NoVa schools

[Anonymous]

Another Burgundy parent here ... I agree with all the positive comments already provided above. Regarding the academics ... I would say that Burgundy kids leave for high school fully and well prepared in all areas. I suspect that some parents may become concerned unnecessarily at the intermediate grades regarding the rigor of the school because progressive education is by definition not traditional and linear. Some kids really take off in reading or writing or math at a different point than others ... but they are progressing and learning how to learn throughout their years at the school.

I volunteer a fair amount at the school and I am always impressed by the energy and excitement the kids have about learning. It is common to see kids of all ages come into the library during free moments during the day to look something up in a book or on the internet because they just really want to know something. They often work together on schoolwork while waiting for their carpool. The school's library is really an incredible resource and the librarians are actively involved with teaching the kids at all levels on how to effectively access and use the resources available. Be sure to talk to the librarians as part of any school tour ... you will be so impressed.

Finally, Burgundy is a warm, inclusive community. Really. Our family is definitely on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum and I have ALWAYS felt nothing but welcome and part of the school. There are wealthy families there, no doubt about it, but there is precious little snobbiness to be seen. If you want to wear pearls and cashmere when you volunteer to work in the community garden ... then you should feel free to do just that, but the rest of us will probably be wearing jeans and old sneakers!

[Anonymous]

At Burgundy this does NOT mean, "are you rich? willl your kid go to Harvard?" It tends to mean: do you genuinely value a school with a progressive approach to education? Are you comfortable with diverse classrooms? Is it important to you that your child be independent and autonomous? Do you value nature and environmental education? Will you freak out because your child is getting no homework and no letter grades in the early years, or do prefer that? Do you want "rigor," or are you comfortable with a more individualized and creative approach to learning?

My sense is that Burgundy kids do just fine in exmissions after 8th grade, but the school is NOT fixated on pumping out kids who will go to St Albans and on to Harvard (some do, but the school would hate to have a whole bunch of families who start obsessing about that in JK).

I like the idea of diverse classrooms, environmental education, independent thinking, and am comfortable with no homework or letter grades in early years, but at the same time want to know that kids in middle school are well-prepared for the academic demands of competitive high schools that may have different metrics for learning than Burgundy. In a child-centered approach like Burgundy's, are children allowed to pursue what they want at the expense of other disciplines they may be less interested in, or are there some basic standards they are expected to maintain across subjects in the upper levels--again, in view of the competitive nature of admissions to top high schools like GDS, Sidwell, etc. Just trying to get a better handle of how the academics work in middle school at Burgundy. Thanks

[Anonymous]

PP here, with daughter in 8th grade. Our daughter is currently taking language arts (reading A Separate Peace), algebra, French (sufficiently rigorous that she will take either French III or French IV next year in high school), a physics/chemistry combination course (taught by a Yale graduate who is truly one of the most amazing teachers I've ever been exposed to, and I have a BA, JD, and am currently getting my master's in education), and social studies (with a focus on Africa). The middle-school classes do, for the most part, require a fair amount of homework, including both independent and cooperative projects. I would say that our daughter spends about 1 1/2 hours on homework every night. It is not overwhelming, but not insignificant; I'm glad that she has time to play basketball and soccer and practice violin. In terms of exmissions, I will keep you posted on the stats for the 8th grade class. DC schools are particularly popular this year.

[Anonymous]

We live in Arlington and are applying to GDS and Potomac. GL

[Anonymous]

Yes, my sense is that the middle school kids certainly do cover, in the end, the same core skills covered at more traditional area private schools. They also seem to do well in exmissions. Some go to public school, some to private school, but according to school administrators, the burgundy 8th graders have little trouble getting into the schools they want to go to, and thriving there.

[Anonymous]

My son is in 6th grade at Burgundy and so far I could not be more pleased. He has caring and dedicated teachers who have inspired incredible intellectual curiosity in him: he is constantly looking things up and identifying things he wants to learn more about on his own. One of the great things at Burgundy is that his teachers have been able to take his interests and just run with them- when he gets fascinated by ancient Rome or by space travel or whatever it may be, they're happy not only to encourage his passions but to actively seeks ways to integrate his interests into his classroom work. So there is a focus on skills-building, but they do a fabulous job of recognizing that kids learn skills when the skills are linked to subjects they are passionate about.

[Anonymous]

There IS homework at Burgundy, beginning in first grade, and adding steadily. There IS academic rigor, but it is not measured by letter grades.

As far as admissions, "fit" does seem to be the a guiding force: Will your child thrive there? That said, the "average" Burgundy kid tests well above average.