Norwood, Holton or WES?

[Anonymous]

Holton uses Everyday Math, and they seem to be quite proud of it.

[Anonymous]

Not sure what PP is supposed to mean, but Holton augments math a lot with other resources. And Fairfax County AAP starts with Everyday Math, too. A lot of those kids end up in Thomas Jefferson High, so if PP meant to be insulting, I am not sure the criticism is valid.

[Anonymous]

Holton also uses First in Math. They are not married to just one or two programs and they utilize others for various sections of the curriculum. I think they do not move as fast as the Public schools because they want to be sure all students have a deep understanding before moving on. That is not the case in public school because teachers are accountable for their pace. If students are not grasping a certain concept they do not have the freedom to stay on it they have to keep moving. Students may cover more ground in public but that does not mean they have a true understanding of the material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what PP is supposed to mean, but Holton augments math a lot with other resources. And Fairfax County AAP starts with Everyday Math, too. A lot of those kids end up in Thomas Jefferson High, so if PP meant to be insulting, I am not sure the criticism is valid.

What' to say that they would not do better with something else?

[Anonymous]

Um, OP, you are not going to see the level of work done in any of these private schools at the elementary level as you will see in MCPS at the elementary level simply because of the NCLB pressures.

[Anonymous]

OP, one of your questions was about class size.

I think that the current 2nd grade at WES has the smallest class sizes of the 3 schools you mentioned. Assuming that someone leaves and your then-3rd grader was part of that grade at WES, she'd be in one of 3 classes with 12 kids per class. The 3 classes get mixed up for specials as well as differentiated levels of education in math and language arts. We're in a higher grade with a few more kids per class, but I know (because we all know each other at WES) that the current 2nd grade is a close-knit bunch of friendly kids and parents. And I'd bet the teachers are pretty happy as well, given the great ratio.

As someone on another thread mentioned, the third grade is a time when many WES boys have traditionally moved over to Landon. It was true of our class, but I think that's going to be a downward trend. Landon is a fine school, but many of the younger WES parents I know were very upset by the recent scandals. They are rethinking their plans and I doubt they'll leave. We stayed put at WES because the Middle School is a nurturing place. From what I hear from friends at other schools, that's rare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, OP, you are not going to see the level of work done in any of these private schools at the elementary level as you will see in MCPS at the elementary level simply because of the NCLB pressures.

It is easy, pay for the tutors in private, get the specials at school. Pay for the specials at public, get the academics at school.

[Anonymous]

I am the parent of a current WES second grader and I love WES. It is a great group of kids and the other parents are a super nice, down to earth group of folks. I predict that you will see very few kids applying out. The new head, Kirk Duncan, seems very committed. He is making a huge effort to get to know ALL of the kids by name from the youngest to the oldest.

Both the math and reading programs are fabulous. The 3 classes of 12 are divided in a very low key way into 4 reading and 3 math groups by ability. Kids can move within the groups throughout the year. I am very happy with all the elements in the curriculum including Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Library, PE, Technology, Religion, Foreign Language, etc. which usually meet multiple times a week! The school has much diversity in both religion, nationality, and race. Religion is episcopal based, but is taught from the perspective of virtues and morals so it is applicable to people of all faiths. One of the things that drew us to WES was the genuine kindness of the kids. WES truly lives out its motto of being kind.

The school also puts an emphasis on creating a studious program that doesn't burn out the kids. They want kids to be kids. Finally, WES has fabulous study trips to Utah, Italy, and either France or Spain (depending on language taken by the student) in later grades which are nationally unique and specific to WES. I could go on, but I'll leave it here and just offer to check back to answer any questions.

[Anonymous]

OP, my child is at Norwood, and sadly, I have admit that the academics in the lower grades are going to be no different than at Potomac Elementary school. That said, Norwood is introducing the new math system that seems to be good.
The specials are very good indeed.
Criticism is that the teachers can be a bit too easy on kids, especially those with disciplinary problems. Any other school including WES and Holton, will appear to be more strict.

[Anonymous]

Parent of a second grader at Norwood here. Very pleased with the academics in Norwood. Of course, everything can be strengthened and the school strives to do so by introducing the new math program. Based on casual observation, nothing very scientific, my kid compares quite favorably in both reading and math with the neighborhood kids who attend Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

....I mean attend " Bethesda Elementary"

[Anonymous]

Good article on looking for private schools in the new washingtonian magazine. Also talks about burnout and the effects of too much tutoring on kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, my child is at Norwood, and sadly, I have admit that the academics in the lower grades are going to be no different than at Potomac Elementary school. That said, Norwood is introducing the new math system that seems to be good.
The specials are very good indeed.
Criticism is that the teachers can be a bit too easy on kids, especially those with disciplinary problems. Any other school including WES and Holton, will appear to be more strict.

I meant "to admit".
BTW, I know a family that was relieved after leaving WES because the environment was too strict. The daughter seems a little bitter about it now, she is in HS and finally feels like she can breathe.

[Anonymous]

Class size in the lower school at Holton is 14 or 15 per class. With one exception, we have LOVED the teachers. Also love the emphasis on experiential curriculum. In the areas where DD is one of the strongest students, she has been challenged appropriately. In the area where she is average-to-weak compared with peers, the focus has been on slowly building skills and confidence. The teachers do an excellent job of meeting the girls wherever they are and giving them the level of challenge and support they need to grow from there. I can't compare it to the other schools, but DD has been very happy there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Class size in the lower school at Holton is 14 or 15 per class. With one exception, we have LOVED the teachers. Also love the emphasis on experiential curriculum. In the areas where DD is one of the strongest students, she has been challenged appropriately. In the area where she is average-to-weak compared with peers, the focus has been on slowly building skills and confidence. The teachers do an excellent job of meeting the girls wherever they are and giving them the level of challenge and support they need to grow from there. I can't compare it to the other schools, but DD has been very happy there.

Do you mind if I ask a bunch of questions?

What is the homework load like?
Does most of the teaching go on in school, or do they expect the girls and the parents to figure it out at home?
Are they using Everyday Math and "spiraling"?
Do LS kids swim? If so, how much?
How is the food?