K-8 Model

[Anonymous]

Gifted kids are a derivation off and have specific clues very early. They are actually the easiest ones to pick out at this age. Any evaluator used to working with them sees them almost right away. The bright kids who are driven to do well at these schools are actually harder to make out. Doesn’t mean speyer is doing it right, but it makes a helluva lot more sense they would be able to do it than the other schools looking for who will succeed in their programs for 13 years.

=Anonymous]I sometimes wonder whether Speyer being described as a “gifted school” is more of a marketing claim than a reflection of how the school actually operates.

After all, students apply in kindergarten just like they do for most private schools, and there isn’t a separate gifted assessment process like the one used by Hunter. I also haven’t really seen many cases where families choose Speyer over other top-tier schools after being accepted to those schools.

Of course, Speyer does offer strong programs such as debate, math, and chess, which are certainly valuable. But calling it a school specifically for gifted students feels more like a positioning choice by the school rather than a designation based on a clear gifted identification process.

[Anonymous]

My DC is at a small K-8 downtown school and I have no regrets, even though as an 8th grader, it has been a very intense and stressful Fall. But I actually have come around to deciding that it is an incredibly valuable exercise if you approach it right and have a healthy expectations with a wide range of schools on your list. My DC had to learn how to study to take a standardized test, saw real results from the work he put into studying (they went from 2s and 3s on early ISEE tests and ended with 8s and 9s), became better at the skill of introducing themselves to strangers and is able to have conversations with adults on a level that they previously couldn't. This will make the college process less daunting, for better or worse, and we will all be fine wherever they end up. We've emphasized every step of the way that this is not an end point, but the starting point, so hopefully whatever the results DC will know they did their best and ended up at a school that chose them for who they are.

I attended a NYC TT K-12 school, and I think the ability to reinvent yourself at the age of 13 or 14 is actually invaluable. My senior yearbook brought up embarrassing moments kids had in Kindergarten. My child will be able to start fresh next year and I think that's a great opportunity to grow and make new friends.

[Anonymous]

Cross-posting: how thoughts on Town vs Allen Stevenson? Which one is more rigorous academically and has better exmissions? We are not fussed between co-ed and single sex

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is at a small K-8 downtown school and I have no regrets, even though as an 8th grader, it has been a very intense and stressful Fall. But I actually have come around to deciding that it is an incredibly valuable exercise if you approach it right and have a healthy expectations with a wide range of schools on your list. My DC had to learn how to study to take a standardized test, saw real results from the work he put into studying (they went from 2s and 3s on early ISEE tests and ended with 8s and 9s), became better at the skill of introducing themselves to strangers and is able to have conversations with adults on a level that they previously couldn't. This will make the college process less daunting, for better or worse, and we will all be fine wherever they end up. We've emphasized every step of the way that this is not an end point, but the starting point, so hopefully whatever the results DC will know they did their best and ended up at a school that chose them for who they are.

I attended a NYC TT K-12 school, and I think the ability to reinvent yourself at the age of 13 or 14 is actually invaluable. My senior yearbook brought up embarrassing moments kids had in Kindergarten. My child will be able to start fresh next year and I think that's a great opportunity to grow and make new friends.

Are you at SLS, VCS or C&C by chance? We got into all three and have to choose!

[Anonymous]

"Are you at SLS, VCS or C&C by chance? We got into all three and have to choose!"

No, but we have lots of friends who are/have been at those schools. My personal opinions aside, the families at SLS are by far the happiest with their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Are you at SLS, VCS or C&C by chance? We got into all three and have to choose!"

No, but we have lots of friends who are/have been at those schools. My personal opinions aside, the families at SLS are by far the happiest with their school.

What, if any, negative feedback do you hear about C&C and VCS?

[Anonymous]

We did K-8, and one other great thing about it is that EVERYONE has to go after eighth. You've completed something, and it is time to move on. No mixed emotions that come with transferring out of a K-12.