number of certain types of sources. They were given an organizer to asses and take notes from each source. Those restrictions and the required organizer were not in place for the term papers after 9th grade.

DC had nothing like what you describe for test prep. Yes, they are required to annotate texts as homework and occasionally as part of an essay test. They are not shown how to do that; the requirement to annotate texts was in the first summer homework leading to 9th grade before DC even set foot on campus, so I think they assume kids have those skills already. Students are not walked through how to take notes, or create flashcards, or anything like that. I’m sure if a student needed help with chunking tasks or test prep, the staff in the academic center would help, but it’s not an in-class thing done by the teachers for all students.

For regular essays and even history term papers (after that first 9th grade one) they are not rigidly stepped through the writing process; they don’t turn in a thesis and then an outline and then a draft and then a final, for example.

Thanks for this! I actually was told by admissions that they do this, so I'm not quite sure where the disconnect is. It's supposed to be better (from their view) because then a final grade isn't based just on the paper but on all the in-between tasks as well. But I appreciate the response, I'll have to ask around more.

I’m trying to think back to freshman year in case I’m just not remembering correctly what DC had to do — or maybe they’ve actually added more scaffolding in the first writing assignments since DC was a freshman. Either way, I doubt that level of task breakdown is imposed for more than the first one or two essays. If they’ve found that a lot of kids are coming in unprepared, I could see them adding more detailed instruction. But that won’t last, the school really does work to make students independent writers.

[Anonymous]

We moved from public to SSSAS in 6th grade for our two boys. Middle school is somewhat traditional, but LOVE LOVE the Upper School. Great teachers, academics and just a lovely, inclusive community. Both of our boys found their passions. Lots of different types of families- some salt of the earth and some that are clearly quite wealthy- but all welcoming. We have been so happy there!

[Anonymous]

We moved to SSSAS from a DC independent and the academics have been more rigorous at SSSAS. In addition, the community has been so much more welcoming than the other independent. Great teachers, sports are just the right level of competitive and my daughter is thrilled with the performing arts. We moved out of DC to have a larger house with more space and it's the best decision we ever made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is SSSSA the only non boarding private high school in Alexandria? If that’s the case, I’m surprised it’s not a lot more competitive to get into. It’s already competitive, but I would have thought it would be like Big 5 competitive just because of the location.

We are in Alexandria but left SSSAS and wish we had done so sooner. OP, broaden your search outside of Alexandria bc there are many better options. Most offer busses and aren’t necessarily much further. A little bit of a commute is well worth it to avoid SSSAS. I think you’ll also find that a lot of the better schools are actually a bit lower priced.