Feynman School Closing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t there only like 60 kids in the whole school?

More like 30 from pre-K-8th grade, why would anyone send their kid to Feynman? You could see the train wreck coming.

Regardless of 30 kids or 60, you shouldn’t have both an executive director and head teacher each making almost $100k. One of those jobs is unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

This school was always a joke. It is bankrolled by the owners father who finally got fed up. She is a spoiled brat who decided she didn’t like preschools available for her kid, so she and her ex husband hit up rich daddy to set them up. Marriage imploded and the school is done. Oh and her kids are done there.

[Anonymous]

Marriage implosion was not on my bingo card.

Do you know how the other Board members fit into all of this? What was their connection to the Golds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marriage implosion was not on my bingo card.

Do you know how the other Board members fit into all of this? What was their connection to the Golds?

Neither was Daddy cutting her off.

Feynman parent here. While we knew there was dysfunction, we had no idea it was shutting the place down the next day bad. I'd expect some of that in a small school. When you care about your bright kid's education, there's a certain amount of management dysfunction you're willing to put up with if you kid is doing well. There's a lot of arrogant unhelpful "you should have seen this coming" on this board when there was a lot that was hidden from parents. I mean, we've gotten more information from folks on this board after the fact than the school. These parents aren't dumb.

One board member was a PG County head of school that she had worked with. Another was a retired Admiral who had kids go through the school. And I think another is a gifted educator friend. So yeah, no one who knows anything about running a business or managing money and too many drinking the kool-aid people with personal ties to Susan Gold to take a step back and effectively manage.

I kind of want a lawsuit just so we can see just how much more dumpster fire tumbles out of this whole saga.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sycamore school in Arlington

for "gifted" kids? No. Unless you can just hand them a text book and they can teach themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marriage implosion was not on my bingo card.

Do you know how the other Board members fit into all of this? What was their connection to the Golds?

Neither was Daddy cutting her off.

Feynman parent here. While we knew there was dysfunction, we had no idea it was shutting the place down the next day bad. I'd expect some of that in a small school. When you care about your bright kid's education, there's a certain amount of management dysfunction you're willing to put up with if you kid is doing well. There's a lot of arrogant unhelpful "you should have seen this coming" on this board when there was a lot that was hidden from parents. I mean, we've gotten more information from folks on this board after the fact than the school. These parents aren't dumb.

One board member was a PG County head of school that she had worked with. Another was a retired Admiral who had kids go through the school. And I think another is a gifted educator friend. So yeah, no one who knows anything about running a business or managing money and too many drinking the kool-aid people with personal ties to Susan Gold to take a step back and effectively manage.

I kind of want a lawsuit just so we can see just how much more dumpster fire tumbles out of this whole saga.

This. When your kid is happy and loves school and is doing well, you tend to overlook a lot.

[Anonymous]

I must say, having looked very seriously at Feynman about 9-10 years ago, when my son was entering Kindergarten, I am not at all surprised by this outcome. We were initially excited about the school and even trying to figure out how we were going to transport our young child from Virginia every day to attend it. We even paid the deposit, but the owners particularly Robert Gold became very strange when we asked if we could speak with other parent references, leaving us a voice mail saying we were losing our deposit and that we would not be a good fit for their school. We have never experienced anything like this at any school. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as our son is very happy in his small all-boys Catholic school that focuses on gifted boys (admission required he take both OLSAT and SCAT). And it's a relief not to have to deal with the drama of the Golds which we have seen on this board over the years and to have a rigorous, time-tested, and superb education for our son.

[Anonymous]

The word “gifted “ drew a lot of insecure not particularly gifted parents with $ to the school. Anyone willing to pay got to declare their kid “
Gifted “. The HOS was bizarre and remarkably honest about the deep issues the river rd property was causing him.

Looked at it for my kid and was unimpressed with exception of two middle school teachers that were indeed gifted. Hope they landed somewhere good.

[Anonymous]

Have any parents decided if they will be filing suit over tuition or other problems?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Or, deal with public for the next few months while putting in applications for the Fall.

Unfortunately, this is what we have to do. I also don't want to put my kid in another small school with potentially sketchy finances that isn't the school we wanted for long-term so we'd be applying to the schools we want for the Fall anyway. We didn't budget to pay two private school tuitions for one kid. The school just noticed everyone that no one is getting their money back. So bankruptcy court it is I guess.

Ohmygoodness! I am so sorry, PP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No idea if they have spots and if so in what grades but places to call in Montgomery County with K-8th grades to ask about spots:

Bullis
St Andrews
Green Acres
Washington Episcopal
Barrie
Friends Community
Christ Episcopal
Sandy Spring Friends (although they are having their own challenges after a sudden HOS departure)
St Elizabeth’s and any other catholic parish school you can find
Charles E Smith Jewish Day
Woods Academy
Stone Ridge (all girls)
Grace Episcopal Day School

Best wishes to all. That’s an awful situation to be dealing with and I hope you are able to find a new school quickly.

Good list. As for SSFS, where our child is, I’d seriously look at it. There was a toxic head of school for 3 yrs, under whose leadership there were multiple departures. On top of that, the school overenrolled during COVID, taking public school kids whose parents were fed up with remote school, and those families went back to public school resulting in less enrollment this year by a few dozen students. We were prepared to apply out but it’s actually been a great year so far with the old head gone. The teachers are gems and the place feels happy again. The board just emailed that there are 3 finalists coming for the head position in January and they anticipate naming a permanent head in the next couple of months. We are feeling good about staying, and it could be a great place to land.

SSFS is worth the look. If it’s a good fit, you could stay through 12th.

[Anonymous]

If it’s not too late for current families I would ask the teachers to fill out teacher evaluation forms asap. Here is the link for the common teacher evaluation forms that most independent schools in the dmv use- https://www.aisgw.org/common-recommendation-forms-for-applicants

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This school was always a joke. It is bankrolled by the owners father who finally got fed up. She is a spoiled brat who decided she didn’t like preschools available for her kid, so she and her ex husband hit up rich daddy to set them up. Marriage imploded and the school is done. Oh and her kids are done there.

Wow.

[Anonymous]

Former Feynman teacher here. 90% of the students were not gifted. Not even close. These kids had some sort of behavioral or social problems. It was clear to the teachers that any student can enroll as long as the parents can pay and it was frustrating. This caused families with actual gifted kids to leave over the past few years. The school lost excellent teachers due to the administrations dishonesty and lack of communication. So much potential, just the wrong administration. I feel sorry for the teachers and families and hope that at the very least everyone gets reimbursed.

[Anonymous]

Was Feynman accredited?