SJC not work for a kid

[Anonymous]

Every school has screens. Ipads are cool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at SJC. If your kid is not athletic, SJC is not for them. I would never choose it again and regret sending him there.

Could you please say more about this? I had heard about the importance of athletics at Gonzaga but had thought that SJC's larger size meant that while good for athletics, there was also plenty of other things for kids to do and find their people.

The athletics situation at SJC is much worse than Gonzaga because their sports teams dominate. They are striving to be like IMG. Athletes are recruited. If your kid wants to play a sport in high school, unless they are D1 material and recruited, they will not play.

Athletes rule the school, host very exclusive drunken parties and only hang out with other athletes. Big party culture off campus. LAX hangs with lax. Baseball with baseball, etc. It is a huge school and there are few in school opportunities to get to know your classmates. Your kid will need to be resilient. It is like a large public school that you pay for.

Your post is self defeating. You can’t be an athlete at SJC and also be a big partier. At least, not for very long. The training demands are so rigorous that if you don’t have strong time management skills you will not maintain the GPA to participate in your sport. There’s always someone behind you on the depth chart eager to take your spot if your commitment wanes. There are many non sport clubs to find your tribe.

Wrong. Tons of drug use on football team. My son tells about football players vaping / getting high on marijuana in locker room and sometimes before games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious about the 1:1 iPad program. What is the pedagogical philosophy behind this idea? Doesn’t it feel a bit…antithetical to Catholic education to hand every kid an iPad…especially in a world that is already so screen-saturated?

They’re doing it at most other Catholic schools. The question to ask is which schools, and in which divisions, are they monitoring those devices during the school day? I’m at a school that only monitors at the MS. It’s a free for all in the US and kids use their school devices the same way they would use their cell phone

For sure at SJC, they monitor for all grades and only schoolwork is allowed on the school iPad. They won’t even allow the kids to use their own Apple ID on the iPad, so kids can’t access their personal text messages and email addresses. I disagree with that policy, it requires my kid having to carry their personal phone to school too. Other than that, we’re happy with the iPad for schoolwork. It’s worked out well to greatly lightened the backpacks and be able to do schoolwork anytime without needing physical textbooks and notebooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious about the 1:1 iPad program. What is the pedagogical philosophy behind this idea? Doesn’t it feel a bit…antithetical to Catholic education to hand every kid an iPad…especially in a world that is already so screen-saturated?

They’re doing it at most other Catholic schools. The question to ask is which schools, and in which divisions, are they monitoring those devices during the school day? I’m at a school that only monitors at the MS. It’s a free for all in the US and kids use their school devices the same way they would use their cell phone

For sure at SJC, they monitor for all grades and only schoolwork is allowed on the school iPad. They won’t even allow the kids to use their own Apple ID on the iPad, so kids can’t access their personal text messages and email addresses. I disagree with that policy, it requires my kid having to carry their personal phone to school too. Other than that, we’re happy with the iPad for schoolwork. It’s worked out well to greatly lightened the backpacks and be able to do schoolwork anytime without needing physical textbooks and notebooks.

I will add that I like this (and I am one of the posters unhappy with other aspects of the school). It prevents the "left my work" someplace or at school and for my kid there are still plenty of assignments that are done on paper. One of my kids teachers this year doesn't allow ipads at all in class. They have a notebook and they listen and take notes, so its not as all encompassing as the school makes it seem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son went there for baseball several years ago. He was good player but not excellent enough. It was clear he didn’t have a path forward on the team. Also, the baseball team, and I assume other sports there, is an all life-encompassing, high pressure thing for the kid and the family. He transferred back to our DCPS high school after freshman year and loved his last 3 years of high school. Now at a great college. However, the study habits and organizational skills he learned at SJC helped him succeed so it’s a mixed bag.

My DD does another sport, and has a completely different experience. It was not at all encompassing or stressful. The team had weekly meets during the season and practices were “required”, but the coaches were very relaxed about the requirements. Kids missed practices or meets for various reasons, and it was not a big deal at all. All kids who wanted to be on the team and compete, were given the opportunity whether they were varsity or JV. Once the season was over and after the banquet, then the kids were free from that sport. My DD had so much fun, and loved the team and the coaches. She loved how close the girls on the teams became despite different ages.

The SJC baseball program is a different animal. Not for the faint of heart. Somehow they usually finish every year in the top 25 in the nation, which is unusual for a cold weather school. But it appears to be a major grind and you have to love it because there’s no time for anything else besides class. My SJC athlete says the baseball players are a completely different breed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son went there for baseball several years ago. He was good player but not excellent enough. It was clear he didn’t have a path forward on the team. Also, the baseball team, and I assume other sports there, is an all life-encompassing, high pressure thing for the kid and the family. He transferred back to our DCPS high school after freshman year and loved his last 3 years of high school. Now at a great college. However, the study habits and organizational skills he learned at SJC helped him succeed so it’s a mixed bag.

My DD does another sport, and has a completely different experience. It was not at all encompassing or stressful. The team had weekly meets during the season and practices were “required”, but the coaches were very relaxed about the requirements. Kids missed practices or meets for various reasons, and it was not a big deal at all. All kids who wanted to be on the team and compete, were given the opportunity whether they were varsity or JV. Once the season was over and after the banquet, then the kids were free from that sport. My DD had so much fun, and loved the team and the coaches. She loved how close the girls on the teams became despite different ages.

The SJC baseball program is a different animal. Not for the faint of heart. Somehow they usually finish every year in the top 25 in the nation, which is unusual for a cold weather school. But it appears to be a major grind and you have to love it because there’s no time for anything else besides class. My SJC athlete says the baseball players are a completely different breed.

Wow you have no idea what you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son went there for baseball several years ago. He was good player but not excellent enough. It was clear he didn’t have a path forward on the team. Also, the baseball team, and I assume other sports there, is an all life-encompassing, high pressure thing for the kid and the family. He transferred back to our DCPS high school after freshman year and loved his last 3 years of high school. Now at a great college. However, the study habits and organizational skills he learned at SJC helped him succeed so it’s a mixed bag.

My DD does another sport, and has a completely different experience. It was not at all encompassing or stressful. The team had weekly meets during the season and practices were “required”, but the coaches were very relaxed about the requirements. Kids missed practices or meets for various reasons, and it was not a big deal at all. All kids who wanted to be on the team and compete, were given the opportunity whether they were varsity or JV. Once the season was over and after the banquet, then the kids were free from that sport. My DD had so much fun, and loved the team and the coaches. She loved how close the girls on the teams became despite different ages.

The SJC baseball program is a different animal. Not for the faint of heart. Somehow they usually finish every year in the top 25 in the nation, which is unusual for a cold weather school. But it appears to be a major grind and you have to love it because there’s no time for anything else besides class. My SJC athlete says the baseball players are a completely different breed.

Wow you have no idea what you are talking about.

Which part? My kid is friends with many of them.

[Anonymous]

What I don't love about SJC is that kids are are not D1 athletes get locked out of playing most sports. What I love is the honors program. Not sure how the non honors track is but it will keep your kid busy and in a smaller cohort if they are not involved in extracurriculars. There are not as many ec's as many like. We do also like the new schedule and down time for building school spirit.

[Anonymous]

SJC is a funny school because it falls into so many categories. Public with a uniform, Catholic but coed, private.

How you see it is going to depend on what you are comparing it to.

SJC vs public (JR, BCC)
SJC vs catholic (Visi, Gonzaga, etc.)
SJV vs independent (Sidwell, Maret, etc.)

Depending on your comparisons, you are going to think about SJC very differently.

Separately, we live in the neighborhood and chose a different school for a bunch of reasons. Many if not most of the kids we know there are very happy even if they aren't sports stars. But there are plenty who aren't happy. Big class sizes, a very traditional curriculum and teaching style, and the bro-esque culture are what they say is driving them away- but nothing is ever always a perfect fit for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I don't love about SJC is that kids are are not D1 athletes get locked out of playing most sports. What I love is the honors program. Not sure how the non honors track is but it will keep your kid busy and in a smaller cohort if they are not involved in extracurriculars. There are not as many ec's as many like. We do also like the new schedule and down time for building school spirit.

When you say honors, do you mean the scholars program or the honors classes more generally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SJC is a funny school because it falls into so many categories. Public with a uniform, Catholic but coed, private.

How you see it is going to depend on what you are comparing it to.

SJC vs public (JR, BCC)
SJC vs catholic (Visi, Gonzaga, etc.)
SJV vs independent (Sidwell, Maret, etc.)

Depending on your comparisons, you are going to think about SJC very differently.

Separately, we live in the neighborhood and chose a different school for a bunch of reasons. Many if not most of the kids we know there are very happy even if they aren't sports stars. But there are plenty who aren't happy. Big class sizes, a very traditional curriculum and teaching style, and the bro-esque culture are what they say is driving them away- but nothing is ever always a perfect fit for everyone.

As an aside, co-ed Catholic schools are common in the Midwest, so it's not as much of an outlier as you might think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC is a funny school because it falls into so many categories. Public with a uniform, Catholic but coed, private.

How you see it is going to depend on what you are comparing it to.

SJC vs public (JR, BCC)
SJC vs catholic (Visi, Gonzaga, etc.)
SJV vs independent (Sidwell, Maret, etc.)

Depending on your comparisons, you are going to think about SJC very differently.

Separately, we live in the neighborhood and chose a different school for a bunch of reasons. Many if not most of the kids we know there are very happy even if they aren't sports stars. But there are plenty who aren't happy. Big class sizes, a very traditional curriculum and teaching style, and the bro-esque culture are what they say is driving them away- but nothing is ever always a perfect fit for everyone.

As an aside, co-ed Catholic schools are common in the Midwest, so it's not as much of an outlier as you might think.

Ok, but around here GC is really the only similar school -- and its not close at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SJC parent here. Putting aside the sports question for a sec. We've been really happy with SJC overall. But you have to know what you are getting into. We came from a K-8 parish school, so much smaller obv. There are many great things about SJC. But it's big. OF course there are kids who are cheating. I hear about it all the time from my kid. There are people vaping in the bathroom. There are detentions and suspensions. Sometimes even an expulsion (rarely I think, but it happens.) That can be scary/overwhelming to someone coming from an environment where every kid and every family knew each other, where you know all the teachers and admins, etc.

Now for the sports question, I agree that these athletes are very committed. But this IS high school. They're partying plenty on weekends.

How can it be "strict" with vaping and cheating?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a sophomore this year and likes SJC pretty well. I wanted to comment on the requirements for honors/Ap English and also math if your 9th grader takes (or has to repeat from 8th grade) Algebra 1.

A B+ in non honors 9th grade English gets you grade level 10th grade English. You have to have an A in 9th to move into honors in 10th. (I think its a B if you start in honors) Then in 10th, you need an A to move into 11th honors, and a 95 or above, which is near impossible, to move to AP.

In math if you don't start in honors you need to be in the top 5% of all Algebra 1 students (last year that grade was about a 95) to qualify for summer Geometry and then be on track for honors Algebra II as a sophomore.

All a bit frustrating esp since teacher difficulty and grading policies vary depending on who you get.

THIS!!!! My kid is a Senior. We made a massive mistake choosing SJC and it is going to impact his options for college. I have an A student who struggled as a Freshman due to two back to back death the first month of his freshman year at SJC. SJC never allowed him to recover academically. Please parents realize that it they gate keep their classes for honors kids and it WILL impact your child’s future! My son was in accelerated math going into SJC. SJC forced (and I mean forced) him off of it. He wasn’t allowed into Honors classes with a B plus (about .7 point away from an A). He was not allowed to take more than two APs his Junior year. He is now is pre calc because he was forced out of the accelerated program. The college he wants so badly’s rep told him he didn’t have a shot and they won’t even look at him even though he is an A student because of his APs and Math over which he had no control because he had no control. The school is rigid, too big and doesn’t care about each kid wholelistically. They care about sports. Period. The resentment I have towards what this school has done to my kids future is deep. If they take your kid off the honors/college math path, get out!!!!! I have so much regret for my hard working good kid. It is devastating!!!!

I would love an update on how your kid did with college acceptances this year. Hopefully he made it to the school he wanted or somewhere he will be as happy? We are in a similar position, and it would be so helpful to hear how things ended up working out.

Wow this is really terrible and I hope her DS is going somewhere great next year. We almost picked SJC for DD last month but didn't; feel like we dodged a bullet!

[Anonymous]

So what public school problems will exist in sjc and which ones will not just list them from experience.