Did anyone find primary day too "academic" or structured?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have been pretty frustrated with the lack of academics and work ethic at our progressive lower school. We regret looking in to PDS so late in our application season and then not pursuing it as we have 3 kids and didn’t want them spread all about for years and years.

Now we are looking at catholic schools or our MCPS public for the younger two.

MCPS in this geographic area is better- unless you’re a misguided social climber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have been pretty frustrated with the lack of academics and work ethic at our progressive lower school. We regret looking in to PDS so late in our application season and then not pursuing it as we have 3 kids and didn’t want them spread all about for years and years.

Now we are looking at catholic schools or our MCPS public for the younger two.

MCPS in this geographic area is better- unless you’re a misguided social climber.

Except the catholic schools have more gym, arts, and even have devoted science and social studies/history classes daily.MCPS ES has none of that, maybe once a week max.

[Anonymous]

Anyone noticed a correlation with the biggest donors have the best outplacement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone noticed a correlation with the biggest donors have the best outplacement?

Outplacement hasn't been published, so are you basing this on assumptions and gossip?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone noticed a correlation with the biggest donors have the best outplacement?

Outplacement hasn't been published, so are you basing this on assumptions and gossip?

Just what seems to be happening..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone noticed a correlation with the biggest donors have the best outplacement?

Outplacement hasn't been published, so are you basing this on assumptions and gossip?

Just what seems to be happening..

How is PDS outplacement this year? We may apply for PDS this coming Fall for 2020. Why does the PP think PDS donors get the pick of schools when most applications are based on the child's abilities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone noticed a correlation with the biggest donors have the best outplacement?

Outplacement hasn't been published, so are you basing this on assumptions and gossip?

Just what seems to be happening..

How is PDS outplacement this year? We may apply for PDS this coming Fall for 2020. Why does the PP think PDS donors get the pick of schools when most applications are based on the child's abilities?

If you think wealth of parents doesn't help with private school placement (ie, that you can't buy your way in), I have a bridge to sell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone noticed a correlation with the biggest donors have the best outplacement?

Outplacement hasn't been published, so are you basing this on assumptions and gossip?

Just what seems to be happening..

So yes, assumptions and gossip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone noticed a correlation with the biggest donors have the best outplacement?

Outplacement hasn't been published, so are you basing this on assumptions and gossip?

Just what seems to be happening..

How is PDS outplacement this year? We may apply for PDS this coming Fall for 2020. Why does the PP think PDS donors get the pick of schools when most applications are based on the child's abilities?

From what I know, seven of the girls got into Holton... so seems like a good year.

[Anonymous]

Primary Day has gone downhill. The head of school is so self serving that he has destroyed the entire sweetness of the school by pushing it to be his vision instead of respecting what makes the school special. Glad he is leaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Both my children graduated from Primary Day. It is a fabulous school with an incredible head of school, Scott Lawrence. It is academic and the staff is first rate, with so many wonderful traditions.

Sounds like you had children that are happy and graduated when Mary Lisa Geppert was head, who was incredible but pushed out by a few bitter parents who were being egged on by a few bitter faculty and staff members. Everyone knows who they are and that they resisted change. If you had a child there now (and I had one with the former head and one with the new) you would know that people are unhappy. Except of course the people who wanted the old head to leave. The school seems miserable now. The kids look unhappy and the teachers look unhappy. They should encourage the bullies who got rid of the old head to move on. You wouldn't even believe the things that I hear directly from the source. It's really sad to think that a few teachers and staff members basically make all the decisions for the school and are proud of how easily they can manipulate the new head.

These kind of dynamics are common at weak schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Primary Day has gone downhill. The head of school is so self serving that he has destroyed the entire sweetness of the school by pushing it to be his vision instead of respecting what makes the school special. Glad he is leaving.

I recently toured and he didn’t seem at all like he was leaving. Wow! If that’s true, it feels like false advertising

[Anonymous]

Primary Day is doing just fine. If it wasn’t, they would not have been able to raise over $1.2 million from last years Capital Campaign. That is a lot of money for a school with around 130 students. The school was able to reopen in person during a pandemic. No, of course it is not the same as pre-pandemic (no school is) but the school and teachers have done a great job. The HOS is well liked and will be greatly missed. He is leaving next year because his spouse is a Diplomat and they are getting reassigned to a new location.

[Anonymous]

I have had two kids at Primary Day under the current head and they have had a wonderful experience. Teachers and students are all happy. We love the community. The school has been around for 75 years so its laughable for people to call it weak. I don’t even know what that means. It’s a traditional school with a lot of hands on learning. It is heavily focused on teaching phonics based reading, writing, spelling, and math. The curriculum also includes STEM, art, music, PE, literature, Spanish, French, and Chinese. That is a pretty strong program by any standard.

[Anonymous]

What sort of family are you op? What is your kid like? That is the missing piece in order to actually know the likelihood of your being happy there. Traditional family and “normal” kid means more likely happy there. If you are progressive and liberal and your kid has been in a playbased only preschool less likely happy there, generalized statements I know.