Tell me about the Sheridan School

[Anonymous]

Yes, I've searched the forum, but was unable to find one devoted solely to discussing experiences at the school. It's a school we're looking at and so far like what we've seen. Would love to hear from any current families.

[Anonymous]

I am not a current family member of the school, but I did visit the school when I was looking for my DC and I was amazed by the lack of racial diversity at that school. I do not recall seeing one person of color on the entire faculty! For that kind of money I want my child exposed to a variety of cultures and races. I think academically it is decent, the Head of School is pretty intense, but passionate. I think your kid will get a decent education, but it lacks diversity on faculty and in the student body. Other schools are more committed and as a result, kids get a valuable exposure.

[Anonymous]

It is also very small, one class per grade, which can get socially suffocating for some. I know a couple of families whose children went all the way through and loved it, and a couple who moved on after a few years.

[Anonymous]

I'd try searching again, as there is quite a bit about this school on this forum.

We looked at it last year for our child. The big turn-off for us was that their K is one class of about 24 kids. There are three teachers, but we thought it would still be a bit chaotic and distracting for our child to have that many kids in a class. As far as diversity, it seems to have no less than most of the other private schools in the area and their overall school culture seems to emphasize inclusiveness.

[Anonymous]

Nice school. When I went to visit last year, a teacher of color addressed the prospective parents. I don't know much about diversity there, but I did see quite a few Asian kids on the tour. I suppose diversity means different things to different people.

[Anonymous]

We checked it out at an open house and was impressed, it offers French or Spanish early (not just Spanish), has music lessons built into the curriculum, has the outdoor campus in Virginia etc. We later met some Sheridan parents and liked all who we met. Ultimately, we decided to go with another school that started at Nursery (through 8) but it was a very tough decision!

[Anonymous]

That's funny because the ONE family I know at Sheridan is African American. They absolutely love it there and are very dedicated. Their kids are thriving and they seem to say that the teachers and school administration are very engaged with the individual students.

[Anonymous]

I don't know much about the demographics of Sheridan, but it sounds like it reflects the neighborhood. Not particularly surprising. Janney is not exactly racially diverse, either.

[Anonymous]

Our children are several years into the school. It has been an excellent experience academically and socially for the kids. You will be very hard pressed to find a **lower** school with a better-executed curriculum. (ie, it's not appropriate or fair to pine for GDS's high school offerings at this point, IMO).

Randy's spiel about supporting the whole child in all areas is not bullshit. I was a skeptic going in but not after a few years -- the school's philosophy is carried out top to bottom, and it has had measurable impact on our DCs, the more tentative one in particular.

Our children are white, European-Americans born in the United States. I'm not going to apologize for this immutable trait, PPs. But, in their respective classes, each has several students of color (note: ALL the colors. Sometimes on DCUM, certain anonymous people really mean just AA). There are also lots of kids at Sheridan from all over the world who speak multiple languages and probably appear to have white skin. I personally treasure these kids from Estonia and Portugal as much as I do the kids who are ethnic Chinese, but of course YMMV.

We have, so far, especially valued the music programs and the language arts instruction. Also, the way that "social studies" is taught. To be candid, I wish the math instruction in the lower grades was something other than straight-up Everyday Math. This really has its drawbacks and I believe that Sheridan and several other lower schools in DC-Md. are revisiting their reliance on this curriculum for K-4.

[Anonymous]

We are a part of the Sheridan family and have been for several years. We joke about "drinking the kool aid" but the truth is that the spiel they give the open house is the truth. They really do believe in creating a safe environment where children feel safe to take risks and they also take children seriously. It plays itself out in real action every day, and in every classroom at the school. That said, the kids do not run the show. The adults are definitely in charge, and every decision the teachers and administration makes is deliberate and well thought out for the best interest of the children.

And don't take all of the "touchy feely" stuff to mean that the academics are not rigorous. The children are well challenged and there is excellent differentiation to meet children where they are. I also like that the school is open minded enough to know that they need to stay abreast of research and continue to make improvements. There is talk of adding STEM and robotics in upper grades and opening up electives beyond just the arts (i.e. current strong emphasis on music).

Many of our grads do on to "prestigious" schools like NCS, GDS, Maret, and yes even holy Sidwell (lol). The Head of School works hard to prepare each individual student for the high school application process.

I personally loved when my son had three teachers for K.
24 kids in a class, yes, but have you seen the K schedule? These kids are in transition regularly throughout the day, moving from class to class (often in half group sizes). Our son has come home every day since day one, excited about the environment, the other kids, the teachers and what he's learning.

The school, to us, is a hidden gem. Other cool things include a free morning program (drop your kids as early as 7:45 for no additional charge), an awesome after school program called Ex-Club, enrichment programs and free after school music lessons. They also serve a hot lunch everyday, the younger kids have older "buddies" in higher grades, the twice a year trips to mountain campus push kids to stretch themselves and the student run conferences encourage kids to take an active role in their own education.

Yes, the one drawback is that its small. Only 225 kids spread over K-8. So thats one class per grade. But the Head knows every single kid's name, and everyone, including administrators in the school, seems to know every kid's name. So if a friendly environment like that is important to you, then that could be a strength.

Re: diversity, we don't think it differs much from other independent schools. That said, this year's new K class appears to be one of the most diverse the school has every recruited. Thats just from me seeing the kids pictures posted and all the new faces in the mix. There is diversity at the teaching ranks as well in terms of age/gender/experience, and they certainly have some room to grow in the area of faulty of color (again, take a look at other independent schools, many have few teachers of color. Its a process people). The school has just hired a new Multicultural Affairs Director to work with the curriculum and teachers to ensure that the content is inclusive and representative of all peoples' experiences. Its really exciting.

To me, a dad of a son at this school, we could not be happier. And it also feels like the school is hitting its stride and is now in its best years ever. We're proud to be a part of the Sheridan family.

[Anonymous]

This is great to hear. I never really knew much about this school, but it sounds like a good one. I wonder why people dont talk more about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know much about the demographics of Sheridan, but it sounds like it reflects the neighborhood. Not particularly surprising. Janney is not exactly racially diverse, either.

Sheridan isn't in the Janney district. It's in the Murch district, close to the border with Hearst. Murch and Hearst are two of the most diverse schools in the city, with no group in the majority.

[Anonymous]

Murch, Janney and Lafayette are the only three public schools in D.C. worth anyone's time, and lets face it, they are located in the rich white areas of NW DC. But with how screwy the school system is in DC, you arent even guranteed admission if you live in the zone. I have a friend with a million dollar house in the Lafayette zone and she cant even get her kids into the school. So her kids go to private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Murch, Janney and Lafayette are the only three public schools in D.C. worth anyone's time, and lets face it, they are located in the rich white areas of NW DC. But with how screwy the school system is in DC, you arent even guranteed admission if you live in the zone. I have a friend with a million dollar house in the Lafayette zone and she cant even get her kids into the school. So her kids go to private.

I'm really not sure

1) Why you think Murch, Janney, and Lafayette are the only three public schools worth anyone's time. Where are Key, and Oyster, and Brent, and Mann, and Deal, and Banneker, and the many other great schools in DC on that list?

2) Why you think your child isn't guaranteed admissions. Except for PK, where no one is guaranteed a slot, everyone who lives in bounds for Lafayette can send their chidl there.

3) What this has to do with Sheridan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Murch, Janney and Lafayette are the only three public schools in D.C. worth anyone's time, and lets face it, they are located in the rich white areas of NW DC. But with how screwy the school system is in DC, you arent even guranteed admission if you live in the zone. I have a friend with a million dollar house in the Lafayette zone and she cant even get her kids into the school. So her kids go to private.

This is not correct. If you are in boundary for Lafayette you are guaranteed a spot.