Can anyone shed light on what is likely to change at Norwood with new leadership?

[Anonymous]

there were discussions in 2001. 2 different schools in the business of education. a school is just a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They screwed up when they had an offer to merge with Bullis. They obviously now regret going it alone.

Merging would have been a terrible decision. K-8 is a great model for kids. Who exactly has all this obvious regret?

[Anonymous]

Great models sometimes lose viability in the market place from a "non-profit" business point of view. Someone has to pay for the great model!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am hopeful with the new head coming in. We chose Norwood specifically for the ability grouping. My dd is very bright and was reading at 4. My ds, much slower and needed more phonics instruction. The ability grouping is key at the young age because reading is developmental and the kids are all over the place. Transitions can be hard for some kids, my son needs to move so it had helped with that. I wish they would have a stronger math program. The new head coming in just had his old school switch to Singapore math and there is a movement amongst the parents to up the math curriculum.

Teachers: there are a couple of older teachers that just need to retire. The bigger issue is the head of the lower school. She has alientated a bunch of parents and even though I don't personally have an issue with her, I have many friends that are leaving the school primarily because of her. The hope is that the new head will act quickly and remove the lower school head immediately. Better to put an interim person in then have her.

Dd is now in middle school, and it is very strong.

Nice age discrimination.

[Anonymous]

There is no regret about not having merged with Bullis. That was a thought long ago and long ago pushed aside. Norwood believes strongly in the K-8 model and so do most of the families that go there. It is one of the reasons why they chose it. It is great that the oldest kids in the school are the middle schoolers who are so often forgotten at other schools. The leadership opportunities for them are fantastic and confidence building. The students then get to choose where they want to go for high school which is a great transition time.

As for teacher pay, it is indeed competitive with the other private schools in this area and although doesn't compete with public school, the teachers chose private because of the freedom to teach. As for training and not being certified, that is ridiculous. Training is always ongoing like it is in every career. Being certified in grad school, which I was, isn't training for life, and frankly wasn't that helpful other than in getting a job. As a pp mentioned times are a changing and so are many educational tools so keeping up is vital and will of course happen on your watch.

Fortunately there are so many great choices in this area, so find what works for you. Norwood is great but it isn't for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Also Norwood and Bullis don't have congruent philosophies or academics so that decade old idea is long gone with no regrets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no regret about not having merged with Bullis. That was a thought long ago and long ago pushed aside. Norwood believes strongly in the K-8 model and so do most of the families that go there. It is one of the reasons why they chose it. It is great that the oldest kids in the school are the middle schoolers who are so often forgotten at other schools. The leadership opportunities for them are fantastic and confidence building. The students then get to choose where they want to go for high school which is a great transition time.

As for teacher pay, it is indeed competitive with the other private schools in this area and although doesn't compete with public school, the teachers chose private because of the freedom to teach. As for training and not being certified, that is ridiculous. Training is always ongoing like it is in every career. Being certified in grad school, which I was, isn't training for life, and frankly wasn't that helpful other than in getting a job. As a pp mentioned times are a changing and so are many educational tools so keeping up is vital and will of course happen on your watch.

Fortunately there are so many great choices in this area, so find what works for you. Norwood is great but it isn't for everyone.

Unfortunately, the lower school is the one that is forgotten.
Anyway, yes the K-8 model is great and that is what we like.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, the lower school is the one that is forgotten.
Anyway, yes the K-8 model is great and that is what we like.

K-8 model is nice. In our competitive private school market only the strong will survive and many will go out of "business" or become targets for merger if they are to survive.

[Anonymous]

Wrong. The K-8 model is dying and people aren't opting for it (primarily because of the hassle of trying to find a HS for their kid).

The only people are Norwood are those who got rejected at schools like Sidwell, Cathedral schools, etc.

You are also incorrect about the Bullis merger. They really regret it now because it would have provided stability and a future. Norwood's existence is now tenuous.

[Anonymous]

I hope the school isn't dying. I have a 1st grader and this is the first I have heard of this. Anyone else?

[Anonymous]

What are the sizes of the grades in sequence K through graduating Grade 8? Does anyone have the actual (not projected) current numbers per grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope the school isn't dying. I have a 1st grader and this is the first I have heard of this. Anyone else?

This is typical DCUM silliness. Norwood has good facilities, a decent location, and a good reputation. Many families like K-8 and feel that it is healthy for their kids to start at a new school for high school.

[Anonymous]

This is typical DCUM silliness. Norwood has good facilities, a decent location, and a good reputation. Many families like K-8 and feel that it is healthy for their kids to start at a new school for high school

What are the sizes of the grades in sequence K through graduating Grade 8? Does anyone have the actual (not projected) current numbers per grade?

I agree we can answer the poster harping about dcum silliness with some data. Please provide current or actual matriculation/enrollment per grade if anyone has this?

[Anonymous]

K-8/pre-k-6th or 8th include Norwood, St. Patricks, NPS, Langley, Sheriden, Woods, WES, and that's only what I can come up with in 1 second. The model is not dying. People like this model some don't. There is no worry about getting your kid in HS. I have done it two times now without stress and with great results, all at their first choice. One more to go and still love the model.

If I knew Norwood's numbers I would give them, but I don't. And to put he Bullis thing to rest, there is no regret at all. I have worked at Norwood for a long time and NEVER heard a single soul utter a regret. You may be referring to a parent you spoke to but there isn't an employee or administrator who feels regret. I was even there when the topic came up and there wasn't even much to think about when they said no, pretty quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anyway, my take: warmest school we have seen, happiest kids, but shaky academics overall. LOTS of potential that a good new head should be able to uncover. The question is: how long will it take. Three years is too long for a kindergartner, so I'm hoping one year!