NCS - Pros and Cons

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the younger grades, is there a playground where they go for recess?

No playground equipment, just open space (Cathedral lawn). The play games and run around but there aren’t swing sets or slides or climbing bars. Keep in mind they start at 4th. Beauvoir has full playground equipment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the younger grades, is there a playground where they go for recess?

No playground equipment, just open space (Cathedral lawn). The play games and run around but there aren’t swing sets or slides or climbing bars. Keep in mind they start at 4th. Beauvoir has full playground equipment.

I have no skin in this game because my kids are at a different private school, but in my experience, 4th graders aren't playing on a playground anymore. They play sports and chat with friends at recess. The days of climbing the slide are done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the younger grades, is there a playground where they go for recess?

No playground equipment, just open space (Cathedral lawn). The play games and run around but there aren’t swing sets or slides or climbing bars. Keep in mind they start at 4th. Beauvoir has full playground equipment.

I have no skin in this game because my kids are at a different private school, but in my experience, 4th graders aren't playing on a playground anymore. They play sports and chat with friends at recess. The days of climbing the slide are done.

Yes, that was part of my point - Beauvoir has the playground, NCS just has open space, which is all they really need. The kids seem to be perfectly happy with it.

[Anonymous]

NCS lower school students are bored and restless without a playground. Plenty of 4th, 5th, and even 6th graders still enjoy running around a playground and would welcome something to do other than chase each other. "Seem to be" and the reality are totally different; poll any lower school student and they would wish they had some sort of play equipment.

[Anonymous]

NCS has changed so much under the current HOS, definitely not for the better.

[Anonymous]

If all the stress and competitiveness (which fuels behavioral problems) actually paid off in better college placement, I guess that would be one thing. But it doesn't. Its graduates attend roughly the same list of colleges as the school we moved to, and our new community is so much happier and healthier without the constant angsting. I won't be more specific than that so as not to be identified. Parents are also kept at arms length instead of having the girls feel like they're in a warm community where their families are welcome and interact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If all the stress and competitiveness (which fuels behavioral problems) actually paid off in better college placement, I guess that would be one thing. But it doesn't. Its graduates attend roughly the same list of colleges as the school we moved to, and our new community is so much happier and healthier without the constant angsting. I won't be more specific than that so as not to be identified. Parents are also kept at arms length instead of having the girls feel like they're in a warm community where their families are welcome and interact.

THIS!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the younger grades, is there a playground where they go for recess?

No playground equipment, just open space (Cathedral lawn). The play games and run around but there aren’t swing sets or slides or climbing bars. Keep in mind they start at 4th. Beauvoir has full playground equipment.

I have no skin in this game because my kids are at a different private school, but in my experience, 4th graders aren't playing on a playground anymore. They play sports and chat with friends at recess. The days of climbing the slide are done.

It strikes me as odd that sta has sport courts- that are even getting a fancy facelift? And ncs has a public area with benches? Would never ever happen the other way around! Very different than what stone ridge or Holton too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If all the stress and competitiveness (which fuels behavioral problems) actually paid off in better college placement, I guess that would be one thing. But it doesn't. Its graduates attend roughly the same list of colleges as the school we moved to, and our new community is so much happier and healthier without the constant angsting. I won't be more specific than that so as not to be identified. Parents are also kept at arms length instead of having the girls feel like they're in a warm community where their families are welcome and interact.

You are so wrong!! Have you seen the NCS 2025 college list recently???? 3 going to Michigan, 3 to UVA, 4 to Cornell, girls going to Brown, Yale, Harvard, 2 to Princeton, 3 to Georgetown, Northwestern, Chicago, Bowdoin, Bates, 5 to Boston College... out of 82 girls more than half going to top 25 schools (liberal arts and Universities). The college results for a class this size are really really great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quite frankly, NCS is a mixed bag. The teachers are amazing. The administration, particularly the HOS, is not particularly respected or liked, except by a few, vocal supporters. The social varies by grade but don’t count on the admin helping in any way if your kid has an issue, like being bullied.

Many of the ‘25 girls can’t wait to get out…here are some comments heard directly from classmates.

“Well, we survived…”
“I can’t wait to get out and actually be me”
“This place can burn the F down after I’m gone”
“College will be easy but is that a good thing?”

NCS has long been a “bonding through trauma” kind of place.

😦 I dont like that approach at all. The school needs to lighten up on the students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the younger grades, is there a playground where they go for recess?

No playground equipment, just open space (Cathedral lawn). The play games and run around but there aren’t swing sets or slides or climbing bars. Keep in mind they start at 4th. Beauvoir has full playground equipment.

Wow, didn't realize that. This point would be a big negative to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If all the stress and competitiveness (which fuels behavioral problems) actually paid off in better college placement, I guess that would be one thing. But it doesn't. Its graduates attend roughly the same list of colleges as the school we moved to, and our new community is so much happier and healthier without the constant angsting. I won't be more specific than that so as not to be identified. Parents are also kept at arms length instead of having the girls feel like they're in a warm community where their families are welcome and interact.

You are so wrong!! Have you seen the NCS 2025 college list recently???? 3 going to Michigan, 3 to UVA, 4 to Cornell, girls going to Brown, Yale, Harvard, 2 to Princeton, 3 to Georgetown, Northwestern, Chicago, Bowdoin, Bates, 5 to Boston College... out of 82 girls more than half going to top 25 schools (liberal arts and Universities). The college results for a class this size are really really great.

Yes, but if it's my daughter who is in the bottom half and is not going to one of these top 25, what do I care?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the younger grades, is there a playground where they go for recess?

No playground equipment, just open space (Cathedral lawn). The play games and run around but there aren’t swing sets or slides or climbing bars. Keep in mind they start at 4th. Beauvoir has full playground equipment.

Wow, didn't realize that. This point would be a big negative to me.

Does St Albans have a playground for the lower school boys?

[Anonymous]

It feels like if you don't have a 'focal point' like a playground or sports equipment you just sit around and gossip?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It feels like if you don't have a 'focal point' like a playground or sports equipment you just sit around and gossip?

That is exactly what I thought when I toured -- ah, so this is the field where they sit in circles and talk smack about each other. My third grader still plays hide and seek iterations, pretend play (mainly animals), and tag / freeze games during recess, or alternatively they play the sport of the moment (soccer, kickball, four square, basketball). I didn't observe any of that happening on the cathedral close. Fourth grade feels too young to have a social hour rather than a real exercise-centric recess.