Has anyone attended a camp at a competing school or is this totally faux pas?

[Anonymous]

I understand in the early years of DC school years some parents send their kids to camp at the their private school for acclimation but has anyone sent there child to another private school's camp just to get an experience?

We are currently public for elementary and I am thinking of sending my kids, preschool now to a private school camp in hopes of attending there (private) in middle school.

[Anonymous]

We did it with our preschooler for the summer just to get a feel how we like before enrolling for the year, and it was a good experience that gave us a better picture of teachers and all. It did direct us towards a different school though as we did not think it was what we were expecting.

[Anonymous]

We sent DC to one private and chose a camp at a different private. We did it because we liked the school at one and the camp at the other. No alterior motive. We've done it for years. I'm not sure whether sending a DC to a camp plays a role in acceptance to the school. It may, I just don't know.

[Anonymous]

At most schools I don't think summer attendance affects admissions. They are often run and staffed by different people.

I know people who attend a further-away school who send their kids to camp at our school because its closer to their house. I also know people at our school who send their kids to another private school camp because it offers a different experience for the kids.

[Anonymous]

ulterior

[Anonymous]

You can send your kids anywhere you think they will have a good camp experience. My kids went to camps at various schools over the years. We rarely used the camp at our school because we wanted somethig different in the summer. At most schools camp attendance has no impact on admissions - as othes have noted the camps are usually a separate operation. As to acclimation I suppose it can't hurt to get to know the campus, but a middle schooler would probably figure it out pretty quickly anyway. Also you should try to find out if the camp at the particular school actually has kids from that school or not if your aim is acclimation. Places like Summer at Sidwell have a small proporton of Sidwell students attending, some of the smaller k-8s will have more of their students attending.

Finally - don't obsess over a particular middle school when your kids are in preschool. It may not be a good fit for them when they get to that age, or they may not get in. Keep your options open.

[Anonymous]

I don't think camp attendance has anything to do with school admissions. The camps are moneymakers, pure and simple, and often outsourced to organizations like Headfirst. My children attend private school and have attended camps at several other private schools simply because they are convenient and they like the offerings. They have no sense of being at a "competing" school.