Is anyone waiting to hear from McLean today?

[Anonymous]

We were told that they would be making decisions today. I'm wondering if anyone has received a phone call or heard from them via the mail. We're waiting anxiously for our 1st grader and really liked the school.

[Anonymous]

Good Luck. We like Mclean too but are staying pulic for the moment due to tuition and logistical difficulties with switching. Might change our minds at some point though...

[Anonymous]

I did see one post yesterday on the private school forum that said someone had heard from McLean. Is there any interest of people on this site who are applying to privates posting their results? It may be helpful to future applicant parents to know for example that who got into to what special needs private and with what IQs and diagnoses. Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

Just got a rejection today. Very depressed....

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry PP. Applied for my DS last year and also did not get in. I was so disappointed since it seemed such a great fit for him. DS is in public school now and doing ok. Am still thinking about privates down the road. Hang in there...

[Anonymous]

I don't mean to be nosey but can you give me some background on why you applied to Maclean. I know this topic has been batted around before but who does Maclean take/look for? Is ADD is good fit? Or more of a dyslexia situation? Or no specific disabilites just smaller classes?

[Anonymous]

It depends on how severe and how much support the child needs.

If the dyslexia is severe or ADD to severe, Mclean will probably not take the kids. They would look to a Lab School or Kingsbury school.

They also help kids with executive function issues or kids who benefit with more attention to fine motor skills or better math or reading skills.

[Anonymous]

Will McLean normally hold back children for K?

[Anonymous]

Our son was accepted for third grade. We would be transferring from a NWDC public school. Our son has ADHD and is on treatment and doing fairly well, but we think he will do better with smaller class size and more individual attention. He was also accepted to WES and GDS. So we're debating the best fit. We are leaning toward GDS, but Want to make sure we select the best school for his needs and not just ours (McLean is not very convenient to our house and commute). We would welcome any thoughts from others with kids with ADHD re GDS or WES.

[Anonymous]

My only thoughts are that we would welcome an ADHD diagnosis. Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

21:30

You might want to check out the private school forum. Someone was deciding bet GDS and WES and said how WES was not that supportive of kids with ADHD.

Did you inform the schools of your DC diagnosis? If yes, what kind of supports will they put in place?

We are at Mclean and also had to make a decision bet Mclean and more mainstream schools. We ended up at Mclean because we felt the environment would be more supportive of my son's issues and he would not stand out but be one of many.

I am very glad we ended up with this decision because the school has really helped him develop and put in place strategies for success in the classroom and outside. I am not sure we would have had the same experience. I feel he is much more ready to attend a mainstream school, should we want to go that route.

[Anonymous]

PP, what type of supports in Maclean providing for your child? We need confidence that the 30,000+ tuition is worth it. We are at public school now with support but still 30 kids in a class etc. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I should add that a small class with lots of attention/behavior needs doesn't necessarily seem better to us.

[Anonymous]

For third grade, there are 3 classes with 2 teachers per class. Depending on the year there can be bet 9-13 kids per class. Kids are further broken down into groups for math and reading so depending on the level 3-5 kids are per group. They are fluid so you can move around depending on the progression.

There is a reading specialist, math specialist and speech therapist on staff. They also have a teacher who does word study for kids that have spelling and writing issues.
At the beginning of the year, depending on the student there is a list of accommodations that are developed for each student. There is a large list but here are examples.

ie: Needs to be able to sit on floor, extra time for tests, teacher reinforcing verbal instructions, providing written instructions, being able to type instead of write, etc.


The teachers also emphasize teaching the kids organizational skills for work such as using planners, folders for bringing home work, graphic organizers for writing.

The counselor comes in to discuss effective strategies for learning to be a good friend and classmate. If there are issues it is handled privately with the student and solutions are used instead of punishments.


The classes are calm and very well controlled by the teachers. First and foremost, the students are there to learn. The teachers are not there to police. If you visited the school you would see that the kids are learning a lot and though many of the kids have ADHD, it is managed within the classroom. The goal is for the kids to be successful in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for a great description. We did visit but only caught a glimpse..