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Past and Current 3rd Grader Beauvoir Parents - Meeting with Outplacement Director?
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Anonymous
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I can't believe we have to go through this whole application madness again.
At least this time around, it seems that we'll have the school and an Outplacement Director guiding us through the process. Our meeting with the Outplacement Director is coming up at the end of August. We're not terribly stressed out about it (at least compared to the admissions process the first time around), and have heard general comments praising the Director and the process, but have never really pressed for specifics. Of course, we've been talking to others, but most of those others are just passing along general hearsay, so I figured we might cast a wider net and post on DCUM. So . . . What should we expect? What will they ask of us? What should we be asking? What should we provide (WPPSI scores have already been sent)? If we really want NCS/STA, how hard should we pushing? Will they be frank with us about our DC's chances? If we really don't want NCS/STA, how hard should we be pushing? The odds at the other members of the Big Four seem very much against us. Will they and can they really push hard on our behalf at these other schools? Any other advice, experiences, guidance you can share would be appreciated. |
Anonymous
Why do you feel this way? Why wouldn't Beauvoir students have an advantage or at least be on an equal footing with applicants from public schools or other private schools? |
Anonymous
I'm pretty sure what OP is referring to is the fact that 4th grade is not a big entry year for most schools. Perhaps Beauvoir kids have an advantate, perhaps they are just on equal footing. However you see it, it's a numbers game and the numbers don't look too good. |
Anonymous
| Hmm, so from an outplacement perspective, there may be some advantage in attending a K-6 or K-8 school rather than Beauvoir? (Unless your goal is STA/NCS, of course.) |
Anonymous
I wouldn't be so pessimistic about the odds at other independent schools. A relatively large number of Beauvoir kids go on to GDS, Maret and Potomac for fourth grade, for example. It's true that Sidwell doesn't have openings for fourth grade (at least this year, when they took no new fourth graders), but most other schools do have at least some openings. While fourth grade is not a big entry year at most schools, third grade is also not a big exit point for many schools: both demand and supply are limited. My experience is that they will not push very hard for you child, either within the Cathedral system or outside it. For most kids, it evidently doesn't matter, based on the fact that most seem to wind up where their parents want them to be. But if your child is one who might not look strong "on paper"--if his or her test scores are weak, for example--you might want to push the school a bit yourself, including by talking with the Head of the school and not relying exclusively on outplacement director. I would also encourage you to look at a wide variety of schools early on and not limit your attention to three or four at the outset. There are some great schools out there that may be perfect for your child. But that's another thread... |
Anonymous
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Out of a total of 80 Beauvoir graduates in 2006,
- 31 were accepted at NCS (and presumably a similar number at STA) - 7 at GDS - 4 at Maret - 4 at St Patrick's - 0 at Sidwell (not an entry year) So, a significant share of the intake at GDS & Maret came from Beauvoir. On the other hand, the % of Beauvoir grads at each of these schools was low. Then again, in that sense, the numbers are never going to look great. |
Anonymous
| Are those numbers acceptances or enrollees? |
Anonymous
| I believe acceptances, but I am basing this on notes from a state of the school report that I can no longer locate. |
Anonymous
The number of Beauvoir boys who go on to STA is traditionally a little lower--a higher percentage of Beauvoir girls go on to NCS than do boys at STA, as STA is a little smaller than NCS and wants to leave room for some non-Beauvoir boys in fourth grade. For the sake of argument, let's say it's 25. That means of 80 kids, 56 went to the Cathedral schools. Of the remaining 24, nearly 30 percent went to GDS, and about two-thirds went to the three schools you identified. When you add in the fact that some kids' families may have moved, some may have chosen to go public, quite a few may have had a first choice school other than these three, etc., the numbers actually look quite good. That doesn't mean it's not a nervous few months if you decide NCS/STA aren't right for your child, but it certainly suggests that for the majority of kids outplacement from Beauvoir works out OK in the end. |
Anonymous
That's amazing that so many go to Maret. They only take 4-6 students (maybe 6-8) in 4th grade so you could consider Beauvoir not only a feeder to the Cathedral schools but also to Maret. Wow. |
Anonymous
From the website it looks like NCS reserves two-thirds of their 4th grade slots for Beauvoir girls. Any idea what percentage of slots at STA 4th grade slots are reserved for Beauvoir boys? Also, do a lot of Beauvoir boys just not want to go on to STA? |
Anonymous
Nothing is reserved per se, but in the past, of the 39 slots for 4th grade boys at STA, 22-28 will be taken by Beauvoir boys. |
Anonymous
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We recently went thru this process and are happy with the outcome, although we had a few tense months until we got it sorted out. Here is my advice, for what it is worth. Listen (and hear) what you are being told by the school about your child. Probe and ask questions if you need to get beyond the teacher-speak and political correctness -- e.g. "do you believe my child is well-suited and a good candidate for NCS/STA?" If you are told things like "you might want to consider other options", then I would ask "are you telling me that my child is unlikely to be accepted at NCS/STA?" On the flip side, if you don't believe that NCS/STA is right for your child, you should be clear and unified (both parents) to send a consistent message to the school so that they can best help you achieve that outcome. You must recognize that while Beauvoir wants individual children and families to be happy with outplacement, they are of necessity looking at the big picture for the entire group of children. This is not a nefarious prioritization but rather a reality of the situation.
Also - listen to meaningful comments from your child about his/her preferences. Obviously, young children respond to different things (e.g. being with friends) than their parents BUT your child might have some insights into what really matters to him/her. Do not assume that all the youthful comments are irrelevant to such a big decision. There are many fine schools in the area and yes, it is competitive. BUT, I believe that Beauvoir students who are well-suited and considered likely to succeed by the NCS/STA Admission folks are likely to be accepted to those schools. If you look at the numbers, there is an excellent chance for Beauvoir kids to continue at one of the Cathedral schools. My sense is that the disappointment occurs when parents have a single-minded attitude that precludes listening and hearing what the child's teachers and the school administrators are saying about the child. My only other advice is to take the time to visit any school that interests you so that you can be clear by late fall about your preferences. |
Anonymous
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Whatever you do, don't talk with the wrong parents about this. Don't talk to someone who wants to tell you all she/he knows about the process, about how many kids in the past have been accepted to NCS or STA and what were the 'issues' with the ones not accepted, who wants to talk about what happens process-wise, when you'll be called, what kind of phone call you'll get, etc etc. This really should be an positive process, an opportunity for you to learn about schools, about what you want, to be realistic about what is the best fit. Those are the things that matter. But inevitably some parents lead every discussion discussion into what they know about "who got in" and "who didn't" ...I can tell you it is a cloud over the decision making process. And I wish I had simply not listened to any of it because it was needless angst.
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Anonymous
| Beavoir does an excellent job with outplacement. Does this mean that every family has totally smooth sailing every year? No! Of course not. Just as every family may not have smooth sailing in their child's school in any given year. It imay not seem not useful to think that things work out happily for MOST families if your child/family ends up in the other category. You should hope and work toward your ideal but keep realistic expectations and secondary options open. Go into the process with optimism and openness to recognize what is best for your child. In sum total, yes, it is competitive out there, but Beauvoir children do well in the process. Just try to keep perspective, enjoy the third grade year, and only discuss with people who you feel support you and don't increase anxiety with their pronouncements about right and wrong. You will find that some of these parent "experts" actually spread mis-information whether they think so or not. |