Kent Gardens in Mclean or Stenwood in Vienna or Shrevewood in Falls Church

[Anonymous]

We are moving back to the US to the NOVA area. Based on our housing options we will be considering one of the following schools for our daughter entering the 4th grade.

Kent Gardens
Stenwood
Shrevewood

The SOLs scores for these schools vary by grade level. Aside from these scores do any of these schools
have advantages/disadvantages that stand out. For example student/teacher ratio, after school activities, sense of community etc...

I see this could lead to a kilmer vs longfellow vs thoreau decision as well.

I was leaning towards Kent Gardens/Longfellow but reading the thread in the forums about Kent Gardens alarmed me so I'm not sure what to expect. Before I arrive into town and meet with the schools I was hoping for some feedback.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about Kent Gardens, but I can tell you that we have had wonderful experiences at Shrevewood. We've never had a teacher we didn't love, the Chinese teacher and program has been amazing, and there is a great sense of community among the families.
There is a new principal starting this year and she has made a great effort to learn about the community and get to know the families before the year even starts.

After school activities have included dance, art, chess, science, etc.

[Anonymous]

Stenwood is about to complete a major school renovation so the facilities should be nice when the doors open this September.
They have a new principal and the school has a diverse student body.

[Anonymous]

OP - You mentioned Thoreau, so I assume you were thinking about a house assigned to Stenwood/Thoreau/Marshall. While not necessarily a big deal, most of Stenwood goes to Kilmer, not Thoreau (and then most of Thoreau goes to Madison, not Marshall). So if you're moving back to the U.S., that might mean that your kids would have to make new friends repeatedly in the space of a few years. In contrast, all of Kent Gardens is assigned to Longfellow/McLean, and all of Shrevewood goes to Kilmer/Marshall.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We are moving back to the US to the NOVA area. Based on our housing options we will be considering one of the following schools for our daughter entering the 4th grade.

Kent Gardens
Stenwood
Shrevewood

The SOLs scores for these schools vary by grade level. Aside from these scores do any of these schools
have advantages/disadvantages that stand out. For example student/teacher ratio, after school activities, sense of community etc...

I see this could lead to a kilmer vs longfellow vs thoreau decision as well.

I was leaning towards Kent Gardens/Longfellow but reading the thread in the forums about Kent Gardens alarmed me so I'm not sure what to expect. Before I arrive into town and meet with the schools I was hoping for some feedback.

Do these schools actually make to to "meet" with prospective parents?

These are not private schools. These schools aren't trying to wine or dine you to get your tuition money.

[Anonymous]

The new Shrevewood principal would meet with you. She is very interested in getting the know the families and "attracting" new families to e school (including luring families back from private).

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks everyone for your feedback. I was able to stop by many of these schools and talk to the registrar in the front office or someone in the administrative office. In some cases I still need to make some appointments. I’m choosing the school before I choose a home so this is my chance to get to know the school environment in advance. It took me less than half a day to make the rounds.
Here were my initial impressions:

Elementary Schools:

Kent Gardens: Friendly front office but no very knowledgeable about curriculum specifics or basic student life issues. Deferred these questions to teachers/counselors who were not available at the time. School facility is old and needs some TLC. They have a French immersion program which I don’t really care for so it’s not a selling point.

Shrevewood: Met with registrar who was welcoming and knowledgeable. She shared the concept of “academies” where students switch classrooms based on subject similar to middle school. Provides level IV services as well a center for Autistic students. It seems the after school activities are not as mature as other schools with programs running 2 days out of the week. The Chinese language program is offered as a taste of another culture/language and not for proficiency. The building was modern and well lit.

Stenwood: Walking into the front office literally bumped in office assistant, principal and a current parent. Very welcoming and friendly. I was offered a tour of the school which is under major expansion which is set be completed before school start. The facilities are fantastic with every classroom full of natural light. The computer lab uses new laptops and they have mobile units to bring laptops to classrooms for use. I don’t believe the school offers AAP services but I need to double check. Overall a friendly environment.

My first choice would be Shrevewood because it combines solid academic options, good facilities and a community feel. My second choice at the moment would be Stenwood. Again this is based on my interaction with front office and not any teachers/counselors.

Middle Schools:

Longfellow: The school is going through a major renovation so I was walking through a construction zone. Walked into the office and met with the main office assistant and registrar. If there was any place I felt most welcome it would be here. They were so enthusiastic and helpful in answering my questions. They even went beyond to print information off for me. All this while the registrar was in the middle of something she was just really helpful.

Kilmer: Wasn’t able to meet with anyone who could actually respond to my questions so I need to make an appointment. Facilities look great. I met one office assistant who just seemed confused about my request and was not interested in giving me any information and said to make an appointment with the school registrar. So I didn’t get the warm welcome here which is telling but it’s too early to judge.

Longfellow would be my first choice here so far.

[Anonymous]

I'm not surprised that was your experience at Longfellow. Carole Kihm, the principal, has been there 3-4 years and won "Principal of the Year" her first year there. She sets a great tone. People there actually try to be helpful, which is not the case at every school and particularly important at Longfellow, since the school has around 1200 students and is in the midst of a big renovation.

[Anonymous]

Shrevewood parent here. I'm glad you like Shrevewood. We do too but I wanted to correct a misperception. Shrevewood does NOT have level IV services. The Shrevewood level IV students go to Haycock, which is also a great school.

[Anonymous]

Stenwood does not have AAP. They go to Louise Archer for that.